企て，努力，提案 憶測 surrounds the banking 部門

By This Is Money
Updated: 00:00 BST, 4 May 2004

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EACH week, our spread-betting 一連の会議、交渉／完成する-up 明らかにする／漏らすs the biggest bets 存在 made by punters on 株, indices, 通貨s and 商品／必需品s:

企て，努力，提案 憶測 surrounds the banking 部門

IS THIS egg ever going to hatch? 仲買人s and 投資家s have been 患者 with Prudential, を受けるing what seems like years of 憶測 that they will finally sell their 抱擁する 火刑／賭ける in Egg. Is this another 誤った-夜明け?

Spread-betters hope not, as Egg opened up at 163p ahead of more news. Whether Prudential finally sell to credit card company NMBA is as yet unknown, but there's nothing like 企て，努力，提案-憶測 to 解雇する／砲火／射撃 up 投資家 利益／興味.

Last week we had whispers of a 企て，努力，提案 for Abbey 国家の from Spanish Bank Santander. 週末 圧力（をかける） 確認するd the 利益／興味, also 追加するing that the Abbey board are keen to 出口. This will 控訴 spread-betters, as on Friday they predominantly bought 株, 推定する／予想するing more 伸び（る）s to come.

Music to spread-betters' ears

DIXONS, the UK's largest high street 電気の 蓄える／店, 計画（する）s a link-up with Napster online music downloading service. Last week Dixons 発表するd a 劇の 終結 of over 100 underperforming 蓄える／店s, preferring to concentrate on より小数の 出口s and hinting of a move toward out-of-town 部隊s.

Spread-betters reaction to this 強化するing of the 統治するs was mixed, but the Napster news has brought out the 買い手s, 押し進めるing Dixons 株 price up. 感情 反映するs the 試みる／企てるd repositioning of this 井戸／弁護士席-known retailer.

Staying on the musical 主題, retailer HMV made its 貿易（する）ing 声明 last week, and にもかかわらず the 脅し from MP3 music downloads, sales look very buoyant. に引き続いて healthy Christmas sales in their shops the company looks to 解放（する） 年一回の 利益（をあげる）s に向かって the upper end of 期待s.

The 範囲 of 分析家s' 期待s run from £108m to £117m 利益（をあげる） for the year ending April 2004. This is against 利益（をあげる）s of just over £95m for last year.

Spread-betters were big 買い手s of HMV in the middle of last week around the 228p-230p level and were rewarded with a 4.4% 伸び（る） on Friday when the market 貿易（する）d up to 241p, settling to の近くに at 238p. The spread-betters exp ect the 株 price to reach 250p very soon, which 代表するs an 8.7% 伸び（る） - not bad for couple of weeks' work.

利益／興味 率 week ahead

IT'S not often that the US, UK and European central banks all decide on 利益／興味 率s in the same week. This week the US Fed Open Market 委員会 kicks off 訴訟／進行s on Tuesday, followed by the Bank of England and later the ECB on Thursday.

Spread-betters are in the fortunate 状況／情勢 of 存在 able to 推測する on the 量 that 利益／興味 率s are 増加するd or 減少（する）d at the Bank of England and the ECB 会合s.

現在の 利益／興味 率s are 4%, but the two-way price for UK 利益／興味 率s after the Bank of England 告示 on Thursday is 4.18-4.21, showing that the 期待 is 堅固に toward a 0.25% rise in 率s.

So for spread-betters who believe that the Bank of England will leave 利益／興味 率s 不変の, they could sell this Spread-bet at 4.18. If the Bank does indeed leave UK 率s 不変の, then the bet will be in 利益（をあげる） by 18 points.

? For more （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） on 利益／興味 率 spread-bets visit www.easy2spreadbet.com, where you can open an account and be 貿易（する）ing online in minutes.