UK experts back use of cervical cancer vaccine

(Reuters) - The Department of Health said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation had recommended the vaccine be used.



The positive recommendation is expected to be endorsed by government ministers in coming months.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

CORRECTED-Circuit City withdraws earnings forecast

(Reuters) - The company reported a loss of $54.6 million, or 33 cents a share, from net income of $6.4 million, or 4 cents per share, for the fiscal first quarter.




Analysts, on average, had been expecting a loss of 32 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Circuit City posts loss, withdraws forecast

(Reuters) - By Franklin Paul



NEW YORK, June 20 - Consumer electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. on Wednesday posted a worse-than-expected quarterly loss and withdrew its earnings forecast, citing a drop in television sales and an uncertain economic environment.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

U.S. Stocks Retreat After Bond Yields Gain; Citigroup, JPMorgan Decline

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks fell after the yield on
the benchmark Treasury bond rose for the first time in four
days, reviving concern higher borrowing costs will curb growth.

Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.
led declines in companies that benefit from low interest rates.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-Countryside supports C$199.8 mln Fort Chicago bid

(Reuters) - The bid represents a 6.1 percent premium over the
Countryside unit closing price June 19, and a 10.9 percent
premium to the trading price just before Countryside's Feb. 9
announcement that it would begin a strategic review.




Countryside has investments in two energy systems in
Canada, with a combined thermal and electric generation
capacity of about 122 megawatts, and two gas-fired cogeneration
plants in California, with a combined power generation capacity
of 94 megawatts.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Brazil Real Rises on Stable Inflation, Yields Attracting Foreign Capital

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil's currency rose on
speculation that foreign investors will be drawn by the
country's stable inflation and bond yields.

The real rose for a sixth day, gaining 0.2 percent to
1.9015 at 9:06 a.m. New York time. On June 18, the currency
advanced to 1.8995 per dollar, near its high of 1.8991 on June
1, the strongest since October 2000. The real has gained 3.3
since June 7 and 12.4 percent this year, making it the best
performer among the 16 currencies most actively traded against
the dollar.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

CarMax, Colgate-Palmolive, MGM Mirage, PetroChina: U.S. Equity Movers

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies
whose shares are having unusual price changes in U.S. exchanges
today. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.
Share prices are as of 9:30 a.m. New York time.

Brush Engineered Materials Inc. (BW US) declined $7.47, or
15 percent, to $43.20. The maker of metals used in electronics
lowered its forecast and now expects 2007 earnings to be $2 to
$2.55 a share, down from its earlier estimate of $2.20 to $2.75 a
share. Brush also said it expects second-quarter earnings to be
on the ``low end'' of a previously announced 50- to 65-cents-a-
share estimate.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Gold, Silver Decline in New York as Bond Yields Rebound, Support Dollar

(Bloomberg) -- Gold and silver fell in New York on
speculation higher bond yields may boost the dollar, reducing
the appeal of precious metals as alternative investments.

Gold generally moves in the opposite direction of the
dollar, which pared losses after touching a two-week low against
the euro as the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury
note climbed for the first time in four sessions. Before today,
gold had gained 4.2 percent this year, while the dollar dropped
1.7 percent against the euro.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

UPDATE 1-Mexico gov't proposes central bank deputy chief

(Reuters) - Del Cueto, seen as a possible dove on monetary policy,
needs to be approved by Congress before joining Banco de
Mexico's governing board.




Calderon's first choice for the post, former deputy finance
minister Carlos Hurtado, was rejected in March as opposition
legislators accused him of increasing spending on government
posts under Vicente Fox's administration.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Fitch cuts Home Depot's rating, outlook negative

(Reuters) - Home Depot said it plans to use proceeds from a sale of its
supply division, cash on hand and $12 billion of additional
debt to pay for the share repurchases. The company said it has
agreed to sell its supply division to three private equity
firms for about $10.3 billion. For details, see
[ID:nN19471168].




The moves will result in a more highly leveraged company at
a time when operating trends have been weak, Fitch said in a
statement. Offsetting that, the company has a strong market
position as the largest home improvement retailer and generates
strong cash flow, Fitch said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

CORRECTED - US STOCKS-Indexes rise on Home Depot buyback, GE advance

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, June 20 - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday
as Home Depot Inc.'s plan for a $22.5 billion share
buyback underscored optimism about equity valuations, along
with the growing allure of large-cap stocks, including General
Electric Co. .




