Canadian Stocks Decline on Metals, Crude Oil Prices; Talisman Shares Fall

(Bloomberg) -- Canadian stocks declined for a fourth
time in five days, led by such energy and raw-materials producers
as Talisman Energy Inc. and Teck Cominco Ltd., as prices for crude
oil, copper and gold declined.

Oil futures fell from a nine-month high in New York after a
strike in Nigeria ended. Copper dropped a third day in London on
concern that Asian demand may be slowing, while gold declined on
speculation a drop in European equity markets may cut demand for
bullion.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Australia Lifts Forecast for 2008 Farm-Export Earnings on Large Grain Crop

(Bloomberg) -- Australia, the world's biggest wool
exporter and third-largest shipper of wheat, raised its forecast
for farm-export earnings by A$900 million ($764 million) on
optimism of a larger grain crop and higher dairy and beef prices.

The nation may earn A$28.1 billion from sales of commodities
from beef to wool in the year ending June 30, 2008, the
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics said
today in a statement from Canberra. The forecast is 3.3 percent
higher than the bureau's March estimate.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

S&P 500 Futures Decline Ahead of Housing Report; Nvidia, Bear Stearns Drop

(Bloomberg) -- Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures
declined before a report that may show the housing slump has
worsened.

Nvidia Corp., the maker of graphics chips, slipped after a
Goldman, Sachs & Co. downgrade. Bear Stearns Cos., the U.S.
securities firm trying to prevent two of its hedge funds from
collapsing, retreated after CIBC World Markets Inc. cut its
estimate on the shares.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-Reuters Summit-CapitaLand to grow financial svcs arm

(Reuters) - The group's assets under management would hit S$17-18
billion by the end of the year -- up from about S$14 billion
now, Chief Executive Liew Mun Leong said on Monday.




"Our financial services make up less than 10 percent now
but I would like our fund fees to be about 15-20 percent of our
EBIT ," Liew told the Reuters
Real Estate Summit in Singapore.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

European Stocks Decline; France Telecom, Anglo American, GDF Lead Slide

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks declined for a third
day, led by financial shares and utilities, after the Bank for
International Settlements said central banks will need to keep
raising interest rates to quell inflation.

Deutsche Bank AG, Germany's largest bank, and French utility
Gaz de France SA paced the drop. France Telecom SA fell the most
in two weeks as the French government began selling shares worth
as much as 3.8 billion euros ($5.1 billion). Anglo American Plc
and Antofagasta Plc led mining companies lower after Cazenove
downgraded the stocks.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Oil slides $1 as Nigeria supply worries ease

(Reuters) - Oil prices fell by more than $1 to near $70 on Monday after Royal Dutch Shell said it was preparing to resume exports from a Nigerian oilfield abandoned over a year ago because of militant attacks.

The news came two days after Nigerian unions ended a general strike that had threatened to halt shipments from Africa's biggest oil producer.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Futures point higher on growth optimism

(Reuters) - Dobson Communications Corp. kicked off a fresh round of merger-and-acquisition chatter as the rural wireless provider mulls strategic options, including a possible sale, the Wall Street Journal Online reported.




Dow Jones & Co. Inc. and News Corp. are nearing a pact that would preserve the editorial independence of the Wall Street Journal if News Corp. acquired the media company, according to newspaper reports.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News