Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Wednesday:
AIZ – AIR NEW ZEALAND LTD – steady at 87 cents
Auckland, New Zealand – Air New Zealand Ltd annual general
ANZ – AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LTD – up $1.01, or 5.38 per cent, at $19.79
CBA – COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA LTD – up $1.70, or 3.88 per cent, at $45.55
NAB – NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LTD – up $1.22, or 5.77 per cent, at $22.38
WBC – WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – up $1.06, or 5.52 per cent, at $20.25
Commonwealth Bank has been rated the worst of the major home lenders, while the industry’s smaller players remain the peoples’ favourites.
BRG – BREVILLE GROUP LTD – up five cents, or 1.69 per cent, at $3
Breville Group’s chief executive has resigned in order to return to Melbourne for family reasons.
CEU – CONNECTEAST GROUP – up 6.5 cents, or 13.4 per cent, at 55 cents
Securityholders of toll road operator ConnectEast have approved Horizon Roads’ $2.17 billion takeover proposal.
CSL – CSL LTD – down two cents at $29
A shortage of penicillin could lead to an increase in super bugs, an infectious diseases expert says.
GFF – GOODMAN FIELDER LTD – last traded at 59 cents
Breads and spreads maker Goodman Fielder plans to raise $259 million through an entitlement offer.
GNS – GUNNS LTD – up one cent, or 5.88 per cent, at 18 cents
The $276 million forestry deal faces a major test with a motion against it to be put to the vote in the Tasmanian upper house.
NUF – NUFARM LTD – up 13 cents, or 3.17 per cent, to $4.23
Nufarm due to release full year results.
ORICA – ORICA LTD – last traded at $22.38
Higher than permitted mercury vapour levels have been detected around a Sydney Orica plant, just weeks after residents near its Newcastle plant were exposed to hexavalent chromium.
QAN – QANTAS AIRWAYS LTD – up two cents at $1.44
Thousands of frustrated passengers are experiencing delays at international terminals across Australia, as Customs staff walk off the job over a pay dispute.
RIO – RIO TINTO LTD – up $3.22, or 5.35 per cent, at $63.42
IOH – IRON ORE HOLDINGS LTD – up 21 cents, or 24.4 per cent, at $1.07
Resources giant Rio Tinto has increased its stake in Canadian miner Ivanhoe Mines to 49 per cent.
Separately, Rio paid Iron Ore Holdings $32 million for several iron ore deposits in the central Pilbara in Western Australia.
TLS – TELSTRA CORPORATION LTD – up two cents at $3.06
Telstra launched its 4G mobile network on Tuesday.
WES – WESFARMERS LTD – up $1.08, or 3.54 per cent, at $31.55
Coles boss Ian McLeod is destroying the livelihoods of Australian farmers and wiping them out with a “new form of extreme capitalism”, says entrepreneur Dick Smith.
