STOCKS to watch on the Australian stock exchange at noon on Thursday:
LEI – LEIGHTON HOLDINGS – down 60 cents, or 3.75 per cent, at $15.41
Leighton Holdings subsidiary John Holland has won a $180 million contract to build a business school for the University of Sydney.
RIO – RIO TINTO – down $1.05 cents, or 1.99 per cent, at $51.78
Rio Tinto has agreed to sell its Eagle project in the US to Lundin Mining Corporation for an estimated $US35 million ($A37.26 million) in cash.
SCP – SHOPPING CENTRES AUSTRALASIA PROPERTY GROUP – in a trading halt, last traded at $1.63
WOW – WOOLWORTHS – down 32 cents, or 1.00 per cent, at $31.61
Shares in a property trust created by supermarket giant Woolworths have been placed in a trading halt.
SUN – SUNCORP GROUP – down 17 cents, or 1.43 per cent, at $11.69
Suncorp has sold a $1.6 billion non-performing loan portfolio to Goldman Sachs for 60 cents in the dollar.