Dow gains 78 pts or 0.8% to 9864, S & P up 6 pts or 0.56% to 1071. After a weaker start equities picked up helped by an improved profit outlook for Chevron and signs of increased activity in the corporate sector. The $US firmed on expectations interest rates will rise in the short term fuelled by better company results and a slowdown in the number of jobless claims

Gold fell $7.70 to $1048.60 and silver lost 12.5 cents to $17.69 mainly on the stronger $US

Base metals followed the lead in the precious metals market with all losing ground. Biggest losses were in Nickel, down 3.8%, Zinc down 2.25%,  while Copper and lead were down 1.5%

Oil was virtually unchanged at $71.77, a small rise of 8 cents. After a sluggish start the contract traded lower before improving along with the equity market. The International Energy Agency also said demand should start to grow by the end of this year and more so in 2010

Major European markets traded in a narrow range with little noticeable movement the FTSE gained 7 pts to 5161 while the DAX fell 4 pts to 5711 and the CAC lost 7 pts to 3799

$AUS currently trading at 90.44 US cents

China’s Yanzhou Coal Mining will re submit its application for the $3.54b bid for Felix Resources

Rupert Murdoch urges China’s government to allow foreign media companies access to the domestic market

Fortescue plans to spend $360m to fast track development of the Christmas Creek iron ore mine

Deutsche Bank expands its merger and acquisition business in South Africa and expects a 10% to 15% revenue growth from the division

Lihir Gold CEO says gold could climb to $1500 an ounce on the back of a gently declining mine supply, increasing physical demand and the well documented buying by central banks

Transurban says toll revenue rose 6.8% in the September quarter

A Standard and Poor’s analyst says a support fund created to help Dubai pay its due debt has insufficient resources to meet its obligations

British PM, Gordon Brown, plans asset sale to raise STG3b his office said on Sunday

The Sri Lankan stock exchange becomes the world’s top performing bourse this year rising 110%  now the civil war has ended

Lend Lease plans to become a stapled entity by distributing units in a newly created trust, Lend Lease Trust, to shareholders on a 1 for 1 basis. Company claims the move will provide a more efficient capital structure for the ownership of investment assets

Mirvac Group offers $256m equating to 54 cents each for the units in Mirvac Real Estate Investment Trust it doesn’t already own

Fortescue Metals says September quarter production exceeded its guidance target by 9% and reiterates forecasts for the current quarter

Australian market up 32 pts or 0.68% to 4786 in early trade,  New Zealand up 20 pts or 0.63% to 3183 in morning trade

Dow rises 36 pts or 0.37% to 9820, S & P up 3 pts or 0.265 to 1068.  Market moved higher on heavy turnover due to September expiry.  With very little economic news around to give investors a guide stocks edged cautiously higher as most analysts are tending to play the “overbought” card.

Gold fell $3.20 to $1010.30 with silver also losing 20 cents to $17.06 and platinum $3.30 to $1338.20. News that the IMF will sell 403 tonnes of gold to raise approx $13b did little to affect the price as most of the fall was attributed to a stronger $US

Base metals were lower on the LME with lead and copper down 4% and 3.3% respectively. Aluminium, zinc and nickel all fell around 2.5%. Tin went against the trend registering a small rise

Oil fell 43 cents to $72.04 on a stronger $US in featureless trade

European markets were mixed with the CAC and DAX easing while the FTSE rose slightly as selected buying in defensives issues offset some profit taking in commodity based stocks, although trading volumes were very light

$AUS currently trading at 86.73 US cents

Independent assessor says PT Bumi Resources’ 70 cent bid for the remaining shares in Herald Resources is neither fair nor reasonable

Royal Bank of Scotland becomes the 2nd bank behind Lloyds to try and find ways of diluting its involvement in the British governments expensive insurance scheme for toxic assets

Switzerland reportedly getting tougher on its banks worrying some new regulations could restrict business

Qantas says it is yet to see signs of improvement in business conditions

Perth’s commercial property market predicted to experience a massive fall in the price of prime office property according to a report by BIS Shrapnel

Australian market down 3.5 pts to 4690 in early trade, New Zealand up 16 pts to 3172 in morning trade

Dow rises 108 pts or 1.1% to 9791, S & P up 16 pts or 1.5% to 1068. Equities closed at their highest level since October 6th led by financials, particularly insurers. Strong metal gold and oil prices drove miners and energy stocks higher. Tullow Oil rose $21 to $199 on news of a strike off the coast of Sierra Leone, a find analysts believe could lead to further discoveries in that area. Market was also aided by a 0.8% increase in industrial production for August with the CPI figure up 0.4% in line with economists’ expectations

Gold rose $13.90 to $1020.20 on a weaker $US, silver added another 43 cents or 2.5% to $17.43.

