Smorgon, OneSteel trading halted
95927
Australian steel maker Smorgon Steel Group Ltd.  and its suitor OneSteel Ltd.  sought trading halts on their shares pending an announcement that sources close to the companies said was likely on Monday.
745262
No more orders taken after 1 December 2005
574785
(InfoWorld) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has suspended trading for 35 companies that allegedly benefited from spam e-mail campaigns to hype their stocks. The SEC action Thursday is the most suspensions of companies with stock hyped in spam, the SEC said in a news release. The suspensions, which will last for 10 business days, are part of a stepped-up SEC effort called Operation Spamalot aimed at protecting investors from potentially fraudulent spam campaigns hyping small-company stock, the SEC said. The e-mails used phrases such as "ready to explode," "ride the bull" and "fast money." The 35 companies have been quoted on the Pink Sheets over-the-counter stock service. They are not listed on any exchange or on the OTC Bulletin Board, the SEC said. The SEC estimated that 100 million such stock-trading e-mail messages are sent each week, often triggering dramatic spikes in share prices and trading volumes before the spamming stops and investors lose their money, the SEC said. "When spam clogs our mailboxes, it's annoying," SEC Chairman Christopher Cox said in a statement. "When it rips off investors, it's illegal and destructive. Today's trading suspensions, and actions that will follow, should send a clear message to spammers: the SEC will hold you accountable." The SEC said it continues to investigate the source of the spam. Among the spam campaigns noted by the SEC: * On Dec. 15, shares in Apparel Manufacturing Associates closed at $0.06, with a trading volume of 3,500 shares. After a weekend spam campaign proclaiming, "Huge news expected out on APPM, get in before the wire, we're taking it all the way to $1.00," trading volume on Dec. 18, volume hit 484,568 shares with the price spiking to over $0.19 a share. Two days later the price climbed to $0.45. By Dec. 27, the price was back down to $0.10 on trading volume of 65,350 shares. * On Dec. 19, trading in Goldmark Industries closed at $0.17 on trading volume of 126,286 shares. On Dec. 20, the spam campaign started with e-mail proclaiming "GDKI IS MAKING EVERYONE BANK!" and setting a five-day price target of $2. By Dec. 28, spam boasted of a price spike of 152 percent in two days and promised a five-day price target of $1. That same day, the company's stock closed at $.35 on a volume of more than 5 million shares. By Jan. 9, the closing share price was back down to $0.15. Advanced Powerline Technologies, iPackets International, Software Effective Solutions, Sports-stuff.com, and UBA Technology are among the other companies affected by the SEC suspensions. Secure Computing, a cybersecurity software vendor, praised the SEC for its action. The 35 companies suspended represent some of the most "mass-promoted" companies, the company said. There are more than 600 stock symbols sold on the Pink Sheets and OTC Bulletin Board exchanges that have been promoted through spam in the past year, the company said in an e-mail.
381089
Automotive parts maker and petrol and LPG distributor Ion Ltd was suspended from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange and had an administrator appointed after bankers withdrew support for the company.
401840
Scottish Equitable delays investors wanting to get money out of its property fund after a market downturn.
604256
Marsh &amp; McLennan Cos. said yesterday it was suspending its practice of using &quot;market services agreements&quot; with insurance carriers, which the New York attorney general has alleged were used to rig bids, cheating customers.
305699
By Byron Acohido  The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday suspended trading for 35 companies that allegedly benefited from spam e-mail campaigns to hype their thinly traded penny stocks.
608871
TORONTO (CP) - Iamgold Corp. was shut out of another big merger plan Tuesday after shareholders of South Africa&#39;s Gold Fields Ltd.
759933
Chinese net stock Sohu.com (Nasdaq: SOHU) dropped by 10% on Friday after the company announced that its multimedia messaging services with China Mobile Communication had been temporarily suspended for a year. The sanctions were ...
13987
Trading in shares of Chiron Corporation was halted today after United Kingdom regulators suspended its manufacturing license for a flu vaccine.
15460
Kenya's stock exchange halts trade and the shilling falls back against the dollar as violence continues.
429952
Business & money: Deal forced to be scrapped as the fallout from the sub-prime markets continues to spread
575375
Indonesia and Exxon Mobil Corp.  have halted negotiations on the disputed Natuna D-Alpha gas block, which is now controlled by the U.S. company, an official at energy watchdog BPMIGAS told Reuters on Tuesday.
