Stocks Retreat in Europe; UBS, BNP, Philips, BHP, Lafarge Lead the Drop

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks fell, following
declines in Asia and the U.S., on mounting concern that losses in
the U.S. mortgage market will erode economic growth and raise
financing costs for companies.

UBS AG and BNP Paribas SA led a drop by financial shares.
Royal Philips Electronics NV and Lafarge SA decreased as the
dollar traded near a record low against the euro. BHP Billiton
Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group slipped after copper fell in Shanghai.


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European Stocks May Decline; UBS, ING, Philips, BHP Billiton Might Drop

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks may fall, following
declines in Asia and the U.S., as concern mounts that losses in
the U.S. mortgage market will erode economic growth and raise
financing costs for companies.

UBS AG and ING Groep NV may lead financial stocks lower.
U.S.-traded shares of Royal Philips Electronics NV and Nokia Oyj
dropped as the dollar traded near a record low against the euro.
BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group declined in Australian
trading after copper fell in Shanghai.


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European Mining Stocks Advance, Led by BHP Billiton, Rio; IKB Tumbles

(Bloomberg) -- European mining stocks rose, led by
BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group, as copper increased.

IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG tumbled 18 percent after the
German lender that invested in U.S. subprime mortgages said
profit will be ``significantly'' lower than forecast.


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U.K.'s FTSE 100 Is Little Changed; Mining Shares Advance as Sage Retreats

(Bloomberg) -- U.K.'s mining stocks rose, paced by
Rio Tinto Plc after copper prices climbed in Asia. Kingfisher
Plc advanced after Deutsche Bank AG raised its recommendation on
shares of Europe's biggest home-improvement retailer.

Sage Group Plc, Britain's biggest maker of accounting
software, paced falling shares.


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Alcoa, Idenix, Lufkin Industries, Playtex and Shaw: U.S. Equity Movers

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies
whose shares are having unusual price changes in U.S. exchanges
today. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.
Share prices are as of 10:10 a.m. New York time.

Alcoa Inc. (AA US) rose $1.36, or 3 percent, to $46.65. The
world's second-biggest aluminum maker said yesterday it withdrew
its unsolicited takeover bid for aluminum producer Alcan Inc. (AL
US) after Rio Tinto Group (RIO AU) made a higher offer of $38.1
billion. Separately, Credit Suisse Group increased its share-
price estimate for Alcoa by 22 percent to $55, saying that
takeover speculation would support the stock. Alcan shares fell
$1.04 to $97.41.


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Asian Stocks Rise the Most in Two Months on Takeovers; Posco, BHP Climb

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose the most in two
months, spurred by Rio Tinto Group's $38 billion bid for Alcan
Inc. and higher sales at U.S. retailers.

Posco surged by the most in four years and BHP Billiton Ltd.
climbed following Rio's offer. Samsung Electronics Co. jumped
after reporting better-than-expected earnings and a newspaper
said billionaire investor Carl Icahn may be planning a hostile
bid. South Korea's Kospi index, the region's best performer in
the past three months, advanced 2.8 percent to a new high.


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Asian Stocks Advance to Record on Takeovers, U.S. Retail Sales; BHP Gains

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose, pushing a regional
benchmark to a record, as takeover speculation increased and
concern eased that consumer spending in the U.S. will slow.

BHP Billiton Ltd. climbed to a new high following Rio Tinto
Group's offer to buy Alcan Inc. Samsung Electronics Co. surged to
a 10-month high after a newspaper reported that billionaire
investor Carl Icahn may be planning a hostile bid for the company.


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Asian Stocks Rise in U.S. Trading; BHP Billiton, Metal Companies Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks trading in the U.S. gained
after Rio Tinto Group said it plans to buy Alcan Inc., sparking
speculation more mergers will take place in the metals industry.
BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, rose.

The Bank of New York Co.'s Asia ADR Index, tracking the
region's American depositary receipts, climbed 1.6 percent to
174.34, the highest since at least December 2001, when Bloomberg
began tracking the benchmark.


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Brazil's CVRD says doesn't rule out bid for Alcan

(Reuters) - CVRD issued the statement shortly after Anglo-Australian
miner Rio Tinto Plc/Ltd. agreed to buy Alcan
for $38.1 billion to create the world's biggest aluminum
producer. A source familiar with the deal told Reuters that
CVRD had also bid for Alcan, which has been fighting off
hostile advances by U.S. rival Alcoa Inc. .





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European Stocks May Climb, Led by BHP, Rio Tinto on Takeover Speculation

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks may rise for the
first time in three days, led by BHP Billiton Ltd. and Xstrata
Plc on takeover speculation in the mining industry after a report
that Rio Tinto Group will make a bid for Canada's Alcan Inc.

