* STOXX 600 ends down 0.1 pct* Banks rise, Santander to buy Banco Popular* German utilities gain after court ruling* Energy stocks drop as oil prices plunge* UK election, ECB meeting in focus (Adds details, closing prices)By Kit ReesLONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Banks and utilities supported European stocks on Wednesday, with relief that Spain's struggling Banco Popular was being rescued by Santander...Read More

(Adds quotes from central bank governor, details)By Pawel Florkiewicz and Marcin GoettigWARSAW, June 7 (Reuters) - Poland's central bank is likely to keep interest rates at record lows until the end of next year because inflation is expected to stabilise, its governor reiterated on Wednesday.Adam Glapinski told a news conference that the central bank was not concerned about the zloty's recent str...Read More

MONTREAL, June 7, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - BlackRock Metals Inc. (the "Company" or "BlackRock") announces an equity financing of C$40 million led by Orion Mine Finance Group ("Orion"). Proceeds will be used for the completion of technical designs, permitting, the placement of equipment orders, acceleration of early construction work and general working capital requirements. The financing will be disbu...Read More

BERLIN, June 7 (Reuters) - Buyout groups Bain Capital and Cinven have lowered the minimum acceptance threshold for their takeover offer for German drugmaker Stada's shares, they said on Wednesday.The tender offer for the agreed 5.3 billion euro ($5.95 billion) deal runs through June 8 and was conditional on securing 75 percent of Stada's shares. But Bain Capital and Cinven said in a statement on W...Read More

* Worries over early elections, ECB withdrawal hit Italian bonds* Italy-Spain yield spread near its widest since 2012 crisis* Spanish resolution of failing bank contrasts with Italian woes* Euro zone periphery's bond yields (Updates prices, adds quotes )By Abhinav RamnarayanLONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - The difference between Italy's borrowing costs and those of its closest peer neared its widest on...Read More

(Adds details throughout on sectors and stocks; updates prices)* TSX falls 101.49 points, or 0.66 percent, to 15,363.07* Nine of the index's 10 main groups lose ground* Energy falls 2.8 percent TORONTO, June 7 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell on Wednesday as a sharp drop in oil prices put pressure on energy shares, while the financials group was little changed even as an analyst upgrad...Read More

* Zloty retreats and other CEE currencies are mixed* Investors hold breath before British vote and ECB meeting* Romania to scale back wage hikes; leu eases (Recasts with Polish central bank decision and comments)By Sandor PetoBUDAPEST, June 7 (Reuters) - The zloty weakened against the euro on Wednesday as the Polish central bank kept interest rates on hold and its governor reiterated that he did n...Read More

By Sarah McFarlane Oil trader Trafigura Group's half-year profit fell sharply on less volatile oil prices, despite a rise in traded volumes. The privately held company reported a 22% fall in profit to $471 million in the six months ended March 31 from the same period the previous fiscal year. Oil trading volumes rose during the period, putting the firm on course to exceed 5 million barrels a day i...Read More

* European bank shares rise after Santander rescues rival Popular* All eyes on "Triple Threat Thursday"* Oil plunges after supply data* Euro hit by report ECB may cut inflation outlook (Changes dateline to New York; adds Wall Street open; updates throughout)By Hilary RussNEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) - A smoothly executed rescue of Spain's struggling Banco Popular lifted European bank stocks on Wedne...Read More

(Corrects firm's name to Foglamp Capital Partners from Foglight Capital in paragraph 8)By Svea Herbst-BaylissBOSTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Some hedge fund managers can finally brag a little as several prominent ones, including Daniel Loeb and William Ackman, last month beat the broader stock market's gains, early returns show.Loeb, who runs $16 billion Third Point, told investors his Third Point Par...Read More

By Mfuneko ToyanaJOHANNESBURG, June 7 (Reuters) - South African bonds priced in a higher likelihood of a 50 basis point rate cut by the central bank sooner than anticipated after the economy unexpectedly slipped into recession and raised the risk of further credit downgrades.Forward rate markets on Wednesday were pricing in a nearly 30 percent chance of a 50 basis point interest rate cut at the ne...Read More

MILAN, June 7 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury said on Wednesday it would offer 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in 12-month bills at auction on Monday.AUCTION DATEJune 12, 2017SETTLEMENT DATE June 14, 2017MATURITYJune 14, 2018AMOUNT OFFERED6.5 bln eurosEXPIRING AMOUNT 6.5 bln euros($1 = 0.8892 euros) (Reporting by Milan Newsroom) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the autho...Read More

* Former FBI director to testify before Congress on Thursday* UK election also in focus* Oil falls 4 pct after build-up in U.S. crude inventories* Indexes up: Dow 0.05 pct, S&P 0.06 pct, Nasdaq 0.27 pct (Adds details, changes comment, updates prices)By Tanya AgrawalJune 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks pared early gains to trade little changed in late morning trading on Wednesday as oil prices fell, whil...Read More

(Adds detail)By Francesco Canepa and Frank SiebeltFRANKFURT, June 7 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank is likely to stick to its aggressive stimulus policy at its meeting on Thursday because inflation remains below its target, despite brisker economic growth in the euro zone. Sources have told Reuters the ECB is likely to nudge up its forecasts for economic growth in the euro zone but trim its...Read More

Speaking at the Bloomberg Invest summit in New York, Bill Gross (of the recently merged Janus Henderson) who may or may not have been talking his bond book, issued a loud warning to traders saying U.S. markets are at their highest risk levels since before the 2008 financial crisis "because investors are paying a high price for the chances they're taking." Well, either that, or simply ignoring the...Read More

Stocks moved cautiously higher on Wednesday as investors waited for direction from a number of market-churning events on Thursday and a major selloff in crude kneecapped indexes. The S&P 500 was up 0.11%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.06%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.2%. Losses in crude oil prices picked up speed on Wednesday after a surprise increase in domestic crude stockpiles....Read More

* Dollar index steady, near 7-month low* Sterling up on eve of UK election* Graphic: FX rates in 2017 (Updates with U.S. market open, changes dateline from LONDON)By Saqib Iqbal AhmedNEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) - The euro was slightly weaker against the dollar on Wednesday, in choppy trading, on reports suggesting the European Central Bank would lower its inflation targets at Thursday's policy anno...Read More

(New throughout, adds Escondida and Sierra Gorda, emergency services)By Fabian CamberoSANTIAGO, June 7 (Reuters) - Mines in northern Chile have suspended key operations after heavy rains lashed the high altitude desert region of Antofagasta overnight and into Wednesday, companies told Reuters.BHP Billiton'sEscondida, the world's biggest copper mine, said it was snowing and all operations had been...Read More

* Greece wants yields below 5 pct before debt market return* ECB support would boost chances considerably* Decisions will depend on outcome of Eurogroup meeting By Lefteris Papadimas and Marc JonesATHENS/LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Greece will return to markets once its borrowing costs drop below 5 percent, sources told Reuters, which could happen if the European Central Bank includes Greek bonds...Read More

(Adds details on latest data, graphics)NEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. applications to buy a home reached their highest level in about seven years last week as mortgage rates fell to their lowest levels since late 2016, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.The Washington-based group's seasonally adjusted index on mortgage requests for home purchases rose 10 percent to 261.9 in the...Read More