302655
Shares in Air New Zealand were placed in a trading halt before the New Zealand Stock Exchange opened this morning. Air NZ requested its shares be placed on the halt before a High Court announcement on the
766212
The innovative Stamps.com program has been halted after its test run.
267592
(InfoWorld) - The Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the drastic step of suspending trading in shares of 35 companies whose stocks have frequently been touted in mass spam campaigns. SEC officials said on Feb. 8 that the firms involved -- none of which are household names -- have been the subject of repeated spam efforts meant to drive up trading of their securities and, subsequently, the value of the companies themselves. The trading bans will last for 10 days, after which shares in the involved companies will be unlocked -- unless the SEC's ongoing investigation proves any of the firms were involved in the e-mail schemes. While the ban might seem unfair to the businesses involved, especially if their names and securities were merely selected by scammers looking for penny stocks to inflate in so-called pump-and-dump operations, SEC officials said that in each business's case, there were sufficient questions raised regarding the "adequacy and accuracy" of information being advertised about the companies. Criminals have increasingly begun using spam to drive up interest in cheap stocks over the last several years. Before sending out mass messages about a specific firm, the individuals buy stock in the companies in the expectation that, with their e-mails, they can convince other people to purchase shares. When prices of the shares involved rise, the schemers sell off their own holdings, thus the pump-and-dump moniker. The spam messages, which often feature subject lines such as "Fast Money," have become one of the types of unwanted e-mail most frequently delivered to inboxes over the last year, alongside advertisements for prescription medications. Whenever misleading information is being widely distributed about a firm whose securities are traded, the SEC takes such actions, an agency representative said. "All we can say is that we suspend trading any time we think misinformation about specific securities is being reported," said Helene Glotzer, an SEC spokeswoman. "We're not making a statement that these companies themselves were behind the misstatements, but if the information is out there we feel it is important to let the investing public know; we'll continue our investigation, and if it is appropriate to take action against any of the companies, that is what we will do." The suspensions are part of an SEC initiative known as Operation Spamalot, which was launched specifically to shield investors from spam e-mail "hyping" small company stocks. SEC officials said that anyone who has received such e-mail will recognize the names of the companies who were suspended, as they are among the most frequently cited businesses in securities-related spam campaigns. The messages typically advertise some new product or impending deal that will increase the value of the companies and encourage investors to buy their low-priced securities, which are usually penny stocks. For instance, among the companies whose shares were suspended is Apparel Manufacturing Associates, a Bloomfield, Conn.-based firm that markets itself as a management and development company focused on the fashion arena. The SEC said that on Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, shares in Apparel Manufacturing closed at 6 cents, on a trading volume of 3,500 shares. After a weekend-long spam campaign using e-mails about the company advertising "huge news" that encouraged investors to "get in before the wire," trading volume in the stock rose to 484,568 shares on Monday, Dec. 18, with the price of the stock rising to more than 19 cents a share. The agency said that two days later the price had climbed to 45 cents per share, but one week after, Apparel Manufacturing's share price had fallen to 10 cents on trading volume of 65,350 shares. Calls to the company seeking comment on the stock suspension were not immediately returned. If the SEC investigation finds no link between the companies involved and the spam campaigns, their shares will be released for trading on March 21, 2007. SEC officials noted that the suspensions were all handed out to companies that are not subject to the SEC reporting requirements and whose shares are not listed on any exchange or on the OTC Bulletin Board. This means that brokers posting quotations for the purchase and sale of the securities are not required to conduct due diligence regarding the issuers, according to the agency. The 35 companies whose trading was suspended by the SEC are: Advanced Powerline Technologies, America Asia Petroleum, Amerossi International Group, Apparel Manufacturing Associates, Asgard Holdings, Biogenerics, China Gold, CTR Investments & Consulting, DC Brands International, Equal Trading, Equitable Mining, Espion International, Goldmark Industries, GroFeed, Healtheuniverse, Interlink Global, Investigative Services Agencies, iPackets International, Koko Petroleum, Leatt Corporation, LOM Logistics, Modern Energy, National Healthcare Logistics, Presidents Financial, Red Truck Entertainment, Relay Capital, Rodedawg International Industries, Rouchon Industries, Software Effective Solutions, Solucorp Industries, Sports-stuff.com, UBA Technology, Wataire Industries, WayPoint Biomedical Holdings, and Wineco Productions.
335534
NEW YORK - Marsh &amp; McLennan Cos. Inc. said yesterday that it was suspending its practice of using &quot;market services agreements&quot; with insurance carriers.