Rio Tinto shares were suspended from trading in Australia
after the Wall Street Journal reported the company is in the
final stages of an agreement to buy Canada's Alcan for $37
billion. Shares of Ericsson AB may be active after Sony Ericsson
Mobile Communications Ltd. reported the slowest profit growth in
almost two years.


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Canadian Stocks Gain on Takeover Talk; Alcan, Research in Motion Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Canadian stocks rose for a third time in
four days and headed for a weekly gain, as takeover speculation
lifted shares of raw-materials producers and telephone companies.

Alcan Inc. advanced on a report that Rio Tinto Group hired
bankers to help it consider a bid for the aluminum maker. Telus
Corp. extended gains made following BCE Inc.'s takeover last week
in the biggest buyout. Research in Motion Ltd. fell after reaching
a record yesterday.


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Canada Finance Stocks Fall on Rate Concerns; Alcan Advances on Bid Report

(Bloomberg) -- Canadian financial shares fell, led by
Royal Bank of Canada, after a better-that-expected jobs report
fanned speculation that the central bank will raise borrowing costs
next week to cool the economy.

Raw-materials stocks rose on a report that Rio Tinto Group
hired bankers to help consider takeover candidates including Alcan
Inc., the aluminum maker that's already had an offer from Alcoa
Inc.


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Australian Shares Climb to Record, Led by BHP, Rio on Higher Metals Prices

(Bloomberg) -- Australian stocks rose, headed for a
record close. BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group led mining
shares higher after prices of metals including copper and nickel
gained.

Westfield Group led gains among companies with U.S. earnings
after reports showed employment and manufacturing growth in the
world's biggest economy expanded more than expected.


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Australian Mining Stocks Rise, Led by BHP Billiton; James Hardie Declines

(Bloomberg) -- Australian mining stocks rose, led by
BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group after prices of metals
including copper and zinc gained, and amid speculation of mergers
and acquisitions in the mining industry.

James Hardie Industries NV declined after fourth-quarter
earnings fell as rising costs crimped profit margins in its home
market of Australia.


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Rio Tinto Considers $6 Billion Investment in Guinea Iron Ore Complex

(Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group, the world's third-
largest mining company, is considering a plan to spend at least
$6 billion on a combined iron ore mine, railway and port
operation in the west African nation of Guinea.

The project, at the pre-feasibility stage, will involve
building an iron ore mine at Simandou and a 700-kilometer rail
link to a new deep-water port south of Guinea's capital of
Conakry, London-based Rio spokesman Nick Cobban said in an
interview yesterday.


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Copper erases gains, lead hits new high

(Reuters) - Copper erased gains on Tuesday in a market reluctant to make big bets as worries swirled about demand from China, the top consumer of the metal, while lead hit a fresh record high.

Weakness in metal prices was reflected in mining stocks. London-listed miners such as Vedanta Resources, Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Kazakhmys either pared earlier gains or traded with slight losses.


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Australian Stocks Rise, Led by BHP Billiton, Rio on Metals; CSL Advances

(Bloomberg) -- Australian stocks rose, led by BHP
Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group, as prices of copper and
nickel climbed.

CSL Ltd. and Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. led gains among
companies with U.S. earnings after consumer confidence in the
world's biggest economy unexpectedly gained this month.


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European Stocks Decline, Paced by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto; BP Shares Drop

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks headed for the biggest drop in more than a month after China's economy grew faster than economists expected, fueling concern the country is preparing to raise interest rates.

BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group paced a decline by companies most affected by slowing demand from the world's fastest growing major economy. BP Plc slipped as Merrill Lynch & Co. recommended investors reduce their holdings in the company. Nokia Oyj gained after the average selling price of its mobile phones topped analysts' estimates.


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European Stocks Decline, Paced by BHP Billiton, Rio on China Rate Concern

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks dropped, tracking Asian equities lower, on concern China is preparing to raise interest rates to control economic growth.

BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group paced a decline by companies that generate a high proportion of sales in China. BP Plc slipped as Merrill Lynch & Co. recommended investors reduce their holdings in the company.


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Miners fuel FTSE, M&A turns on electricity shares

(Reuters) - Britain's top share index advanced 0.5 percent amid buoyant European trade on Tuesday, as miners forged higher on robust copper prices and takeover hopes put the spark back into electricity stocks.

The mining sector accounted for a third of the index's upside, with Xstrata topping the gainers chart, up 3.4 percent, closely tailed by rising shares in fellow miners Kazakhmys, Rio Tinto and Lonmin.


Read more at Reuters Africa