Australia Stocks: Babcock, James Hardie, Rio, Santos, Westfield

By Ian C. Sayson and Malcolm Scott

Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 66.60 points, or 1.6 percent, to 4,208.90 as of 10:24 a.m. in Sydney. The broader All Ordinaries Index added 70.70, or 1.7 percent, to 4,169.40, while the S&P/ASX 200 Index futures contract due in December rose 2.5 percent to 4,260.

The following is a list of companies whose shares were among the most active in Australian trading. Stocks symbols are in parentheses after company names.

U.S.-Related Stocks: Westfield Group (WDC AU), the world's biggest shopping mall owner by market value, added 61 cents, or 3.6 percent, to A$17.64, heading for its highest close since Oct. 3. James Hardie Industries NV (JHX AU), the biggest seller of home siding in the U.S., climbed for the third day, adding 2 cents, or 0.4 percent, to A$4.80.

U.S. benchmark indexes gained after the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators unexpectedly rose in September and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said lawmakers should consider new measures to improve access to credit for consumers, homebuyers and businesses.

Oil companies: Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL AU), operator of Australia's A$25 billion ($20 billion) North West Shelf liquefied natural gas venture, advanced A$2.13, or 5.6 percent, to A$40.44. Santos Ltd. (STO AU), Australia's third-biggest oil and gas producer, climbed 72 cents, or 6.3 percent, to A$12.12.

Crude oil rose more than $2 a barrel on signs the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries may cut output to halt a 50 percent drop in prices since July. In the U.S., Halliburton Co., the world's second-largest oilfield-services provider, jumped 14 percent, while Exxon Mobil Corp. added 10 percent.

Babcock & Brown Wind Partners (BBW AU), the wind energy producer managed by Babcock & Brown Ltd., increased 1.5 cents, or 1.5 percent, to 92.5 Australian cents, extending yesterday's 3.4 percent advance. The company will sell its Enersis unit in Portugal for 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion), Diario Economico reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

Rio Tinto Group (RIO AU), which is fending off a $70 billion hostile bid from BHP Billiton Ltd., increased A$3.95, or 6 percent, to A$70.24. The company said the sale of its Energy America coal unit may proceed this year.

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