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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top shares extended gains on Friday to hit their highest level since Jun. 2001, led by aerospace group BAE Systems (BA.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , oil heavyweights like BP (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and buoyed by resurgent takeover talk. By 1438 GMT, the FTSE 100 was 33.2 points, or 0.6 percent, higher at 5,724.4, having earlier touched 5,728.4. BAE Systems was 3.5 percent higher after UBS lifted its price target on the stock and bid talk supported sever ...

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Shares of asset manager Janus Capital Inc. jumped more than 5% in early Friday trading after Banc of America Securities upgraded the shares to buy from sell and said the firm's growth-oriented investing style should drive profit growth at 30% a year for the next 5 years.  FINANCIAL ETFs SymbolFund NameLast Price% Daily Return XLF Sel Sector:F ...

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Investors become "legendary" in one of two ways. They either make a ton of money for an awful lot of people -- like Warren Buffett or Peter Lynch -- or they make an awful lot of money on the backs of other people. MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE  IN INVESTING Supreme Court may be all business this year  IN MUTUAL FUNDS New cash buoys internationally  ...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Technology stocks rose in early trading Friday, as the sector rallied behind bellwethers such as International Business Machines Corp. and Apple Computer Inc.  SILICON ETFs SymbolFund NameLast Price% Daily Return IGN iShares:GS Network Idx 32.96 +1.26% IGW iShares:GS Semicndctr 65.319 +0.69% IGV iShares:GS Sftwr Idx 41.7499 +0.75%  ...

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- EMC Corp. disclosed Friday a profit outlook for the fourth quarter that's in line with Wall Street's current consensus view, while also saying it plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs during 2006. EARNINGSWATCH Shaw says hurricane contracts tripled profit Consumer electronics sales sizzle EMC sees 4Q net in line with Street view; to cut 1,000 Orders fall at Brook ...

One of the companies hoping to snatch market share from Royal Mail in the newly-liberated postal market has suffered an 13% slump in its shares. In a trading statement, DX Services warned that half-year operating profits were expected to fall 12%. This was partly blamed on falling revenues at its Document Exchange unit, which delivers urgent documents between businesses such as estate agents. A slowdown in completed home sales was behind the drop off in business. Recently the UK's biggest c ...

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) - Hot sales of MP3 players and accessories powered strong gains at both Best Buy Co. and Circuit City Stores Inc. in December, sending shares of both higher in pre-market trading Friday. EARNINGSWATCH Consumer electronics sales sizzle Linens 'n Things 4Q sales rise, comps fall Avanex cuts 2nd-period estimate for revenue, gross margin Shaw says hurricane  ...

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures added to gains after a much weaker-than-anticipated December jobs report strengthened hopes that the Federal Reserve would end its interest rate hiking cycle sooner rather than later. EARNINGSWATCH Orders fall at Brookfield Homes, M.D.C. Holdings Best Buy Dec. same-store sales rise Circuit City Dec. same-store sales jump Shaw Group pro ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Retailer John Lewis said on Friday it had followed up a 24 percent rise in sales in the week before Christmas with a 4 percent rise in like-for-like sales in the first week of its year-end clearance sale. "In both (weeks), we traded very strongly, outperforming our competitors and gaining market share," The John Lewis Partnership (JLP.UL: Quote, Profile, Research) said on its Web site. "The final week before Christmas saw our record books rewritten." Electricals and home te ...

By Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent LONDON (Reuters) - A warning from U.S. regulators linking GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia to rare cases of swelling in the back of the eye is unlikely to have a major impact on sales, analysts said on Friday. The Food and Drug Administration highlighted the problem in a notice late on Thursday after the drug maker said it had received "very rare" reports of the swelling, known as macular oedema, in patients taking Avandia. The w ...