Accor, Manitou, Klepierre, Safran and Vallourec: French Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or
fall on the Paris stock exchange. Symbols are in parentheses
after company names. Prices are from the last close.

July futures on the CAC 40 Index lost 17.5 to 6048 at 8:18
a.m. in Paris.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-PC sales in Asia ex-Japan up 22 pct y/y in Q2 -IDC

(Reuters) - SHANGHAI, July 20 - The personal computer market
in Asia excluding Japan grew 22 percent year-on-year to 14.3
million units in the second quarter, amid significant growth in
portable PCs, according to preliminary data released on Friday.




Market researcher International Data Corp. said in a note
that the shipments figure for the region was 5 percent higher
than its initial forecasts.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Abengoa, Accell, Accor, Ericsson and UBS Shares: European Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall
in European markets. Prices are from the last close.

The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 increased 1 percent to 396.94. The
Dow Jones Stoxx 50 Index climbed 1 percent to 3965.05. The Euro
Stoxx 50 Index, a benchmark for the 13 nations using the euro,
advanced 1.1 percent to 4522.64.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

GM shrinks sales gap with No.1 Toyota after firm Q2

(Reuters) - Detroit-based GM said on Thursday its global sales in April-June totaled 2.4 million vehicles, up less than 10,000 vehicles from a year earlier. For the first six months, sales rose 1.7 percent to 4.674 million units.




First-half sales were just 42,000 units short of Toyota's tally of 4.716 million units for the first half, down from a difference of 90,000 units in the first quarter.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Crude Oil May Fall Next Week as U.S. Refineries Open Units, Survey Shows

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil may fall in New York next
week on speculation that U.S. fuel stockpiles will increase
because refineries are opening units after making repairs.

Fourteen of 33 analysts surveyed, or 42 percent, said oil
prices will decline. Twelve, or 36 percent, said prices will
increase and seven forecast little change. Last week, 50 percent
of respondents said prices would decline.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

India's Satyam Q1 net up 7 pct, below f'cast

(Reuters) - A Reuters poll had forecast a mean net profit of 3.89
billion rupees for Satyam, whose leading customers include
General Electric and Qantas Airways Ltd. .




Satyam reported its results after bigger rivals Tata
Consultancy Services Ltd. and Infosys Technologies
Ltd. beat expectations. Third-ranked Wipro Ltd.
had missed forecasts.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Western Mining Profit Surges 55 Percent After $820 Million IPO in Shanghai

(Bloomberg) -- Western Mining Co., a Chinese metals
producer that raised 6.2 billion yuan ($820 million) in a July
12 initial public offering in Shanghai, said first-half profit
gained 55 percent on higher prices of metal concentrates.

Net income rose to 858.5 million yuan from 553.4 million
yuan a year earlier, the Xining, Qinghai province-based company
said in a statement to the Shanghai stock exchange today, citing
preliminary figures. Sales rose 30 percent to 3.64 billion yuan
from 2.8 billion yuan. The company mines raw materials for zinc,
nickel and copper.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Asian Stocks Climb on Earnings, Metals Prices; LG Electronics, BHP Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose for a second day,
led by technology shares and commodity producers, after LG
Electronics Inc. reported better-than-expected earnings and
metals prices climbed.

LG, Asia's No. 2 mobile-phone maker, was set for its
biggest gain in five weeks. BHP Billiton, the world's largest
miner, gained after copper prices jumped the most in a month.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Australia's S&P/ASX Rises to Record High, Led by BHP, Woodside, Newcrest

(Bloomberg) -- Australian stocks rose, pushing the
S&P/ASX 200 Index to a record. BHP Billiton Ltd. and Woodside
Petroleum Ltd. led gains as metals prices rose the most in almost
six weeks and oil traded at its highest in more than 11 months.

The S&P/ASX 200 added 31.30, or 0.5 percent, to 6415.50 as at
10:26 a.m. in Sydney. About two stocks rose for every one that
dropped. A sub-index of materials stocks jumped 1.1 percent, the
best performer among the index's 10 groups.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Mexico's Cemex quarterly net profit climbs 6 pct

(Reuters) - Revenue rose 6 percent to $4.9 billion in the second
quarter, the company said.




Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Australian Dollar Trades Near 18-Year High on Investor Appetite for Yield

(Bloomberg) -- Australia's dollar traded near an
18-year high versus the U.S. currency and the strongest in 16
years against the yen on demand for the higher yields offered by
the nation's financial assets.

The local dollar is the best performer this week against
the yen among the 16 most traded currencies as the gap in yield
between benchmark Australia and Japanese 10-year government
bonds held near the widest in over two years. The currency also
headed for a fifth weekly gain versus the U.S. dollar on signs
the world's biggest economy is slowing.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Airvana IPO priced at $7/shr

(Reuters) - The stock will trade under the symbol on the
Nasdaq Global Market from Friday, July 20, the company said.





Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 1-Exelon files for permit for new Texas power plant

(Reuters) - Exelon Power, a unit of utility Exelon Corp , said
the filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
is the first step toward possible construction of a
640-megawatt natural gas-fired combined cycle plant. The
company operates three Texas power plants in the Dallas-Fort
Worth and Houston areas.




Exelon's plan to replace its aging natural gas-fired
generating plant follows recent announcements by several
companies that are developing new gas plants in Texas to meet
the state's growing demand for power.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-Zions Bancorp posts higher 2nd-qtr earnings

(Reuters) - Zions said net earnings were $155.6 million or $1.43 a
share, exactly what analysts had expected, based on Reuters
estimates. The earnings were up from $145.3 million, or $1.35 a
share, in the year-earlier quarter.




In January, Zions increased its size when it closed its
acquisition of The Stockmen's Bancorp, which allowed it to
expand in Arizona and California.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Google exec settles with SEC for SmartForce work

(Reuters) - The former CFO, David Drummond, is now senior vice
president for corporate development at Google. He settled the
SEC charges without admitting or denying the allegations.




Drummond was one of four former executives at the software
company, SmartForce, who agreed to pay $2.3 million to settle
accounting violation charges related to overstating profit by
$127 million, the agency said.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Argentina stocks, bonds bounce back to end higher

(Reuters) - The MerVal index of 21 leading stocks jumped 1.76
percent to 2,287.57 points, near the record close hit last
Thursday.




"We've had a rebound that's in line with what other markets
have also reflected," said Claudio Szlaien, an analyst at
Marlon Financial Resources.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Seagate net rises on tax gain; revenue advances

(Reuters) - SAN FRANCISCO, July 19 - Seagate Technology , the largest U.S. maker of hard-disk drives for computers, posted a higher quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by a tax benefit and higher revenue.



Fiscal fourth-quarter net income rose to $541 million, or 96 cents per share, from $7 million, or 1 cent per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 8.5 percent to $2.74 billion from $2.53 billion.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Microsoft Q4 profit rises despite Xbox charge

(Reuters) - The company had warned earlier this month that it would
incur a charge of up to $1.15 billion in the quarter ended in
June to fix an "unacceptable" number of Xbox 360 repairs and
offer a new extended warranty to customers.




Shares of Microsoft have risen 6 percent in the year to
date, compared to a 10 percent gain in the S&P 500 during the
period.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

First Data quarterly results fall

(Reuters) -



) Keywords: FIRSTDATA RESULTS/


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Treasuries Fall as Initial Jobless Claims Drop, Stocks Reach Record Highs

(Bloomberg) -- Treasuries fell as record stocks and
an unexpected drop in new claims for unemployment benefits
indicated the U.S. economy is weathering a slump in housing.

The declines were limited by drops in a regional
manufacturing index and a gauge of future economic growth, as
well as fresh signs defaults on subprime mortgages are hurting
investors. For the third time in three weeks, the benchmark 10-
year note's yield yesterday traded below 5 percent before
closing above that level as investors demanded higher returns.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Starbucks shares up on PepsiCo partnership rumor

(Reuters) - "Starbucks stocks and options are up on unconfirmed talk that Pepsi is looking to expand its footprint through a possible partnership with the company," said Paul Foster, options strategist at Web information site theflyonthewall.com.




