http://nz.biz.yahoo.com//090324/26/bg3t.html
(Adds Nuplex)
WELLINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose 1.1
percent on Tuesday, but eased off earlier peaks as initial
enthusiasm over a U.S. plan to absorb $1 trillion of banks'
toxic assets faded.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO was up 39.4 points
at 3,589.7 by 0410 GMT, after earlier gaining as much as 2.6
percent to its best intra-day level since mid-January.
The index rose 2.3 percent on Monday to its highest close
in five weeks.
New Zealand's NZX-50 index .NZ50 gained 1.7 percent to
2,635.3.
STOCKS ON THE MOVE
* New Zealand resins manufacturer Nuplex (NZX: NPX.nz) raced up
nearly 40 percent after saying after the market close on Monday
that its earnings remained on track and its rights issue was
sufficient to meet its medium-term capital needs.
[ID:nWLF001282]
0330 GMT
* Airline Virgin Blue (ASX: VBA.ax) gained 18 percent, or 4
cents, to 26 cents, extending Monday's 10 percent gain, after
signing a deal with United States carrier Delta Air Lines
DAL.N.
0305 GMT
* Gold miners Lihir Gold LGL.AX and Newcrest Mining
(ASX: NCM.ax) fell just over 1 percent as gold prices fell on the
rally in stocks. (See [GOL/] for more on the gold market.)
0115 GMT
* Australian resources firm Straits Resources Ltd (ASX: SRL.ax)
rose 16 percent after Thailand's PTT International PTT.BK
said on Monday it would buy some of Straits' coal and salt
assets in a $335 million deal.
0105 GMT
* Debt-laden miner Oz Minerals Ltd OZL.AX fell more than
14 percent after the government extended its review into a $1.8
billion rescue bid by Chinese state-owned Minmetals.
[nSYU006235]
2315 GMT
($1=1.42 Australian Dollar)
(Reporting by Adrian Bathgate)
|
