Expect a partial recovery from Friday's sell-off as investors, looking as higher US futures prices, continue to buy on the dips.London is set to start about 20 points higher, according to City sources, while early indications are that Wall Street will add about the same when it opens later.Over here, Aviva has confirmed it is to sell a minority stake in its Dutch insurance business Delta Lloyd through a float on Euronext in Amsterdam. No more details were released, but weekend reports had suggested the life insurer would sell between 30-40% of Delta and value it at about £4bn. In a brief statement this morning, Aviva said the IPO would give it flexibility to pursue balance sheet restructuring opportunities or to explore other opportunities for growth. But BAE Systems is sure to attract lots of attention. The firm is prepared to settle the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) six-year investigation into allegations of bribery in Africa and Eastern Europe, but will not do so "at any cost", the Times reports.It says the defence contractor is understood to be keen to resolve the issue, one way or the other, to draw a line under the corruption allegations that have dogged the company for more than a decade. However, sources say that BAE will settle only if it is presented with compelling evidence to support the SFO's claim that it paid millions of pounds in bribes to secure lucrative contracts.Michael Geoghegan, chief executive of HSBC, is so convinced there will be a second downturn in the coming months that he plans to delay any rush to expand the bank. "Is this a V recovery or a W?" Mr Geoghegan asked in an interview with the FT. "[I think] it's the latter. [If I'm right], we have to be very careful we don't grow the balance sheet so far before the recovery has come only to write it back into the impairment line later on. I'm cautious about growing too fast," the FT reports.Royal Bank of Scotland will meet investors this week to finalise the details of a £4bn share placing as negotiations with the Treasury about the price of joining the Government's toxic loans insurance programme intensify.The cash raised will be used to reduce the number of shares that RBS will need to give the Government to cover the £19.5bn entry fee for its Asset Protection Scheme (APS) to insure £325bn of RBS' worst loans, the Telegraph reports.Chemring will supply the US Department of Defense with a range of military decoy flares in a five-year deal worth up to $804m (£502m). A first delivery of the flares, used by the US Army and Air Force to protect aircraft from the threat of infra-red guided missiles, is worth $42m will be made in 2010 and the first quarter of 2011Soap manufacturer PZ Cussons said it remains 'cautiously optimistic' for the full year despite uncertain economic conditions after seeing strong trading in its main market of Nigeria and in the UK. In the UK, where its soap brands include Imperial Leather and Original Source, performance has been boosted by a new factory in Agecroft in Manchester.Kopane Diamond, which mines for the gemstones in Lesotho, has entered into a 60-day exclusivity agreement with a potential investor in its Liqhobong mine. The interested party, which has the ability to take the mine to full production, will use the two months to examine the project in more detail, Kopane said.Semiconductor wafers technology specialist IQE is buying rival gallium nitride materials supplier NanoGan for up to £3.6m, dependent on performance. The initial consideration of £0.4m will be settled by the issue of new shares and cash. IQE is to raise £0.56m through a placing of 4m shares at 14p per share to help fund the deal.
Last checked at 
