MAY:, page-5

re: MAY:speculation AAP buy back Today's Market News - Updated 10/05/02
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NAB - National Australia Bank Ltd - down 24 cents at $34.80.
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National Australia Bank will extend its share buyback plan by another $1 billion after announcing a record first half profit of $2.256 billion.
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SGT - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd - down one cent at $1.54.
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Australia's second largest telco, SingTel owned Optus has posted an adjusted net loss of $402 million for the 12 months to March 31, 2002.
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NCP - News Corp - up 17 cents at $12.15.
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NCPDP - News Corp Preferred Scrip - up 14 cents at $10.35.
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Shares in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp lifted after KirchPay TV finally filed for bankruptcy in Germany.
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AMP - AMP Ltd - up 15 cents at $16.85.
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Financial services giant AMP said it would sell the private asset management division of its Henderson Global Investors business for an undisclosed sum.
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FOA - Foodland Associated Ltd - up 18 cents at $18.49.
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Supermarket group Foodland Associated has reported a 26.7 per cent increase in third quarter sales from continuing operations.
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MAY - Mayne Group Ltd - up 14 cents at $3.93.
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Mayne shares rose 3.7 per cent as some quarters of the market speculated on the possibility it may announce a share buyback today.
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WBC - Westpac Banking Corp - down eight cents at $16.20.
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Westpac Banking Corp said the imminent $1.65 billion sale of its AGC consumer finance business will increase its net profit by at least $750 million.
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AMC - Amcor Ltd - in trading halt.
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Amcor is poised to become one of the world's biggest packaging companies with the $2.875 billion acquisition of key assets from German giant Schmalbach-Lubeca AG.
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SEV - Seven Network Ltd - down seven cents at $5.99.
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The Seven Network has scrapped its C7 Sport pay-TV channel, saying the service is no longer financially viable.
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SSX - Smorgon Steel Group Ltd - in trading halt.
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Smorgon Steel is looking to capitalise on recent strong demand for its shares, launching an equity rasing to pay down debt.
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AXN - Axon Instruments Inc - down four cents at 36.5 cents.
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Shares in medical instruments maker Axon Instruments tumbled to an all-time low after the company said it expected a loss of $US3 million ($A5.57 million) to $US4 million ($A7.43 million) for the first six months to June 2002.
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