Icahn raises Temple-Inland stake to 8.3 percent

(Reuters) - Temple-Inland's recent proxy statement showed that Icahn
held a 6.7 percent stake with more than 7.2 million shares as
of March 27.




Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Fertilizer maker Mosaic posts quarterly profit

(Reuters) - With prices of major crops hovering at historically high
levels, demand for fertilizers to help boost yields has grown
and last week, Mosaic's rival Potash Corp.
posted a 63-percent jump in profits.




In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that U.S.
farmers this year were going to plant 90.5 million acres of
corn, the largest domestic corn acreage in 63 years.



Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 1-Oxford Industries quarterly net profit falls

(Reuters) - The company said first quarter sales and earnings per share
would be at or slightly below expectations due to deferral of
shipments to the second quarter.




However, the company said it was still comfortable with its
full year sales and earnings forecast.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Venezuelan Bolivar Falls to Lowest in Five Months on Bond-Sale Speculation

(Bloomberg) -- Venezuela's currency fell to the
lowest in almost five months in unregulated trading on
speculation a government dollar-denominated bond sale to local
banks won't be large enough to meet demand for foreign currency.

Venezuela and Argentina plan to sell a dollar bond together
by the end of August, said Ricardo Sanguino, president of the
Venezuelan congressional finance commission, after markets closed
July 27, without revealing how much they would sell. Venezuela's
Finance Minister Rodrigo Cabezas said in May the countries
planned to sell up to $1 billion of dollar and bolivar bonds to
Venezuelan investors by the end of the year.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

UPDATE 1-Community Health 2nd-qtr profit up pct

(Reuters) - Second-quarter profit increased to $53.8 million, or 57
cents per share, from $52.4 million, or 54 cents per share, a
year earlier.




The latest result matched the average analyst estimate of
57 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Mexican stocks extend recovery, end up 2.20 percent

(Reuters) - The benchmark IPC stock index surged 665.51 points
to 30,900.68 points. The peso currency firmed just 0.09
percent to close at 10.95 to the dollar.




In debt trading, the price of the benchmark government
10-year peso bond rose 0.310 points to bid 101.71,
with a yield of 7.72 percent.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-CommScope 2nd-qtr profit up, Andrew Corp profit lower

(Reuters) - The company said second-quarter net profit was $61.1
million, or 83 per share, compared to $46.7 million, or 65
cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 26 percent to
$519.1.




Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings per share of
76 cents on revenue of $505.8 million, according to Reuters
Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

China's Stocks Advance for Seventh Day, Led by Shares of Builders, Banks

(Bloomberg) -- China's stocks rose for a seventh
day. China Vanke Co. led developers and banks higher on
speculation U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson may convince
the Chinese government to allow the yuan's gains to accelerate.

``A stronger yuan will boost profits at banks and
developers'' as investors are drawn to local assets, said Zheng
Tuo, who manages the equivalent of $790 million at Bank of
Communications Schroder Fund Management Co. in Shanghai.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

B&G Foods posts higher quarterly profit

(Reuters) - Earnings per share of Class A common stock rose to 17
cents, from 14 cents, a year ago.




The Parsippany, New Jersey-based company's net sales rose
12.3 percent to $118.2 million.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Pitney Bowes swings to quarterly profit

(Reuters) - The year ago figures included costs related to restructuring.




Revenue increased 11 percent to $1.5 billion


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Sun Microsystems posts 4th-qtr profit as costs fall

(Reuters) - Sun, which returned to profit in the second and third quarters after five consecutive quarterly losses, has tried to stage a recovery by revamping its product line, selling servers powered by chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. , among other moves. The company last year announced about 5,000 job cuts to reduce costs.




Shares of Sun, which also sells workstations, software, storage and services, have fallen 9.2 percent this year, as of Friday's close.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Bridgestone, Clarion, Isuzu, Komatsu, Shinsei Bank: Japan Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may move in
Japanese markets. Prices are as of the close of trading.
Statements were released after the close. Stock symbols are in
parentheses.

