Nordic Stocks Decline, Paced by Statoil, Norsk Hydro, Nordea Bank, Boliden

(Bloomberg) -- Nordic stocks fell for a second day,
led by Statoil ASA and Norsk Hydro ASA, Norway's largest oil
producers, as crude oil prices dropped in New York.

Nordea Bank AB, the region's largest lender, also slipped
after Goldman, Sachs & Co. downgraded the stock.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Gold May Extend Rally on More Demand for Dollar Alternative, Survey Shows

(Bloomberg) -- Gold may rise for a second straight
week on speculation that a weaker dollar will boost demand for
the precious metal as an alternative investment.

Seventeen of 27 traders, investors and analysts surveyed by
Bloomberg from Sydney to Chicago on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 advised
buying gold, which rose 1.8 percent last week to $684.40 an ounce
on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. One
respondent said to sell, and nine were neutral.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

New AngloGold Ashanti CEO to tackle mine deaths

(Reuters) - The incoming chief executive at the world's third biggest gold producer, AngloGold Ashanti Ltd, wants to cut the firm's mine fatalities as a top priority, he said on Friday.

Increasing deaths at South Africa's treacherous underground mines have thrust safety into the spotlight recently. The government briefly closed one of AngloGold's mines last week after two more miners were killed in a rock fall.


Read more at Reuters Africa

MBK Offers to Buy C&M for $3.2 Billion in Korea's Biggest LBO, Bankers Say

(Bloomberg) -- MBK Partners Ltd., the South Korean
private equity group founded by former Carlyle Group executives,
offered 3 trillion won ($3.2 billion) for cable-TV operator C&M,
said two bankers who were asked to provide financing.

The Seoul-based buyout company wants to borrow as much as 2
trillion won to pay for closely held C&M, South Korea's second-
biggest cable-TV operator, said the bankers, who declined to be
identified because the bid hasn't been disclosed. The purchase
would include New York-based Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s 30.5
percent stake, they said.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

China's First-Half Gold Output Rises 15 Percent, Fastest Pace in a Decade

(Bloomberg) -- China, which may surpass the U.S. to
become the second-largest gold producer this year, mined 15
percent more of the precious metal in the first half as higher
prices prompted companies to boost output.

Production rose at the fastest pace in 10 years to 122.5
metric tons in the first six months, the China Gold Association
said on its Web site yesterday. Gold output in June was 23.6
tons, it said.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities 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

Gold Falls, Caps First Weekly Drop in Month, as Dollar Gains; Silver Drops

(Bloomberg) -- Gold fell in New York, capping the
first weekly decline in a month, on speculation a strengthening
dollar will reduce the precious metal's appeal as an alternative
investment. Silver also dropped.

The dollar rallied to a two-week high against the euro
today after a U.S. Commerce Department report showed the economy
grew last quarter at the fastest pace in more than a year. Gold,
sold in the U.S. currency, has fallen 1.8 percent in the three
days since the dollar reached a record low against the euro.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Gold Heads for Weekly Decline in New York on Dollar Rebound; Silver Drops

(Bloomberg) -- Gold fell in New York, heading for
the biggest weekly decline in seven weeks, on speculation a
strengthening dollar will reduce the precious metal's appeal as
an alternative investment. Silver also dropped.

The dollar rallied to a two-week high against the euro
today after a U.S. Commerce Department report showed the economy
grew last quarter at the fastest pace in more than a year. Gold,
sold in the U.S. currency, rose to a three-month high of $695.40
an ounce on July 25, a day after the dollar touched a record low
of $1.3852 against the euro.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

June newspaper help-wanted ads dip to 49-yr low

(Reuters) - "There are signs that job advertising volume is edging a little lower, with very slight decreases in each of the past two months," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at the Conference Board, in a statement.




"Business caution about near-term prospects for the economy, and perhaps for their own businesses, may lead to a little less hiring this autumn. Plus, the online business is mature enough in that this is where help wanted ads originate and may never appear in newspapers."


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

FTSE 100 Benchmark Index Drops, Paced by Rio Tinto; Punch Taverns Declines

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. FTSE 100 Index dropped to a
two month low, paced by Rio Tinto Group and Antofagasta Plc as
copper prices retreated in New York.

Punch Taverns Plc led pub companies lower after Goldman,
Sachs & Co. removed the pub owner from its ``conviction buy''
list. Shares of British Energy Plc tumbled.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Gold slips 1.6 pct on dollar recovery, soft oil

(Reuters) - Gold fell 1.6 percent on Wednesday as a recovery in the dollar and softer oil prompted investors to take profits from the metal's 11-week highs.

