ANZ Bank, HSBC, Posco, Samsung: Asia Ex-Japan Equity Preview

By Anuchit Nguyen

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The following companies may have unusual price changes in Asia trading, excluding Japan, today. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and share prices are from the previous close.

Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ AU): The nation's fourth-largest bank by market value cut the price of its variable interest rate mortgages after global money rates eased. ANZ reduced its variable interest rates by 25 basis points, or 0.25 percentage point, the Melbourne-based bank said in an e- mailed statement. The bank fell 48 cents, or 2.8 percent, to A$16.85.

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI PM): The nation's largest bank by value said the local unit of American International Group Inc. is an ``acquisition prospect.'' The bank, which is raising up to 15 billion pesos in additional capital, gained 1 peso, or 2.5 percent, to 41.50 pesos.

China Construction Bank Corp.(939 HK): The nation's second- biggest lender said profit for the first nine months rose 48 percent to 84.6 billion yuan ($12.4 billion), or 0.36 yuan per share, the Beijing-based bank said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The bank lost 25 cents, or 6.7 percent, to HK$3.50.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG AU): Australia's third- largest iron ore exporter said it hasn't been forced to renegotiate freight contract rates for shipments from its A$2.8 billion ($1.9 billion) project. ``We haven't been forced to renegotiate shipping prices,'' Cameron Morse, a Perth-based Fortescue spokesman, said. ``We are selling every ton of ore we can produce.'' The stock declined 16 cents, or 5.2 percent, to A$2.94.

Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZ IN): India's largest producer of the metal cut the price of zinc for the fifth time this month following a global slump in commodities. The Udaipur, Rajasthan- based company lowered the price by 5.3 percent to 76,700 rupees ($1,569) a metric ton from 81,000 rupees, it said on its Web site. It also cut the price of lead by 5.2 percent to 90,200 rupees a ton, from 95,200 rupees. The stock dropped 18.2 rupees, or 6.1 percent, to 281.15.

HSBC Holdings Plc (5 HK): Europe's biggest bank by market value is in talks with Metrovacesa SA as a deadline approaches next month for refinancing the loan the Spanish developer used to buy HSBC's London headquarters. The bank provided a bridge loan of 800 million pounds ($1.4 billion) to Metrovacesa, Spain's largest real-estate company, to buy the 45-story tower in the Canary Wharf business district for 1.09 billion pounds in April last year. The bank lost HK$3.30, or 3 percent, to HK$105.20.

Kasikornbank Pcl (KBANK TB): Thailand's fourth-largest lender posted a profit of 3.84 billion baht ($112 million) in the third quarter, a 12 percent increase from the same period last year. Net interest and dividend income climbed 17 percent to 11 billion baht. The stock dropped 1.5 baht, or 2.7 percent, to 54.5.

KNM Group Bhd. (KNMG MK): FMR LLC, parent of Fidelity Investments, sold 4.5 million shares in the Malaysian oil and gas services provider, trimming its stake to 9.6 percent, a stock exchange filing showed. FMR sold the shares from Oct. 9 to 13, according to the filing. KNM slid 7 sen, or 10 percent, to 61.5 sen.

New Times Group Holdings Ltd. (166 HK): The Hong Kong-based property investor and financial services provider canceled a proposed HK$10.3 billion ($1.3 billion) acquisition of oilfields in Argentina. New Times plans to renegotiate the deal after an independent valuation found the oil concessions to be worth about $1.5 billion, compared with the $15 billion required under the agreement, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. New Times surged 6 cents, or 16 percent, to 43 cents.

Posco (005490 KS): Posco, Asia's third-biggest steelmaker, agreed with Japanese partners to buy 40 percent of Brazilian iron-ore producer Nacional Minerios SA for about 4 trillion won ($3 billion) to secure supplies and curb costs. Posco will hold 6.48 percent of Cia. Siderurgica Nacional SA's unit, known as Namisa, which is worth about $505 million, said Posco spokeswoman Ko Min Jin. The steelmaker rose 500 won, or 0.2 percent, to 302,000.

Philex Mining Corp. (PX PM): The largest local mining company's profit this year may be little changed from the 5 billion pesos ($104 million) net income it posted in 2007, Chairman Walter Brown said. The stock gained 10 centavos, or 1.6 percent, to 6.20 pesos.

Leighton Holdings Ltd. (LEI AU): Australia's largest engineering and construction company agreed to borrow A$520 million ($353 million) from a group of nine banks to refinance maturing debt. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., Commonwealth Bank of Australia and National Australia Bank Ltd. led the group of lenders that will provide a three-year revolving credit line, according to Bloomberg data. Leighton lost A$2.01, or 6.4 percent, to A$29.20.

Megaworld Corp. (MEG PM): The second-largest local builder said it acquired 11.3 million of its own shares, when the stock fell to its lowest close since July 13, 2005. The stock decreased 3 centavos, or 3 percent, to 96 centavos.

Samsung Electronics Co. (005930 KS): The world's biggest maker of liquid-crystal-display televisions expects to increase its share of the European market for liquid-crystal displays after it opened a factory in Slovakia. Even though the global financial crisis may depress demand for displays in the coming year, the market should rebound in two or three years, Vice- President Yeong-Duk Cho said. The stock rose 1,000 won, or 0.2 percent, to 505,000.

Sichuan Hongda Chemical Industry Co. (600331 CH): China's third-largest zinc producer said profit probably fell by more than 90 percent in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier because of a slump in metal prices. The Chengdu, Sichuan province-based company didn't give profit details today in a statement to the Shanghai stock exchange. Sichuan Hongda gained 0.04 yuan, or 0.8 percent, to 4.93.

TMB Bank Pcl (TMB TB): Thailand's sixth-largest lender, controlled by ING Groep NV, posted a net income of 1.67 billion baht ($49 million) in the third quarter from a net loss of 2.5 billion baht in the same period a year earlier. Net interest and dividend income was little changed at 4.09 billion baht. The lender in the period booked a 662 million baht gain from recovery of bad loans with provisions of 4.34 billion baht for uncollectible debt. The bank lost 0.01 baht, or 1.5 percent, to 0.65.

UltraTech Cement Ltd. (UTCEM IN): India's second-biggest producer of the material said second-quarter profit declined 12 percent to 1.64 billion rupees ($33.5 million). Revenue rose 19 percent to 14.2 billion rupees. UltraTech dropped 20.6 rupees, or 5.2 percent, to 374.05.

Vastalux Energy Bhd. (VAST MK): The oil and gas service Provider said it won a 32.5 million ringgit contract from Petronas Dagangan Bhd. for the reactivation works of a liquefied petroleum gas filling plant in the southern Johor state. Vastalux rose 4 sen, or 8.3 percent, to 52 sen.

Westpac Banking Corp. (WBC AU): Australia's second-largest lender by market value, will take a charge against its full-year profit after firing as many as 450 workers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The bank has fired 300 workers at its BT Investment Management unit, which added staff to handle new money being invested in pension plans after tax changes, the Herald said, without saying where it got the information. Another 150 back-office workers have also lost their jobs, the newspaper said. The bank declined 52 cents, or 2.4 percent, to A$21.48.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anuchit Nguyen in Bangkok at anguyen@bloomberg.net.