Slovak Koruna Gains Versus Euro on Quicker-Than-Forecast Industrial Growth

(Bloomberg) -- The Slovak koruna advanced to a 2 1/2
month high against the euro after a government report showed
industrial output grew quicker than forecast in May.

The koruna was the best performer today of European and
African currencies after the government's statistical office said
factory production, adjusted for working days, grew 17.4 percent,
mainly driven by exports. The report underpinned expectations of
an improvement in the currency's current account.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Roche backs RNAi research with $1 bln Alnylam deal

(Reuters) - The agreement is the largest drug discovery partnership in the field to date and a further vindication of the emerging area of biotechnology research which involves blocking disease-causing proteins.




Roche will pay Alnylam $331 million upfront in cash and equity investment, including a stake of 1.975 million Alnylam shares at $21.50 each, or just under 5 percent of Alnylam's outstanding common stock, the two firms said on Monday.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Uranium Prices Decline for a Second Week as Demand Drops, TradeTech Says

(Bloomberg) -- Uranium spot prices fell for a second
straight week as ``extremely weak'' demand from utilities forced
miners of the metal to settle for less, industry consulting
company TradeTech LLC said.

A decline by $2 to $133 a pound of uranium oxide concentrate
coincides with the volume of spot supply increasing by 28 percent
to 3.2 million pounds last week, while demand remained at 900,000
pounds, Denver-based TradeTech said July 6 in its weekly Nuclear
Market Review. The last time spot prices fell for two consecutive
weeks was in May 2001.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Nikkei hits 7-year closing high; tech, machine stocks up

(Reuters) - But shares of real estate firms such as Mitsui Fudosan and Mitsubishi Estate weighed on the market after the data fuelled concern about higher interest rates.




Shares of Sony Corp. ended down a touch after a company executive told Reuters in an interview in San Francisco that it plans to cut the price of its PlayStation 3 consoles in the United States by $100, or 17 percent, to $500.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News

UK body changes tack and backs Lilly's drug Alimta

(Reuters) - The decision reverses a 2006 NICE opinion that Alimta, which is also known as pemetrexed disodium, was not cost-effective.




Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Rand barely moves against vs dollar, seen stuck in ranges

(Reuters) - South Africa's rand was barely moved from previous levels against the dollar early on Monday and should be stuck in ranges in the absence of key driving factors during the session, traders said.

The rand was at 6.9915 versus the dollar at 0630 GMT, 0.09 percent off its New York close of 6.9850 on Friday.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Dollar May Advance to 125 Yen According to Technical Charts, Shinko Says

(Bloomberg) -- The dollar may rise to a 4 1/2-year
high of 125 yen next week should it sustain gains above 123.67,
said Kengo Suzuki, currency strategist at Shinko Securities Co.
in Tokyo, citing the technical analysis of its price chart.

The level of 123.67 yen is a parabolic stop and reversal
point. A rise above this price signals traders should close bets
for dollar weakness. The width between the dollar's upper and
lower Bollinger band is narrowing, suggesting the currency will
prolong its rally started July 3. Resistance at 125 is near the
U.S. currency's Dec. 6, 2002 high of 125.50.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News