Australia Stocks Preview: Macquarie, Minara Resources, Newcrest

By Shani Raja

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies whose shares may rise or fall in Australia. This preview includes news announced after markets closed on Friday. Prices are from Friday's close unless otherwise stated.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index futures contract due in September dropped 0.2 percent to 4,930 at 6:59 a.m. in Sydney. The Bank of New York Australia ADR Index lost 1.3 percent in New York.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index advanced 0.6 points to 4,981.70.

Australian companies scheduled to report earnings today include: BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP AU), Ansell Ltd. (ANN AU) and BlueScope Steel Ltd. (BSL AU).

Mining shares: Gold fell below $800 an ounce, capping the biggest weekly slide in 25 years, as the dollar surged against the euro, reducing the appeal of the metal as an alternative investment. Silver dropped as much as 14 percent. Newcrest Mining Ltd. (NCM AU) dropped 62 cents, or 2.5 percent, to A$24.43.

Nickel dropped 2.1 percent on the London Metal Exchange. Minara Resources Ltd. (MRE AU), Australia's second-largest nickel producer, fell 5.5 cents, or 4.2 percent, to A$1.27.

American depositary receipts of BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP AU), the world's largest mining company, slipped 1.8 percent to the equivalent of A$37.61 a share in New York, 37 cents lower than the A$37.98 close in Sydney.

Rio Tinto Group (RIO AU), the world's third-largest mining company, declined A$2.80, or 2.4 percent, to A$115.15.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA AU): Commonwealth Bank may make a A$6 billion ($5.2 billion) takeover offer for BankWest, the Australian newspaper reported, citing banking sources it didn't name. Commonwealth shares gained 20 cents, or 0.5 percent, to A$43.70.

Macquarie Group Ltd. (MGQ AU): Hochtief AG and Macquarie are among infrastructure groups interested in buying London's Gatwick Airport for as much as 3 billion pounds ($5.6 billion), the Sunday Times said, without saying where it got the information. Macquarie lost 93 cents, or 1.8 percent, to A$52.35.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shani Raja in Sydney at sraja4@bloomberg.net.