Shanghai copper off 0.9 pct on Chile pay agreement

(Reuters) - Shanghai copper eased nearly 1 percent on Monday after workers at a large copper mine in Chile voted to accept an early pay offer.

The most-active August contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 610 yuan or 0.92 percent to 65,520 yuan a tonne at 0101 GMT.


Read more at Reuters Africa

India's Rupee Gains on Speculation Quicker Growth Will Attract Investment

(Bloomberg) -- India's rupee gained for a third day
on expectation economic growth at the fastest in almost two
decades will lure investment from overseas.

The rupee, the best performer in the Asia-Pacific region
this year, may extend its 9.3 percent advance as scheduled share
sales this month by companies including DLF Ltd., a real-estate
developer, increase capital inflows. The currency also rose on
optimism the central bank will allow it to keep strengthening to
help temper inflation.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

TREASURIES-Slip in Asia as chance of Fed rate cut seen fading

(Reuters) - Futures now reflect a less than 20 percent chance of the Fed
trimming rates by a quarter-point from the current 5.25 percent
later in the year after having priced in the possibility of two
cuts in 2007 a little more than a month ago.




Adam Mackillop, head of U.S. rates trading at Barclays
Capital in Tokyo, said the flows in Asia have become more two-way
as some investors pare back their holdings in the sell-off,
rather than the steady buying that usually predominates.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

SNS buying AXA's Dutch insurance ops for 1.75 bln eur

(Reuters) - SNS said it will partly fund the acquisition with 350
million euros in equity and that its majority shareholding
foundation would also concurrently sell up to 200 million of
existing shares, with an over-allotment of 50 million euros.




Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

China's Stocks Plunge to Their Lowest in Three Weeks; Huadian Power Falls

(Bloomberg) -- China's stocks fell to a three-week
low after official media said the slide in shares since stamp
duty was tripled last week is ``within expectation,'' suggesting
the government won't act to stem the decline.

The CSI 300 Index dropped 3.7 percent to 3664.35 as of 11:30
a.m. local-time break, set for its lowest close since May 15.
It's lost 12 percent from its May 29 peak after the government
raised the tax on share trades to 0.3 percent. About 30 companies
in the measure, including Huadian Power International Corp., fell
by the 10 percent daily limit today.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Insurance Australia Ends Talks to a Buy Stake in China Pacific Insurance

(Bloomberg) -- Insurance Australia Group Ltd., the
nation's largest auto and home insurer, ended talks to buy a
stake in Shanghai-based China Pacific Property Insurance Co.

The company agreed in July last year to buy 24.9 percent of
the unit of China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co. for as much as
A$375 million ($312 million) to enter a market where sales grew
almost 10 percent last year.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Philippine Peso at Highest Since 2000 as Faster Growth Attracts Investors

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippine peso rose, extending a
rally to the strongest since September 2000, on optimism the pace
of economic growth will attract investors to the nation's assets.

The peso climbed 0.7 percent to 45.74 against the dollar as
of 9:45 a.m. in Manila, according to Tullett Prebon Plc, the
world's second-largest inter-dealer broker.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

IBM, China's Kingdee to seal global software tie

(Reuters) - IBM -- which will get 3.85 percent of Kingdee by paying
nearly half what its shares were last traded at -- intends to
help the Chinese firm by "re-engineering" its products to
better suit a global market, according to a statement.




The U.S. firm will also gain access to Kingdee's domestic
sales channels.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Financial Leverage May Boost Global Growth Beyond IMF Forecast Sixth Year

(Bloomberg) -- When it comes to world economic
growth, the glass is suddenly looking a lot more than half full.

Not only is the global economy confounding concerns about a
slump, it's even performing better than some of the most upbeat
analysts were predicting just a few weeks ago. Worldwide growth
looks set to outstrip forecasts for a sixth straight year in
2007.


Read more at Bloomberg Exclusive News

Chipmakers, Exporters, LG.Philips, Samsung: South Korea Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following shares may rise or fall
in South Korea. Prices refer to the June 1 close. This preview
includes news announced after markets shut. Stock symbols are in
brackets after the company names.

The Kospi index gained 0.9 percent to a record 1716.24. The
Kosdaq slipped 0.7 percent to 742.61. Kospi 200 futures expiring
in June climbed 0.8 percent to 218.90, while the underlying index
advanced 1.1 percent to 218.74.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Japan's Stocks May Rise, Led by Sony on Stronger-Than-Expected U.S. Growth

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese shares may gain after reports
showed employment and manufacturing growth in the U.S., Japan's
largest overseas market, expanded more than expected. Exporters
such as Sony Corp. may pace advances.

U.S. companies hired last month at almost twice the pace in
April and manufacturing unexpectedly accelerated in May as orders
picked up, while inflation climbed less than economists forecast.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Mbeki Calls for Overhaul of Voting Shares at World Bank, Monetary Fund

(Bloomberg) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki
said the legitimacy and effectiveness of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund were being called into question and
urged that the two institutions be reformed.

``The distribution of the voting shares in the fund and the
bank need reform to better reflect the more plural economic world
we now live in,'' Mbeki told the annual meeting of the
International Monetary Conference in Cape Town today. ``Gains to
legitimacy will translate into gains in effectiveness. We must
have the courage to make them happen.''


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Qatar Airways sees profit by 2010, eyes share sale

(Reuters) - "We will be privatized in the first half of the next decade and the IPO will be offered to local and international companies," Akbar al-Baker told Reuters.




The IPO will not exceed 49 percent of the company's stock, so existing agreements between Qatar and other countries would not be compromised, said Baker, adding that he expected the airline to hit a profit by 2010 to 2011.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Glaxo's Tykerb helps some breast cancer patients

(Reuters) - The addition of Tykerb to standard chemotherapy treatment
failed to help most breast cancer patients, the researchers
told a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.




However, it did increase survival in those patients who
were HER2-positive, a type of breast cancer that spreads more
quickly and accounts for a quarter of cases, they said.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Kudelski, Roche, Swiss Life, Vontobel and Novartis: Swiss Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall
on the Swiss and Virt-x exchanges. Stock symbols are in
parentheses and prices are from the last close.

The Swiss Market Index of the 24 largest and most actively
traded companies increased 80.61, or 0.9 percent, to 9531.46. The
broader Swiss Performance Index increased 64.22, or 0.8 percent,
to 7746.54.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News