Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Thursday, April 16:

BHP – BHP BILLITON – up 39 cents, or 1.3 per cent, at $29.51

RIO – RIO TINTO – up 87 cents, or 1.6 per cent, at $55.83

FMG – FORTESCUE METALS GROUP – up two cents, or 1.1 per cent, at $1.855

Iron ore prices climbed back above $US50 a tonne overnight giving some hope to Australian miners left reeling by large slide in prices over the past year.

LLC – LEND LEASE – down 19 cents, or 1.1 per cent, at $17.00

Lend Lease says it won’t suffer a major hit to its earnings despite the Victorian government dumping plans for the East West Link road tunnel project.

NAB – NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK – down 40 cents, or one per cent, at $39.03

National Australia Bank’s troubled Clydesdale bank in Britain has been slapped with a record STG20.7 million ($A40.12 million) fine amid a scandal over the mis-selling of income protection products.

PFL – PATTIES FOODS – steady at $1.23

The maker of Nanna’s frozen berries says its own tests have detected no trace of hepatitis A in its recalled products, and the Victorian Department of Health found a trace amount in one packet during a random test of eight packets.

PNA – PANAUST – down 0.5 cents, or 0.3 per cent, at $1.735

Gold and copper miner PanAust has rejected a state-owned Chinese company’s $1.1 billion takeover bid.

PPX – PAPERLINX – up 0.7 cents, or 41.2 per cent, at 2.4 cents

Another European arm of printing and publishing group PaperlinX has been placed in administration, and more could follow.

WOW – WOOLWORTHS – down 21 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $29.00

Woolworths has apologised after its Anzac commemoration website caused social media outrage by inviting users to share war tributes under the slogan “fresh in our memories”.

WPL – WOODSIDE PETROLEUM – up 16 cents, or 0.45 per cent, at $35.41

Woodside Petroleum’s sales revenue declined by 20 per cent to $1.4 billion in the March quarter from the previous period as oil prices fell.