Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Friday:
FNP – FREEDOM NUTRITIONAL PRODUCTS LTD – steady at 34 cents
Freedom Foods Group wants to exercise an option to take a further 18.7 million fully-paid ordinary shares in Auckland-based dairy company A2 Corporation Ltd.
GBG – GINDALBIE METALS LTD – up eight cents at 81 cents
Gindalbie Metals has completed the institutional component of its new share sale.
NCM – NEWCREST MINING LTD – down 21 cents at $40.60
Newcrest Mining looks set for a solid full year profit result after meeting its 2010/11 production targets and as the gold price hovers near record highs.
NWS – NEWS CORPORATION – up 24 cents at $15.48
NWSLV – NEWS CORPORATION NON-VOTING – up 15 cents at $14.90
Two former Victorian supreme court judges have been appointed to assess an internal review of News Corporation’s Australian arm.
QBE – QBE INSURANCE GROUP LTD – up 10 cents at $17.05
Global insurer QBE Insurance Group has split its Australia Asia Pacific business into two because of the rapid growth of its operations in the region.
RIO – RIO TINTO LTD – closed on Thursday at $82.34
Mining giant Rio Tinto is considering selling off one of its UK coal-fired power stations before the implementation of new environmental laws.
RSG – RESOLUTE MINING LTD – down four cents at $1.35
Resolute Mining’s full year production has declined six per cent to 330,859 ounces of gold.
SXL – SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO – up two cents at $1.34
Southern Cross Austereo chief executive Rhys Holleran says he does not see a need to have yet another media inquiry in response to the News of the World scandal in the UK.
SFH – SPECIALTY FASHION GROUP LTD – steady at 81 cents
Specialty Fashion opened a La Senza branded store in the refurbished Westfield Shopping Centre in Sydney city.
STO – SANTOS LTD – down four cents at $13.31
Santos says it churned out eight per cent more energy product in the second quarter of calendar 2011, although production is down five per cent on a year to date basis.
VBA – VIRGIN BLUE HOLDINGS LTD – up 0.5 cent at 30 cents
Virgin Australia’s proposed thrice-weekly service from Brisbane to Abu Dhabi from February 2012 is under review, the airline says.
