Datasul, Perdigao, Soriana, Tim, Vitro May Be Active: Latin Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may make
significant gains or losses in Brazil and Mexico today. Symbols
are in parentheses after the company name, and stock prices are
from the last session.

In Brazil, preferred shares are the most commonly traded
class of stock.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Fujitsu Q1 oper profit down 80 pct, lifts outlook

(Reuters) - The company nudged up its forecast for full-year operating
profit to 195 billion yen from 190 billion, slightly exceeding a
consensus estimate of 194.6 billion yen by 15 analysts polled by
Reuters.




Fujitsu, the world's fifth-biggest maker of servers in a
market dominated by Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM, is
seeking inroads abroad. It recently made a 395 million euro hostile bid for French computer services firm GFI
Informatique to tap information technology demand in
France and Spain.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Shell Second-Quarter Profit Climbs 18 Percent as Refining Earnings Gain

(Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe's
largest oil company, said second-quarter profit rose 18
percent because it earned more from its refining
operations.

Net income climbed to $8.67 billion from $7.32 billion
in the year-earlier period, The Hague-based company said
today in a statement distributed by PR Newswire.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

UPDATE 1-Van der Moolen buys U.S. broker, sells NYSE shares

(Reuters) - "The acquisition price is based on the earnings of
R&H for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. For 2006 the price
amounts $2 million," Van der Moolen said in a statement.




"The acquisition price for 2007 and 2008, respectively, will
be the net profit for the year multiplied by factor 4.5 for 2007
and factor 4 for 2008," Van der Moolen said, adding that R&H
would be included in its third-quarter results.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Japan's Shares Drop, Led By Metals-Related Stocks; Nomura Surges on Profit

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks dropped, led by
trading companies and metals producers, after prices of gold and
copper declined.

Mitsubishi Corp., Japan's biggest trading house, and
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., the nation's largest gold producer,
paced losses.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Lihir Gold Second-Quarter Output Advances 61 Percent on Expansion of Mine

(Bloomberg) -- Lihir Gold Ltd., a Papua New Guinea
gold mining company, said second-quarter output increased 61
percent after plant capacity at its mine expanded.

Production was 182,428 in the three months ended June 30,
the Port Moresby-based company said today in a statement.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

TREASURIES-Edge lower in Asia on profit-taking

(Reuters) - "It seems like buyers have gotten a bit tired, and that
short-covering has run out of steam," the trader said.




"Recently there had been some buyers during Tokyo trading
hours. But with an auction looming ahead today, profit-taking
has come to the fore," he said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

SK Telecom Says It Rejected Offer to Participate in Bid for Sprint Nextel

(Bloomberg) -- SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest
mobile phone operator, said it rejected a proposal for the
company to participate in a bid to acquire Sprint Nextel Corp.

SK Telecom isn't currently in talks and doesn't plan to
review the proposal, said Kim Hye Jin, a spokeswoman at Seoul-
based SK Telecom, denying an earlier Edaily report. Kim said the
Korean carrier was approached by overseas investors and declined
to name them or specify the timing of the proposal.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Oil Rises a Second Day After U.S. Crude Stockpiles Fall for a Third Week

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose for a second day in
New York after a report showed U.S. oil inventories fell for a
third week and gasoline demand was near a one-year high.

Oil stockpiles declined 1.1 million barrels last week as
refiners raised operating rates to their highest in 10 months,
the Energy Department said yesterday. Below-average gasoline
stockpiles unexpectedly increased by 793,000 barrels, aided by a
resurgence in imports.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

South Korean Won Falls Most in a Month; Finance Minister Predicts Decline

(Bloomberg) -- The South Korean won declined the
most in more than a month after Finance Minister Kim Sung Jin
said the currency is poised to drop from its strongest since
1997 as the current-account surplus shrinks.

``The won is overly highly valued and that's the view
shared among the government, the Bank of Korea,'' and other
research agencies, Seoul-based Kim said in a phone interview
yesterday. ``The chance of currency depreciation is greater than
for appreciation.''


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Santos Second-Quarter Sales Decline on Higher Currency, Delayed Shipments

(Bloomberg) -- Santos Ltd., Australia's third-
biggest oil and gas producer, said second-quarter revenue fell
8.3 percent as the rising Australian dollar reduced the value of
exports and some shipments fell outside the period.

