Pound May Decline for Fourth Day Before Bank of England Mortgage Report

(Bloomberg) -- The pound may decline against the
dollar before a report that will probably add to evidence the
housing market is slowing after five interest-rate increases in a
year.

The currency may fall for a fourth day from near a 26-year
high versus the dollar before the Bank of England's mortgage
lending report, which is forecast to show approvals of loans for
home purchases dropped. The pound last week had its biggest
weekly decline against the yen since March as concern U.S.
subprime mortgage defaults will hamper global growth prompted
investors to sell higher-yielding assets.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Ingersoll to sell units for $4.9 bln to Doosan

(Reuters) - Doosan's shares jumped as much as 11 percent on the move, which the company said would nearly double its sales and make it the world's seventh largest construction equipment maker.




For Ingersoll, the deal will cut the diversified manufacturer's exposure to the highly cyclical division which has been hit by a downturn in U.S. home construction and help its shift toward climate control, industrial and security businesses.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

European Bank Stocks May Decline, Led by ING, Credit Suisse, IKB Deutsche

(Bloomberg) -- European bank stocks may drop after
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, a German lender that invested in
U.S. subprime mortgages, said profit will be ``significantly''
lower than forecast.

``The subprime crisis has reached Germany,'' said Klaus
Stabel, head of research at ICF Kursmakler AG in Frankfurt.
``It's bad for sentiment. We haven't seen the bottom yet.''


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

China CNPC strikes oil of commercial value in Chad

(Reuters) - China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) has struck oil of commercial value for the first time in Chad, after buying a 50 percent share of an oil exploration partnership in the landlocked African nation last year.

CNPC, China's top oil and gas producer, did not provide any estimates of oil in place or an even more useful gauge such as recoverable reserves in a news release posted on its Web site (www.cnpc.com.cn) on Monday.


Read more at Reuters Africa

UPDATE 1-Akzo Nobel says ICI rejects new takeover bid

(Reuters) - Akzo Nobel said it had teamed up with Germany's Henkel
for the offer and that ICI had considered that the
offer did not reflect its full value.




In June, Akzo Nobel had make an indicative offer of 600
pence a share, which ICI also rejected as too low. The UK
Takeover Panel had set an Aug. 9 deadline for Akzo to make a
firm bid or walk away.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Groebli of ABN Says Asia Equity Selloff a `Summer Storm' Not `Tempest'

(Bloomberg) -- Roger Groebli, head of equity research in private
banking Asia at ABN Amro Bank, talks with Bloomberg's Bernard Lo from
Singapore about the outlook for Asian stocks following last week's selloff,
the impact of a slowdown in the U.S. on Asian economies and his investment
strategy. (Source: Bloomberg)

00:00 Selloff: "a summer storm, but not a tempest"
01:59 Funding private equity, Asia sovereign funds
04:02 Outlook for collateralized debt obligations
06:41 Impact of U.S. problems on Asian economies
08:40 View of Japan, banking, oil, property stocks

Running time 10:53


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Argentina Construction, Brazil Inflation: Latin America Bond Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following events and economic
reports may influence trading in Latin American local bonds
today. Bond yields are from the previous session.

Argentina: Construction activity rose 4.3 percent in June
from a year earlier, the National Statistics Institute reported
on July 27. Construction activity rose a seasonally adjusted 1.4
percent in June from May, the Institute said in Buenos Aires.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Japan's Nikkei 225 Drops on Subprime Concerns; Topix Climbs on Earnings

(Bloomberg) -- Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average
dropped after U.S. residential investment slumped, raising
concern the world's largest economy will slow.

Canon Inc. slid 2.6 percent, leading exporters lower after
the yen advanced to the highest against the dollar in more than
three months, reducing the value of their overseas sales.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

ABN withdraws backing for Barclays bid

(Reuters) - ABN said it was currently not in the position to recommend the offers from Barclays or the RBS-led consortium, which also includes Belgian-Dutch Fortis and Spain's Santander.




ABN had a net profit of 1.13 billion euros in the second quarter, compared with 1.216 billion euros a year earlier and the 1 billion euros average forecast in a Reuters survey of five analysts.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Most U.S. mid-sized companies not hiring: survey

(Reuters) - The news adds to evidence the U.S. economy may not grow as
robustly next year as it did last quarter, when gross domestic
product grew at an annualized rate of 3.4 percent.