Bridgestone Corp. (5108 JT): The world's largest tiremaker
raised its annual unconsolidated profit forecast for the second
time because of a weaker yen. Net income may total 77 billion yen
($648 million) for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, compared with a
previous estimate of 73 billion yen, Bridgestone said in a
release. It also raised its unconsolidated sales forecast for
this year by 1 percent to 1.03 trillion yen and its operating
profit forecast by 10 percent to 108 billion yen. The stock fell
25 yen, or 1 percent, to 2,490.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-Union ratifies deal in Goodyear unit sale

(Reuters) - United Steelworkers members at four plants approved the
contract last week and the central union resolved remaining
issues with Carlyle over the weekend related to establishing a
secure trust for retiree health care.




Goodyear, the largest U.S. tire maker, agreed to sell the
unit to Carlyle for $1.48 billion earlier this year. Goodyear
has said it expects to complete the sale in the third quarter.
The sale was contingent on the new union contract.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

GM seen posting profit, analysts remain cautious

(Reuters) - Still, analysts remained cautious about the weakness in the
U.S. housing market, which could weigh on GM's results through
the remainder of the year, and about sustainable profitability
in its North American operations.




Analysts, on average, expect GM to post on Tuesday a
second-quarter net profit of $1.10 a share, compared with a net
loss of $5.98 a share a year earlier. The per-share profit
estimates range from $1.00 to $1.28.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Canada pension board confirms stake in TSX rival

(Reuters) - The board, the investment arm of Canada's second-largest
pension plan, is the only "buy-side" investor involved in
Alpha, a new automated trading system being formed by
seven of the country's biggest investment dealers.




Donald Raymond, senior vice-president of public market
investments at the board, said the purchase is both a straight
investment on which it expects to get good returns but also a
strategic investment and a way to cut trading costs.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

TREASURIES-Bonds ease as stocks climb

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - U.S. Treasury debt prices fell
on Monday as investors took their cue from a rebounding stock
market and sold debt positions since there was no economic data
to sway trading.




Benchmark Treasury yields reached two-month lows last week
as bond prices rose on tumbling stocks and investor concerns over
reduced access to credit.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Latin American Stocks Rally; Mexico, Brazil Shares Have Best Gain in Month

(Bloomberg) -- Stocks in Latin America rallied as
analysts advised investors to buy companies with better-than-
expected profit growth after last week's global sell-off.

Brazil's Bovespa Index jumped 1,455.21, or 2.8 percent, to
54,377.44 as of 3 p.m. in New York. Mexico's Bolsa index rallied
747.88, or 2.5 percent, to 30,983.05. It was the biggest gain in
both markets since March 21.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Pimco's Gross, a Bear on Company Debt, Buys Shares of Pimco Corporate Fund

(Bloomberg) -- Bill Gross, manager of the world's
largest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., invested
$1.5 million in a Pimco corporate debt fund after the shares fell
to the lowest since its inception five years ago.

Gross bought 4,900 shares in the Pimco Corporate Opportunity
Fund at $13.80, 50,000 shares at $13.85 and another 50,000 at
$13.90 on July 25, according to a filing with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

US STOCKS-Earnings optimism helps fuel rebound

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - U.S. stocks rose on Monday,
as optimism about earnings and M&A activity in the industrial
sector countered the worries about worsening credit conditions
that led to a global equity sell-off last week.




Expectations for quarterly earnings growth by Standard &
Poor's 500 companies were raised to 6.8 percent compared with
the year-ago period from 6.0 percent one week earlier,
according to Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Oil Is Steady, Close to One-Year High, on Expectations of Supply Shortfall

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil was little changed, close
to a one-year high, amid speculation that consumption will
increase faster than production this year.

Crude-oil in New York rose 1.6 percent last week as a U.S.
government report showed the nation's economy expanded 3.4
percent last quarter, the fastest pace in more than a year.
Prices fell earlier today on concern that falling stock prices
would curb economic growth and energy demand.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

UPDATE 2-DynCorp posts Q1 profit, shares fall on contract fears

(Reuters) - The U.S. Government Accountability Office is reviewing a
$4.6 billion Army linguistics contract awarded to a DynCorp
joint venture, after the current holder of the contract, L-3
Communications Holdings challenged the award.




