Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange on Wednesday:
AGG – ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI LTD – closed on Tuesday at $7.58
AngloGold Ashanti will this week update its full-year gold production guidance after heavy rain earlier this year cut output at its Sunrise Dam mine in Western Australia.
AGO – ATLAS IRON LTD – down 17 cents at $4.09
Atlas Iron is considering its options for a possible new Pilbara railway network to underpin a seven-fold expansion in its iron ore production.
BEN – BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LTD – down nine cents at $8.84
Rural Bank, owned by Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, will join forces with Australia Post to provide deposits and loans through regional post offices.
FXJ – FAIRFAX MEDIA LTD – down one cent at 89.5 cents
About 200,000 newspaper subscribers in four NZ cities missed out on their morning papers after a computer glitch stopped the presses.
HTA – VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA – up 0.1 cent at 6.9 cents
Vodafone Hutchison Australia chief executive Nigel Dews says the problems that plagued telco’s mobile network and caused a sharp slide in customer numbers have been fixed.
Australia’s third-largest mobile operator says it lost 375,000 customers so far this year, as users sought alternatives in response to network and customer service issues.
KMD – KATHMANDU HOLDINGS LTD – up 11 cents at $1.86
Shares in adventure-wear retailer Kathmandu rose more than six per cent after it forecast better than expected earnings due to good performances at its new stores and favourable weather during its promotional periods.
NVT – NAVITAS LTD – down 10 cents at $3.75
Education provider Navitas has increased its full year profit by more than 20 per cent despite a steep fall in student enrolments in Australia and the UK.
NWS – NEWS CORPORATION – closed on Tuesday at $15.04
NWSLV – NEWS CORPORATION NON-VOTING – closed on Tuesday at $14.58
Detectives investigating phone hacking and police bribery at defunct British tabloid the News of the World have arrested the newspaper’s former managing editor.
RIO – RIO TINTO LTD – down $1.47 at $80.05
A cashed-up Rio Tinto is expected to post a first half net profit of more than $US8 billion ($A7.3 billion), driven by bumper iron ore, aluminium and copper prices.
TEL – TELECOM CORPORATION OF NEW ZEALAND LTD – up two cents at $2.15
NZ Telecom and Vodafone have reached a settlement after four years of litigation over the previous Telecommunications Service Obligation (TSO) regime.
WSA – WESTERN AREAS NL – down six cents at $6.01
Australia’s third-largest nickel miner, Western Areas, says production is so strong that it will complete its obligations early and may negotiate higher contracts for the metal.