Sales fell to A$633.8 million ($562 million) in the three
months ended June 30, from A$691.5 million a year earlier, the
Adelaide-based company said in a statement to the Australian
Stock Exchange. Production rose 4.7 percent to the equivalent of
15.6 million barrels of oil, a record for the second quarter, and
sales volumes fell 4.9 percent to 15.4 million barrels.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average, Topix Fall; Toyota, Mizuho Lead Decline

(Bloomberg) -- Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average
fell 45.90, or 0.3 percent, to 17,812.52 at 9:02 a.m. in Tokyo.
The broader Topix index dropped 3.19, or 0.2 percent, to
1,750.84.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. led the
declines.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Microsoft to provide advertising for Digg

(Reuters) - Microsoft replaces Google Inc. as Digg's provider of display ads, boosting the world's largest software maker's efforts to gain a stronger footing in the growing online advertising market.




The two companies said the three-year agreement would go into effect in the coming weeks. Financial terms were not disclosed.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Granite Construction quarterly profit rises

(Reuters) - Total revenue fell 5.1 percent to $770.9 million.




Analysts were expecting earnings of 71 cents a share,
before items, on revenue of $772.8 million, according to
Reuters Estimates.



Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Japanese Energy Stocks May Climb; Nomura, Honda May Advance on Earnings

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese oil-related shares may rise,
led by Inpex Holdings Inc. and Nippon Mining Holdings Inc. after
crude jumped the most in nine weeks.

Nomura Holdings Inc. may advance after the brokerage said its
first-quarter profit rose almost fourfold. Honda Motor Co. may
climb after raising its full-year earnings forecast.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

US STOCKS-Indexes bounce on profits, energy gains

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 25 - U.S. stocks rose in volatile
trading on Wednesday as a 3-percent rise in oil prices lifted
energy shares while strong profits from Boeing Co. ,
countered market concerns about merger financing.




Boeing shares jumped to a record high and led advancers on
the Dow, while Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. paced
the Nasdaq with a 24-percent rise after tripling its profit.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Coffee Falls as New Forecasts Ease Threat of Freeze Damage to Brazil Crop

(Bloomberg) -- Coffee fell from a four-week high in
New York as concerns eased that a crop-damaging frost may
develop in Brazil, the world's largest producer.

No freezing weather is forecast through July 28 in Brazil's
growing regions, said forecaster Meteorlogix LLC in Woburn,
Massachusetts. Northern Parana and western Sao Paulo states will
see temperatures as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees
Celsius). Forecasts for colder-than-normal weather helped send
prices yesterday to their biggest gain in seven weeks.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Zambia copper output to rise to 1.2 mln in 2009

(Reuters) - Zambia's total finished copper output will hit 1.2 million tonnes in 2009, against a previous forecast that said the country would produce 1 million tonnes in 2011, a senior industry official said.

Tim Henderson, the Chief Executive Officer of Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), said production of copper would rise faster than expected because the life of the vast copper and cobalt mines had risen due to exploration and modern mining technologies.


Read more at Reuters Africa

France's CAC 40 Slides; Carmakers Peugeot, Renault Pace the Drop

(Bloomberg) -- French stocks fell, paced by PSA
Peugeot Citroen SA and Renault SA.

The CAC 40 Index slid 40.22, or 0.7 percent, to 5867.25 at
4:22 p.m. in Paris. The SBF 120 Index also fell 0.7 percent.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Chrysler Scraps $12 Billion Sale of Loans for Auto Business, Investors Say

(Bloomberg) -- Chrysler abandoned plans to sell
$12 billion of loans to complete its purchase by Cerberus
Capital Management LP after investors balked at purchasing the
high-yield, high-risk debt, according to investors who were
briefed on the decision.

The unit of DaimlerChrysler AG scrapped the sale of loans
linked to its automotive business after failing to find demand,
said the investors, who declined to be named because the terms
aren't public. Banks led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. will assume $10
billion of that debt and Cerberus and DaimlerChrysler agreed to
buy the remaining $2 billion, the investors said.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

RLPC-UPDATE 1-Chrysler Corp postpones $12 bln auto loan deal

(Reuters) - The automaker is raising cash to help fund Chrysler Group's
buyout from DaimlerChrysler AG by Cerberus Capital
Management.




The buyout is still expected to close because underwriters
remain committed to providing financing, market sources told
RLPC.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Genzyme 2nd-qtr profit rises, raises 2007 outlook

(Reuters) - The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company said net earnings rose to $139.9 million, or 51 cents a share, from $134.5 million, or 49 cents a share, a year before.



Excluding one-time items, the company posted a profit of 88 cents a share. Analysts had expected earnings of 81 cents a share.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

PepsiAmericas Q2 earnings rise, raises '07 view

(Reuters) - July 25 - PepsiAmericas Inc. , the No. 2 Pepsi bottler, on Wednesday reported a higher second-quarter profit and raised its full-year outlook as operating margins doubled in Central Europe and its U.S. performance was good.