Not all companies are gloomy about employment -- 47 percent
expect to hire, according to the survey from CIT and the
Economist Intelligence Unit. But 44 percent of mid-sized
companies see their workforce size staying the same, and 9
percent forecast a decline.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Barclays, HSBC, Beazley, Pearson, EMI Group Plc: U.K., Irish Stock Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall
in U.K. and Irish markets today. Stock symbols are in parentheses
and prices are from the last market close.

The benchmark FTSE 100 Index dropped 36.00, or 0.6 percent,
to 6215.20. The FTSE All-Share Index declined 18.24, or 0.6
percent, to 3210.69.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Credit Suisse Fees Are Likely to Fall Most as LBO Market Slows, S&P Says

(Bloomberg) -- Investment banking fees are likely to
fall or stop growing as buyout firms purchase fewer companies,
and Credit Suisse Group would probably be the most affected
Standard & Poor's said in a report published today.

Group revenue at Switzerland's second-largest bank could
fall by 3.8 percent were leveraged buyout fees to fall by half,
S&P said. Earnings at Credit Suisse and UBS AG could plunge up to
19 percent as buyouts slow, Deutsche Bank AG analyst Matt Spick
said on July 26.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

India's i-flex April-June net up 4.6 pct

(Reuters) - Standalone net profit in the quarter ended June was 582
million rupees.





Read more at Reuters.com Market News

CPC's Kaohsiung Crude Oil Unit in Taiwan Is Unaffected by Yesterday's Fire

(Bloomberg) -- CPC Corp., Taiwan's state-owned oil
refiner, said a crude distillation unit at its Kaohsiung
refinery in the southern part of the island was unaffected by a
fire yesterday. No one was hurt in the incident.

The fire, which broke out during an attempt to restart the
unit, was extinguished within 10 minutes, Jessica Tang, a
Taipei-based spokeswoman, said by telephone today. The plant,
which can process 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day into fuels
including gasoline and diesel, has closed since June 6 for
scheduled maintenance.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

China Doesn't Provide Any Subsidies to Steelmakers, Association's Luo Says

(Bloomberg) -- China doesn't subsidize steelmakers,
the China Iron and Steel Association said in response to a
Financial Times report that Chinese mills had received more than
$52 billion in subsidies over the past decade.

``China absolutely doesn't have any steel subsidies,'' Luo
Bingsheng, vice chairman of the association, told reporters today
in Beijing.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

TREASURIES-Steady in Asia, credit crunch fears supporting

(Reuters) - The credit crunch fears have fuelled safe-haven flows to
shorter-dated Treasuries and stirred speculation the Fed could
cut rates, pulling the two-year yield down to some 75 basis
points below the current federal funds rate of 5.25 percent.




With no major economic data due in the session, traders said
they would be keeping a close eye on how U.S. stocks move later
in the session, with Asian equity markets initially falling
about 1 percent following the tumble on Wall Street last Friday.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Asian Currencies Weaken as Overseas Investors Shun Region's Riskier Assets

(Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies fell on speculation
global investors cut holdings in riskier assets as stock markets
across the region dropped.

The Indonesian rupiah declined to the weakest in almost five
months and the Malaysian ringgit and South Korean won slipped to
their lowest in July. Bank Indonesia said last week it isn't
worried by the currency's decline, while South Korea's central
bank said the won is set to drop as the current-account surplus
narrows.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Codelco Says It Will Resume Copper Production at Its Second-Largest Mine

(Bloomberg) -- Codelco, the world's biggest copper
producer, said it will resume production in Chile at its second-
largest mine tomorrow after unions agreed to return to work.

Unions at Codelco's El Teniente mine in central Chile will
resume work tomorrow, the company said in a statement sent by e-
mail today. The mine has been shuttered since the afternoon of
July 26, after Codelco's unions said protests by striking
employees of contracting companies created a safety risk.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Taiwan 10-Year Bonds Fall on Concern Higher Oil Prices Will Spur Inflation

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan's government bonds declined
on speculation an increase in crude oil prices will spur
inflation. The currency was little changed.

Ten-year notes ended a three-day gain after oil rose to the
highest in nearly a year in New York last week as a government
report showed the U.S. economy, the world's biggest consumer,
grew faster than expected last quarter. Inflation erodes the
purchasing power of the fixed-income payments from debt.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Kirin Says Talks Continue on Investment in San Miguel Australia Drink Unit

(Bloomberg) -- Kirin Holdings Co., Japan's biggest
beermaker, said it remains in talks to invest in San Miguel
Corp.'s Australia dairy and juice unit.