"Investors are missing the big picture, that in the end,
DynCorp has a very good chance of winning this award," Stanford
Group analyst Erik Olbeter said.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Northwest Airlines flight cancellation rate soars

(Reuters) - A Northwest spokesman said the carrier completed about 92 percent of its scheduled flights from Friday through Saturday compared with about 99 percent which is more typical for the airline.




"We expect today's operations to improve," Northwest spokesman Roman Blahoski said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

GMAC profit falls 63 pct as home loans weigh

(Reuters) - The company's Residential Capital LLC unit posted a net loss of $254 million, compared with a profit of $548 million a year earlier, hurt by what GMAC called "severe illiquidity" in the market for subprime mortgages.




The loss, however, was 72 percent smaller than the first quarter's $910 million. Excluding ResCap, profit at GMAC more than doubled.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

CNA, Dow Jones, MC Shipping, RadioShack, Southwest Gas: U.S. Equity Movers

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies
whose shares are having unusual price changes in U.S. exchanges.
Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names. Share
prices are as of 1:10 p.m. in New York.

Some mortgage lenders fell after American Home Mortgage
Investment Corp. (AHM US) delayed its quarterly dividend and
raised doubts about whether it has enough cash to stay in
business. Shares of American Home were halted.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-S&P raises Morgan Stanley debt rating to "AA-minus"

(Reuters) - S&P raised Morgan Stanley's senior unsecured debt rating to
"AA-minus," the fourth-highest investment grade rating, from
"A-plus."




The rating agency also changed Morgan Stanley's outlook to
stable from positive, which means no other rating changes are
expected in the next two years.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

RLPC-UPDATE 1-Integra Telecom reduces 1st-lien loan, delays deal

(Reuters) - The first-lien loan is part of Integra Telecom's $1.25
billion acquisition financing. The company is implementing a
number of changes to the deal in order to make the overall
financing attractive to lenders.




The financing is led by Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and
CIBC World Markets and backs the acquisition of Eschelon
Telecom .


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 2-ArvinMeritor raises revenue forecast, shares gain

(Reuters) - The company, whose results were pressured by lower North
American sales volume of heavy truck parts, also raised the
bottom end of its full-year earnings forecast.




It posted a net loss of $70 million, or 99 cents per share,
for the fiscal third quarter ended June 30, compared with a net
profit of $20 million, or 29 cents per share, a year earlier.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 2-Questor in talks to sell Teksid assets -source

(Reuters) - "The talks are with various parties," the source told
Reuters, while declining comment on a report in the Financial
Times saying Italian automaker Fiat SpA had made an
offer to buy the assets.




Citing people close to the talks, the newspaper said Fiat
might learn as early as Monday if its offer had been accepted.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Jarden Corp. profit rises; shares fall on view

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - Jarden Corp. said on Monday its second-quarter profit rose on higher sales, but gave a cautious outlook for the rest of the year citing weaker consumer spending, sending shares down nearly 7 percent.



While Jarden did not lower any of its specific outlook numbers, it was going to be "somewhat cautious" for the rest of the year and not"... overly aggressive on inventory positions and things like that," Chief Executive Martin Franklin said in a conference call.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Treasuries Drop as Yields Near Lowest in Two Months Fail to Attract Buyers

(Bloomberg) -- Treasuries declined as 10-year note
yields near the lowest level in more than two months failed to
attract buyers.

A gauge of momentum shows the yields are poised to rise
after dropping more than half a percentage point since peaking
at 5.327 percent on June 13. U.S. government debt rose last week
for a third straight week on bets rising defaults on home loans
to people with poor credit histories will slow the economy.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

TREASURIES-Prices slip as stocks stabilize

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - U.S. Treasury debt prices
slipped in morning trade, taking a breather after last week's
record-setting gains as stocks appeared to stabilize.




Benchmark Treasury yields reached two-month lows last week
as bond prices rose on tumbling stocks and investor concerns
over having less access to credit.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

S&P raises Morgan Stanley debt rating to "AA-minus"

(Reuters) - The rating agency also changed Morgan Stanley's outlook to
stable from positive, which means no other rating changes are
expected in the next two years.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Caja Madrid buys Repsol tower for 815 mln euros

(Reuters) - It is one of four towers being built on the former training
grounds of Real Madrid football club which now dominate the
northern skyline of the Spanish capital.