Home Depot shares led advances on both the Dow and the S&P
500, with a gain of more than 6 percent, while shares of
diversified manufacturer GE climbed 0.7 percent.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

US STOCKS-Home Depot, Morgan Stanley lead early gains

(Reuters) - Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones industrial
average was up 6.10 points, or 0.04 percent, at
13,641.52. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 1.05
points, or 0.07 percent, at 1,534.75. The Nasdaq Composite
Index was up 5.44 points, or 0.21 percent, at
2,632.20.




Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Yahoo in search deal with Asian mobile operators

(Reuters) - Yahoo's oneSearch service lets users download e-mails, search the Internet, view Web pictures and check weather conditions.




Internet companies Yahoo, Google and Microsoft see offering its products on cell phones as one of the most important sources of future growth as subscribers climb globally.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Tracinda backs off MGM Mirage plans

(Reuters) - Tracinda, which owns 56 percent of MGM, had said in May that it planned to acquire the prized Bellagio and CityCenter properties in Las Vegas and consider a financial restructuring or other outcomes for the remainder of the company.




The plan, which led to a 27 percent jump in MGM shares on the day it was announced, was seen as putting the company on the market.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

EU approves Dow's purchase of Walsrode from Bayer

(Reuters) - Walsrode makes products based on cellulose for use in
construction, food and personal care.




Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

S.Africa gold miners shift to other sectors - union

(Reuters) - South African gold workers need a hefty wage rise to keep them from moving to other sectors such as platinum, a trade union said on Wednesday as pay negotiations kicked off.

The country's three biggest gold producers declined to make an initial offer on Wednesday due to a mountain of demands by workers, unions said.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Huntsman overture boosts Clariant, Ciba shares

(Reuters) - On Tuesday, Huntsman Chief Executive Officer Peter Huntsman was quoted as saying by Swiss weekly newspaper Handelszeitung he was keen on buying the groups, or part of the groups, provided they were for sale.




"Clariant and Ciba clearly are higher because of the Handelszeitung interview," one trader said.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

Benchmark Treasury Yields Near Lowest in Two Weeks on Slowdown in Housing

(Bloomberg) -- Treasuries were little changed, with
benchmark 10-year note yields near the lowest in two weeks, on
expectations a housing slowdown will keep the Federal Reserve
from raising interest rates.

Ten-year note yields have dropped over the past week from a
five-year high on reports showing housing construction decreased
for the first time in four months and confidence among
homebuilders was the lowest since 1991.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Tracinda backs off MGM Mirage restructuring plans

(Reuters) - Tracinda said it still believes there is substantial
unrecognized value in the assets of MGM Mirage and will
continue to monitor its investment and review and evaluate
opportunities to enhance shareholder value.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Platinum Climbs in London After Impala Labor Talks; Palladium Also Gains

(Bloomberg) -- Platinum climbed to a one-week high
in London after pay talks continued without an agreement at
Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., reviving speculation miners will
strike in South Africa, the biggest producer of the metal.
Palladium also rose.

Negotiations that continued until 11 p.m. local time
yesterday failed to bring a breakthrough, Eddie Majadibodu,
chief negotiator for the National Union of Mineworkers, said
today. Anglo Platinum Ltd., the biggest platinum producer, is
halting output at its Rustenburg underground mine for safety
checks in two days' time following the deaths of five workers in
the past two weeks.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

U.S. Stock-Index Futures Rise; Home Depot, Morgan Stanley Shares Advance

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures advanced
after Treasury yields held near a two-week low and Morgan
Stanley said second-quarter profit rose to a record.

Morgan Stanley, the No. 2 securities firm, climbed after
earnings increased 40 percent, beating estimates. Home Depot
Inc. increased after the world's largest home-improvement
retailer agreed to sell its contractor-supplies unit for $10.3
billion and announced a share buyback.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

CarMax quarterly earnings rise 15 percent

(Reuters) - Analysts were expecting CarMax to earn 30 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.