Base metals all rose between 2% and 6% with Lead the best performer in active trading

Oil rose $1.41 to $72.34 on news of a larger than expected decline in US crude reserves to the lowest level since January, and the $US falling to its lowest level against the euro in nearly a year

Major European markets all rose around 1.5% on the better economic news from the U.S. and Bernanke’s comments a day earlier

$AUS currently trading at 87.32 US cents, a 12 month high

Venezuela and China unveil a $US16b deal to drill for oil in the Orinoco basin

UBS heads the table in fees and commissions from the $147b in capital raisings by Australian companies

UK unemployment climbs to 7.9%, its highest rate in 13 years

U.S. current account deficit falls 5.5% in 2nd quarter to its lowest level in over 7 years

Macquarie Airports says it is seeing early signs of a recovery in air traffic numbers

Survey shows Australian business confidence is at a 2 year high

Lion Nathan’s board reiterates its support for Kirin’s offer for the remainder of the company’s shares

Australian market up 45 pts or 1% to 4698 in early trade , New Zealand up 22 pts or 0.73% to 3140 in morning trade

Dow loses 22 pts or 0.23% to 9605, S & P down 1.4pts to  1042. Market traded in a narrow range between positive and negative territory before finishing slightly easier after a 5 day rally . The largest falls were in the energy sector due to the weaker oil price where Chevron and Exxon fell just under 1%.

Gold  jumped $9.60 to $1006.40 closing above $1000 for the first time since February as the $US hit new lows against the euro

Oil lost $2.65 to $69.29 after the 4 day rally. Profit taking ahead of the weekend coupled with concerns the commodity is overpriced with stockpiles still high helped push the October contract down

European markets were little changed although the FTSE managed to rise 0.5% in quiet trade

Base metals were easier on the LME with Zinc falling just under 3% and Lead down 2.5%. Copper , Aluminium and nickel fell marginally while Tin was the only gainer rising 1.2%

$AUS currently trading at 86.20 US cents

RIO receives approval from Brazilian authorities to sell its Corumba iron ore mine to Vale SA

Cadbury criticises Kraft for having a  “low growth” business model in the wake of the rejection of Kraft’s takeover bid

China hits out at US tariffs on its tyre exports and plans to investigate possible unfair practices in the US export of car parts creating more tension between the 2 countries

IMF chief warns the global crisis isn’t over yet despite more positive signs from Europe’s larger economies

The Bank for International Settlements says financial markets are showing signs of normalising with money markets recovering to levels not seen since early last year

Japan Airlines considers a $3.24b capital raising to help finance restructuring according to a report in a Japanese newspaper

The final investment decision for the $50b Gorgon gas project appears imminent with an announcement expected today

NAB reported to be under close scrutiny by the ACCC over its $385m move for Challenger’s mortgage business

Sigma posts a 5% 1st half profit rise to July 31st  of $32.2m, up from $30.7m in pcp. Interim div 3 cents unchanged

Australian market down 16 pts or 0.34% to 4579 in early trade, New Zealand up 10 pts or 0.33%  to 3147 in morning trade

The ABS says total personal finance fell 0.8% in July seasonally adjusted to $6.85b

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank raises $121m from retail investors

Gorgon gas venture gets final approval

Toro Energy in trading halt for 2 days pending details of capital raising

Wall St closed for Labour Day holiday

Gold remained steady at  $996.60 with other precious metals little changed

Base metals rose between 0.5% and 1.8% on the LME with zinc the exception down 1.%

Oil lost 2 cents to close at $68.00

European markets posted gains of around 0.75% with Kraft’s bid for Cadbury creating most interest

$AUS currently trading at 85.5 US cents

AGL Energy selected as the renewable energy supplier for South Australia’s new desalinisation plant

Kuwait’s oil minister sees no need to cut production and believed OPEC were in agreement to maintain current output

Atlas Iron bids for Warwick Resources valuing the target at $64.4m by offering  1 Atlas share for every 3 Warwick shares

Downer EDI says it has new contracts and work under management worth $500m

Australian market up 41 pts or 0.93% to 4502 in early trade, New Zealand up 13 pts or 0.41% to 3135 in morning trade

200 jobs will be lost at Huntsman’s petrochemical plant after the US based company announced the closure of the Melbourne operation

Australian business confidence soars to its highest level in almost 6 years in August

Energy Minerals receives an $83.6m cash offer of $1.02 a share for 70% of the company from China Uranium Development

FerrAus says the Chinese government owned China Railway Materials has agreed to take a 12% stake in the company equating to 22.9m shares at a price of 55 cents

A report by BNP Paribas expects platinum prices to rise in 2nd half 2010

Royal Bank of Scotland close to finalising a deal to sell its assets in China, India and Malaysia to Standard Chartered for $384.43m according to a report in The Guardian

