NYSE Euronext reports brisk business in April

(Reuters) - NYSE Group exchanges reported 2.6 billion shares handled per day, up 7.1 percent from the same month last year, while its operations in NYSE-listed securities handled 2.1 billion shares per day, up 13.8 percent from 2006.

Derivatives business also increased, with Euronext.liffe trading 64 million futures and options contracts in April, up 7 percent from last year.


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London ETF accumulates 6,051 ounces of platinum

(Reuters) - ETF Securities Ltd said on Thursday its exchange-traded fund based on physical platinum has attracted investment equal to 6,051 ounces of the metal since its launch on April 24.

Nik Bienkowski, head of listings and research at the London-based company, told Reuters that total investment in its five physically-backed exchange traded funds (ETFs) based on precious metals totalled about $28 million.


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European shares steady early; payrolls in focus

(Reuters) - European shares were steady in early trade on Friday, as investors stayed cautious ahead of key U.S. non-farm payroll data, merger talk swirled and power and energy groups reported lower profits.

At 0717 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down slightly at 1,581.29 points, with the German DAX


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Eiffage, Lafarge, Michelin, Vallourec and Total: French Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may rise or fall on the Paris stock exchange today. Symbols are in parentheses after company names. Prices are from yesterday's close.

France's benchmark CAC 40 Index closed above 6000 for the first time in more than six years, gaining 14.15, or 0.24 percent, to 6004.28. The broader SBF120 Index rose 8.8, or 0.20 percent, at 4392.17. The last time the CAC 40 Index closed above that level was in December 2000.


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Capitol Energy, Nortel, Tim Hortons: Canadian Stock Market Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in Canadian markets. This preview includes news that broke after markets closed. Symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close.

The Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index gained 108.26, or 0.8 percent, to 13,687 in Toronto.


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PetroChina's Shares Surge After Company's `Large' Oil Find at Bohai Bay

(Bloomberg) -- Shares of PetroChina Co., the nation's largest oil producer, jumped after the company announced an oilfield discovery that may be East Asia's largest in 33 years.

The stock climbed 12 percent, the biggest gain since the company's initial public offering in 2000. The deposit in eastern China's Bohai Bay has an estimated 1.02 billion metric tons of oil equivalent (about 7.5 billion barrels), Beijing- based PetroChina said in a statement late yesterday.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

Copper Falls in Asia as Peru Government Seeks to End Mine Workers' Strike

(Bloomberg) -- Copper prices fell in Asian trade as Peru's government negotiated with mining unions to end a strike that threatens to disrupt global supplies of the metal and amid speculation that yesterday's gains may have been overdone.

The national mining strike in Peru, which began April 30, will end between today and tomorrow as talks are progressing, Labor Minister Susana Pinilla said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Copper jumped 2.8 percent yesterday on signs of strengthening U.S. demand for the metal used in wires and pipes.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News