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This announcement contains the interim results of Booker Group plc ('Booker') for the 24 weeks ended 9 September 2011. Financial Highlights · Total sales £1.8 billion, +8.5% · Like-for-like sales in the half were: - non-tobacco +5.1% (2010: +5.1%) - tobacco +8.8% (2010: +5.7%) - total +6.5% (2010: +5.3%) · Like-for-like sales to caterers were 5.7% (2010: +6.4%) and to retailers +6.9% (2010: +4.8%) · Operating profit +17.1% to £45.9m (2010: £39.2m) · Profit before tax +22.0% to £45.0m (2010: £36.9m) · Profit after tax +19.1% to £36.1m (2010: £30.3m) · Basic earnings per share +15.8% to 2.35 pence (2010: 2.03 pence) · Net cash £58.7m (2010: £10.1m) · Interim dividend up 22.2% to 0.33 pence per share (2010: 0.27 pence)

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201110130700100789Q

Citigroup upgrades ARM Holdings from sell to buy, target price raised from 465p to 660p.

Peel Hunt initiates buy on Ricardo, target price 410p.

. Peel Hunt initiates buy on Cathay International, target price 40p

Decent recovery so far from the sub 1400

Berenberg initiates buy on Weir Group, target price 2215p.

Berenberg initiates buy on IMI, target price 1035p.

UBS has raised its rating for electrical components manufacturer Laird after "de-risking" its numbers. "In an attempt to de-risk our numbers, we have lowered our forecasts by 3-17% for 2011/12E and now embody a 'grey-sky' cyclical decline in 2012E."

Investec has downgraded UK defence contractor BAE Systems from buy to hold, saying that while third quarter trading was in line, uncertainties have persisted as expected. The broker says that a lot of bad news is already price in, with the trading on a 6.6 times forward earnings. "But with potentially (positive and negative) price-moving events coming up we move to a neutral stance," given that the shares have moved close to its 300p target price.

According to the Financial Times, SSE's chief executive, Ian Marchant, expects "one or two" of SSE's competitors to follow SSE's move by Christmas. Currently, the day-ahead electricity market in Britain trades volumes of around 40 gigawatt/hours (GWh) per day, with a further 200 GWh traded through brokered markets; SSE alone generated around 130 GWh per day last year, so its entry to the market will significantly boost volumes, though the trading volumes will still fall short of the 500 GWh to 750 GWh traded daily on other markets such as Germany and the Nord Pool multinational power exchange.

SSE to provide jolt to cosy electricity market Date: Wednesday 12 Oct 2011 LONDON (ShareCast) - SSE, the utility company formerly known as Scottish and Southern Electricity, has confirmed press reports that it is to shake up the UK power market by putting its electricity supply up for auction on the open market. SSE described the move, which will put pressure on other suppliers to follow suit, as a "new and transparent approach to the management of its electricity supply and demand requirements." The company will phase in the auction of all of its electricity supply in the UK's day-ahead wholesale market, and will also purchase all of the electricity required by its household customers from the same market. SSE aims to begin this approach by trading a proportion of its total electricity supply and demand by Friday 14 October 2011, and by the end of November the company expects around a quarter of its supply and demand will be traded in this way. The group hopes to move completely over to the day-ahead wholesale market by the end of March, 2012. "There has been a perception that SSE currently trades only the difference between its generation and its electricity demand in the wholesale day ahead market. Moving to an approach where gross volumes are clearly being traded, effectively means that SSE will eliminate this perception and provide a new level of transparency," the company said. The group claims the new method will significantly improve the liquidity, depth and credibility of the market, and will assist in the creation of a robust and tangible pricing index. That statement is likely to be music to the ears of industry regulator, Ofgem, which has been critical of the current system of selling electricity directly to customers who are signed up to long term contracts with a supplier, a business model which encourages suppliers to hike prices more swiftly than they reduce them. The move should also please Labour party leader Ed Miliband who pledged last month at the party conference that the next Labour government would force energy companies to auction all of their electricity on the open market. "This commitment from SSE will significantly improve the liquidity in the wholesale electricity market and help to address one of the perceived barriers to entry into the electricity supply market," claimed Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE's Generation and Supply Director. "If other energy companies adopt a similar approach, this commitment could lead to a transformation in the wholesale electricity market in Great Britain," Phillips-Davies added.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201110120700149876P

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201110121330020494Q

TRADING UPDATE Treatt PLC (the 'Group'), the manufacturer and supplier of conventional, organic and fair traded ingredients for the flavour, fragrance and cosmetic industries, announces that, as a result of the sharp strengthening of the US Dollar against Sterling in the last two weeks of its financial year ended 30 September 2011, the Group suffered a £0.3m foreign exchange loss which was not anticipated. Had this loss not occurred, the Group would have met its expectations for the financial year. Treatt PLC's full year results will be announced on 5 December 2011.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201110120700180043Q

Ken Scott, Chief Executive, ILX Group plc commented: "The Group is performing well and, despite the ongoing economic difficulties in the world, we are now delivering significant international growth and putting in place the building blocks to accelerate this growth in the coming years. Our decision to grow internationally is being validated and the prospects continue to look good. "The HSBC refinance will not only reduce interest costs substantially in the next financial year but will also provide additional working capital as and when required to support our growth."

Trading Update ILX Group plc (AiM: ILX), the AIM quoted provider of e-learning software and business training, is pleased to provide an update on trading for the year to date. The Group has continued to see growth in revenues in the first 6 months of the year. Software sales in particular have grown and now form substantially more than half of group sales, which has further contributed to an increase in gross margins. The growth has been led by international sales, particularly in Australia and New Zealand where sales for the first six months have exceeded AUS$2.1m, compared to $870,000 for the same period last year. Overall, international revenues over the same period last year have doubled. In the UK, whilst market conditions remain challenging, we have won a number of major e-learning and consultancy contracts and remain optimistic about the prospects for the full year. Finally, the group is also pleased to announce that it has secured a deal with HSBC to refinance its current facilities from Barclays. The term has been extended to three years on more competitive terms that will reduce the interest cost to the Group. Overall the Group expects to see revenues and profits for the first half ahead of the same period last year, and the Board remains confident in meeting full year market expectations.

http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201110120700159974P

12th October 2011 Analyst: Philip Morrish Email: philip.morrish@gecr.co.uk Tel: 020 7562 3362 ILX Group* - Positive Trading Update, Price Target unchanged at 61.5p, Attractive 6% Yield. Reiterate Recommendation of Strong Buy