Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Tuesday, May 29
BHP – BHP BILLITON LTD – up 44 cents at $32.05
A mining giant will not comment on rumours it is considering locking out striking workers amid a bitter industrial dispute in central Queensland.
FXJ – FAIRFAX MEDIA LTD – up two cents at 64.5 cents
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart is believed to have lifted her stake in Fairfax Media and questioned the abilities of the company’s chairman Roger Corbett in the process.
HST – HASTIE GROUP LTD – in suspension, last traded at 16 cents
Fears are held for the jobs of 2,700 Australian workers stood down from troubled engineering firm Hastie Group, but the administrator hopes most will return to work.
OZL – OZ MINERALS LTD – up 19 cents at $8.31
The head of Australia’s third-largest copper producer, Oz Minerals, has predicted that prices for the commodity will return to record highs as a lack of new discoveries leads to a supply shortage this year.
MYR – MYER HOLDINGS LTD – up three cents at $2.00
WES – WESFARMERS LTD – down 34 cents $28.66
WOW – WOOLWORTHS LTD – down 43 cents at $26.26
Australians spent more than $11 billion buying goods online in the 12 months to April.
QAN – QANTAS AIRWAYS LTD – up 4.5 cents at $1.50
Jetstar says it will fight in court claims it is allowing cabin crew recruited from Thailand to work on domestic routes at cheaper rates of pay than Australian staff.
SGT – SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LTD – down one cent at $2.45
The competition watchdog is set to approve an $800 million deal in which Optus will move some of it customers onto the national broadband network (NBN).
TOE – TORO ENERGY LTD – steady at eight cents
Toro Energy has rejected claims it did not consult widely enough about its planned uranium mine in Western Australia, but concedes it has sponsored a scientist who argues low level radiation is beneficial to health.
WDR – WESTERN DESERT RESOURCES LTD – up 4.5 cents at 94 cents
Western Desert Resources Ltd’s plans to build a large iron ore mine in the Northern Territory have been given a boost after they won the backing of the site’s traditional owners.
WPL – WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LTD – up 64 cents at $31.64
Woodside Petroleum plans to expand its domestic and overseas operations as it boosts exploration due to the early success of its $15 billion Pluto project.