Kirin will buy as much as 49 percent of San Miguel's
National Foods Ltd. for A$1.2 billion ($1 billion), the
Australian Financial Review reported today, without saying
where it obtained the information.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

UPDATE 1-Doosan to buy Ingersoll units for $4.9 bln

(Reuters) - The biggest ever overseas acquisition by a South Korean
company will make Doosan one of the world's top seven
construction equipment makers, the South Korean firm said.




Ingersoll signed a definitive agreement to sell Bobcat, the
world's top compact construction equipment firm, and its utility
equipment and attachment businesses, which in 2006 together
generated $2.6 billion in sales and $370 million in operating
profits.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Liberty considers Virgin Media bid - FT

(Reuters) - Virgin Media had asked suitors to submit expressions of
interest by the first week of August to kick off an auction of
the company, people familiar with the situation told Reuters
earlier this week.




About 10 suitors have expressed an interest, sources told
Reuters, since private equity firm Carlyle Group [CYC.UL] made
an initial offer earlier this month.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Indian Rupee May Fall For Second Week on Concern Funds Will Sell Stocks

(Bloomberg) -- India's rupee may fall for a second
week on concern overseas funds will sell emerging-market assets
as a global rout in corporate debt and equities drives investors
to safer securities such as U.S. Treasuries.

The country's benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive
Index, or Sensex, slumped the most in four months on July 27,
causing the rupee to fall from near a nine-year high. The
currency may extend its biggest weekly decline in almost two
months, a survey of traders showed.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

UPDATE 1-Japan output rises, BOJ rate rise seen on track

(Reuters) - But a crushing defeat for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's
coalition in Sunday's upper house election could complicate the
outlook for monetary policy and scale back market expectations
for a central bank rate hike next month, analysts said.




The increase in June output beat a median market forecast for
a 1.1 percent rise.


Read more at Reuters.com Economic News

Credit Suisse Fees to Fall the Most as LBOs Slow, Standard & Poor's Says

(Bloomberg) -- Investment banking fees are likely to
fall or stop growing as buyout firms purchase fewer companies,
and Credit Suisse Group would probably be the most affected
Standard & Poor's said in a report published today.

Group revenue at Switzerland's second-largest bank could
fall by 3.8 percent were leveraged buyout fees to fall by half,
S&P said. Earnings at Credit Suisse and UBS AG could plunge up to
19 percent as buyouts slow, Deutsche Bank AG analyst Matt Spick
said on July 26.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

South Korea's Stocks Fall on U.S. Housing Concern; Hyundai Heavy Declines

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks fell for the
third day. Kookmin Bank led declines on concern a deepening U.S.
housing slump will damp the world's biggest economy and prompt
investors to shun riskier assets.

The Kospi index dropped 17.86, or 1 percent, to 1,865.36 as
of 9:25 a.m. in Seoul. Stocks plunged on July 27 by the most in
more than three years, wiping out $46 billion in market value.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

New Zealand June Home-Building Approvals Surge 15.8 Percent on Apartments

(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand's home-building
approvals posted the biggest gain in more than 18 months in June,
buoyed by consents for apartments, as record-high interest rates
failed to curb demand for new property.

Approvals to build new houses and apartments increased 15.8
percent from May, according to seasonally adjusted figures
released by Statistics New Zealand in Wellington today. The
increase was the most since December 2005. The number of
approvals was the highest since March 2005.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Bank ratings intact despite LBO funding jam -S&P

(Reuters) - Turmoil in the global credit markets has left banks unable
to syndicate funding for a string of high-profile leveraged
buyouts, including those of British health and beauty chain
Alliance Boots [AB.UL] and U.S. carmaker Chrysler.




The funding, often with aggressive terms, was committed to
when the credit-market sky was clear and investors seemed to
have an unquenchable thirst for debt.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka: Asia Local Bond Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following events and economic
reports may influence trading in Asian local-currency bonds
today. Yields are from the previous session.

