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.


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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.


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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.


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Asian Stocks Rise in U.S. Trading; BHP Billiton Advances on Metal Prices

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose in U.S. trading as
mining shares including BHP Billiton followed copper and other
metal prices higher.

The Bank of New York Co.'s Asia ADR Index, tracking the
region's American depositary receipts, added 0.8 percent to
173.07, the seventh gain in eight sessions.


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S.African stocks climb on miners and retailers

(Reuters) - South African shares closed in positive territory on Monday, led by heavyweight miners Anglo American and BHP Billiton as well as banking and retail stocks.

"The market has been riding on the back of the strong performance of Anglo and BHP that have seen some upgrades and there has also been a rebound in commodity prices," said Mauwane Kotane, a trader at BoE Stockbrokers.


Read more at Reuters Africa

European Stocks Rise, Led by BHP Billiton, Anglo American; Univar Surges

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks climbed for a second
day, led by mining and telecommunications companies, after a
strike in Chile sent copper prices higher and Telekom Austria AG
raised its profit forecast.

BHP Billiton Ltd. and Anglo American Plc rose. Univar NV,
the largest distributor of chemicals in the U.S., surged to a
record after CVC Capital Partners offered to buy the company.
Royal Numico NV jumped on speculation Europe's biggest baby-food
maker may receive a takeover bid.


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Asian Stocks Resume July Rally on Economic Growth, Oil; Samsung Climbs

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks resumed their July rally
on signs economic growth in Japan and South Korea is accelerating
and as crude oil traded near a 10-month high.

Japan's Komatsu Ltd. gained the most in a week after a
government report showed machinery orders rose more than forecast
in May. Samsung Electronics Co. led the Kospi index to a fourth
straight high after the commerce ministry raised its forecast for
South Korean exports. BHP Billiton Ltd., Australia's largest oil
explorer, climbed for an eighth day.


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BHP, Standard Bank, AngloGold lift S.Africa stocks

(Reuters) - BHP Billiton buoyed South African shares on Friday on firm base metal prices and lingering consolidation talk within the sector, and Standard Bank led banks higher on a positive research note.

Investors piled into index heavyweight BHP as companies in the mining sector approached the reporting season with a strong tail-wind of robust commodity prices, that would see their earnings and possibly dividends grow, traders and analysts said.


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European Stocks May Rise; BHP Billiton, Total, Cadbury, Lloyds May Gain

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks may advance for a
third day, led by BHP Billiton Ltd. and Total SA as metal prices
rose and oil traded near a 10-month high.

Cadbury Schweppes Plc might increase. Coca-Cola Co., the
world's largest soft-drink maker, may consider making a bid for
its Snapple fruit-beverage unit. Lloyds TSB Group Plc may climb
after Citigroup Inc. recommended buying shares of the U.K.'s
biggest provider of personal loans.


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BHP Billiton, MTN lift S.African stocks higher

(Reuters) - South Africa's blue chip Top-40 index ended in positive territory on Thursday, led by miner BHP Billiton and mobile phone group MTN, as commodity prices rose and the rand currency firmed.

The Top-40 index closed 0.38 percent firmer at 25,666 points, ending a five-day losing streak, while the broader All-share index closed 0.42 percent higher at 28,402 points.


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Australian Shares Decline, Led by BHP, Macquarie on U.S. Economic Concerns

(Bloomberg) -- Australian stocks fell for a third
day. Stocks that depend on global growth, such as BHP Billiton
Ltd. and Macquarie Bank Ltd., dropped as the Australian dollar
traded near an 18-year high, and as concern intensified that U.S.
banks will be saddled with losses on mortgage bonds.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 52.90, or 0.8 percent, to 6329.70
at the close in Sydney. About 15 stocks declined for every four
that gained.


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Australian Shares Decline, Led by BHP, Westfield on U.S. Economic Concerns

(Bloomberg) -- Australian stocks fell for a third
day. Stocks that depend on global growth, such as BHP Billiton
Ltd. and Macquarie Bank Ltd., dropped on concern losses from the
faltering U.S. subprime market will be worse than expected.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 51.0, or 0.8 percent, to 6331.60
as of 10:28 a.m. in Sydney. About 16 stocks declined for every
three that gained.


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Asian Stocks Trading in U.S. Post Worst Weekly Drop in 2 Months; BHP Falls

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks trading in the U.S. had
their worst weekly decline in almost two months amid concern
China may boost interest rates to cool economic growth and the
damage from a collapse in U.S. subprime market may be worse than
expected.

Toyota Motor Corp. and BHP Billiton led the retreat.


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BHP lifts force majeure on Newcastle coal exports

(Reuters) - BHP Billiton Ltd. on Friday lifted its force majeure on coal exports from Australia's Newcastle port, while rail shipments to the port should return to normal by Monday.

The move should ease supply fears among Asian electricity producers, after storm-related disruptions at the port had seen a cargo of Newcastle-origin thermal coal trade at a record high of $67 a tonne on Friday.


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Stocks set to open higher on M&A

(Reuters) - Shares of Alcoa rose 2.4 percent in trading before the bell after the Times newspaper in London reported BHP Billiton Ltd./Plc , the world's biggest mining group, may bid for the aluminium producer.




General Electric Co. and Pearson Plc may challenge News Corp.'s $5 billion bid for Dow Jones & Co. with a plan that could let Dow Jones's controlling Bancroft family keep an interest in the company, the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal reported on their Web sites.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

BHP, Teck, Newmont May Have Reduced Copper Processing Fees, Macquarie Says

(Bloomberg) -- Mining companies, including the
world's largest BHP Billiton Ltd., may have reduced fees paid to
smelters for processing raw material into refined copper under
mid-year contracts, according to Macquarie Bank Ltd.

Some agreements on so-called treatment and refining charges,
or TC/RCs, have been reached by miners, including BHP, Teck
Cominco Ltd. and Newmont Mining Corp., the bank said in a report
today. Miners may have lowered fees from previous settlements,
and either excluded or limited ``price-participation'' clauses
allowing smelters to benefit from copper price gains, it said.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

BHP Billiton revives Alcoa bid plans: paper

(Reuters) - Alcoa has itself made a $28.4 billion cash-and-stock hostile takeover offer for Alcan Inc. .




BHP was not immediately available for comment.


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Asian Stocks Gain on Yen, Commodities; Toyota Rises, China Reaches Record

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose for a third day as
prices of metals and crude oil advanced and the yen weakened
against the dollar.

BHP Billiton Ltd. rose to a third straight record, while Rio
Tinto Group became the first A$100 share on the Australian stock
exchange. Toyota Motor Corp. gained on expectations declines in
the yen will help boost exporters' dollar-denominated sales and
as a report showed U.S. core inflation slowed.


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BHP Billiton to Spend $300 Million to Reduce Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions

(Bloomberg) -- BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's
largest mining company, will spend $300 million over five years
developing technology and projects to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions.

Accelerated action is needed to stabilize greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at levels guided by United
Nations' research, the Melbourne-based company said today in a
climate change policy presented in a statement to the Australian
Stock Exchange.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Asian Stocks Rebound From Two-Week Low on Fed Report; Toyota, Samsung Gain

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rebounded from a two-week
low after U.S. retail sales rose more than expected and the
Federal Reserve said the world's biggest economy is growing
without stoking inflation.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. led exporters
higher as the Fed's comments damped speculation the U.S. will
raise interest rates. BHP Billiton Ltd. advanced to a record after
metals and crude oil prices climbed.


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