Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Thursday, July 17:

CTX – CALTEX – down nine cents, or 0.4 per cent, at $22.53

Caltex Australia has signed a $200 million deal to supply diesel fuel to Gina Rinehart’s pet project, the Roy Hill iron ore mine.

FMG – FORTESCUE METAL GROUP – up 27 cents, or 6.26 per cent, at $4.58

Fortescue produces a record 160 million tonne a year rate during the last month of the fiscal year.

ILU – ILUKA RESOURCES – up 32 cents, or 3.9 per cent, at $8.53

Mineral sands miner Iluka has suffered a 10 per cent slide in revenue during the first half of 2014 as a fall in prices offsets increased production.

PRR – PRIMA BIOMED – up 0.2 cents, or five per cent, at 4.2 cents

Australian drug producer Prima BioMed has been granted a US patent for its ovarian cancer therapy.

QAN – QANTAS AIRWAYS – down two cents, or 1.58 per cent, at $1.245

Qantas has welcomed a decision to raise foreign investments caps on the airline, but says it still wants to see the restrictions removed completely.

RIO – RIO TINTO – up 84 cents, or 1.33 per cent, at $63.94

Rio Tinto has lifted quarterly iron ore production and sales by 11 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively, in line with market estimates.

SIR – SIRIUS RESOURCES – up 51 cents, or 14.83 per cent, at $3.95

Shares in Sirius Resources have shot up by more than 10 per cent after it announced it has found more nickel in Western Australia