London's leading share index is expected to claw back yesterday's losses in early dealings.Lloyds Banking is said to be considering alternatives to joining the government's toxic asset protection scheme (APS), including a potential rights issue or the sale of Scottish Widows.The part-nationalised lender may also sell Clerical Medical, a provider of investment products and pensions, Bloomberg is quoting two people familiar with the talks as saying.Bus and rail operator Stagecoach said conditions remain challenging as it reported a 4.4% rise in like-for-like UK bus revenues and a 0.9% rise in UK rail revenues in the 12 weeks to July 26. Things are particularly tough in the rail sector, Stagecoach said, with further reductions in revenue growth still being experienced.Oil explorer Dana Petroleum reported a sharp drop in first half profits in what it called a very difficult macro economic environment. Profit before tax for the period was £21.9m from £133.1m last time. The results were impacted by a £14.6m write-down in respect of unsuccessful exploration expenditure, principally in Egypt, which did not attract any tax relief.Online gaming giant PartyGaming saw pre-tax profits rise at the half year stage, but revenues fell by 21% predominantly due to the strength of the dollar against the euro and sterling. Pre-tax profit rose to £38m in the six months ended June from £30.3m last time, but net revenue fell to $201.3m (2008: $254.8m) reflecting the significant appreciation in the US dollar.