Repsol plans to relocate to a new, campus-style headquarters
in the south of the city from several offices around Madrid.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Corn Declines on Speculation U.S. Farmers Sowed Record Number of Plants

(Bloomberg) -- Corn fell for the first time in five
sessions in Chicago on speculation that a jump in the number of
viable plants this year will produce the largest-ever crop in the
U.S., the biggest global exporter.

U.S. farmers may harvest a record number of ears per acre,
Bill Nelson, a vice president for A.G. Edwards Inc. in St. Louis,
said in a report to clients today after touring fields across the
Midwest last week. Temperatures as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit
below normal limited stress in fields that received 25 percent of
normal rain in the last 30 days, Nelson said in the report.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

CNA, Ingersoll-Rand, RadioShack, ValueClick, Vivus: U.S. Equity Movers

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies
whose shares are having unusual price changes in U.S. exchanges.
Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names. Share
prices are as of 11:40 a.m. in New York.

Some mortgage lenders fell after American Home Mortgage
Investment Corp. (AHM US) delayed its quarterly dividend and
raised doubts about whether it has enough cash to stay in
business. Shares of American Home were halted.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Sales of Higher-Risk Mortgage Bonds Will Fall in Second Half, Lehman Says

(Bloomberg) -- Sales of new bonds backed by higher-
risk, higher-rate mortgages will slow further in the second half
of this year, according to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Issuance of bonds backed by subprime mortgages will drop 66
percent from the same period in 2006 to $75 billion, reflecting
a 57 percent drop from the first half of this year, analysts at
Lehman wrote in a report today. Alt A mortgage bond sales will
tumble 48 percent from last year's second half, the report said.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

U.S., Britain optimistic of Doha deal, Bush says

(Reuters) - "Gordon Brown brought some interesting suggestions on the way forward. He's optimistic that we can conclude the Doha round, as am I," Bush said.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Endo investor - Evaluate all options before diversification

(Reuters) - Endo's lead product Lidoderm, a pain patch, accounted for
more than 60 percent of the company's net sales in 2006.




The investor group also raised concerns about the company's
capital structure and cash position. It stated that Endo's
decision to hold cash in its balance sheet while evaluating
options was affecting the company's value.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

U.S. gold futures bounce early, dollar falls vs euro

(Reuters) - At 10:26 a.m. EDT , most-active gold for December delivery on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange was up $2.40 at $674.70 an ounce, dealing in a narrow range between $671.80 and $675.20.




A precious metal dealer in New York said that bullion would look for trading cues from the currency market, as a steadily weakening dollar had sent gold to rally $40 before the tumultuous sell-off began on Thursday.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

US STOCKS-Credit woes, good earnings leave indexes flat

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - U.S. stocks were little
changed in volatile trading on Monday after Wall Street's worst
week in nearly five years as investors weighed the worsening
credit market with a positive earnings outlook.




Tightening lending standards threatened to slow or halt the
heavy pace of corporate buy-outs, including several major deals
by private equity firms, that have fueled a rally in equities.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Nymex Gas Rises on Forecast for Warmer-Than-Normal Weather in Much of U.S.

(Bloomberg) -- Natural gas in New York rose on
forecasts that above-normal temperatures in the U.S. Midwest and
Northeast may stretch out into mid August, boosting demand for
electricity to power air conditioners.

The northern two-thirds of the nation, including such cities
as Chicago and New York, will have temperatures as much as 7
degrees above normal this week, according to forecaster MDA
Federal Inc.'s Earthsat Energy Weather.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Angloplat decision on Twickenham by Q1 2008

(Reuters) - Capital costs have climbed for Angloplat's long-delayed, multi-billion rand Twickenham project and a decision on whether to build it will be made by early 2008, a top official said on Monday.

"There's still some more work to do on the final feasibility study," said Duncan Wanblad, who will take over as joint acting chief executive at the start of September.


Read more at Reuters Africa

S.African stocks firmer, led by resources and banks

(Reuters) - Heavyweight miners Anglo American and BHP Billiton and bank shares led South Africa's bourse higher on Monday after sliding over 3 percent last Friday, spooked by a global market sell-off.

