British Energy rose after income exceeded analyst estimates as nine months EBITDA was £745 million. Net income for the three months ended December 31st, however dropped 18% to £140 million from £171 a year earlier.

Alliance & Leicester led decliners in the FTSE 100 stocks with a fall of 6.99% followed by losses in BG Group of 4.21%, in Vedanta Resources of 3.36%, in Taylor Wimpey of 2.70%, and in Persimmon of 2.62%. Homebuilders fell after RICS reported house prices continued to deteriorate in January.

Financial stocks fell on weak housing market survey. Royal Bank of Scotland fell 1.27%, and HBOS shed 1.19%.

Company News

Rio Tinto Plc reported today that net income in the six months ended December jumped from $3.64 billion a year earlier to $4.06 billion, while sales climbed 49% to $17.7 billion on increased production of iron ore. Full-year dividend was increased 31% to $1.36.

International Markets Update

In Tokyo Nikkei 225 Index closed higher 46.34 or 0.36% to 13,068.30, in Hong Kong Hang Seng index increased 247.88 or 1.08% closed to 23,169.55. Australia ASX 200 index decreased 66.00 or 1.18% to close 5,542.10.

In South Korea Kospi Index decreased 11.55 or 0.70% to close at 1,631.78, in Thailand SET index closed higher 11.92 or 1.46% to 829.41 and Indonesia JSE Index edged increased 18.71 or 0.72% to 2,610.78. Sensex index in India increased 341.10 or 2.05% to 16,949.14.

In London FTSE 100 Index closed lower 29.90 or 0.51% to 5,880.10, in Paris CAC 40 Index increased 14.69 or 0.30% to close at 4,855.40 and in Frankfurt DAX index higher 5.83 or 0.08% to close at 6,973.67. In Zurich trading SMI decreased 10.44 or 0.14% to close at 7,536.45.

12:30PM New York – U.S. stocks edges higher on retail sales data.

U.S. stocks edged higher after a report on retail sales and weekly inventories of crude oil and other fuels.

Retail sales increased 0.3% in January from previous month. The surprise rise in the retail sales lifted market averages and retail stocks. Wal-Mart, Target, and Nordstrom increased after the report. JC Penney and Macy’s edged lower.

Blue Nile, online jewelry retailer, (NILE: chart) fell 15% or $8.06 to $45.95 after reporting fourth quarter net sales rise of 23.3% to $111.9 million and net income increased 31% to $7.5 million. Earnings per share increased 29% 45 cents from 35 cents.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for January, adjusted for seasonal variations, but not for price changes, were $382.9 billion, an increase of 0.3% from the previous month and 3.9% above January 2007. Total sales for the November 2007 through January 2008 period were up 4.4% from the same period a year ago.

Retail trade sales were up 0.4% from December 2007 and were 3.8% above last year.

U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged nearly 14.6 million barrels per day during the week ending February 8, up 69,000 barrels per day from the previous week''s average. Refineries operated at 85.1% in the last week. Gasoline production moved higher compared to the previous week, averaging 8.9 million barrels per day. Distillate fuel production rose last week, averaging nearly 4.1 million barrels per day.

U.S. crude oil imports averaged 9.7 million barrels per day last week, down 777,000 barrels per day from the previous week. Over the last four weeks, crude oil imports have averaged 10.1 million barrels per day, 210,000 barrels per day above the same four-week period last year.

Total motor gasoline imports (including both finished gasoline and gasoline blending components) last week averaged 841,000 barrels per day. Distillate fuel imports averaged 282,000 barrels per day last week.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories rose by 1.1 million barrels compared to the previous week. At 301.1 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are in the middle of the average range for this time of year. Total motor gasoline inventories increased by 1.7 million barrels last week, and are above the upper limit of the average range.

Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 100,000 barrels, and are in the middle of the average range for this time of year.