MUMBAI: Indian markets were firm after a strong opening Monday taking cues from the positive global cues. All the sectoral indices were in the green with realty, metals and banks in the lead.

“US markets closed up and Asian markets are positive. Asian stocks rose, led by commodity producers, as copper and oil prices increased and sales of existing homes in the US surged the most on record, fuelling speculation a global economic recovery is strengthening. For the day we expect our markets to open up and rally,” said Niket Shah, associate research analyst, Institutional Equity, Religare Capital Markets.

At 10:22 am, Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex was at 15509.56, up 268.73 points or 1.76 per cent. The index touched an intra-day high of 15530.40 and low of 15362.93.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was 4606.10, up 77.30 points or 1.71 per cent. The broader index hit a high of 4612.65 and low of 4536.95.

“Trend deciding level for the day is 4489 / 15117. If Nifty trades above this level during the first half-an-hour of trade then we may witness a further rally up to 4578 – 4627 / 15399 - 15557. However, if Nifty trades below 4489 / 15117 for the first half-an-hour of trade then it may correct up to 4440 / 14959,” said Angel Broking note.

BSE Midcap Index was up 1.72 per cent and BSE Smallcap Index moved 1.85 per cent higher.

Amongst the sectoral indices, BSE Realty Index gained 3.45 per cent, BSE Metal Index advanced 2.44 per cent and BSE Auto Index rose 2 per cent.

Jaiprakash Associates (3.47%), Sterlite Industries (3.25%), Hindalco Industries (2.84%), ICICI Bank (2.78%) and TCS (2.59%) were amongst the Sensex gainers and no losers.

In what could be the biggest deal in the health care sector, leading hospital chain Fortis is finalising a pact for buying 10 of Wockhardt's hospitals in Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore for up to Rs 1,200 crore. Shares of Fortis Healthcare were up 4.27 per cent on the BSE.

Buoyed by hopes of global economic recovery, Asian markets rose Monday. The Nikkei surged 2.94 per cent, Hang Seng added 1.94 per cent and Taiwan Weighted moved 2.94 per cent up.

US stocks ended the week at 2009 highs on Friday after a surprising rise in home sales and optimistic comments from Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke reassured investors about the prospects for an economic recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 155.91 points, or 1.67 per cent, to end at 9,505.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 18.76 points, or 1.86 per cent, to 1,026.13. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 31.68 points, or 1.59 per cent, to 2,020.90.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Sensex-scales-above-15500-realty-metals-up/
articleshow/4927242.cms

Fresno & Vicinity Sheet Metal purchased the industrial warehouse at 5410 E. Home Ave. in Fresno, CA, from a private trust for $1.45 million, or about $78 per square foot.

The 18,528-square-foot building was constructed in 1982 and includes approximately 6,000 square feet of remodeled office space.

Peter Suddjian of The Suddjian Co. represented the buyer, while Michael Ryan of Colliers Tingey represented the seller.

Please see CoStar COMPS #1733049 for more information on this transaction.
http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=063C7392569200BD665B4EAEA9FEA3EA

Fund selling clipped gold futures Friday as stronger-than-expected payrolls data sapped their safe-haven allure and a muscular U.S. dollar pressured prices.

August gold dipped $19.70 to settle at $962.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Shortly after gold closed, the ICE Futures U.S. dollar index was up nearly 1.5%.

The funds essentially were unwinding a "rash" of buying that came in recent sessions on dollar weakness, said Michael Gross, broker and futures analyst with OptionSellers.com.

The funds were selling short, as well as liquidating some long positions, said George Gero, vice president with RBC Capital Markets Global Futures.

"The payrolls data were not as bad as everybody expected," he said. "That probably changed some portfolio managers' minds about the time it would take the economy to recover."

Non-farm payrolls slid 345,000 in May, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday, well below the 525,000 decline economists had expected.

"Down the road that will be inflationary, but that took some of the risk premium out of gold," said Sterling Smith, vice president with FuturesOne.

Last month's payrolls drop was the smallest since September 2008, when the recession intensified in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

"This is good news," said Bill O'Neill, a principal with LOGIC Advisors. "The reality is that it lessens the crisis mentality. The alternative asset demand is lessened."

Silver futures took their cue from gold. Comex July silver fell 50.7 cents to settle at $15.388 an ounce.

"Silver just kind of follows gold," Gero said.

Meanwhile, Nymex July platinum fell $7.10 to settle at $1,286.20 an ounce, while September palladium on the exchange gained $4.40 to settle at $259.80 an ounce.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090605-711547.html

 * Copper turns positive as equity markets strengthen

 * Copper canceled warrants fall

 * Aluminum stocks hit record above 3.88 mln tonnes
(Recasts, updates prices, market activity to New York close; new byline,
dateline, previously LONDON)

 By Carole Vaporean

 NEW YORK, May 14 (Reuters) - Copper moved into positive territory after
regular trading hours on Thursday as investors took their cue from rising
equity markets.

 Earlier, copper had closed lower after slumping to a two-week low. Another
round of weak U.S. economic data raised more doubts about economic recovery and
copper also came under pressure from concerns about waning Chinese demand.

 Benchmark copper MCU3 on the London Metal Exchange traded at $4,315 a
tonne, the lowest since April 30. But the metal used in power and construction
ended at $4,445 a tonne, up a touch from $4,440 at the close on Wednesday.

 On the New York Mercantile Exchange's COMEX, copper for July delivery
HGN9 closed down 0.40 cent at $2.0270 a lb. Overnight, the contract touched
$1.9670, its lowest level since April 29.

