STOCKS NEWS US-Midwest business activity less weak in June

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0954 ET 30June2009-Midwest business activity less weak in June
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Business activity in the U.S. Midwest contracted again in June but at a
slightly less severe rate than expected, a report showed on Tuesday.

The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago business barometer rose to 39.3
from 34.9 in May.

Economists had forecast the index at 39.0. A reading below 50 indicates
contraction in the regional economy.

For details, see [ID:nN3078228]

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
0942 ET 30June2009-Broadcom raises tender offer for Emulex
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Broadcom Corp (BRCM.O) late Monday raised its cash tender offer for storage
technology company Emulex Corp (ELX.N) to $912 million and changed the tenor of
its previously hostile takeover bid in what it called a final effort to engage
Emulex's board.

Broadcom boosted its cash bid to $11 a share from $9.25 and said it would
extend its tender offer as required for an additional 10 business days to July
14.

The wireless chipmaker said it was the best offer it planned to make, and
urged Emulex to support a friendly, negotiated deal.

For details, see [ID:nN29409334]

Shares of Broadcom rose 1.7 percent to $25.36 while Emulex shares slid 4.6
percent to $10.38.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
0930 ET 30June2009-Markets open modestly higher after data
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Major U.S. indexes opened flat on Tuesday, the last day of the quarter,
after data showed April home prices slid less than expected in April.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 0.1 percent to 8,533.23 while
the S&P 500 .SPX was flat at 926.95 and the Nasdaq .IXIC was up 0.1 percent
to 1,845.59.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
0915 ET 30June2009-GE joins up with Geron on stem cell research
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General Electric Co (GE.N) is joining forces with U.S. biotech company
Geron Corp (GERN.O) to develop products from human embryonic stem cells that
could be used to develop and test new drugs.

GE and Geron said their research would use batches of stem cell listed on a
National Institutes of Health registry, which would make the work eligible for
U.S. funding.

"This agreement marks a further step in GE Healthcare's cell technology
strategy aimed at addressing the potential of stem cell applications in the
drug discovery and therapy markets," said Konstantin Fiedler, general manager
of cell technologies at GE Healthcare.

For details, see [ID:nBNG514055]

Shares of GE, a Dow component, rose 0.6 percent to $11.83 while Geron
surged 17 percent to $7.80 before the bell.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
0909 ET 30June2009-Vical shares up after results of study
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Shares of Vical Inc (VICL.O) surged in premarket trading on Tuesday, after
the company said its vaccine against the H1N1 strain of influenza virus showed
positive immune response in preclinical study.

The vaccine candidate produced robust immune responses well above the
accepted protection threshold in all the vaccinated mice and rabbits after a
standard two-dose vaccine regimen, Vical said.

For details, see [ID:nBNG479155]

Shares soared 28.2 percent to $2.82.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
0907 ET 30June2009-NYC economy shrinks in June: NY NAPM
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Business activity in New York City returned to contraction in June after
briefly expanding in May, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.

The National Association of Purchasing Management-New York said its index
of local business conditions fell to 359.0 in June from 361.6 the previous
month.

NAPM's report also said its index of current business conditions fell to
44.8 in June from 61.3 in May. The 50 level separates growth from contraction.

For details, see [ID:nNYS005186]

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net