Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange at noon on Monday:

BHP – BHP BILLITON – up 47 cents, or 1.25 per cent, at $38.02

FMG – FORTESCUE METALS – up 11 cents, or 1.9 per cent, at $5.85

RIO TINTO – up 64 cents, or 0.95 per cent, at $68.00

Australia’s biggest iron ore miners have stopped loading ships and suspended rail operations as cyclone Christine heads towards the Pilbara coast.

BSL – BLUESCOPE STEEL – up four cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $5.76

New Zealand’s iron sand exports may soar to almost 10 million tonnes a year by 2016, as Australia’s BlueScope Steel adds shipping capacity at its Taharoa site and Trans-Tasman Resources remains hopeful its offshore mining venture will be approved.

FGE – FORGE GROUP – up 56 cents, or 54.6 per cent, at $1.585

Engineering and construction company Forge Group has received the go ahead for more work at Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia.

LEI – LEIGHTON HOLDINGS – down 15 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at $16.11

Construction and mining company Leighton Holdings has taken full ownership of its Indian-based joint venture, Leighton Welspun.