Coverage on (AAUKY) (BHP) (BOBE) (CEPH) (CSCO) Initiated

Coverage on Anglo American plc (NASDAQ: AAUKY), BHP Billiton ADR (NYSE: BHP), Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: BOBE), Cephalon, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) initiated by analysts.

RBS initiated coverage on Anglo American plc (AAUKY). They placed a “buy” rating on the company.

RBS initiated coverage on BHP Billiton (BHP). They placed a “buy” rating on the company.

Miller Tabak initiated coverage on Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (BOBE). They placed a “hold” rating and a price target of $35.00 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) initiated coverage on Cephalon, Inc. (CEPH). They placed a “neutral” rating and a price target of $75.00 on the company.

BGC Financial initiated coverage on Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO). They placed a “buy” rating and a price target of $24.00 on the company.

Ventana (VEN) (CSI) (AAL) Trade Mixed as Gold, Silver Rise Again

Shares of most gold miners were up as gold soared again Thursday, although Ventana Gold (TSE:VEN), Colossus Minerals (TSE:CSI) and Anglo American (LSE:AAL) trading mixed.

Gold for June delivery climbed $16.80 to settle at $1,472.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Silver jumped $1.427, or 3.6 percent, to $41.664 an ounce.

The collapsing U.S. dollar, tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, increasing inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative catalysts affecting the price movements.

The U.S. dollar was close to session lows, resulting in a further impetus to gold. The U.S. currency traded as low as 74.617, its lowest level since December 2009.

In base metals trading, May copper dropped 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound, July platinum increased $18.40 to $1,795.60 an ounce and June palladium was up $8.95 to $774.25 an ounce.

Ventana Gold closed Thursday level in Toronto at $13.05. Colossus Minerals closed at $8.41, up $0.02, or 0.24 percent. Anglo American closed in London at 3,136.00, falling 10.50, or 0.33 percent.

Vale SA (NYSE:VALE) Ready to Resume Record Performance

Brazilian miner Vale SA (NYSE:VALE) is looking forward to "a very, very good year," following the company's record financial results in 2010, Chief Executive Roger Agnelli said Friday.

Agnelli told analysts on a conference call that "2010 was the best" and that "higher output of all our products, including iron ore, nickel and copper" bode well for 2011's results.

Global copper prices look set to reach record highs this year, the Vale CEO said.

Vale reported late Thursday that its fourth-quarter earnings rose nearly four-fold to $5.917 billion, contributing to a record-high annual profit of $17.264 billion, about 21% above its previous best in 2008.

Revenue, profit margin and investments also reached record levels, which the company said put it ahead of peers BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE:BHP), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), XStrata (LSE:XTA) and Anglo American PLC (LSE:AAL).




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Anglo American (LON:AAL), Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) All Drop As Gold Prices Fall

Gold miners have been taking a hit today, especially right before noon, when traders tend to make their moves, and gold prices along with it. Anglo American (LON:AAL) (AAUKF:PK), Kinross Gold Corp (TSE:K) (NYSE:KGC) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) all dropped in unison with gold prices during that time.

Anglo American was down to 2,358.00 in London, shedding $115.50, or 4.67 percent, as of 11:35 AM EDT. In New York there were no trades, and it stands at $38.90 in the pink sheets.

AngloGold Ashanti fell to $42.61, a loss of $0.53, or 1.23 percent, as of
12:44 PM EDT.

Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) lost $0.51 to drop to $15.16, a loss of 3.25 percent at 12:46 PM EDT.

After a quick start today, spot gold prices started to fall a little before 11:00 AM, an are now at $1,193.50, a loss of $10.50.

Anglo American (LSE:AAL) Rating Upwardly Revised by Moody's

Moody's Increases Anglo American Rating

Anglo American (LSE:AAL) received an upwardly revised outlook on their Baa1/P-2 senior unsecured ratings from Moody's, as they changed them from negative to stable.

Much of the reason for being revised upward according to Moody's was improved operations and a more favorable economic climate perceived to be in the beginnings of recovery.

Operationally, Moody's felt there was increased productivity while costs were being lowered, which should help the operating cash flow of the company, generating the better outlook. Operating profit had plunged in 2009 by over 50 percent.

On the macroeconomic side, the demand for commodities, even in recessionary times like these is increasing, and Anglo should benefit strongly from that, assuming it's sustainable.