European Chemical Stocks, ICI May Rally on Offer; Sainsbury May Advance

(Bloomberg) -- European chemical makers may gain after
Akzo Nobel NV made an offer for Imperial Chemical Industries Plc,
fueling speculation of more acquisitions in the industry.

Sainsbury Plc will probably rise on a report that a Qatar-
backed investment group is considering making an offer for the
supermarket chain. ING Groep NV, Siemens AG and Unilever might
decline after their U.S.-traded securities ended lower than their
shares closed in Europe.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Sarkozy to Push French Tax Cuts Even After Parliamentary Majority Shrinks

(Bloomberg) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy
intends to press ahead with his 11 billion euro ($14.6 billion)
tax-cut package even after an unexpected setback left him with a
narrowed parliamentary majority, government officials said.

``The time of elections is over, the time for action has
come,'' Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in Paris after
estimates showed his Union for a Popular Movement party lost as
many as 45 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly in
legislative elections yesterday.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Cemex, Embraer, Gol and Grupo Mexico: Latin American 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

Hong Kong Stocks Rise Most in a Month to Record; Construction Bank Surges

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's stocks jumped the most
in a month, driving the Hang Seng Index to a record. China
Construction Bank Corp. led shares of mainland companies higher
after Citigroup Inc. said Chinese lenders' interim results will
be ``surprising on the upside.''

``People are buying into expectations of strong second-
quarter performance,'' said Nancy Lee, who helps manage more
than $100 million at Taifook Asset Management in Hong Kong.
``We've selectively increased our holdings in financials because
they've underperformed for too long.''


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

ICI, Pearson, Rolls-Royce, Ryanair, Sainsbury: U.K., Irish Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall
in U.K. and Irish markets today. Stock symbols are in parentheses
and prices are from the June 15 close.

The benchmark FTSE 100 Index rose 82.50, or 1.2 percent, to
6732.40 in London. The FTSE All-Share Index rose 43.05, or 1.3
percent, to 3478.99.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Asian Stocks Gain on Yen, U.S. Economy; Toyota Rises, China Reaches Record

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose for a third day,
led by exporters, after the yen weakened and a report showed
inflation slowed in the U.S.

Samsung Electronics Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. led
technology companies and automakers higher. BHP Billiton Ltd.
climbed to a third straight record after metals prices advanced.
Five of the region's benchmarks jumped to records, with China's
CSI 300 Index adding 3.2 percent.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

State Bank of India Hires Citigroup, JPMorgan for $225 Million Bond Sale

(Bloomberg) -- State Bank of India, the country's
biggest bank, hired Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. for
a $225 million debt sale, according to an e-mail sent to
investors.

Funds raised will be part of the bank's tier-1 capital, the
e-mail said. Tier-1 capital measures banks' financial strength
and consists of capital that is the most reliable and liquid,
such as common stock and preferred stock.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Dow Jones rival bid plan may include family: reports

(Reuters) - Selling Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, to GE and Pearson, would be a better journalistic fit than News Corp., but there is "no rush" to examine the plan, an unidentified Bancroft family member told the Financial Times.




Talks are at an early stage and could collapse or result in another structure for a Dow Jones bid, both papers reported.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

South Korea's Stocks Gain to Record, Led by Samsung on U.S. Inflation Data

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks climbed for the
third day. Samsung Electronics Co. led advances after U.S. core
prices rose less than expected, heightening speculation that
growth in the world's biggest economy won't stoke inflation.

The Kospi index advanced 13.17, or 0.7 percent, to a record
1785.43 as of 9:17 a.m. in Seoul. The Kosdaq gained 1.5 percent
to 812.51. Kospi 200 futures expiring in September added 0.8
percent to 227.65, while the underlying index climbed 0.7 percent
to 226.13.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Nikkei may climb on U.S. stock gains, softer yen

(Reuters) - Japan's fourth-largest bank is in talks to issue about 100 billion yen worth of preferred shares to Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Co. to help it repay public funds, financial sources said.




"The Nikkei is likely to have a strong start after U.S. stocks continued to rise and following the softer yen," said Kazuhiro Takahashi, a general manager in the equity marketing department at Daiwa Securities SMBC.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

Housewives Outmaneuver UBS, Deutsche Bank as Yen Trading Captivates Japan

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese businessmen, housewives and
pensioners betting against the yen in their spare time are
wrecking the forecasts of the world's biggest currency traders.

The yen has slumped 4.6 percent to a 4 1/2-year low against
the dollar this quarter, making it the worst performer among 72
major currencies and confounding predictions by strategists at
Deutsche Bank AG and UBS AG for gains of about 1 percent.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Energy, utilities power Foster Wheeler: Barron's

(Reuters) - Foster Wheeler's stock has soared almost 700 percent to a recent $107 from early 2005, Barron's said. The shares are trading at 18 times next year's estimates, about even with the broad market's price-earnings multiple and below the 22 times earnings of peers such as Fluor and Jacobs Engineering Group , Barron's said.




Read more at Reuters.com Business News

RPT-IPO VIEW-Blackstone may have to cut range for IPO

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, June 17 - Blackstone Group LP [BG.UL]
could have to cut the expected price range for its initial
public offering in the face of possibly troublesome tax
legislation and rising bond yields, some portfolio managers and
analysts said on Friday.




Those investors expect the week's events to cut the price
guidance anywhere from 2 percent to 6 percent.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-Israel's ECI Telecom may be bought for over $1 bln

(Reuters) - ECI has about 118 million shares outstanding, which would
make the deal worth $1.18 billion. Its shares closed at $8.92
on Nasdaq on Friday, up 3.8 percent.




Swarth is an investment vehicle controlled by Shaul Shani.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News