Samsung to boost chip production after disruption

(Reuters) - Samsung's sprawling Kiheung complex was hit by a power shortage on Friday afternoon that shut down six of its chip production lines, raising the prospect of price increases and boosting shares of rival memory chip makers.




Shares in Samsung, the world's top memory chip maker, fell 1.02 percent, while rival Hynix Semiconductor Inc. , the second biggest, rose 0.67 percent in a falling Seoul share market as the firm is seen benefiting from Samsung's troubles.


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UPDATE 1-MCG Capital posts higher Q2 profit; shares rise

(Reuters) - Shares of the Arlington, Virginia-based company were
trading up almost 6 percent at $14.27 in morning trade on the
Nasdaq. The shares have fallen 34 percent since the begining of
the year before Tuesday's gains.




The main positives for the quarter include
higher-than-expected dividend income, higher-than-expected net
interest margin and $8.6 million of net gains on portfolio
investments, BMO Capital Markets analyst David Chiaverini wrote
in a research note.


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Oliver Press picks up 12 pct in Emageon, seeks strategic options

(Reuters) - Emageon could not be immediately reached for comment.




Shares of Birmingham, Alabama-based Emageon were trading up
2.5 percent at $9.05 in late morning trade on the Nasdaq.



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Berkshire Hills sees earnings below estimates

(Reuters) - Shares of the company were down almost 2 percent at $27.43 in morning trade on the Nasdaq.







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Amazon.com, Brown Shoe, Deckers, NetGear, Rambus: U.S. Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following is a list of companies
whose shares may have unusual price changes in U.S. exchanges
tomorrow. This preview includes news that broke after exchanges
closed. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN US): Shares of the world's biggest
online retailer are too expensive after this past week's
increase, and expansion plans threaten its profit margins,
Barron's said, citing no one. Amazon stock rose 3 cents to
$84.04 on July 27.


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UPDATE 2-Veeco posts Q2 loss, forecasts surprise loss for Q3

(Reuters) - Veeco also forecast a surprise loss for its third quarter,
saying its new products, many of which are in the early stages
of shipments, carry risks associated with customer acceptance.




Shares of the company were down about 8.5 percent at $18.08
in afternoon trade on the Nasdaq.


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Siemens to buy Dade, fueling hopes for Beckman bid

(Reuters) - Shares of Beckman Coulter, the only major stand-alone company in the sector, were up nearly 8 percent.




Dade's deal with German industrial conglomerate Siemens is worth $77 per share, a 38 percent premium over Tuesday's closing price.


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Futures jump on Boeing, Amazon.com optimism

(Reuters) - The recovery followed stocks' worst one-day performance in four months on Tuesday after disappointing earnings and increased concern about the impact of housing losses on the economy.




Shares of Boeing, a Dow component, rose 6 percent to a record in electronic trading before the bell, while Amazon.com shot up 23.8 percent as several brokerages raised their ratings on the stock.


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DAX Index Declines, Led by E.ON, Deutsche Post, ThyssenKrupp; MAN Rises

(Bloomberg) -- German stocks declined, led by E.ON
AG after a report said the world's largest utility by sales is
facing delays with a project in the Czech Republic.

Shares of Deutsche Post AG, Europe's biggest postal
service, and ThyssenKrupp AG, the country's largest steelmaker,
also fell.


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United Air parent posts higher quarterly profit

(Reuters) - Shares of UAL traded at $48.50 in premarket trade, up 2.6 percent from Monday's closing price on Nasdaq.




The company reported operating revenue of $5.2 billion, a 2 percent increase over the comparable quarter in 2006.


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Most Wall Street Analysts Ignore Google Earnings Miss, Keep `Buy' Ratings

(Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. shares fell the most in
more than a year after second-quarter profit missed analysts'
estimates, and the company said it may bid at least $4.6 billion
to buy wireless airwaves in a government auction.

Shares of Google, the owner of the world's most-popular
Internet search engine, tumbled as much as 7.1 percent in the
biggest drop since February 2006. The stock declined $34.50 to
$514.09 at 10:36 a.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market
trading and earlier reached $509.50. Microsoft Corp., which also
reported results yesterday, dropped as well.


