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A spot of bid talk and some broker support ensured a firm ending for Wellstream, the oil services group which booked strong gains last night.

The stock rose by more than 5 per cent or 28p to 533.5p as speculators revisited theories of takeover interest. Volumes remained thin, however, prompting scepticism among traders, who’re used to regular bouts of speculative chatter around Wellstream. A push from UBS was seen as more credible reason for the move up, with the broker moving the stock to “neutral” from “sell” following recent run of weakness in the price.

Overall, it was a volatile day on the markets.

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But this summer’s price declines, including a double-digit July drop reported Tuesday, have market watchers wondering whether the worst is really over.

Jack McCabe, the Deerfield Beach real estate consultant who correctly called the top of the market in the summer of 2005, believes last year’s nadir may not hold.

“With the end of tax credits for first- and second-time home buyers, we will return to a weak sales market,” McCabe said. “Prices will remain flat and may drop a few percentage points.

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The number of million pound businesses set up by people trading on eBay is set to double by the end of the year.

A study found that the number of small firms trading online with a turnover of more than £1 million could reach the 130 mark during the last quarter of 2010.

The success of these online businesses is reflected in eBay’s recent global results which revealed that the UK business was its fastest growing division with consumers returning more frequently and more new users coming to the site.

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This is a beautiful purse from Chloe, made all the more Louis Vuitton Neverfull so by the fact that it does not have any kind of large padlock to accessorize it. The Edith Classic Satchel is an elegant bag made of a soft washed calfskin in a warm brown color, accented with a small flap pocket on the front. Louis Vuitton Perforated Speedy 30 It flares slightly at the base, rising up to a zip-close top and two leather top handles, which are actually sewn into the sides of the bag, as opposed to being attached to chains or hooks, as so many handled bag seem Wedding Dress to be lately. It measures 13?H x 19 1/2?W x 6?D. Price: $1,275.

The recently moribund merger and acquisition (M&A) departments at investment banks are unexpectedly having one of the busiest Augusts on record, following the explosion of energy deals this week.

Transactions such as BHP Billiton’s $43.8bn (£28bn) takeover of Canada’s Potash Corp have lifted global M&A weekly volume to $89.8bn, the highest since November last year, and the busiest August week since 2006, according to data from ThomsonReuters.

The sudden jump has caught some bankers off guard.

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