China: China Development Bank, a state-owned lender, will
sell 20 billion yuan ($2.64 billion) of 10-year bonds on Aug. 1.
China will maintain a tight monetary policy to prevent the
economy from ``overheating,'' Xinhua News Agency reported July
27. The government will apply ``moderate and tight monetary
policies to cool the growth pace in the economy and improve
quality and efficiency of the growth,'' Xinhua said, citing a
statement by the Chinese Communist Party's Political Bureau.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Yen Advances to Three-Month High Versus Euro on Reduced Appetite for Risk

(Bloomberg) -- The yen climbed to a three-month
high against the euro on speculation a defeat for Japan's Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe's led ruling coalition will push down stocks
and spur investors to exit so-called carry trades.

The yen reached 160.67 against the euro, the highest since
April 24, before trading at 161.02 at 7:46 a.m. in Tokyo from
161.67 late in New York yesterday. It also rose to 118.26 per
dollar from 118.63, after climbing to 118.03.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Valero's Port Arthur Refinery Releases Odorous Vapor From Faulty Oil Tank

(Bloomberg) -- Valero Energy Corp., the largest
U.S. refiner, said a faulty storage tank at its Port Arthur,
Texas, refinery, yesterday released smelly vapors.

``Due to a mechanical problem with a roof of a storage tank
at the Valero Port Arthur Refinery on Saturday, there was a
release of vapors that caused a noxious odor,'' spokesman Bill
Day said. ``Refinery officials notified the proper authorities
and immediately began efforts to halt the release.''


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Gold May Rebound on Investment Demand for Dollar Alternative, Analysts Say

(Bloomberg) -- Gold may rebound on speculation that
the dollar will resume a slide against the euro, boosting the
appeal of the precious metal as an alternative investment.

Fourteen of 27 traders, investors and analysts surveyed by
Bloomberg from Sydney to Chicago on July 26 and July 27 advised
buying gold, which fell 1.8 percent last week to $672.30 an ounce
on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Nine
said to sell, and four were neutral.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

UPDATE 1-Japan PM suffers election drubbing, says to stay

(Reuters) - TOKYO, July 30 - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's conservative ruling camp suffered a crushing defeat in
upper house elections on Sunday, but the 52-year-old hawkish
leader insisted he would stay in his job despite the bashing.




"I am determined to carry out my promises although the
situation is severe," Abe said, after acknowledging that he was
responsible for the huge loss.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Japanese PM suffers election drubbing but stays on

(Reuters) - TOKYO, July 30 - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's conservative ruling camp suffered a crushing defeat in
upper house elections on Sunday, but the 52-year-old hawkish
leader insisted he would stay in his job despite the bashing.




"I am determined to carry out my promises although the
situation is severe," Abe said, after acknowledging that he was
responsible for the huge loss.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

American Home Mortgage says faces margin calls

(Reuters) - These moves will allow the company to keep cash on hand
until it better understands the impact of market conditions on
its balance sheet and liquidity, American Home Mortgage said.







Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Cheapest Stocks in 16 Years Entice Investors After $2.1 Trillion Decline

(Bloomberg) -- Investors are preparing to snap up
shares of telephone, health-care and computer companies after
last week's $2.1 trillion global stock market rout left U.S.
equities the cheapest in 16 years.

``The window for buying is starting to open,'' said D.A.
Davidson & Co. chief market strategist Frederic Dickson, who
oversees $23 billion. His Great Falls, Montana-based firm plans
to buy drug and technology stocks as long as bond market losses
don't worsen.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Germany warn Siemens on Libya atomic deal - paper

(Reuters) - Germany's Environment Ministry and opposition Greens party have warned Siemens not to take part in a planned French nuclear deal with Libya, Handelsblatt reported.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a memorandum of understanding for a nuclear energy deal with Libya during a visit there last week.


Read more at Reuters Africa

RPT-Japan PM says to stay on despite election defeat

(Reuters) - "The nation-building has just started. I would like to
deliver on my duty to proceed with reform as prime minister," he
told a news conference.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

New Zealand Dollar is Overvalued and Will Fall, Agricultural Minister Says

(Bloomberg) -- The New Zealand dollar, the best
performer of 16 major currencies against the dollar in the past
year, is over-valued and will eventually decline, Agriculture
Minister Jim Anderton said today.

``There is no question it is overvalued,'' Anderton said in
e-mailed notes for a speech in Christchurch. ``A lot of the hot
money coming in here thinking it won't decline, will eventually
get burned because the dollar will, sooner or later, return to
more normal levels.''


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News