Marks & Spencer Share News (MKS)

After an initial dip, UK stocks pushed into positive territory early on Monday as traders returned to their desks after the festive holidays in an optimistic mood.London's FTSE 100 index was up 0.4% at 6,571, quickly bouncing off an intraday low of 6,522.59 reached shortly after the open."This Monday finally sees the return of most traders from the Christmas break and also the return of the volume into these markets," said analyst James Hughes from Alpari UK.This week looks set to be fairly busy in terms of economic data, with inflation figures and purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) from the Eurozone, a Bank of England rate decision and the US jobs report all due for release."So anyone who thought they could just ease themselves back into things with a comfortable week will have a bit of a shock coming," Hughes said.The positive start for UK markets followed an upbeat session in China overnight as the Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.6% to a new five and a half-year high amid speculation that policymakers will ease monetary policy further.Figures released last week showed that factory output growth in China slowed down in December with the government's 'official' manufacturing PMI falling from 50.3 to an 18-month low of 50.1. HSBC's own manufacturing PMI showed a contraction in the sector last month with a reading under the break-even point of 50.M&S hit by downgradeDepartment store chain Marks & Spencer was trading in the red on Monday after analysts at Societe Generale downgraded their recommendation for the stock from 'buy' to 'hold'.Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets, said that M&S is expected to join others in the retail industry this week by revealing a "slump" in Christmas sales. "While M&S tends to do well with its festive food offering, falling food prices and changing habits with cost conscious consumers shopping elsewhere may have kept a lid on sales for the division," he added.GlaxoSmithKline was lower after JPMorgan Cazenove lowered the stock to 'underweight', while pharmaceutical peer AstraZeneca was upgraded by the US bank to 'neutral'.Precious metals producers Fresnillo and Randgold Resources were high risers early on as gold and silver prices rose.AIM-listed Stevia ingredients maker PureCircle moved higher after saying that launches of lower-calorie fizzy drinks by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo resulted in a 24% jump in sales in the first half.techMARK 2,972.20 +0.46%FTSE 100 6,571.45 +0.36%FTSE 250 16,137.43 +0.53%FTSE 100 - RisersFresnillo (FRES) 789.00p +3.14%Carnival (CCL) 3,013.00p +2.83%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 498.90p +2.44%easyJet (EZJ) 1,723.00p +2.38%Barratt Developments (BDEV) 471.00p +2.28%Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,190.00p +2.15%Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN) 441.70p +1.92%Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 137.40p +1.85%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,494.00p +1.84%Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.) 5,260.00p +1.84%FTSE 100 - FallersMarks & Spencer Group (MKS) 470.50p -1.38%BP (BP.) 405.50p -1.21%Weir Group (WEIR) 1,866.00p -0.90%Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 181.60p -0.87%Aggreko (AGK) 1,486.00p -0.73%GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,374.50p -0.61%Royal Dutch Shell 'A' (RDSA) 2,155.00p -0.60%BG Group (BG.) 859.70p -0.52%Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 2,225.00p -0.47%Tullow Oil (TLW) 412.20p -0.46%FTSE 250 - RisersHikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 2,086.00p +5.25%Poundland Group (PLND) 335.00p +4.10%Indivior (INDV) 153.10p +2.75%Ocado Group (OCDO) 426.50p +2.55%RPC Group (RPC) 514.50p +2.29%Ophir Energy (OPHR) 147.80p +2.28%Supergroup (SGP) 869.50p +2.11%Ted Baker (TED) 2,246.00p +2.09%Kier Group (KIE) 1,520.00p +2.01%Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 2,514.00p +1.99%FTSE 250 - FallersBrit (BRIT) 264.90p -2.43%Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 430.70p -2.11%Zoopla Property Group (WI) (ZPLA) 195.00p -1.71%JPMorgan Emerging Markets Inv Trust (JMG) 585.00p -1.52%Spire Healthcare Group (SPI) 368.00p -1.47%Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 580.00p -1.44%Synthomer (SYNT) 234.00p -1.43%Premier Oil (PMO) 162.70p -1.21%Rank Group (RNK) 158.10p -1.19%Allied Minds (ALM) 364.00p -1.09%