PepsiAmericas said its net income for the quarter was $78.0 million, or 61 cents a share, compared with $65.0 million, or 50 cents a share, a year earlier.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Consorcio Aeromexico posts loss for 2nd quarter

(Reuters) - The holding company has been greatly hurt by the arrival of
smaller airline firms in recent years which can offer fares up
to 50 percent cheaper.




Aeromexico, which disclosed its results late on Tuesday,
reported quarterly revenue of 4.957 billion pesos, down 11.4
percent from a year earlier.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 1-Credit Suisse takes stake in U.S. liquidator

(Reuters) - Great American of Woodland Hills, California, is getting
money from the Swiss bank to expand its liquidation business.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.




"By partnering with a leading issuer of
non-investment-grade debt and a leading player in the
distressed debt market, we anticipate new opportunities to meet
the extensive appraisal needs of high-yield and leveraged loan
issuers, and the downsizing and liquidation needs of distressed
companies," Great American Chief Executive Andrew Gumaer said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Boeing reports profit, raises outlook, shares up

(Reuters) - Boeing, which vies with Airbus for the title of world's biggest plane maker and is the Pentagon's No. 2 supplier, reported quarterly profit of $1.1 billion, or $1.35 per share, compared with a loss of $160 million, or 21 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.




Revenue rose 14 percent to $17 billion.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, dollar stabilise after battering

(Reuters) - Credit spreads narrowed after blowing out earlier this week
on troubles at the U.S. high-risk subprime mortgage sector. U.S.
stock futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street a day
after posting their worst one-day performance since March.




The FTSEurofirst 300 index turned slightly into
positive territory after hitting a one-month low. U.S. stock
futures also rose after Web retailer Amazon.com
reported strong profit and raised its outlook.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Freddie Mac sells $1.0 bln in bills

(Reuters) - Settlement is July 26.




The sale was part of Freddie Mac's weekly bill auction. On
Monday Freddie Mac sold $1.5 billion of three-month reference
bills due Oct. 22, 2007, $1.5 billion of six-month reference
bills due Jan. 22, 2008 and $1.0 billion of 12-month bills due
July 21, 2008.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Dade Behring to be acquired by Siemens

(Reuters) - The board of directors of Dade Behring, which also reported
higher second-quarter earnings, unanimously recommended that
shareholders tender their stock.





Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 3-Glaxo's $25 bln buyback softens Avandia blow

(Reuters) - LONDON, July 25 - GlaxoSmithKline Plc more
than doubled its share buyback programme to 12 billion pounds
on Wednesday, boosting its shares even as sliding
sales of diabetes drug Avandia held back second-quarter profit.




Europe's biggest drugmaker kept its forecast for 2007
earnings growth of 8 to 10 percent at constant currencies, but
signalled this depended on results of a U.S. regulatory review
of Avandia after a study said it raised heart attack risks.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Sealed Air 2nd-quarter profits rise

(Reuters) - Excluding items, the company's quarterly earnings rose to
41 cents a share, from 35 cents a share, in the year-ago
period.





Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Stelco widens loss in second-quarter on charges

(Reuters) - Excluding the impact of income taxes, Stelco lost C$19
million.





Read more at Reuters.com Market News

FBR Capital Markets posts Q2 profit above Street view

(Reuters) - Analysts were expecting the company to earn 24 cents a
share, on revenue of $150.2 million, according to Reuters
Estimates.





Read more at Reuters.com Market News

RTI says U.S. Customs investigating duty drawback claims

(Reuters) - RTI said it is voluntarily suspending filing of current
reimbursmemt claims during the investigation, resulting in an
expected quarterly impact of 4 cents per share for the last
three quarters of 2007.





Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

AFGRI shares fall after halts unbundling plan

(Reuters) - Shares in South Africa's farm group AFGRI fell 4.25 percent on Wednesday after the company said it had shelved plans to spin off its products unit and list it separately.

"The board has following further investigation, resolved not to proceed with the unbundling and separate listing of the products division as it is not satisfied that such a step will add significant value to shareholders," AFGRI said.


Read more at Reuters Africa

WellPoint second-quarter profit rises 11 percent

(Reuters) - Net income rose to $835.2 million, or $1.35 per share, from $751.2 million, or $1.17 per share, a year earlier. The results matched the analysts' average forecast, according to Reuters Estimates.




Revenue rose 7.7 percent to $15.3 billion.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

UPDATE 1-Praxair 2nd-qtr profit up, announces share buyback

(Reuters) - The company also announced a $1 billion share buyback plan
and said it expects to complete the repurchase program over the
next two years.




