Aussie shares have fallen at noon just, under 0.1 per cent lower. Despite opening higher after a positive lead from Wall St, stocks have retreated with Qantas Airways Ltd
(ASX:QAN) dropping to three-week lows amid concerns its Airbus 380 fleet is still grounded. Strength in the miners and energy stocks has failed to lift shares out of the red.
The S&P/ASX200 index is down 3 points at 4,798 and on the futures market, the SPI200 is up 4.
In economic news: ANZ job advertisements series for October has recorded its sixth consecutive rise in job ads online and in Australian newspapers. The total number of jobs advertised grew 0.6 per cent in the month to a seasonally adjusted average of 179,040 per week.
To company news: WorleyParsons Ltd (ASX:WOR) and Ausenco Ltd (ASX:AAX) have been awarded a $285 million joint contract to manage the delivery of a coal project in central Queensland. Both companies will provide program management services to the $7.5 billion Hancock Coal Alpha Coal Project in the Galilee Basin. The world scale pit-to-port project is geared to employ up to 250 staff and the final bankable feasibility study is expected to be completed during the first quarter of fiscal 2011. Shares in Worleyparsons have lifted 1.31% to $25.43 at noon.
Pathology provider Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX:SHL) has purchased New York-based CBLPath for $US123.5 million. CBLPath is a chain of anatomical pathology laboratories in America with annual revenues that currently exceed $US80 million. Sonic says it will fund the purchase with existing debt facilities and the transaction is due to be finalised by the end of the year, while conditional on CBLPath shareholder approval and anti-trust clearance. Shares in Sonic Healthcare have firmed 0.09% to $10.94.
Turning to market indices: The best performing sector is Energy, with the index up 201 points to 16,220. Shares in Linc Energy are up 5.31% at $2.38. Shares in Paladin Energy and Aquila Resources are also higher. The worst performing sector at midday is Real Estate Investments Trusts, with the index down 14 points to 853. Shares in Westfield Group are down 3.46% at $12.26. Shares in ING Office Fund and Charter Hall Retail are also lower at midday.
To New Zealand: The NZSX50 is down 2 points. Taking a look at the top 4 stocks by turnover: Telecom of New Zealand is at the top of the list with stock up 0.97% at $2.09 followed by; Fletcher Building, Vital HealthCare Property Trust and Vector.
To gold and the dollar: Gold is trading at $US1395 an ounce and the Aussie dollar is buying $US1.015.
