US STOCKS-Indexes climb as Wall St ends strong quarter

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, June 29 - U.S. stocks rose on Friday
after data showed strength in the economy while an inflation
measure moderated, putting the stock market on track to end the
quarter on a strong note.




Among advancing shares, Research In Motion Ltd.
surged after the BlackBerry maker posted
stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and announced a stock
split. For details, see [ID:nN2838412.


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New York takes precautions after London bomb

(Reuters) - New York normally puts police on heightened alert in response to security incidents in other countries.




As a city that has twice been attacked by Islamic extremists -- a truck bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and the attacks of September 11, 2001, -- New York has police representatives in hot spots around the world, including London.


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Copper Rises to Three-Week High in New York as Global Inventories Decline

(Bloomberg) -- Copper futures rose to a three-week
high in New York as declining global inventories of the metal
increased supply concerns.

Chinese stockpiles fell 5.6 percent to 90,617 metric tons,
the biggest decline in six months, the Shanghai Futures Exchange
said in a weekly report today. Inventories in warehouses
monitored by the London Metal Exchange fell 1.4 percent to
114,700 tons today.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

Rand gains from trade, bonds consolidate

(Reuters) - South Africa's rand gained on the dollar on Friday after a smaller than expected trade deficit, while bonds firmed in step with the currency.

The rand was trading at 7.0425 against the greenback, 0.75 percent above its New York close after touching a five-week high of 7.0280.


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CHC Helicopter wins C$1.1 bln in Statoil contracts

(Reuters) - OTTAWA, June 29 - CHC Helicopter Corp. said on Friday it has been awarded two contracts by Norwegian oil company Statoil ASA for helicopter services in the Norwegian Sea valued at about C$1.1 billion .



CHC, a provider of helicopter services to the global offshore oil and gas industry, said the five- and seven-year contracts, each with options to extend for up to four years, represent the largest bundle of helicopter service contracts ever awarded.


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BCE confirms it is reviewing several proposals

(Reuters) - TORONTO, June 29 - BCE Inc. has received
and is examining several proposals as part of its review of
business alternatives, the country's largest telecom company
said on Friday.




In a terse statement, BCE also said there are no assurances
that the review of alternatives will lead to a deal. Three
separate buyout consortiums are bidding for BCE in hopes of
taking it private.


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Commerce Bancorp replaces CEO, fixes governance

(Reuters) - Analysts said Hill's exit makes New Jersey's largest bank a target for a takeover, which Hill had long resisted. Commerce executives would not rule out that possibility but pledged to continue rapidly opening branches to fuel growth. Commerce shares rose as much as 11.4 percent in early trading.




Hill, 61, will retire on July 31 from the Cherry Hill-based company he founded 34 years ago. He stepped down immediately as chairman and chief executive of its banking unit.


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