Starbucks spokesman Brandon Borrman said the Seattle-based coffee shop chain has a long-standing relationship with Pepsi, "but we aren't in the process of making any changes to the relationship."


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

Alcoa, Clearwire, Foot Locker, Midland, Starbucks: 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 3 p.m. in New York.

Alcoa Inc. (AA US) slid $2.01, or 4.3 percent, to $44.44.
The Australian newspaper reported that BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP US)
won't make a takeover offer for the world's second-largest
aluminum company. The newspaper cited sources it didn't name as
confirming that Alcoa, based in New York, is ``no longer a target
of interest'' for Melbourne-based BHP, the world's largest mining
company. BHP's American depositary receipts, each representing 2
ordinary shares, gained $1.85 to $67.64.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Italy says Alitalia faces liquidation if not sold

(Reuters) - Italy scrapped its seven-month auction of the loss-making airline on Wednesday after the last bidders pulled out, and now faces dwindling options and growing political embarrassment over the sale's failure.




"Other than a sale, there is only liquidation," Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, "Making Alitalia attractive to an investor seems more difficult than we thought."


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Wheat Futures Rise as Morocco, Egypt Increase Purchases of U.S. Supplies

(Bloomberg) -- Wheat futures rose after importers
purchased U.S. supplies and a government report showed sales of
the grain are outpacing last year's.

Orders for U.S. wheat from overseas are up 44 percent in
the marketing year that began June 1 from a year earlier, the
Department of Agriculture said today. Morocco bought 243,000
metric tons today, Egypt purchased 115,000 tons and Bangladesh
bought 106,000 tons.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Bank of America leads higher profits at U.S. banks

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 19 - Bank of America Corp and other large U.S. banks on Thursday reported higher quarterly profits, as rising fees offset deteriorating credit quality.



Profit rose 5 percent at Bank of America, 24 percent at SunTrust Banks Inc , 7 percent at BB&T Corp and 11 percent at PNC Financial Services Group Inc . Earnings fell 2 percent at Fifth Third Bancorp . Results at all but PNC met or exceeded analysts' forecasts.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-Conoco CEO says U.S., oil exporters must cooperate

(Reuters) - The oil major CEO, in a wide-ranging speech on energy
policy, said U.S. energy policy should not allow lawsuits
against oil-producing nations. The U.S. Senate has approved the
so-called "NOPEC" bill, which would revoke OPEC countries'
immunity from lawsuits for price manipulation.




"This appeal to nationalism is opposite what we should be
doing -- which is working together to encourage production,"
Mulva said.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

UPDATE 1-Celanese withdraws 2007 outlook, extends force majeure

(Reuters) - Shares of the Dallas-based company were down $1.72, or 4.2
percent, to $39.55 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock
Exchange after touching as low as $38.28.




The company said it will inform its acetic acid and
derivatives customers that the force majeure at the facility
announced on May 14 will continue, as repairs made to the plant
have been unsuccessful.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 2-OptionsXpress 2nd-qtr profit rises 29 pct

(Reuters) - OptionsXpress reported net income of $23.2 million, or 37
cents a share, up from $18 million, or 29 cents a share a year
earlier.




Analysts on average had expected the Chicago-based
brokerage to earn 35 cents per share, excluding items.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 1-Allstate comfortable with subprime investments

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 19 - Allstate Corp. said
on Thursday it is comfortable with holding about $4.8 billion
in bonds backed by risky subprime loans.




Shares of Allstate fell as much as 2.4 percent after the
company discussed its subprime holdings during a conference
call with analysts and investors Thursday.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Fed's Moskow: Housing adjustment to be gradual

(Reuters) - Moskow said globalization "cuts both ways" for the U.S.
inflation outlook, with cheaper imports balanced by greater
global demand that is pushing up the prices of certain
materials.