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UPDATE 1-Watsco lowers 2007 earnings view, shares fall

(Reuters) - "The blow-out first half performance in 2006 has proven
difficult to surpass in 2007," Watsco's Chief Executive Albert
Nahmad said in a statement.




Shares of the company were down more than 6 percent at
$51.05 in morning trade on Friday on the New York Stock
Exchange.


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UPDATE 1-PSS World Medical cuts FY2008 EPS view, stock falls

(Reuters) - Shares of the company fell more than 10 percent to $16.55
in early electronic trade, after closing at $18.49 on Thursday
on the Nasdaq.




The Jacksonville, Florida-based company cut its fiscal 2008
earnings view to 81 cents to 85 cents a share. In June, PSS had
forecast earnings of 86 cents to 88 cents a share.


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U.S. stocks seen lower, tech results to weigh

(Reuters) - Shares of Google fell 5 percent in extended trading
hours on Thursday as the Internet search company reported
disappointing earnings due to the costs of a recent hiring spree
and a jump in other operating expenses.




Shares of Microsoft declined 1 percent in extended trading
hours after it reported quarterly results that were in line with
analysts' estimates.


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US STOCKS-Futures rise as profits top estimates; IBM up

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 19 - U.S. stock index futures
signaled a higher market open on Thursday as companies reported
earnings that beat forecasts, shifting investors' focus back to
corporate profits and away from subprime credit worries.




Shares of International Business Machines Corp.
rose in extended-hours trading on Wednesday after the world's
largest computer services company reported earnings that beat
Wall Street expectations. For details, see [ID:N18415715].


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US STOCKS-Futures rise before wave of earnings; IBM gains

(Reuters) - Shares of International Business Machines Corp.
rose in extended-hours trading on Wednesday after the world's
largest computer services company reported earnings that beat
Wall Street expectations. For details, see [ID:N18415715].




"IBM shows the weak dollar is having a very positive effect
on some multinational companies. Their overseas revenues are
really helping the bottom line very strongly, that's the
bullish part of the day," said Rick Meckler, president of
investment firm LibertyView Capital Management in Hoboken, New
Jersey.


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WESCO International posts higher quarterly net profit

(Reuters) - Analysts were expecting the provider of electrical
construction products to post a profit of $1.27 a share, before
items, according to Reuters Estimates.




Shares of Wesco have gained about 10 percent in 2007,
underperforming the Dow Jones U.S. Electrical Component
Equipment Index , which has risen about 20 percent
year-to-date.


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UnitedHealth posts higher quarterly profit

(Reuters) - The Minneapolis-based company, the No. 1 U.S. health
insurer by market value, has largely emerged from a
stock-option scandal that plagued it last year. But operational
missteps -- including cuts to its Medicare forecasts and
worrisome medical cost trends -- have spooked investors.




Shares of UnitedHealth have fallen slightly in 2007,
underperforming a more than 7 percent rise for the S&P Managed
Health Care index , a barometer of large U.S. health
plans.


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Iliad Africa shares surge after private equity bid

(Reuters) - Shares in South African building supplies firm Iliad Africa surged over 14 percent on Wednesday after the firm said it had received a 24 rand per share initial buyout bid from a private equity consortium.

Iliad Africa said the 24 rand per share indicative price represented a 37 percent premium to the 30-day volume weighted average price of the company's stock on June 7, when it first announced it was in talks. By 0952 GMT, shares in the group were 13.71 percent firmer at 22.81 rand.


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European shares take a hit on subprime concerns

(Reuters) - European stock markets suffered sharp losses across-the-board on Wednesday, extending the previous session's falls, on subprime worries and ahead of Fed chief Ben Bernanke's semi-annual testimony to Congress.

Technology shares led a decline in Asia as Intel missed its profit margin target. Shares in Franco-Italian chipmaker STMicroelectronics and German rival Infineon both lost 1.3 percent.


Read more at Reuters Africa