) Keywords: CARMAX RESULTS/


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index Rebounds, Paced by Man, BA; Xstrata, Vedanta Climb

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks rose for the first time
in three days, led by British Airways Plc after Standard & Poor's
lifted its credit rating for the airline. Lloyds TSB Group Plc
advanced on speculation the bank may be a takeover target.

Man Group Plc climbed after posting an increase in assets
for its AHL fund. Xstrata Plc and Vedanta Resources Plc led
mining companies higher as base metal prices rallied. DSG
International Plc paced declining shares after the electronics
retailer said charges almost eliminated full-year profit.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Alcan, ATS, Iamgold Corp., Southwestern Resources: Canadian Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies
whose shares may have unusual price changes in Canadian markets
today. This preview includes news that broke after markets closed
yesterday. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and
prices are from the last close.

The Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index fell 56.93, or 0.4
percent, to 14,119.49, yesterday in Toronto.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

FedEx quarterly profit rises

(Reuters) - The Memphis, Tennessee-based company said net income for its 2007 fiscal fourth quarter ending May 31 rose 7 percent to $610 million or $1.96 a share, compared with $568 million or $1.82 a share a year earlier.



FedEx said the results included a gain from a settlement with Airbus related to its A380 order cancellation of approximately 6 cents a share.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Crude Oil Falls on Expectations U.S. Will Report Rising Gasoline Supplies

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil fell from near a nine-month
high amid expectations U.S. gasoline stockpiles will rise.

A U.S. Energy Department report today will probably show the
country's gasoline supplies grew last week for the seventh straight
week, according to analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Crude rose
5.7 percent over the past five sessions before a general strike
started today in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

UPDATE 1-S.Africa gives unions deadline to accept wage deal

(Reuters) - JOHANNESBURG, June 20 - South Africa's government
gave unions an ultimatum to accept a revised pay offer on
Wednesday or make do with a previous lower offer in its final
push to end a costly three-week civil service strike.




The government's settlement salary package includes a 7.5
percent wage increase and an increased housing allowance of 500
rand from 456 rand, union officials said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-China moly quotas may cut exports by 30% -traders

(Reuters) - SHANGHAI, June 20 - China's newly adopted
molybdenum export quotas may cut exports of the minor metal by
as much as 30 percent, aiming to keep more of the country's
mineral resources in Chinese hands, trade sources said on
Wednesday.




The policy change would also help Beijing to reduce the
country's trade surplus, which climbed more than 80 percent in
the first five months of 2007 from the same period a year
earlier.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Nigerian Unions Strike; Chevron Says No Impact Yet on Its Oil Production

(Bloomberg) -- Nigerian unions began a strike at
midnight to protest an increase in domestic fuel prices, labor
leaders said.

``The strike is on,'' John Odah, the general secretary of
Nigeria Labour Congress, an umbrella of union organizations, said
in a text message sent to Bloomberg late yesterday.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Treasury Yields Trade Near Lowest in Two Weeks on Slowdown in U.S. Housing

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. 10-year Treasury yields traded
near a two-week low before a report on mortgage applications
that may add to evidence of a housing slowdown.

The benchmark yield has slid 10 basis points this week as
reports showed house construction dropped for the first time in
four months and confidence among homebuilders fell to the lowest
since 1991. Bonds are set to gain for a fourth day, the longest
rally since February, on anticipation a weak residential market
will keep the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

China's CSI 300 Index Slides on Share Sales Concern: World's Biggest Mover

(Bloomberg) -- China's key stock index fell from a
record on concern new share sales will draw funds from existing
equities and the central bank will raise interest rates. China
Merchants Bank Co. declined.

``Rumors of interest rate increases prompted a sell-off in
the afternoon,'' said Wei Wei, an analyst at West China Securities
Co. in Shanghai. ``And the fast pace of new share sales has
dampened sentiment.''


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

European Bonds Advance as Producer Price Inflation Slows in Germany

(Bloomberg) -- European government bonds gained for
a second day after a report showed producer-price inflation in
Germany, Europe's biggest economy, held near the lowest in almost
three years in May.

