Care home operator Southern Cross has had a woeful few months that included a profits warning at the end of June, two months after saying it was as fit as a fiddle. There may well be lots of potential but investors should wait for something more solid. Sell says the Independent.

If investors want exposure to the packaging sector, and there is no reason why they should, buy Smurfit Kappa, but if they would prefer into more a more stable company and protect themselves from the worst of the economic slowdown, avoid this group. Sell says the Independent.

Smurfitt shares, priced at €16.50 at the IPO, have been hammered in the past year. But much of the bad news is already factored in - the stock is trading on a price/earnings ratio of barely 3. Smurfit should surprise on the upside says the FT.

Amino Technologies develops broadband systems that, among other things, allow people to watch on-demand video on standard television sets. The group announced a return to the black with pre-tax profits of £1.09m, a marked improvement on the loss of £400,000 announced this time last year. Amino adds that the transition from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 technology, which will enable much better quality viewing and take up less bandwidth, would be a significant step for the group. Buy says the Independent.

Property group Mapeley's portfolio is mostly based on long leases to good corporate occupiers and government departments on index-linked rents, giving it a secure cash flow in a difficult period for the property market. It also looks quite cheap, trading at a discount to net asset value of about 33%, but there remain worries about its debt and links to an uncertain occupier market says the FT.

At £10.70, revived bid interest from Fortress, Mapeley’s majority shareholder, is the best short-term hope, but is not sufficient reason alone to buy. Avoid says the Times.

The City was once again scratching its head yesterday over the antics of the Kazakh miners on the FTSE 100. The cause was the purchase by Kazakhmys, the copper producer, of a further 3% stake of Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC), its larger ferrochrome peer, taking its stake to 25%. A merger between the two still seems likely at some point. In the meantime, falling copper prices, which hit a six-month low yesterday, means that, even at £12.34, or six times this year’s earnings, Kazakhmys shares are best avoided.

Ideal Shopping Direct sits in one of its sector’s sweeter spots. The TV home shopping market is expected to grow by a further £75m between now and the switchover to digital in 2012, and ISD is well placed to benefit, given that its Freeview contract runs until at least 2018. On less than 10 times 2008 earnings, and yielding 4%, it is worth tucking away for the long term says the Times.

The fundamentals of market research pollster YouGov's direct, speedy, online business model remain sound despite yesterday's mixed trading update. The shares offer no dividend as yet but, trading on 14.2 times Numis' forecast earnings, they look decent value for the long term. Buy says the Telegraph.

Fundamentally, Management Consulting is finally looking in a decent shape, and the valuation of under four times 2008 earnings reflects the recent history rather than the outlook for the future, suggesting the business is undervalued. Nevertheless, such companies have rarely proved sound investments in the past and with a strategic review still under way, the stock is best avoided until the outlook becomes clearer. Avoid says the Telegraph.

Vitec is the biggest supplier of broadcast accessory equipment at the Beijing games, providing kit to US Olympic network NBC as well as the host broadcaster, Beijing Olympic Broadcast. This is the first HD Olympics, and if it proves a success, it is likely to drive further take-up of the technology and digital broadcasting in general. Vitec currently trades on a little under 10 times 2008 earnings, which seems cheap for a company with such potential. Buy says the Telegraph.

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