Glenn Dyer, Author at ShareCafe

A sharp fall in the value of the Australian dollar Friday night and a rise in the value of the yen to an 18 month high have introduced a note of volatility into BHP Billiton's huge bid for rival Rio Tinto.

China Again Tightens The Screws

China has again moved to try and control its surging economy by ordering banks to put aside more reserves.

‘Gloom’ Over Markets

Watch those markets closely; as the Financial Times said in its headline on the weekend, "Gloom envelopes world markets".

RIO Rejects BHP Bid Number Two

Rio Tinto (RIO) rose by as much as 15% today on the back of conjecture that the rejected $140 billion all-share offer from BHP Billiton would lead to an improved offer or would trigger rival bids.

Bannerman Ups Its Game, Lists On TSX

Perth-based uranium explorer, Bannerman Resources joined a long list of companies after today confirming its plans to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) had been conditionally approved.

Overwhelming ‘Yes’ For Adelaide-Bendigo Merger

Today Adelaide Bank (ADB) shareholders voted overwhelmingly in support of the proposal to merge with Bendigo Bank.

Emergent Resources Underway With $5m IPO

Western Australian-based exploration company Emergent Reources said on Monday it has lodged its prospectus ahead of a A$5 million Initial Public Offer and proposed listing on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Superior Debut Disappoints

Shares in Superior Resources (SPQ) showed mixed results on its debut on Monday, opening at a 20% premium to its issue price of 20 cents only to fall 12.5% at close.

BHP Wants Rio In $400 Billion Deal

BHP Billiton has been rejected in its attempt to snuggle up to rival Rio Tinto Group and pounce to produce the world's biggest mining group.

Japanese Brewer Extends Aussie Food Reach

Australia now has a new food giant in the country as the ownership of National Foods and a small brewery is reshuffled in deals worth more than $3.1 billion.

At Last, A Bid For SYB From PRY

At last Primary Health Care has revealed the colour of its money and put a bid on the table for Symbion Health.

Oil Price Pressures To Grow

As world oil prices bounce around short of the symbolic $US100 a barrel mark, a new report has emerged suggesting that prices much higher than that will confront the world economy in coming decades.

Flight Centre In Trading Halt For ‘Major’ Acquisition

Travel company, Flight Centre (FLT)'s shares hit a one-year high of $27.50 on Friday before requesting a trading halt in anticipation of a ‘major acquisition'.

Big Oil Profiting From Surging Prices? Hardly

Economics is a pretty simple subject. Strong demand leads to rising prices, which in turn sends a signal to the market to increase supply. The additional supply then pushes the price level back down until a new equilibrium is reached. Simple.

Macmahon Wins US$60m Contract

Macmahon Holdings (MAH), a mining and civil construction company said on Friday it has been awarded a ten year quarrying contract in South East Asia for the world's largest cement producer Lafarge.

Monarch Buys Mt Magnet From Harmony

Mining company, Monarch Gold Mining (MON) said on Friday it acquired a $65 million Mount Magnet Gold Operations project in Western Australia.

WAN Posts Mixed Q1 Results

West Australian Newspapers Holdings (WAN) posted a fall in its first quarter net profit for the 3 months to September, 2007 to $20.6 million from the $25.5 million of prior corresponding period.

Goodbye Coles

All being well Coles Group will cease to exist as a listed company after this Friday after shareholders yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favour of the $20 billion takeover offer from Wesfarmers.

CSR Nixes Sales

No wonder CSR shares eased in yesterday's generally upbeat market.

Oil-Gold Move

Crude oil climbed above $98 a barrel for the first time and gold headed past $US840 an ounce and bound for a new high.

Interest Rates: What Next?

Unless there's a rise in unemployment and a definite slowing in domestic economic activity from the current 5% a year plus growth in non-farm domestic product, further rate hikes will almost certainly be delivered by the Reserve Bank next year.

Simpsons Provide Boost For News Corp

News Corporation (NWS) posted strong growth in operating income today, largely on the back of the success of The Simpsons Movie. Compared with the same period last year, operating income grew 23% in the three months to 30 September, on revenue growth of 19%. With operating earnings growing faster than revenues, profit margins widened.

Credit Corp Nearly Halves After Forecast Cut

Shares in the debt management company, Credit Corp Group (CCP) plummeted as much as 47.1% to $5.60 after it downgraded its FY2008 financial net forecast by as much as 29%.

Lion Nathan Acquires James Boag

Lion Nathan (LNN) said today it has entered into an agreement to acquire Tasmanian brewer, J Boag & Son for $325 million from Philippines based San Miguel Corporation.

Fisher Paykel Deliver Satisfactory Half-year Results

Home appliances business Fisher & Paykel (FPA) reported 16.6% increase in its half yearly net profit driven by increased sales, new product releases and continued cost cutting down activities.

Peptech Steps Up: A New Name And New Plans

Pharmaceutical company, Peptech (PTD) has been renamed Arana Therapeutics Ltd after shareholders approved the change on Thursday.

Rates Decision

The Reserve Bank lited interest rates by 0.25% today to 6.75%, ignoring an election campaign and the obvious discomfort of the Howard Government, plus a lot of other people with mortgages and other loans.

Car Sales Hit A Record Despite Record Oil Prices

World oil prices rose sharply in October to finish above $US90 a barrel and rising, but the Australian dollar also firmed during the month and as a result the local price of petrol failed to reach the levels indicated by the global price.

CXP’s Slow 3rd Q

Stationery and office supplies group, Corporate Express Australia (CXP) experienced a third quarter slowdown, but is confident about the full year's result.

Westfield’s Strong Aussie Quarter

A bullish third quarter statement from Westfield Group all but fell on deaf ears yesterday.

Reality-Check For Sunset After A Stellar Debut

Sunset Energy (SEY) fell by as much as 12.5% today after debuting yesterday at a 60% premium to its issue price of 20 cents.

CSR Affected By Market And Seasonal Conditions

Building materials and sugar company CSR reported disappointing profits for the six months to September 30, 2007 today, with a strong dollar and weak prices impacting the bottom line result.

ARH Proposed To Spin Off A Separate Listed Entity