Benchmark debt was also buoyed by a rally in Treasuries
after reports this week showed U.S. house construction declined
for the first time in four months, and confidence among
homebuilders dropped to the lowest since 1991. Ten-year bunds had
their biggest gain in almost two months yesterday as a report
showed German investor sentiment unexpectedly worsened.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Total says still plans to sell Sanofi stake soon

(Reuters) - Its comment came after Sanofi and its U.S. partner Bristol-Myers Squibb on Tuesday won a U.S. trial upholding a patent on Sanofi's blockbuster bloodthinner Plavix.



"Our position on Sanofi has not changed since our annual general meeting last month," a spokeswoman at Total said, giving no further details on the timing of a sale.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

British Airways, Clariant, Weather: European Credit-Default Swap Movers

(Bloomberg) -- The risk of owning European
corporate bonds fell, according to traders in the credit-default
swaps market.

Contracts based on 10 million euros ($13 million) of debt
included in the iTraxx Crossover Series 7 Index fell 1,000 euros
to 195,000 euros at 11:05 a.m. in London, according to JPMorgan
Chase & Co.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Platinum Futures Hold Near Record High in Tokyo as Mining Costs May Rise

(Bloomberg) -- Platinum futures held near a record
high in Tokyo on speculation wage disputes in South Africa would
push up production costs, and as gains in gold this week lured
investors to other precious metals.

South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers yesterday
rejected a wage increase offer by Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd.,
the world's second-biggest platinum producer, because it wasn't
big enough. Gold for immediate delivery has gained about 2
percent in the past six trading days, drawing buyers to other
precious metals as well, Jonathan Barratt, managing director of
Commodity Broking Services in Sydney, said today by phone.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Emission Permits Are Steady Near One-Month Low After Germany Proposes Sale

(Bloomberg) -- European Union emission permits were
little changed near their lowest in a month as Germany proposed to
hold sales of allowances, potentially earlier than expected.

Permits for delivery in December 2008 rose 21 cents, or 1
percent, to 21.40 euros ($29) a metric ton, according to the
European Climate Exchange in Amsterdam at 10:45 a.m. It reached as
low as 20.60 euros yesterday, the lowest price for the benchmark
permits since May 15.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

WTO's Lamy warns of globalization's dark side

(Reuters) - Speaking ahead of an eleventh-hour effort to rescue global trade talks, Lamy told a forum in Beijing: "The speed of globalization is affecting our social fabric in a much harsher way than in previous stages of globalization."




It was the second such warning in as many days.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Ford mulls building car plant in Slovakia: paper

(Reuters) - "We are negotiating with a renowned producer, which is planning to make higher-class cars in the east," the daily quoted Kechnec Mayor, Jozef Konkoly, as saying.




"It would an investment worth tens of billions of crowns, and creating hundreds of jobs," Konkoly told Hospodarske Noviny.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

U.S. Stock-Index Futures Rise; Home Depot, Google, Yahoo Gain in Europe

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures advanced as
Treasury yields declined for a fourth day.

Home Depot Inc. rose after the world's largest home-
improvement retailer agreed to sell a unit and announced a share
buyback. Google Inc., owner of the world's most-used Internet
search engine, gained after Microsoft Corp. agreed to modify its
Vista operating system to address Google's complaints.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Airbus Wins $4.4 Billion Order From Aeroflot for 22 A350 XWB Jetliners

(Bloomberg) -- Airbus SAS, the world's largest
maker of commercial aircraft, won a firm order from OAO Aeroflot
for 22 of the A350 XWB jets.

Aeroflot, eastern Europe's largest airline, finalized an
initial agreement signed in March, Airbus said today in an e-
mailed statement. Aeroflot agreed on June 9 to buy Boeing Co.'s
787 Dreamliners in a contract valued at $3 billion. The A350
competes with the Dreamliner.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Taiwan Dollar Rises the Most Since January; Malaysian Ringgit Strengthens

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan's dollar had the biggest gain
in almost six months as overseas investors increased purchases of
the island's equities.

The local dollar rebounded from an almost three-week low
reached on June 15 as stock exchange data showed overseas fund
managers bought a net $1.3 billion of shares today, the most
since December 2005. The benchmark Taiex index of stocks climbed
2.1 percent to close at the highest since June 2000. Financial
markets were shut on June 18 and 19 for public holidays.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Taiwanese Government Bonds Climb as Intervention Stopped; Currency Rises

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan's 10-year government bonds
climbed, pushing the yield to a two-week low, on speculation the
central bank stopped buying its own currency, leaving banks with
more spare cash to buy debt. The Taiwanese dollar rose the most
in almost six months.

