Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Thursday, March 19:

BHP – BHP BILLITON – up 43 cents, or 1.44 per cent, at $30.20

BHP Billiton shares are performing strongly after the mining giant trumpeted the benefits of its new low-debt spin-off, South32.

BLD – BORAL – up 10 cents, or 1.66 per cent, at $6.12

Building products maker Boral will buy back around $236 million of its own shares over the next 12 months.

CBA – COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – down two cents, or 0.02 per cent, at $93.39

A former senior Commonwealth Bank IT specialist has been charged with bribery and nearly $2 million in suspected corrupt payments have been frozen after a joint investigation by NSW police and FBI agents.

FMG – FORTESCUE METALS GROUP – down 10.5 cents, or 5.33 per cent, at $1.865

Fortescue Metals Group shares have slumped after the iron ore miner abandoned plans to refinance $US2.5 billion ($A3.28 billion) worth of debt.

NRT – NOVOGEN – up 3.5 cents, or 20.59 per cent, at 20.5 cents

Shares in cancer treatment developer Novogen have soared after it announced that one of its drugs could help destroy a cancer cell’s “skeleton”.

ORI – ORICA – down $1.01, or 5.26 per cent, at $18.20

Orica chief executive Ian Smith will step down as the company’s chairman says a new leader with a different management style is needed.

QAN – QANTAS AIRWAYS – up three cents, or 0.99 per cent, at $3.05

Victoria may consider a bailout to stop the state’s second airport losing its only passenger carrier, Jetstar.

TEN – TEN NETWORK – down 1.5 cents, or 6.38 per cent, at 22.0 cents

The troubled broadcaster’s board is believed to have devised a recapitalisation plan as an alternative to a takeover offer from Foxtel and Discovery Communications, The Australian Financial Review reports.

WOW – WOOLWORTHS – down 67 cents, or 2.28 per cent, at $28.67

Woolworths goes ex-dividend on Wednesday.