Job ads rise 4.1% in August for the first time since April 2008

Macquarie Airports says an independent expert has found the proposed transaction to raise new equity capital is fair and reasonable

SFB

Dow falls 48 pts or 0.5% to 9496, S & P down 8 pts to 1020. The fall in Shanghai caused a nervous opening on Wall St with industrials, materials and energy stocks the hardest hit although the market did finish above the day’s low

Gold fell $5.30 to $953.50 while silver recovered an early fall posting a gain of 11 cents to $14.89, palladium also gained ground

Oil lost $2.78 to close at $69.96 as the fall in China increased demand concerns for energy and doubts over the strength of the US and Chinese economies

Base metals were sharply lower on the New York Mercantile Exchange with Copper losing 4%, its largest one day fall since June 22nd . The LME was closed

The FTSE was closed for a bank holiday, the CAC, DAX and Milan MIB30 all fell around 1% as the fall in Shanghai equities set a negative tone from the opening

$AUS currently trading at 84.29 US cents

Survey shows Australian manufacturing activity grew for the first time in 15 months in August

A report in the New York Times says banks have repaid the government $4b of their obligations from profits

China and Russia are reportedly in talks over a potential currency swap

Japanese Industry production rose 1.9% in July for the 5th consecutive month

Gunns requests trading halt extension until tomorrow

Nexus to conduct a capital raising to cover cost increases to the Longtom gas project

Australian market down 5 pts to 4479 in early trade, New Zealand down 20 pts or 0.65% to 3078 in morning trade

SFB

Dow lost 36 pts or 0.38% to 9544, S & P down 2 pts to 1028. The small rise in consumer spending in July  (up 0.2%) did little to enthuse investors and the market drifted lower in quiet trade. The figure was in line with analysts’ expectations and represented a rise for the 3rd consecutive month

Gold rose $11.50 to $958.80 with silver jumping nearly 4% or 56 cents to $14.78. Platinum and palladium also firmed

Base metals all moved higher on the back of the weaker $US with Lead up nearly 5%  and Copper up 3.3% the standouts. The rise in copper was notable as Shanghai stockpiles now stand at the highest level in 2 years

Oil for October delivery rose 25 cents to $72.74 despite little demand for energy and relatively large world surpluses. The commodity has risen 81% since March

Major European markets were better with the FTSE, DAX and CAC all gaining around 1% again in subdued trading

$AUS currently trading at 84.32 US cents

Felix Resources reports a 42% rise in net profit for fiscal 2009 of $267.6m up from $188.5 in pcp. Final div 50 cents fully franked

ANZ says its 10 month cash profit is flat as rising bad loans especially in New Zealand affect strong revenue growth

Hays, the International recruitment consultancy, reports a 20% increase in the number of Britons seeking work in Australia and New Zealand

Capral to raise $47m via a placement at 25 cents raising $37.5m and a 1 for 1 rights issue to raise a further $9.7m

RBA tipped to leave rates on hold but most observers expect rates to hit 5% within the year

ABS figures expected to show GDP grew by 0.7% in June quarter according to the average of 14 economists surveyed

GPG reports a half year loss to June 30th of $AUS42.65m

Paperlinx reports a $798.2m loss compared to a profit of $72.2m in pcp and cancels final div after incurring impairment charges and losses totalling $727.9m

Gunns plans to raise $145m share placement to help fund the purchase of ITC Timber from Elders. Full year profit fell 1% to $56.2m, final div 2 cents down from 4 cents in pcp

Australian market up 34 pts or 0.75% to 4530 in early trade, New Zealand up 13 pts or 0.43% to 3122 in morning trade

Company gross operating profits fall 7.8% in June quarter, seasonally adjusted, down 14.7% over the year, according to figures released by the ABS

RBA says total credit provided to the private sector by financial intermediaries rose 0.2% in July compared to a 0.1% rise in June

General Motors says it will invest $US347m in a light commercial vehicle production venture with Chinese automaker FAW Group

Inflation rises 1.7% in August from one year earlier comfortably below the RBA’s 2% to 3% guideline

Fresh data shows new home sales were flat in July

Elders Ltd in trading halt pending capital raising thought to total around $250m

SFB

Dow rises 37 pts or 0.4% to 9580, S & P up 2.8 pts to 1031. The market rose for the 8th consecutive session. Volume was again low with a continued positive response to the latest economic data released over the last week

Gold rose $1.50 to $947.30 on the back of a weaker $US. Silver lost yesterdays 3 cent rise to close at $14.22. Platinum futures rose after mineworkers at Anglo Platinum, the world’s largest producer, rejected the company’s latest pay offer raising concerns supplies will fall

Base metals on the LME were easier for choice with lead the biggest loser down nearly 2%. Copper. Nickel and zinc were lower while aluminium and tin registered small gains

