UPDATE 1-Humana suspends some Medicare plans, ups 2007 view

(Reuters) - The Louisville, Kentucky-based health insurer also said it
is raising its fiscal 2007 earnings outlook to at least $4.25 a
share, including an expected impact of no more than 2 cents a
share from the suspension.




The company had in April forecast full-year earnings of
$4.10 to $4.25 a share.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

UPDATE 1-Venezuela not eyeing debt buy-back in IMF pullout

(Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez announced in April that the OPEC
nation would leave the IMF, seemingly unaware the move could
trigger a technical default on the South American country's
debt.




The cabinet source was denying reports in Venezuelan media
that the country could get round the default through a debt
buy-back.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

TREASURIES-Bonds in relief rally on tame core inflation

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, June 15 - U.S. government bond prices
staged a relief rally on Friday, cheered by benign data on core
inflation and weak consumer sentiment, which reduced prospects
of an interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve.




U.S. government bonds, which have been hammered by concerns
about inflation and fears of rising interest rates globally,
also got a reprieve from unexpectedly soft data on industrial
output and capacity utilization.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Wachovia to pay AG Edwards brokers not to leave

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, June 15 - Wachovia Corp. is offering retention awards to A.G. Edwards Inc. brokers equal to as much as 100 percent of the revenue they generated in the prior year, in a bid to limit defections ahead of its planned $6.8 billion purchase of the St. Louis brokerage.



The fourth-largest U.S. bank is hoping to lose no more than 3 percent of brokers it wants to keep, similar to the "regretted attrition" in 2003 when it created Wachovia Securities by merging its brokerage with that of Prudential Financial Inc. .


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 1-Pearson seeking partners for Dow Jones bid-WSJ

(Reuters) - Pearson has talked about potential partners including U.S.
newspaper publisher Hearst Corp. and General Electric Co.
, which owns business news channel CNBC, the Journal
said, citing people familiar with the matter.




Dow Jones's controlling shareholders, the Bancroft family,
are considering a $5 billion buyout bid from Rupert Murdoch's
News Corp.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

U.S. Treasury seeks more foreign investment

(Reuters) - "These are three very large pools of sovereign wealth," he
said. "We want to make sure they are looking at investment
opportunities in the U.S., and the message I'll be carrying is
that the more opportunities there are for our companies in
their country, the more opportunity they'll have here."




Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said last month foreign
direct investment in the United States peaked in 2000 and had
declined and then leveled off.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1 - Global junk bond default rate falls in May

(Reuters) - A strong global economy and easy financing conditions have
helped keep global defaults below their long-term average of
4.48 percent, S&P said in a statement.




The U.S. default rate also fell marginally to 1.44 percent
in May from 1.45 percent in April but should edge up to about
2.3 percent by the end of the year, S&P said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Nymex Gas Rises on Forecasts for Warmer Weather, Concern Over Storm Seaso

(Bloomberg) -- Natural gas rose in New York on
expectations that hot weather in the large consuming areas of the
Eastern seaboard would spark higher electricity demand from gas-
fired generators and concern possible storms in the Atlantic
Ocean would disrupt supplies.

Temperatures may reach 96 degrees Fahrenheit in New York, the
most populous U.S. city, by June 19, according to MDA Federal
Inc.'s EarthSat Energy Weather. That would be about 12 degrees
above the average temperature for that day, the forecaster said.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

European Bonds Fall For Sixth Week as ECB Signals Higher Interest Rates

(Bloomberg) -- European government bonds fell for a
sixth week after central bank officials said interest rates may
need to rise to curb accelerating growth in the $10.4 trillion
economy.

Benchmark 10-year bonds posted their longest run of weekly
losses since January as yields rose to the highest since August
2002. European Central Bank policy maker Axel Weber said late
yesterday that interest-rate policy is ``still far from being
restrictive'' on economic growth.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

UPDATE 1-Bids for Home Depot's supply unit due Fri-source

(Reuters) - PHILADELPHIA, June 15 - Offers for Home Depot Inc.'s supply division are due on Friday, according to a source involved with the deal, with two groups of private equity firms expected to be among the remaining bidders.



HD Supply, which analysts say could fetch about $10 billion, was put up for sale earlier this year. Lehman Brothers was hired to auction the business, which sells building materials, waste water and utility products to municipalities and contractors,


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Merck Rotateq vaccine label to cite disease info

(Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration said doctors should "remain confident" in using the Rotateq vaccine. The number of cases did not exceed what would be expected for young children who were not vaccinated, the FDA said.



