Australian market preview: The Australian share market is expected to open lower, as further worries about the eurozone government debt crisis pushed overseas markets lower overnight.
At 0704 AEDT on Thursday, the March 2012 share price index futures contract was 29 points or 0.71 per cent lower at 4,037.
US and European stock markets fell one per cent overnight after, the European Central Bank (ECB) reported that its overnight deposits hit another record, the latest indication to worry European lenders.
The ECB said the continent's banks parked a record $US590.72 billion ($A583.34 billion) with it overnight. That means those banks are less willing to take the risk of making short-term loans to each other, opting instead to earn low interest rates from the ECB.
In Australia on Thursday, stock market trading volumes are expected to be low and there are no economic data releases or equities news events scheduled.
Stocks to watch on Thursday:
MYR - MYER HOLDING LTD - down 3.5 cents, or 1.76 per cent, at $1.955.
DJS - DAVID JONES LTD - down five cents, or 2.06 per cent, at $2.38
HVN - HARVEY NORMAN LTD - down four cents, or 2.16 per cent, at $1.81
JBH - JB HI-FI LTD - down 29 cents, or 2.49 per cent, at $11.35.
KMD - KATHMANDU HOLDING LTD - up one cent, or 0.76 per cent, at $1.325
BBG - BILLABONG INTERNATIONAL LTD - down half a cent, or 0.28 per cent, at $1.795.
Shares in most major retailers continued to fall after recent profit downgrades and reports of a moderate start to the post-Christmas sales period.
BHP - BHP BILLITON LTD - down 58 cents, or 1.65 per cent, at $34.57
AXE - ARCHER EXPLORATION LTD - steady at 11.5 cents
BHP Billiton has bought up several exploration tenements near its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia from Archer Exploration for $3 million.
AGO - ATLAS IRON LTD - down six cents, or 2.12 per cent, at $2.77
Atlas Iron has sold a magnetite project to international mining company Cliffs Natural Resources for $18 million. Cliffs will pay cash for the Yerecoin project, which is located 150 kilometres north east of Perth.
ARX - ARC EXPLORATION LTD - down one-tenth of a cent, or 10 per cent, at 0.9 cent
Indonesian focused gold explorer Arc Exploration has halted some of its operations because of violent demonstrations by locals against its activities in the area.
Again I will echo what Endless used to say "Check your open orders."