A Johannesburg-based trader said both Anglo and Billiton were recovering from being oversold last week, along with other resource stocks and banks.


Read more at Reuters Africa

U.A.E. Shares Decline, Led by Etisalat and Dubai Islamic Bank: Gulf Stocks

(Bloomberg) -- Shares in the United Arab Emirates
dropped, paced by Emirates Telecommunications Corp., known as
Etisalat, and Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC.

The Abu Dhabi Securities Market Index fell 2.8 percent to
3430.03, the biggest one-day drop since June 7, 2006. The Dubai
Financial Market General Index slipped 0.6 percent to 4226.77,
bringing the two-day decline to 2.4 percent.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-IStar quarterly profit up; raises 2007 profit view

(Reuters) - The New York-based company said it now expects a full-year
profit of $2.90 to $3.10 a share, to include an expected gain
of 10 cents to 20 cents a share from its purchase of Fremont
General Corp.'s commercial real estate unit.




It previously saw 2007 earnings of $2.70 to $2.90 a share.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Mexico's Peso, Bonds Rise as Demand for Emerging Market Assets Rebounds

(Bloomberg) -- Mexico's peso and local-currency
bonds rose as higher prices for global stocks fueled investor
demand for riskier emerging-market securities.

The peso rose 0.4 percent to 10.9699 per dollar at 10:15
a.m. New York time. The peso's gain was the sixth-best
performance against the dollar among the 26 most-traded
emerging-market currencies.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Delta Air issues shares for disputed claims

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - Delta Air Lines Inc. , which exited bankruptcy on April 30, on Monday said it began distributing about 21 million shares to previous debt holders, as it works through a pile of disputed claims.



The shares, which compensate creditors, were withheld from an initial distribution of about 247 million shares because the claims were disputed.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Merrill to track energy efficient stocks

(Reuters) - The launch of such indicies for investors reflects the worry that many companies will be hurt by climate change, such as more extreme weather, or by policies intended to prevent this, such as tough caps on greenhouse gas emissions.



Indicies are meant to identify companies that will be hurt least by or even profit from climate change and such regulations.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

European Stocks Climb, Paced by Imperial Chemicals, Linde, BHP Billiton

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks rose for the first
time in five days, led by chemical makers and mining companies,
after Imperial Chemical Industries Plc rejected a sweetened bid
from Dutch rival Akzo Nobel NV and copper rose in London.

ICI jumped the most in more than a month. Linde AG, the
world's largest maker of industrial gases, also gained after
reporting earnings that topped analysts' estimates. BHP Billiton
Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group led mining shares higher.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-Cameco profit jumps on strong uranium prices

(Reuters) - The company earned C$205 million , or 55
Canadian cents per share, in the quarter ended June 30, up from
C$150 million, or 40 Canadian cents a share, a year earlier.




That's well above the average estimate of analysts polled
by Reuters of 42 Canadian cents a share.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

ABN withdraws backing for Barclays bid, profit dips

(Reuters) - The Netherlands' biggest bank, the target of a 66 billion-euro offer from Barclays and a 71 billion-euro bid from RBS, Belgium's Fortis and Spain's Santander , also reported a 7.1 percent decline in its second-quarter net profit on Monday.




ABN originally backed Barclays when announcing their merger deal in April but withdrew its recommendation even after Barclays sweetened its offer last week to include more cash.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

REFILE-Japan PM defeat casts cloud over fiscal,tax reform

(Reuters) - TOKYO, July 30 - The crushing defeat that Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling camp suffered in Sunday's
election could stall debate on fiscal and tax reforms needed to
address the country's huge public debt, economists said.




The Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party
that won the most seats in the upper house of parliament,
opposes raising the 5 percent consumption tax. The party is also
seen as more open to new spending, such as programmes to provide
child care and help struggling farmers.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

FTSE up as M&A boosts; BoE eyed but jitters stick

(Reuters) - The FTSE 100 index of Britain's leading shares edged up 0.2 percent on Monday after a flurry of M&A activity boosted the upside but interest rate concerns and credit uncertainty continued to worry investors.