) Keywords: MERCK ROTATEQ/


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Copper Gains; Concerns Ease That Interest Rates Will Rise, Damping Demand

(Bloomberg) -- Copper rose for a third day in New
York, erasing an earlier decline, as a tame inflation report
eased the risk of higher U.S. interest rates that threatened to
curb investment in manufacturing and the construction industry.

Copper, which generally moves in line with economic growth,
has increased 18 percent this year. So-called core consumer
prices, which exclude food and fuel, rose 0.1 percent last month
after a 0.2 percent gain in April, the Labor Department said
today in Washington. The median estimate of 79 economists
surveyed was for a 0.2 percent gain.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Delphi to sell Mexican brake plant to Bosch

(Reuters) - The proposed sale to Robert Bosch and its Frenados Mexicanos affiliate includes a plant in Saltillo, Mexico, machinery and equipment, and the assignment and assumption of certain contracts, Delphi said.



Delphi, which filed for bankruptcy in October 2005 and plans to sell several business units, said it would seek a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing on June 26 on bidding procedures for the plant, and a final sale hearing on July 19.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Mexican markets gain on tame U.S. inflation data

(Reuters) - The peso strengthened 0.49 percent to
10.8345 per dollar, while the benchmark IPC stock index
rose 1.18 percent to 32,490 points, an all-time record high.




The price of the benchmark government 10-year peso bond
rose 0.314 point, pushing its yield down 5 basis
points to 7.68 percent.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Penn National to be acquired in $8.9 bln deal

(Reuters) - The deal values Penn National at $67 a share, a 31 percent premium over its Thursday closing price.




Penn National's management team, including Chief Executive Peter Carlino and Chief Financial Officer William Clifford, is expected to remain with the company.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Gold, Silver Rise in New York as Dollar Weakens Following Inflation Report

(Bloomberg) -- Gold and silver rose in New York
after a decline in the value of the dollar against the euro
increased the appeal of precious metals as alternative
investments.

Gold generally moves in the opposite direction of the
dollar, which fell against the euro after a report showed U.S.
consumer prices rose less than forecast in May. Before today,
gold had gained 2.8 percent this year while the euro had climbed
0.9 percent against the dollar.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

ProSieben, SBS close to takeover agreement -report

(Reuters) - "Details are expected to be announced this month," Euro am Sonntag reported, quoting company sources, in a preview of a story to be published on Sunday.



A spokeswoman declined to comment.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

TREASURIES-Tame inflation keeps bonds firm

(Reuters) - Softer-than-expected figures on U.S. industrial output and
capacity utilization also contributed to the firmer tone in
bond prices.




Coming at the end of a topsy-turvy week, the reports
pulled benchmark yields further back from five-year peaks hit
on Wednesday, though 10-year yields were still on track to end
the week higher after strong selling in earlier sessions.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Canadian Stocks May Rise on Takeover Speculation; Western Oil May Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Canadian stocks may rise on speculation
there will be more takeovers of the country's commodity producers,
following a report that France's Total SA may bid for Western Oil
Sands Inc.

Global demand for energy and metals has helped some
commodities rise to record prices, while historically low borrowing
costs have fueled a takeover boom. That has helped the Canadian
stock index, of which almost half is commodity-related, rise to a
record this month. Gains in commodity stocks may be limited today
as crude oil fell from near a nine-month high in New York and
copper snapped two days of gains in London.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Financial conditions amplify policy: Bernanke

(Reuters) - Bernanke did not discuss the outlook for the U.S. economy or interest rates in his speech, which was prepared for delivery to a conference hosted by the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta. The text was distributed in Washington.




Changes in financial conditions, such as tightening credit standards or sudden declines in asset values, are important in the propagation of the business cycle, Bernanke said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Bids for Home Depot's supply group due Friday: source

(Reuters) - Several groups of private equity firms showed initial interest, but have since faded from the picture as the division has been hit by a housing market slowdown, according to sources close to the deal.




A group consisting of Thomas H. Lee Partners and CCMP Capital was among the remaining parties interested in the company, but as of Friday morning it was still unclear whether they would bid, the source involved with the deal said.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Winnebago profit down, misses Wall Street target

(Reuters) - Analysts, on average, expected the manufacturer of motor homes to report a profit of 49 cents per share on sales of $248.21 million, according to Reuters Estimates.