It is "hard to clearly identify" how the two forces balance
each other out, he said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

M&T Bank to buy Partners Trust

(Reuters) - The terms value Partners Trust at $12.50 per share, a 25 percent premium over its Wednesday closing price of $10.01 on the Nasdaq. Half of the purchase price would be paid in stock, and half in cash.




The Utica, New York-based parent of Partners Trust Bank has branches in six upstate counties: Broome, Chenango, Herkimer, Oneida, Onondaga and Tioga. It has $2.26 billion of deposits, $2.28 billion of net loans and $3.65 billion of assets.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Petroleos de Venezuela, Under Chavez, May Make Shoes, Ships and Grow Beans

(Bloomberg) -- Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state
oil company that controls the biggest reserves in South America,
may begin making shoes, building ships and farming soybeans as
President Hugo Chavez widens the government role in the economy.

Chavez has approved the creation of seven subsidiaries that
range from oil services to agriculture, according to a written
report to the company's management. The plan would make Petroleos
de Venezuela an even bigger force in the country's daily life and
put it in competition against companies from around the world.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Rand reaches 11-month high vs dollar

(Reuters) - South Africa's rand firmed against the dollar on Thursday and reached its strongest level in 11 months, buoyed by firmer metals prices and the prospect of foreign inflows into the country.

The rand was trading at 6.8790 around 1450 GMT, about 0.87 percent firmer than its New York close of 6.9340 on Wednesday. The local unit reached 6.8550 earlier, its strongest level since August 20 last year according to Reuters data.


Read more at Reuters Africa

IGT sees earns slightly below Wall Street

(Reuters) - Wall Street analysts are expecting earnings per share of 41
cents for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, which ends in
September, and 40 cents and 42 cents per share respectively for
the first two quarters of fiscal 2008.




Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 2-Steelmaker Nucor quarterly profit off 23 pct

(Reuters) - Net earnings dropped to $345 million, or $1.14 per share,
from $450 million, or $1.44 per share, a year earlier.




The latest result fell just below the analyst consensus
estimate of $1.15 per share, according to Reuters Estimates,
sending the company's stock sliding 2.7 percent.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Canadian Stock Index Holds at Record as Gold Price Rises, Barrick Advances

(Bloomberg) -- Canada's main stock index held at a
record as rising bullion prices lifted shares of Barrick Gold Corp.
and other gold mining companies.

Research In Motion Ltd, maker of the BlackBerry e-mail phone,
gained after rival Motorola Inc., posted its second straight
quarterly loss. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 5.55, or 0.04
percent, to 14,589.21.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

New benchmark ABX "BBB-" index jumps 3.5 points from open

(Reuters) - The "BBB-" index, used by investors to hedge subprime
mortgage risks, was quoted around 49 bid, at the open, traders
said.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

TREASURIES-Rally fades ahead of Bernanke encore

(Reuters) - Anxiety over troubled mortgage investments has kept bonds
afloat in recent sessions, briefly pushing benchmark yields
back below 5 percent.




Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reinforced the rally
on Wednesday by zeroing in on subprime or high-risk home loans
in his congressional testimony. Downbeat housing data and
relatively tame inflation figures have also supported bonds.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 2-First Horizon National profit falls

(Reuters) - The bank is hoping to boost profitability by focusing more
on Tennessee and decreasing focus on some markets and
businesses outside that state. First Horizon said it is looking
to sell 34 branches in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas and northern
Virginia.




The bank said it earned 17 cents, or $22.1 million in the
second quarter, compared with 82 cents, or $104.3 million, in
the year ago period.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

WRAPUP 1-U.S. jobless claims, leading index fall

(Reuters) - First-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to
301,000 in the week ended July 14 from an upwardly revised
309,000 claims the prior week, the Labor Department said.
Economists had expected them to rise slightly.




It was the second consecutive weekly decline and took
initial claims to their lowest level since mid-May.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Union Pacific CEO-rail consolidation not worth it

(Reuters) - Young was asked about merger possibilities following a
report earlier this week that a private equity consortium was
seeking to buy Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. . One of
the options touted for the Canadian railway to defend itself
against a bid was to ask Union Pacific to buy it instead.





Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

ITT says CFO Minnich steps down

(Reuters) - The manufacturing company, which makes night-vision
systems, said Minnich will receive a payment of $515,000 to be
paid in a lump sum six months following his termination date.





Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Sherwin-Williams posts profit, raises outlook

(Reuters) - The Cleveland maker of Dutch Boy, Krylon and Duron paints had second-quarter earnings of $202.6 million, or $1.52 a share, up about 10 percent from $184.6 million, or $1.33 a share, a year earlier.




Analysts expected $1.44 a share, according to Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

UPDATE 1-Pool Q2 profit in line with market estimate

(Reuters) - The Covington, Louisiana-based company reported quarterly
net income of $57.8 million, compared with $62.1 million a year
ago. On a per-share basis, earnings were flat at $1.12 due to
lower number of shares outstanding this year.




Net sales rose 3 percent to $726.5 million from $705.7 a
year ago, partly helped by sales centers acquired since the
year-ago period, primarily the Wickham business it bought in
August, and newly opened sales outlets.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Canada's Dollar Approaches 30-Year High After Wholesale Sales Increase

(Bloomberg) -- Canada's dollar approached the 30-
year high reached yesterday after a government report showed
wholesale sales rose more than economists expected in May.

The currency has gained almost 12 percent this year on a
strengthening economy and higher prices for Canada's commodity
exports including oil. Crude oil rose to an 11-month high in New
York after Total SA lost production and declared force majeure
at the Dalia field in Angola.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Turkish Stocks Jump, Led by Isbank, Akbank: World's Biggest Mover

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey's benchmark stock index gained
for the first time in four days, paced by Turkiye Is Bankasi AS
and Akbank TAS.

The ISE National 100 Index added 863.31, or 1.7 percent, to
51,975.30 at midday in Istanbul as 84 stocks gained, six fell and
10 were unchanged.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Media General second-quarter profit falls

(Reuters) - Second-quarter net income was $5.1 million, or 22 cents a share, compared with $20.2 million, or 85 cents a share, in the second quarter a year earlier.



Revenue rose 4.8 percent to $241.2 million.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 1-PPG second-quarter earnings slip

(Reuters) - The latest results included an after-tax charge of $6
million, or 3 cents a share, related to an asbestos settlement
agreement, the company said.




Quarterly sales rose more than 12 percent to $3.17 billion,
spurred by recent acquisitions and strong organic volume
growth.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Textron profit soars, ups forecast, dividend

(Reuters) - Textron, which also makes products ranging from Bell helicopters to EZ-GO golf carts, reported profit of $210 million, or $1.66 per share, compared with $69 million, or 53 cents per share, a year earlier.




Analysts, on average, had expected profit of $1.45 per share, according to Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

UPDATE 1-Canada May wholesale trade rebounds

(Reuters) - Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast, on average, a gain
of 0.5 percent in wholesale trade in May. Statscan revised the
sharp decline in April sales to 3.0 percent from 3.1 percent
previously.




Higher sales in machinery and electronic equipment led the
increase, followed by "other" products, including agricultural
products, chemicals and paper products.


Read more at Reuters.com Economic News

Kenya shilling flat vs dollar in quiet trade

(Reuters) - The Kenya shilling was unchanged against the dollar on Thursday and dealers said it would remain at the same levels until the end of the month.

At 1013 GMT, commercial banks quoted the local currency at 67.05/67.15 to the greenback unchanged from Wednesday's close.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Bank of America profit rises 5 percent

(Reuters) - Analysts on average forecast profit of $1.20 per share on revenue of $18.49 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.




The company "was able to continue attractive earnings growth despite challenging headwinds," Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said in a statement.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

Motorola posts quarterly loss, revenue falls

(Reuters) - Net sales fell to $8.7 billion from $10.82 billion.




Motorola last week warned it would post a quarterly loss
from continuing operations of 2 cents to 4 cents per share on
sales of $8.6 billion to $8.7 billion.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Vodacom Group's Second-Quarter Revenue Increases 18.6 Percent, Telkom Say

(Bloomberg) -- Vodacom Group Ltd., South Africa's
largest mobile-phone company, posted an 18.6 percent gain in
sales in the second quarter after it signed up more customers.