Praxair posted a second-quarter profit of $291 million, or
89 cents a share, up from $247 million, or 75 cents a share, a
year earlier.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Celera Group Q4 loss widens

(Reuters) - The latest quarter included pre-tax restructuring charges
of $3.8 million and $0.5 million of employee-related costs,
primarily severance, the company added.





Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 1-Air Products quarterly earnings rise

(Reuters) - Net income rose to $285 million, or $1.28 a share, in the
third quarter ended on June 30 from $210 million, or 92 cents a
share, a year earlier, the industrial gas maker said.




The latest quarter results included a favorable tax
adjustment of $27 million, or 12 cents a share.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

US mortgage applications fell in latest week-MBA

(Reuters) - Borrowing costs on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, excluding
fees, averaged 6.59 percent, down 0.02 percentage point from
the previous week. Interest rates were also below year-ago
levels at 6.69 percent.




The MBA's seasonally adjusted purchase index fell 5.0
percent to 424.2, its lowest reading since April. The index was
above its year-earlier level of 389.0. The purchase index is
considered a timely gauge of U.S. home sales.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Monaco Q2 profit rises

(Reuters) - Analysts were expecting earnings of 12 cents a share,
excluding items, on revenue of $351.3 million, according to
Reuters Estimates.





Read more at Reuters.com Market News

European Bonds Advance After Global Stocks Slump on U.S. Housing Concerns

(Bloomberg) -- European government bonds climbed,
pushing 10-year yields to the lowest in almost two months, after
stocks declined in the U.S. and Asia on concern a housing slump
is worsening.

Benchmark bonds rose for a second day after shares of U.S.
homebuilders sank to their lowest since 2003. A credit market
rout caused by defaults on U.S. subprime mortgages gives
``serious reasons to worry,'' without posing a systemic threat,
Moody's Investors Service said in a report.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Bank of America in carbon exchange joint venture

(Reuters) - BofA said in March it would invest $20 billion over the
next 10 years in environmental markets, which are expected to
grow as governments lay down tougher rules to curb emissions of
the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.




Under the joint venture the bank would also market Chicago
Climate Exchange carbon offsets to its customers when
BofA launches an emissions trading operation later this year.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 1-S.Korea pension picks foreigners to manage $2 bln

(Reuters) - The state-run pension agency, which has more than $200
billion under its management, said in a statement it plans to
entrust $1 billion with the World Bank, $500 million with a
Morgan Stanley unit and $450 million with a Credit Suisse
unit.




It said the plans were part of its strategic alliance formed
with Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Credit Suisse Asset
Management.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

International lending leaps 20 pct y/y in Q1 - BIS

(Reuters) - International bank lending surged 20 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2007, the fastest rate of growth seen since the 1980s, the Bank for International Settlements said on Wednesday.

Western Europe led the lending surge, where cross-border claims more than tripled, most of it going to other western European countries and to the United States.


Read more at Reuters Africa

U.K.'s FTSE 100 Drops Second Day, Led by Friends Provident, Punch Taverns

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks slid for a second day,
paced by Friends Provident Plc and Resolution Plc after the
insurers agreed to merge.

Punch Taverns Plc paced a decline in pub owners after
Goldman, Sachs & Co. removed the shares from its ``conviction
buy'' list. Antofagasta Plc led mining companies lower as the
price of copper fell in Shanghai.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Seadrill sells $146.5 mln rig to Nigerian SeaWolf

(Reuters) - Norwegian offshore services group Seadrill has agreed to sell jack-up rig West Titania for $146.5 million to Nigerian drilling contractor SeaWolf Oil Services Ltd, Seadrill said on Wednesday.

The unit, built in 1981, will be transferred to SeaWolf upon completion of its present contract in Tunisia, expected to run until November 2007, Seadrill said.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Baidu Takes On `Don't Be Evil' Google, Short Sellers in Chinese Showdown

(Bloomberg) -- For Baidu.com Inc., the Google Inc.
imitator with a 58 percent share of the Chinese Web-search
market and a $5.9 billion market value to prove it, the battle
for dominance is just beginning.

At stake is the Internet market in China, the world's
second-biggest after the U.S. by users. Google is gaining
ground, if rising short interest on Baidu is any indication.


Read more at Bloomberg Exclusive News

Volvo Q2 pretax lags forecast but orders rise

(Reuters) - STOCKHOLM, July 25 - World number two truck maker Volvo reported an unexpected fall in second-quarter pretax earnings on Wednesday but said order bookings shot up on the back of strong European demand and recent acquisitions.



Volvo said pretax profit fell to 5.97 billion Swedish crowns


Read more at Reuters.com Market News