Vodafone Share News (VOD)

Global stock markets registered decent gains on Thursday as US labour-market figures continued to beat forecasts, pushing the S&P 500 in New York close to an all-time high.The S&P 500 was trading around 1,560 by the close of trade in London (12:30 in New York), just a few points from the record-high of 1,565 reached in October 2007 before the financial crisis hammered equity markets across the globe. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is on track for its 10th consecutive day of gains, the longest streak since November 1996.Spurring stocks today were US jobless claims which fell to 332,000 last week, the lowest number since January and below the 350,000 forecast, while the four-week moving average dropped to its lowest level in five years. "These figures are even better when combined with the non-farm payrolls figure for February, as they provide clear evidence that businesses are turning their attention away from cutting back and refocusing on growth," said Market Analyst Craig Erlam from Alpari.US producer price rises were broadly in line with estimates while the current-account deficit unexpectedly narrowed in the fourth quarter to $110.4bn from $112.4bn. Analysts were expecting a small rise to $112.8bn.JPMorgan upwardly revised its forecast for US economic growth after yesterday's better-than-forecast retail sales for February. The bank expects US gross domestic product to expand by 2.3% in the first quarter, well ahead of its prior 1.5% forecast.Traders were also keeping an eye on European Union summit in Brussels which begins today. A draft statement hinted that leaders could loosen deficit rules, giving nations like France, Spain and Portugal extra time to meet targets. The statement, obtained by Bloomberg, reads: "Substantial progress is being made toward structurally balanced budgets and that progress must continue. The report also called for "growth-friendly fiscal consolidation".FTSE 100: Aggreko jumps after contract win in Southern Africa Temporary power and temperature control firm Aggreko was the best performer of the morning after winning contracts to supply122 MW of gas-fuelled power to utilities in Mozambique and Namibia from its facility at Ressano Garcia in Mozambique, the largest cross-border interim power plant in the world. Jefferies said that contract win is "very helpful for sentiment and applies upside risk to FY14F consensus earnings".Supermarket giant Morrison reported its first annual profit decline in six years for 2012, but shares rose after the company unveiled plans to launch a shopping website, tapping into the fast-growing online grocery market. The company said it was in talks with Ocado and will launch its online store in 2014.Emerging markets lender Standard Chartered was given a boost after its Kenyan business delivered a 40% rise in its pre-tax profits. Meanwhile, Prudential, the insurance and pensions group, was extending gains made yesterday after a well-received set of full-year results. Also on the rise was telecoms group Vodafone after saying that it planning to increase its focus on delivering an enhanced approach to customer engagement, founded on a new, Vodafone-owned marketing platform, to be developed and implemented throughout 2013. The news came as it decided to drop its sponsorship deal with McLaren.Heading the other way were the miners as inflation worries in China dampened the outlook for demand. There are concerns that the People's Bank of China may be willing to tighten monetary policy in an effort to contain inflation which surged to a 10-month high last week. Rio Tinto, Fresnillo and EVRAZ were among the worst performers today.FTSE 250: Ocado rockets on "game-changing" Morrison deal The market celebrated Ocado's news of a potential partnership with Morrison. Richard Curr from Prime Markets said that the deal could be a "game changer" for the firm, as shares jumped as much as 20% in morning trade. The online grocer also revealed 14.4% rise in first-quarter sales in a separate statment.After signalling higher-than-expected full-year profits earlier in the year, Home Retail, the owner of Argos and Homebase, further raised its guidance this morning after reporting a strong end to its financial year, causing shares to surge.Wholesale group Booker was also a high riser after the Competition Commission provisionally approved its acquisition of fellow cash-and-carry chain Makro.FTSE 100 - RisersAggreko (AGK) 1,965.00p +6.85%BT Group (BT.A) 277.40p +4.36%Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 371.60p +3.51%CRH (CRH) 1,540.00p +3.49%Wolseley (WOS) 3,328.00p +3.03%Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,769.00p +2.79%Tesco (TSCO) 385.95p +2.76%Legal & General Group (LGEN) 173.60p +2.72%Prudential (PRU) 1,155.00p +2.67%Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 1,088.00p +2.35%FTSE 100 - FallersCarnival (CCL) 2,430.00p -2.21%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,311.00p -1.95%Evraz (EVR) 246.30p -1.87%Fresnillo (FRES) 1,457.00p -1.82%United Utilities Group (UU.) 702.50p -1.68%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 50.76p -1.19%Weir Group (WEIR) 2,441.00p -1.17%Kingfisher (KGF) 286.90p -1.07%GKN (GKN) 275.10p -0.97%Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,095.00p -0.91%FTSE 250 - RisersOcado Group (OCDO) 170.00p +23.73%Home Retail Group (HOME) 148.90p +12.04%COLT Group SA (COLT) 133.50p +9.43%Kentz Corporation Ltd. (KENZ) 412.90p +9.23%Booker Group (BOK) 125.00p +7.76%Savills (SVS) 595.00p +7.11%Perform Group (PER) 468.00p +6.61%Playtech Ltd. (PTEC) 613.00p +6.61%Ophir Energy (OPHR) 451.00p +5.87%St. Modwen Properties (SMP) 266.00p +5.85%FTSE 250 - FallersHochschild Mining (HOC) 303.30p -4.47%Homeserve (HSV) 223.30p -4.29%Kenmare Resources (KMR) 32.25p -2.89%Ferrexpo (FXPO) 198.90p -2.26%F&C Asset Management (FCAM) 107.00p -2.19%Drax Group (DRX) 597.00p -2.13%Daejan Holdings (DJAN) 3,451.00p -2.10%Lonmin (LMI) 324.80p -1.64%Henderson Group (HGG) 168.20p -1.58%Senior (SNR) 242.00p -1.51%BC