Facebook has played a big role in the private trading markets that allow eligible investors the chance to snap up shares of hot Internet companies years before they go public.

Shares of General Motors and Ford surged on Friday following strong data on the U.S. job market.

The strong January jobs report may finally put a nail in the QE3 coffin.

U.S. stocks rallied Friday, as investors cheered a much stronger-than-expected jobs report.

Now that Facebook has finally filed for its much anticipated initial public offering, the enthusiasm for other social media investments has spread like wildfire.

Now that Facebook has finally filed for its much anticipated initial public offering, the enthusiasm for other social media investments has spread like wildfire.

Company says talks with banking syndicate include a review of strategy

Game Group is in demand after confirming speculation it is considering the future of its overseas businesses.

The struggling computer games retailer warned last month that poor Christmas trading meant it might breach the terms of its banking covenants. Now it has announced it is in talks with its lending syndicate about revising the terms of its facilities:

As part of these discussions, the lending syndicate is reviewing a strategic plan of the company which includes a review of its overseas operations.

The company – hit by competition from supermarkets and online distribution of games – currently operates from 1,274 of which 610 are in the UK and Ireland and 664 are overseas. These include outlets in France, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Australia.

Its shares, hit after the Christmas warning, have climbed 0.18p to 5.31p – a 3.5% rise. Singer Capital Markets said:

We have highlighted that management may look to do [sell international] to reduce losses and to raise cash.

Last year international sales were down 1% (down 2% like for like) and losses were £1m versus a profit of £5m a year earlier. However, at the half year stage of the current year international sales were down 10% (down 11% like for like) and losses had widened to £20m. As a consequence it will contribute a substantial proportion of the anticipated full year loss (Singer estimate £30m).

Company plans to cut 7% of its workforce to cope with downturn in demand

Among a host of results from large companies which have disappointed investors – Unilever, AstraZeneca, Royal Dutch Shell for example – Smith and Nephew stands out as a success.

The artificial hip and knee maker reported better than expected figures. It said fourth quarter revenues had risen 4% to $1.1bn with a flat trading profit of $279m and a rise in margin from 19.8% in the third quarter to 25.2%, helped by cost cutting. It plans to cut 7% of its 11,000 employees worldwide over the next three years, including 220 jobs which have already gone, to save $150m a year at a total cost of $200m. Half the benefits and half the costs are expected to be achieved by the end of the current year.

The company said its performance was a good one, given the challenging market conditions but it expects the tough times to continue in 2012. Replacement hips and the like saw falling demand in the face of the global downturn, with little sign of an upturn expected until economies and job prospects improve. However it expects a modest increase in trading margin in the year. Chief executive Olivier Bohuon, who took over in April 2011, said:

We are building momentum every day and I am confident that the result will be a business that is stronger, growing faster, better balanced and fit and effective for the future.

Smith’s shares have climbed 33p to 645.5p, a rise of nearly 5.5%, and Sebastien Jantet at Investec said:

Smith & Nephew has delivered a good set of fourth quarter figures. Not only were the numbers ahead of expectations, thanks to a stronger than expected margin performance, but guidance for 2012 is unchanged. We do not anticipate changing our forecasts, but see scope for a continued rerating as the market warms to the new chief executive and his strategy to drive growth.

Meanwhile James Dawson at Charles Stanley was also positive, raising his recommendation from hold to accumulate.

Sales for final quarter disappoint as consumer goods giant remains cautious on outlook

Unilever is already facing strikes in protest against changes to its pension scheme, and now the Marmite group is proving unpalatable to the City.

Its shares have lost 65p to £20.20 after its final results disappointed and it warned of a difficult year ahead. Sales roes 6.5% in the year and 6.6% in the final quarter, but price rises to offset raw material costs hit volume growth, particularly in emerging markets. The Anglo-Dutch company, which also makes Persil, PG Tips and Dove, said:

We expect the external macro-economic environment to remain difficult in 2012 and input cost headwinds will persist, although to a lesser extent than in 2011.

Analysts at Espirito Santo said it had expected fourth quarter growth of 6.8% and the make up of the rise was disappointing, with 6.5% due to pricing and only 0.1% due to volume growth.

Martin Deboo at Investec said:

Unilever have come in broadly in line on the ‘new news’ of fourth quarter organic sales and second half margins. But, under the hood, fourth quarter volumes are below expectations and Unilever have undershot on the new core earnings per share measure.

What reads as a cautious 2012 outlook confirms our belief that input cost inflation will continue to be a factor. Despite recent weakness, we see few near term positive catalysts here to drive the shares up.

We continue to like the Unilever story and are on the record as saying that the equity has a price potential well above 2500p (for the plc) if Unilever can deliver performance commensurate with their positive geographic and category exposures. But we think there is plenty of work to do to get there.

Unilever’s fall and declines in Royal Dutch Shell, whose B shares are down 59.5p at 2266.5p, and AstraZeneca, off 96p at 2993.5p, following their figures have outweighed a rise in the mining sector.

So the FTSE 100 is down 23.42 points at 5767.30.

Xstrata is leading the risers – and is the cause of the sector’s increase. It is up 95.5p to £12.15 following news of a merger proposal received from commodities trader Glencore, up 19.35p at 451.1p, to create an $82bn giant. Glencore owns 34% of Xstrata already, while the latter in turn owns 24.5% of platinum specialist Lonmin, up 10p at £10.70.

Investors heartened by PMI figures from across the globe, but eurozone crisis still hovers in background

Leading shares moved close to a new six month high after better than expected manufacturing surveys from key economies including China, the UK, Germany and China.

The FTSE 100 finished 109.11 points higher at 5790.72, the first time the leading index has recorded a triple digit rise since 3 January. Angus Campbell, head of sales at Capital Spreads, said:

The bulls were back in force today as strong manufacturing data worldwide indicated that not only might a double dip recession in the UK be averted, but a global recession as well. With strong economic data indicating the recovery can be sustained now is proving a good time to buy stocks. Investors are becoming more and more optimistic that the major threat to growth, the European sovereign debt crisis, is slowly but surely being eradicated as central banks continue to flood the system with liquidity. So far this action has managed to avert a credit crunch, brought the yields on government bonds down and helped to boost confidence.

Icap, the interdealer broker, was among the leading risers after it said profits would be at the top of a – much reduced – forecast range. It added 26p to 362p while rival Tullett Prebon rose 11.2p to 309p.

A positive recommendation from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch lifted both Rolls-Royce, up 35p to 770.5p, and Weir, 67p better at £20.22.

Arm lost 17p to 592.5p, reversing some of Monday’s gains on profit taking after the chipmaker’s better than expected fourth quarter figures, despite positive analyst comment.

Dixons Retail dropped another 0.5p to 13.6p in the wake of the departure of well-regarded chief executive John Browett to join Apple. Home Retail fell 1.4p to 106p after it finally appointed a new head of its Argos business, former Best Buy and Sears executive John Walden. Simon Irwin at Liberum Capital summed up the mood:

The good news is he has plenty of experience. However: neither Best Buy or Sears have been conspicuous successes online; he has no experience of the UK market or a business as unique as Argos; and he will not understand the UK property market and Argos has a huge job to manage down its 750 store estate. The key will be what mandate he has for urgent/structural change. I continue to believe that the board is in denial about the extent of change required and today’s announcement does not indicate that this will change.

London Stock Exchange added 47p to 917p after the failure of a proposed merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext.

Finally Thomas Cook was steady at 13.5p. Traders heard speculators were buying the shares ahead of the travel company’s annual meeting next week.