Miner Anglo to sell Tarmac; raises profit, buyback

(Reuters) - Anglo American put its Tarmac road-covering business up for sale on Friday as it met forecasts with a 22 percent rise in first-half earnings and pledged to return a further $4 billion to shareholders.

Chief Executive Cynthia Carroll said the sale of UK-based Tarmac, which analysts believe could fetch over $6 billion, was the mining group's last major piece of restructuring as it moves to focus on its metals and minerals businesses.


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

S.Africa bourse slips on global economy, rates woes

(Reuters) - Mining groups Anglo American and BHP Billiton led South African shares lower on Wednesday over jitters of economic slowdown in the U.S. and China, but gold shares soared on the metal's price.

Traders said the bourse was spooked into profit taking as U.S. stocks fell after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed expects the U.S. economy to expand one-quarter percentage point below its estimate six months ago.


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.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

S.African metal, engineering sector set for strike

(Reuters) - About 260,000 South African workers in the metal and engineering sector are due to launch a strike on Monday over a wage dispute, unions said on Sunday.

The open-ended strike will affect more than 9,000 firms, including Bell Equipment and the Scaw Metals Group, owned by mining group Anglo American Plc, Solidarity union chief negotiator Johan Pieterse told Reuters.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Mondi to buy Austrian, Turkish packaging firms

(Reuters) - Paper producer Mondi Plc/Ltd said on Friday it had agreed to buy Austria's Unterland Flexible Packaging (UFP) and a majority interest in Turkish corrugated packaging firm Tire Kutsan.

Mondi, spun off from mining group Anglo American earlier this week, said it had agreed to buy UFP from German financial investor CMP and members of its management team for 74 million euros, including debt.


Read more at Reuters Africa

South African stocks hit by miners, profit-taking

(Reuters) - South African shares dipped on Tuesday as mining shares like Anglo American got hit by a firm rand, weaker metals prices and profit taking.

The blue chip Top-40 index fell for the second day, shedding 0.27 percent to 26,423.50 points, while the broader All-Share Index lost 0.26 percent to 29,243.19 points.


Read more at Reuters Africa