The interest rate for overnight loans between lenders was
set for the lowest close in more than two weeks after the
central bank refrained from buying the local dollar in the
foreign-exchange market this month, said Ernest Lee, a Taipei-
based bond trader at Mega Securities Co. Lower money-market
rates make it cheaper for investors to borrow for bond purchases.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Pound Advances After Minutes Show BOE's King Favored Higher Interest Rates

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. pound rose to a two-week
high against the dollar after minutes of the Bank of England's
last policy meeting showed Governor Mervyn King and three other
policy committee members voted for higher interest rates.

King, John Gieve, Timothy Besley and Andrew Sentance argued
for a quarter-point move to 5.75 percent, minutes of the June 6-7
meeting published by the central bank today showed. Five members
voted for an unchanged stance. The U.K.'s lending rates are the
highest of the Group of 7 nations, helping to draw investments
and strengthen the pound.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

German DAX Benchmark Climbs; Allianz, MAN, SAP Shares Pace the Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Germany's benchmark DAX Index rose,
led by Allianz SE, Europe's largest insurer.

MAN AG, Europe's third-largest truckmaker, climbed after
Chief Executive Officer Hakan Samuelsson said the second quarter
is ``going very well.'' SAP AG, the world's largest maker of
business-management software, rose for a third day.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

European Bonds Advance as Yields Near Five-Year High Attract Investors

(Bloomberg) -- European government bonds advanced
for a second day as 10-year yields near the highest in five years
attracted investors.

Benchmark debt was also buoyed by a report today showing
German producer-price inflation held near the lowest in almost
three years in May. Ten-year bunds had their biggest gain in
almost two months yesterday after a report showed investor
confidence in Europe's biggest economy unexpectedly fell.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Kaupthing, Arcelor, Ericsson, Cofidis to Sell Debt: European Bond Alert

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of bond
sales denominated in euros or pounds and expected in the coming
days and weeks.

Investment-Grade Sales


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

PetroChina May Raise $6 Billion in Shanghai Share Sale to Fund Expansion

(Bloomberg) -- PetroChina Co. is planning the
nation's biggest share sale this year to raise as much as $6
billion in Shanghai for overseas acquisitions, increased oil
drilling and refinery construction.

The stock rose 5 percent in Hong Kong on expectations the
revenue will help develop the nation's largest oil find in almost
50 years. Beijing-based PetroChina, which said today it plans to
offer a maximum of 4 billion shares, overtook Royal Dutch Shell
Plc as the world's second-largest oil company by market value.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

U.S. Loan Credit-Default Swaps May Overtake Loan Trades, Citigroup Says

(Bloomberg) -- Credit-default swaps linked to loans
will be more actively traded in the U.S. than the loans
themselves within a year, according to analysts at Citigroup Inc.,
the largest U.S. bank.

Trading of loan credit-default swaps now accounts for 50
percent of the volume of loan trades handled by Citigroup, New
York-based Jonathan Calder, head of the U.S. bank's loan sales
and trading, told a conference yesterday in Tokyo.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Mortgage Rate Increase Pushes U.S. Housing Market, Economy to `Blood Bath'

(Bloomberg) -- The worst is yet to come for the
U.S. housing market.

The jump in 30-year mortgage rates by more than a half a
percentage point to 6.74 percent in the past five weeks is
putting a crimp on borrowers with the best credit just as a
crackdown in subprime lending standards limits the pool of
qualified buyers. The national median home price is poised for
its first annual decline since the Great Depression, and the
supply of unsold homes is at a record 4.2 million, according to
the National Association of Realtors.


Read more at Bloomberg Exclusive News

Pound Falls Against Dollar Before Bank Releases Minutes of June Meeting

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. pound fell against the
dollar and the euro on speculation the minutes of the Bank of
England's last policy meeting will prompt investors to reduce
bets on more interest-rate increases.

The U.K. currency fell from a near two-week high versus the
dollar as more than a third of the economists in a Bloomberg News
survey expect the minutes today will show all policy makers
favored keeping rates on hold. Economic reports last week showed
inflation in Europe's second-largest economy was the slowest in
seven months in May.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News