Australia Stocks: Centro, Macquarie Group, Newcrest, OZ, Santos

By Shani Raja and Ian C. Sayson

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 86.10 points, or 1.8 percent, to 4,817.70 at the close of trading in Sydney. The S&P/ASX 200 Index futures contract due in September lost 2 percent to 4,827. The All Ordinaries Index decreased 1.7 percent to 4,875.

The following is a list of companies whose shares were actively traded in Australia. Stocks symbols are in parentheses after company names.

Financial stocks: Macquarie Group Ltd. (MQG AU), Australia's biggest securities company, dropped A$4.55, or 10 percent, to A$39.46, its lowest close since Oct. 27, 2004, after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. will file for bankruptcy in the U.S. after potential buyers abandoned talks.

National Australia Bank (NAB AU) sank A$1.14, or 4.8 percent, to A$22.82, the lowest since April 2000.

Gold mining companies: Newcrest Mining Ltd. (NCM AU), Australia's biggest gold producer, advanced A$1.60. or 8.2 percent, to A$21.10, the most since June 27 and the benchmark's fifth-biggest gainer. Lihir Gold Ltd. (LGL AU), the second- largest producer of the metal on the Australian stock exchange, was the second-best performer, surging 23 cents, or 13 percent, to A$2.05, the most since January.

Gold rose for a second day in Asia as the dollar fell and Lehman Brothers prepared to file for bankruptcy, boosting the metal's appeal as a store of value. Gold for immediate delivery rose 2.4 percent to $783 an ounce at 3:38 p.m. Sydney time.

Mining shares: Minara Resources Ltd. (MRE AU), Australia's second-largest nickel producer, gained 2 cents, or 1.9 percent, to A$1.07. OZ Minerals Ltd. (OZL AU), the world's second-largest zinc mining company, had its biggest gain since Aug. 22, rising 9 cents, or 7 percent, to A$1.45.

A measure of six metals traded on the London Metal Exchange advanced 2.9 percent, with zinc climbing 5.1 percent and copper 2.8 percent.

Centro Properties Group (CNP AU), the shopping mall owner facing a Sept. 30 deadline to repay some of its debt, slumped 3 cents, or 31 percent, to a record low 7.2 cents, after a planned U.S. asset sale fell through. Babcock & Brown Ltd. (BNB AU) and Allco Finance Group Ltd. (AFG AU), likewise selling assets to reduce debt, also plunged.

Macquarie DDR Trust (MDT AU), an Australian real estate investment trust, dropped 5.5 cents, or 14 percent, to 33 cents, the most since July 22. The company's future distributions will be paid half-yearly instead of quarterly, and largely ``after ongoing capital maintenance needs'' have been met, the company said Sept. 12, when its shares fell 6.1 percent.

Mt. Gibson Iron Ltd. (MGX AU) advanced 7 cents, or 3.5 percent, to A$2.06, the tenth-best performer on the benchmark. Perpetual Ltd. became a substantial holder in the company after acquiring a 5 percent stake, according to a stock exchange filing on Sept. 12, when the stock rose 2.1 percent.

Santos Ltd. (STO AU), Australia's third-biggest oil and gas producer, fell 57 cents, or 2.9 percent, to A$18.80, the most since Sept. 4. The company faces a blow-out in the clean-up bill from a mud flow in East Java that started in 2006 and affects 75,000 people, the Australian Financial Review reported. Santos said today it believes its provision for the disaster is adequate.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ian C. Sayson in Manila at isayson@bloomberg.netShani Raja in Sydney at sraja4@bloomberg.net.