Oil gained $1.06 to $72.49 mainly on the lower $US in an otherwise featureless day

European markets all fell 0.5% to 1% with the DAX registering the highest fall down 51 pts to 5470. Bank shares, pharmaceuticals and chemical issues bore the brunt of the falls

$AUS currently trading at 84.00 US cents

Caltex 1st half profit rises 52% from $196m to $298m Company says “it wouldn’t be prudent to pay an interim dividend”

Sonic Healthcare posts an annual profit rise of 29% to $315m

Sims Metal reports a full year net loss of $150.3m including impairment charges of $191m compared to a profit of $440.1m in pcp. Final div 10 cents down 65 cents from last year

Harley Davidson to open show rooms in India following other luxury brands such as Audi, Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce

Dell’s 2nd quarter profit falls 23% to $US472m but company anticipates a better 2nd half

Gunns in trading halt while it conducts talks on a potential acquisition deal

The U.S. banking industry lost a collective $US3.7b in the 2nd quarter due to write downs and bad loans according to figures released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Babcock and Brown Power in trading halt until about 11.30am pending the release of its financial results

Automotive Holdings Group reports a profit of $24.1m in year to June 30th  down from $53.2m in pcp. Company remains confident about the future

Reserve Bank expected to leave rates unchanged at next week’s meeting

Commonwealth Bank says it will raise $900m with the issue of a new Tier 1 hybrid security. Offer opens September 7th and closes October 2nd

China’s Baosteel will take up to 15% of Aquila investing about $286m for just under 44m shares

Japan’s consumer prices fall 2.2% in July from a year earlier, the fastest pace on record as deflation deepened the world’s number 2 economy

Australian market up 35 pts or 0.8% to 4493 in early trade, New Zealand up 24 pts or 0.8% in morning trade

SFB

Dow rose 4 pts to 9543, S & P unchanged at 1028. An increase in new home sales and selective buying in consumer stocks were the main features in a dull market. Turnover was again very light. Some buying in telecommunication companies also featured while industrials tended lower

Gold lost 20 cents to $945.80 and silver lost 5 cents to $14.25. Other precious metals did little in quiet trade

Base metals all lost ground on the LME albeit only minor amounts. Copper stockpiles showed a small increase which set the tone for the day. Lead lost 0.5% after the strong rises over the last couple of days

Oil lost 62 cents to close at $71.43 after an unexpected rise in crude inventories. Most traders were banking on another fall of about 1m barrels

Major European markets all fell around 0.5% despite a report showing German business confidence improved for a 5th consecutive month

$AUS currently trading at 82.63 US cents

Cabcharge reports a 4% increase in profit to June 30th of $61.4m compared to $59m in pcp. Final div 17 cents taking full year payout to 34 cents

OZ Minerals reports a 1st half loss of $580.7m after one off loss on asset sales.

Country Road posts a 60.4% lift in annual net profit to June 30th of $15.65m up from $9.76m

Woolworths reports a 12.8% rise in full year net profit to June 30th of $1.84b compared to $1.63b in pcp. Final div 56 cents up from 48 cents last year

WPP Group, the world’s largest marketing company by revenue reports a 48% fall in 1st half net profit to June 30th of $211.9m

GM Europe, owner of Vauxhall and Opel has sought insolvency advice as the deadline for the sale of the company approaches

GPT Group posts a 1st half loss of $1.195b but says the outlook for Australian real estate is improving

ConsMedia announces annual net profit of $426.99m to June 30th  including the $346.5m gain on PBL Media, and plans to buy back 10% of its shares. Final div 6 cents

Crown posts a loss of $1.197b year ended June 30th compared to a profit of $3.546b in pcp. Result arrived after the company wrote down the value of its North American investments by $1.440b. Normalised net profit was $280.7m

Ramsay Healthcare increases annual net profit by 15.5% to June 30th of $106.47m from $92.2m in pcp. Company announces capital raising of $260m. Final div 21.5 cents fully franked, year’s total 38 cents up from 32.5 cents last year

PetSec Energy reports a $US9.1m 1st half loss down from $US18.1m loss in pcp including impairment costs and other charges. No dividend will be paid. Underlying net profit was $US6.1m down 46% on the$US11.2m in pcp

FKP Property group reports a full year net loss of $319.4m compared to a profit of $146.3m in pcp

Air NZ annual profit slumps 90% in the year to June 30th to $NZ21m from $NZ218m a year earlier

Eldorado makes all share takeover bid for Sino Gold offering 0.55 Eldorado share for each Sino share. Sino board recommends the deal with Eldorado to seek an Australian listing

Maryborough Sugar Factory announces a $90.4m off market merger with Tully Sugar Limited

Australian market down 21 pts or 0.47% to 4443 in early trade New Zealand up 3 pts to 3093 in morning trade

SFB