Fears that a rise in defaults on U.S. subprime mortgage loans could spiral into a broader financial crunch have surrounded global markets since mid-June.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Yen Declines From Three-Month High Against Euro as Japanese Stocks Rebound

(Bloomberg) -- The yen fell from a three-month high
against the euro as a recovery in Japanese stock prices eased
concern traders will reduce investments in riskier assets funded
by loans in the currency.

``The rebound in Asian stocks is helping to restore some
risk appetite,'' said Lee Wai Tuck, currency strategist at
Forecast Singapore Ltd. ``This is causing some yen selling.''


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Rubber Rises in Tokyo as Oil Price Gain May Increase Cost of Synthetics

(Bloomberg) -- Natural rubber futures in Tokyo rose
as crude oil traded near a one-year high, prompting speculation
that demand for the commodity will increase as the cost of making
the synthetic alternative climbs.

Crude Oil for September delivery reached $77.24 a barrel in
New York on July 26, the highest intraday price for a front-month
contract since August 9 and just below the record $77.45 a barrel.
The contract rose 2.8 percent on July 27, and traded at $76.64 a
barrel at 12:43 p.m. Singapore time, up 16 percent this year.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

UPDATE 1-Resolution says market undervalues Friends merger

(Reuters) - Rival insurer Pearl Group has built up an interest of almost
16 percent in Resolution and has called for talks with its
management, saying the 8.6 billion pound
all-share, nil-premium merger deal with Friends does not
maximise value for shareholders.




"The board...believes the current share price fundamentally
undervalues the prospects for Resolution shareholders as part of
Friends Financial," Resolution said in a statement.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Angloplat H1 headline EPS up 47 pct, cuts FY output

(Reuters) - South Africa's Anglo Platinum posted a 47 percent jump in interim headline earnings per share on Monday, at the top end of its own forecast, and cut its output estimate for the year.

Angloplat, the world's biggest platinum producer, said headline EPS for the six months to end June increased to 29.43 rand from 22.02 rand in the same period last year, mainly due to strong metals prices.


Read more at Reuters Africa

South Korea Stocks Rebound from Two-Day Rout; Samsung Electronics Advances

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks rose, snapping a
two-day plunge that had wiped out $68 billion in market value.
Samsung Electronics Co. gained after the country's industrial
production increased almost twice as much as expected.

Higher output of chips, autos and mobile phones, which
account for about a third of the nation's exports, accounted for
the gain in production, according to a government report. Concern
that a deepening U.S. housing-market slump would hurt the world's
biggest economy had triggered a $2.1 trillion rout in global
equities last week.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

European Mining Stocks Advance, Led by BHP Billiton, Rio; IKB Tumbles

(Bloomberg) -- European mining stocks rose, led by
BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group, as copper increased.

IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG tumbled 18 percent after the
German lender that invested in U.S. subprime mortgages said
profit will be ``significantly'' lower than forecast.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

ICI says in talks with Akzo, hasn't opened books

(Reuters) - "Subsequently, ICI met with Akzo to advise that the proposal was rejected and to explore whether it could be increased. This meeting did not result in an improved proposal. Discussions are continuing, however, ICI has not granted Akzo access to due diligence information."




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UK's Ultra H1 underlying profit rises 7 pct

(Reuters) - Ultra's revenues grew by 7 percent to 192.9 million pounds,
and the company proposed a dividend of 6.7 pence, up 14 percent
from a year earlier.




Read more at Reuters.com Market News

TNT operating profit down, to buy back shares

(Reuters) - AMSTERDAM, July 30 - Dutch mail company TNT NV said on Monday second-quarter operating profit fell 2.1 percent due to one-off items and said it would buy back 500 million euros of its own shares.



The former Dutch mail monopoly reported earnings before interest and tax of 330 million euros, down from 337 million in the previous year and below an average forecast of 351 million in a Reuters poll of 13 analysts.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Japanese Shares Climb on Earnings Reports, Led by Steelmakers; Canon Drops

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks climbed, led by
steelmakers after companies including JFE Holdings Inc. reported
increased profits and boosted earnings forecasts.

A measure of steel companies in the Topix surged 3.9
percent, the biggest gain among the 33 industry groups included
in the broad gauge.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News