Winnebago said the revenue increase was due to higher sales of Class A motor home deliveries. However, gross profit for the third quarter was hurt by an increase in sales of lower-margin motor homes in both Class A and Class C categories, as well as escalating materials and labor costs.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Bonds slightly soft ahead of inflation data

(Reuters) - However, after benchmark yields rose to five-year highs in
recent sessions, some analysts now see the market as better
positioned for an environment where firm economic growth
translates into modest upward pressure on inflation and the
potential for Fed rate hikes.




Economists polled by Reuters predicted the annual inflation
rate minus food and energy prices would post a reading of 2.3
percent, the same as April.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE1-Pros Holdings sees IPO priced at $10-$12/shr

(Reuters) - JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank Securities, Jefferies & Company and
Thomas Weisel Partners LLC will underwrite the IPO, according
to the filing.




The selling stockholders have granted the underwriters an
option to purchase up to an additional 1.02 million shares.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Cobb Says EBay to Cut Some Fees, Freeze Others for Auctioneers This Summer

(Bloomberg) -- Bill Cobb, president of North American
Marketplaces unit at EBay Inc., spoke yesterday at the EBay Live conference in
Boston about the online auctioneer's plan to cut selling fees for its cheapest
items and not raise fixed-price item fees from June 19 to Aug. 5. (This is an
excerpt. Source: Bloomberg)

00:00 EBay plan to cut selling fees, freeze others

Running time 01:06


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

S.Africa's 3-month T-Bill discount rate at 9.09 pct

(Reuters) - The average discount rate for South African three-month Treasury Bills rose to 9.09 percent on Friday from 9.03 percent last week, the Reserve Bank said.

The average yield was 9.3 percent from 9.24 percent, while applications for the 2.3 billion rand of bills on offer totalled 5.215 billion rand.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Oil Falls From Near a Nine-Month High, Below $67.40 a Barrel in New York

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil fell from near a nine-month
high in New York as some analysts and traders speculated recent
gains weren't justified.

Crude oil for July delivery fell as much as 33 cents to $67.32
a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The contract traded at 67.37 at 10:22 a.m. in London. Oil has risen
3.5 percent in the past two trading days.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Japan's Bonds Drop for Fourth Week on Outlook for Stronger Growth, Prices

(Bloomberg) -- Japan's 10-year government bonds
fell for a fourth week, the longest losing streak since October,
as global debt markets slid on the outlook inflation will
accelerate.

The difference in yield between two- and 10-year bonds
widened yesterday to the biggest gap since February after a
slump in Treasuries pushed U.S. yields close to a five-year high.
Japan's bonds also dropped after a government report earlier
this week showed the economy grew faster than initially
estimated, led by consumer spending and stronger-than-expected
business investment.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

China Shares Have Biggest Weekly Jump in Two Months; Daqin Railway Surges

(Bloomberg) -- China's stocks rose, capping the
biggest weekly gain in two months, as savings rates that trail
inflation prompt investors to switch funds in to equities.

Investors opened 328,624 accounts at brokerages on June 13,
the highest daily tally since June 1, according to China
Securities Depository & Clearing Corp. Daqin Railway Co. and
Anhui Tongdu Copper Stock Co. were among 15 stocks that surged
more than 20 percent this week.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

JGB futures gain in evening trade after Fukui

(Reuters) - The lead contract closed the regular session at 131.30
, up 0.18 point on the day.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Sumitomo takes stake in Canadian metals company

(Reuters) - Augusta is currently conducting a feasibility study at the
Rosemont copper project about 50 km southeast of Tucson, Arizona,
which holds deposits of copper, silver and molybdenum -- a rare
metal typically used in car parts and consumer electronic
products.




Sumitomo, the third-biggest trading company in Japan, said in
a statement that it aims to build up a long-term partnership with
Augusta for the development of the Rosemont project.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Nigerian Intercontinental Bank raises $706 mln

(Reuters) - Nigeria's Intercontinental Bank Plc has raised 90 billion naira from a hugely oversubscribed public offering of shares, the bank said on Thursday.

The bank gave no explanation for the 9-month delay in announcing the results of the offering, comprising a rights issue and two public offers, which took place in September.


Read more at Reuters Africa