Gold slipped as low as $671.70 an ounce and was quoted at $672.70/673.30 at 1448 GMT, against $682.60/683.40 in New York late on Tuesday, when a record-low dollar propelled gold as high as $687.10.


Read more at Reuters Africa

S.Africa tells AngloGold to shut mine shaft

(Reuters) - South Africa has instructed gold producer AngloGold Ashanti to shut the shaft at its Moab Khutsong mine after two miners were killed in a rock fall at the weekend, the government said on Tuesday.

The Department of Minerals and Energy said senior officials would visit the mine on Wednesday to check if the company was meeting safety standards. It did not say how long the shaft would remain shut.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Gold trades near 10-week highs on weaker dollar

(Reuters) - Gold was firm on Monday, holding near 10-week highs as the dollar hit record lows against the euro on worries about the U.S. subprime mortgage sector.

Gold stood at $683.80/684.60 an ounce at 1310 GMT, compared with $682.90/$683.70 late in New York on Friday, when it touched $686, the highest since May 9 and a gain of more than $20 since last Monday.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Gold Falls in London as Dollar's Drop Against Euro Stalls; Silver Climbs

(Bloomberg) -- Gold fell in London as the dollar's
decline against the euro stalled, eroding the appeal of the
precious metal as an alternative investment. Silver advanced.

Before today, gold had climbed for three consecutive weeks
while the dollar fell against the euro for six weeks in a row.
Gold declined today and the euro weakened against the dollar,
both for the first time in a week.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Dollar hits low, stocks retreat on subprime fears

(Reuters) - The weaker dollar hit Asian exporters such as Canon Inc., with overall market sentiment also soured by losses on Wall Street and caution after China raised interest rates on Friday in another attempt to prevent the buoyant economy from overheating.




Oil prices fell from near-record highs after oil producer group OPEC expressed concern about the impact of high oil prices on the global economy, which traders saw as a sign it might decide to pump more oil. Gold held on to Friday's gains, benefiting from the weak dollar and heightened market uncertainty.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

Gold May Advance in London as Dollar Trades Near Record Low; Silver Gains

(Bloomberg) -- Gold may rise in London on
speculation the dollar will decline further, spurring demand
for the metal as an alternative investment. Silver gained.

Gold has more than doubled since 2000 as the dollar
declined more than a quarter against a basket of six currencies
including the euro and yen. Gold has gained 5.7 percent this
year and the dollar has declined 4.5 percent against the euro.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Coffeyville Refinery May Resume Operations in Mid-September After Shutdown

(Bloomberg) -- Coffeyville Resources LLC, a Kansas
refinery owned by a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. unit and the buyout
firm Kelso & Co., expects to resume gasoline and diesel
production by mid-September after a July 1 flood shut the plant.

Major damage was confined to pumps, motors and electrical
controls, the Sugar Land, Texas-based company said today in a
statement. Production of nitrogen fertilizer has resumed at the
complex, with shipments planned today.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

U.S. Stocks Advance, Dow Average Tops 14,000 for First Time; Merrill Gains

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks rose, sending the Dow
Jones Industrial Average past 14,000 for the first time, after
wholesale inflation unexpectedly declined and Goldman, Sachs &
Co. advised buying shares of American Express Co.

American Express, the fourth-biggest U.S. credit-card
issuer, led the Dow average to a fourth-straight record. Rohm &
Haas Co., the largest maker of acrylics for paints and plastics,
pushed a gauge of raw-materials producers to the biggest gain in
the S&P 500 on its plans for a $2 billion share buyback.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Apollo mulling private exchange listing: report

(Reuters) - Apollo, founded by former investment banker Leon Black, may take this route to bypass the scrutiny of being a public company.




As it would in an initial public offering, Apollo will be able to raise permanent capital with its Goldman Sachs exchange listing, and give its founders a way to cash out, the report said. But it will not exactly go public, as rival private equity firm Blackstone Group LP and hedge fund Fortress Investment Group LLC have done through listings on the New York Stock Exchange in recent months.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Gold Futures May Fall in New York as Euro's Rally Stalls; Silver Declines

(Bloomberg) -- Gold, little changed in New York,
may fall on speculation the euro's rally against the dollar will
stall, reducing the appeal of the precious metal as an
alternative investment. Silver fell.

Gold generally moves in tandem with the euro, which was
little changed after reaching a record against the dollar on
July 13. Before today, gold had gained 4.6 percent this year
while the euro had gained 4.4 percent against the dollar.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News