Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange early on Friday:
APA – APA GROUP – in trading halt after rising 3.5 cents to $4.085
AGK – AGL ENERGY LTD – up 11 cents at $14.43
AGL Energy and APA Group have signed up miner Xstrata and a Queensland Government-owned electricity utility as customers for a new $500 million gas-fired power station at Mt Isa.
FML – FOCUS MINERALS LTD – up 0.1 cents, or 1.64 per cent, at 6.2 cents
CRE – CRESCENT GOLD LTD -steady at five cents
Gold producer Focus Minerals has maintained its production target of more than 200,000 ounces of gold annually after completing its $68 million take-over of Crescent Gold.
LEI – LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LTD – up 89 cents, or 4.73 per cent, at $19.70
Construction firm Leighton Holdings has appointed Manfred Wennemer as a non-executive director effective from October 6.
MCC – MACARTHUR COAL LTD – up nine cents at $15.89
PEAMCOAL extends its Macarthur Coal Ltd take-over offer period to October 28.
PBG – PACIFIC BRANDS LTD – up three cents, or 4.44 per cent, at 70.5 cents
A former worker at clothing manufacturer Pacific Brands says older workers are being discriminated against as the structural change in the economy shifts jobs offshore.
RIO – RIO TINTO LTD – up $2.98, or 4.94 per cent, at $63.28
QAN – QANTAS AIRWAYS LTD – up seven cents, or 5.09 per cent, at $1.445
VBA – VIRGIN BLUE HOLDINGS LTD – up one cent at 31.5 cents
Staff of mining giant Rio Tinto will be flown around the country and around the world on planes sporting either a Flying Kangaroo or red Virgin tail.
Separately, Qantas baggage handlers and ground staff have called off a nationwide strike planned for Friday, the airline says.
Separately, Another threatening email has been sent to a Qantas senior executive, despite the airline’s boss Alan Joyce going public about threats on Wednesday.
SGP – STOCKLAND – up two cents at $2.99
Stockland Property Group has welcomed the dropping of legal action against its Caloundra South urban development project on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
WEB – WEBJET LTD – up nine cents, or 4.66 per cent, at $2.02
Online travel agency Webjet says the value of its ticket sales in the three months to September was up by 25 per cent on the same period last year.
