The Faraj List of Exploding Stocks Part 3.04 (FAR3)

LONDON (AFX) - Leading shares are expected to open slightly lower in what
looks like being a quiet last full trading session of the year, with a mixed
night on Wall Street failing to provide any real direction, while concerns over
the impact of the Far Eastern tsunamis will continue to weigh, dealers said.
According to spread-betting firm IG Index, the FTSE 100 index is expected to
open around 5 points lower at 4,814 after closing last night at 4,819.80.
On Wall Street last night, US stocks closed slightly lower, weighed down by
a sharp fall by Boeing on reports that China would not approve new aircraft
purchases in 2005, although the broader market was little changed with stocks
holding their own despite a big spike in crude oil prices.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 25.35 points at 10,829 while
the Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 0.19 of a point to 2,177.00 and the S&P 500
slipped 0.09 of a point to 1,213.45.
Across Asia overnight, the Nikkei 225 index closed 107.20 points higher at
11,488.76, while the Hang Seng was up 5 points at 14,271.38 at midday.
In the UK today, with nothing in the way of blue-chip earnings news
expected, attention will once again focus on the impact of the Indian Ocean
tsunamis, as both the human and the economic cost of the disaster continue to
climb.
Elsewhere, mining stocks could suffer following sharp overnight falls in New
York last night, with the price of gold, platinum, palladium and copper all
falling back.
Housebuilders could be also active in early deals as the Nationwide is due
to release its December house price data before the market opens.
gl/ak