Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange early on Thursday:
AMC – AMCOR LTD – up 10 cents at $7.28
The competition watchdog has given its approval of packaging maker Amcor’s $238 million acquisition of Aperio Group.
AUN – AUSTAR UNITED COMMUNICATIONS LTD – down 2.5 cents at $1.455
NWS – NEWS CORPORATION LTD – up 10 cents at $19.48
NWSLV – NEWS CORPORATION LTD NON VOTING SHARES – up 16 cents at $19.48
The federal government says reports that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation engaged in piracy against its pay television competitors in Australia contain “serious allegations” and any criminal activity should be investigated by police.
BHP- BHP BILLITON LTD – up 18 cents at $34.61
Thousands of workers from BHP’s central Queensland coal mines will continue to strike until they get the working conditions they’re demanding, a union says.
BOQ – BANK OF QUEENSLAND LTD – up 57 cents at $7.65
Bank of Queensland (BOQ) has successfully completed one component of its capital raising venture, raising $284 million from institutional investors.
BXB – BRAMBLES LTD – up nine cents at $7.05
Brambles says the potential sale of its data management business is taking longer than expected.
FGE – FORGE GROUP LTD – up 20 cents at $6.70
FMG – FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LTD – up 12 cents at $5.98
Forge Group has won a $125 million contract for work on ore processing facilities at Fortescue Metals Group’s new Solomon iron ore project.
FXL – FLEXIGROUP LTD – steady at $2.25
A new leasing package allows businesses to implement up to $100,000 worth of energy-saving technologies and cut their power bills by as much as half, its backers say.
JHX – JAMES HARDIE INDUSTRIES SE – up eight cents at $7.68
A law firm that has acted for thousands of asbestos victims has called for a former asbestos manufacturing site in Sydney’s west to be remediated before it’s developed.
KCN – KINGSGATE CONSOLIDATED LTD – down nine cents at $6.45
Australian miner Kingsgate Consolidated has been ordered by a Thai Court to carry out an environmental impact assessment on the nation’s largest gold mine, which residents say has affected their health and the local environment.
LEI – LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LTD – in a trading halt at $23.75
Shares in construction company Leighton remain in a trading halt ahead of a possible downgrade to its earnings forecasts.
QAN – QANTAS AIRWAYS LTD – up two cents at $1.80
Fiji’s military government says it will take over control of the national carrier, Air Pacific, from Australian company Qantas.
RIO – RIO TINTO LTD – up 43 cents at $64.53
Resources giant Rio Tinto and a Malaysian partner have scrapped plans for a $US2 billion ($A1.92 billion) aluminium smelter in Sarawak over problems agreeing power supply terms, its local partner said.