Customer numbers rose by 28.4 percent to 32.4 million in the
three months through June 30 from a year earlier, Midrand, South
Africa-based Vodacom said in an e-mailed statement today. The
number increased 7.5 percent from the quarter through March 31.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

UPDATE 1-Scholastic 4th-qtr profit up, sees strong 1st-qtr

(Reuters) - Net income for the fourth quarter rose to $40.4 million, or
93 cents a share, compared with $38.4 million, or 91 cents a
share, in the quarter a year ago.




Revenue rose to $611.7 million from $601 million last
year.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Alitalia liquidation if carrier not sold: econ min

(Reuters) - "Other than a sale, there is only liquidation," Padoa-Schioppa told Corriere della Sera newspaper. He added that the centre-left government was looking at alternatives to sell its stake.




"This is a company that is losing money, in which the state cannot inject any more capital," he said. "Making Alitalia attractive to an investor seems more difficult than we thought."


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Ex-press baron Black seeks freedom before sentence

(Reuters) - More likely, Judge Amy St. Eve of U.S. District Court in Chicago will allow the 62-year-old Black to remain free pending the November 30 sentencing date at which she may order him to prison for 15 to 20 years, legal experts said.




"The court can set conditions as to the range of places that he can go to, whether he can be confined to his residence, whether electronic monitoring will take place," said Stuart Gerson, a former assistant U.S. attorney specializing in criminal prosecutions.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

S.Africa's Eskom says after-tax profit down at R3.4 bln

(Reuters) - South African state-owned power utility Eskom Holdings posted a yearly after-tax profit of 3.4 billion rand for 2006/07, the company said Thursday.

Eskom, the world's lowest-cost electricity producer, said profit, excluding embedded derivatives, for the year to end-March was down slightly on the 3.7 billion rand recorded in the previous year.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Kazakhstan Kagazy Raises $240 Million in IPO After Cutting Price and Size

(Bloomberg) -- Kazakhstan Kagazy Plc, a cardboard
maker with real-estate assets, raised $240 million in an initial
public offering of stock after cutting the deal's price and size.

The company, with customers including PepsiCo Inc. and
Gallaher Group Plc, sold global depositary receipts at $5 apiece,
Kazakhstan Kagazy said today in a statement. The price is lower
than the original range of $7.50 to $9.50 per receipt that it was
seeking. Existing investors that planned to sell stock in the IPO
didn't dispose of their shares.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Standard Bank S Africa sets dlr bond guidance - lead

(Reuters) - The Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd has set price guidance on a five-year benchmark-sized dollar floating-rate note (FRN) it plans to sell, one of the lead managers said on Thursday.

Guidance for the senior FRN has been set at Libor plus 50 basis points area, the lead said.


Read more at Reuters Africa

European Stocks Advance; SAP, Roche, Vodafone, BHP Billtion Pace the Gains

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks rose for the first
time in three days after profit from SAP AG and Roche Holding AG
beat analysts' estimates, boosting prospects for earnings growth.

Vodafone Group Plc gained after the world's largest mobile-
phone company said it added more subscribers than analysts
anticipated. BHP Billiton Ltd. and Anglo American Plc led mining
stocks higher as copper rallied for a second day in Asia.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Ford to receive bids for Jaguar, Rover: reports

(Reuters) - Others that may bid for Jaguar and Land Rover include Ripplewood Holdings, a group headed by Thomas Stallkamp, former president of Chrysler, according to the report.




One Equity Partners, whose senior partners include Jacques A. Nasser, the former chief executive of Ford, may also take part in the opening round of bids.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

India's Tata, Mahindra eyeing Jaguar, Rover: report

(Reuters) - A Tata Motors spokesman declined comment on the report.




A spokesman for Mahindra said the report was speculative.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Roche says to pursue hostile bid for Ventana -CNBC

(Reuters) - Chief Executive Franz Humer made the comments to CNBC in an
interview after the group posted results.




Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News