 In after-hours trade, LME copper moved up to $4,475 a tonne and COMEX July
copper rose to $2.05 per lb.

 Copper pulled up off session lows as U.S. equity markets moved higher.
Selling in both markets has attracted investors looking to put cash to work.

 "The copper market turned right around the same time as the S&P (500 stock
index) started to move into positive territory and the stock market started to
do better," said Sterling Smith, vice president with FuturesOne in Chicago.

 U.S. share prices rose as technology shares rebounded. A surprisingly large
rise in weekly jobless claims also boosted interest in defensive shares such as
consumer staples and healthcare. [.N]

 News the U.S. administration plans to oversee over-the-counter derivatives
markets also helped copper. Smith explained the move should eventually restore
investor confidence and make banks more willing to lend, boosting the economy.

 The plan proposes tighter supervision and monitoring of derivatives dealers
to get a better grip on a global market estimated at $450 trillion, blamed for
risk-taking that set off the global financial crisis.  [ID:nN13414280]

 "When they get that in place, copper will directly benefit because it is
the raw metal of the economy. It goes into cars, houses, into electrical
lines," he said.

 Meanwhile, some remain afraid China will curb copper purchases.

 Barclays Capital analyst Gayle Berry said the market was still worried
about Chinese demand, but still may have judged recent selling as overdone.

 Copper prices declined earlier this week on the notion that Chinese
government and consumer stockpiling may be ending as the market looks ahead to
a seasonally weak period for metals demand. China is the world's largest
consumer of copper, accounting for about 30 percent of global demand.

 "Chinese buying will be difficult to sustain," Berry said.

 STRUGGLE TO MAKE SENSE

 Shedding light on future price direction are canceled warrants -- stock
tagged for delivery -- in LME warehouses.

 Latest data showed canceled warrants slipped to 72,525 tonnes -- still a
hefty 20 percent of total stocks at 370,650 tonnes -- from 76,225 the day
before.

 Overall copper stocks in LME warehouses fell 3,100 tonnes on May 14 and are
down nearly a third since late February.

 Aluminum stocks hit a record above 3.88 million tonnes on May 14 and could
reach 4 million tonnes soon. [nLC786254]

 Prices for the metal, used in transport and packaging, have recovered
alongside copper, but prospects are seen as weak because the anemic auto sector
is not expected to recover soon.

 Three-month aluminum fell to $1,500 a tonne, the lowest since May 1. It
closed at $1,531 from $1,525 on Wednesday.

 Zinc MZN3, used to galvanize steel, and battery material lead MPB3 fell
to two-week lows of $1.432 and $1,380 a tonne.

 Zinc MZN3 was last at $1,495 from $1,476 a tonne, lead MPB3 at $1,430
from $1,455 and tin MSN3 at $13,600 from Wednesday's last bid at $13,700 a
tonne. Nickel MNI3 closed at $12,550 a tonne, from $12,450.

 Nickel stocks at above 111,000 tonnes are more than twice their level of a
year ago.

 Metal Prices at 1628 GMT
Metal            Last      Change  Pct Move   End 2008   Ytd Pct

                                                         move
COMEX Cu       202.30       -1.40     -0.69     139.50     45.02
LME Alum      1530.00        5.00     +0.33    1535.00     -0.33
LME Cu        4445.00        5.00     +0.11    3060.00     45.26
LME Lead      1435.00      -20.00     -1.37     999.00     43.64
LME Nickel   12450.00        0.00     +0.00   11700.00      6.41
LME Tin      13675.00     -225.00     -1.62   10700.00     27.80
LME Zinc      1495.00       19.00     +1.29    1208.00     23.76
SHFE Alu     12740.00     -135.00     -1.05   11540.00     10.40
SHFE Cu*     35600.00    -1940.00     -5.17   23840.00     49.33
SHFE Zin     12430.00     -375.00     -2.93   10120.00     22.83
** 1st contract month for COMEX copper
* 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07

 (Additional reporting by Rebekah Curtis, Veronica Brown and Pratima Desai;
Editing by David Gregorio)
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLE87711620090514

Fans who’d eagerly bought Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music when it came out in 1975 soon returned to their music stores in droves, demanding refunds and complaining that the record was broken. MMM is Reed’s most controversial record, the black sheep in his catalog: a 64-minute double album that consists almost entirely of jarring, swelling guitar feedback. Was it a joke? Was he serious? The argument endures among music fans to this day, but regardless of his motives, the album has a secure place in rock history as one of the most unlistenable records of all time. Last night Reed recreated the chaos of the album with his Metal Machine Trio in the first of two shows at the Gramercy Theatre in New York.

The small venue was probably only half full and its patrons consisted mostly of intellectual types and hard-core Reed fans. Long before the band came on, the sound system was playing an unnerving dissonant loop that seemed to keep getting louder. When they took the stage, Reed and his band, tenor saxophonist Ulrich Kreiger and Continuum (a touch sensitive MIDI keyboard) player Sarth Calhoun wasted little time for pleasantries before they dove into the apocalyptic rush, although Reed announced appreciatively beforehand, “I just want to tell you how happy I am to see you all here tonight.” There were no “songs,” but instead the musicians churned out a continuous blaring fog that rose and decreased in its deafening intensity, marked by shrill electronic shrieks, long demented sax solos and Reed’s occasional yelling voice.

Although the music was played in the same spirit as the original album, it had much more direction, making it more listenable. Saxophonist Kreiger was an extremely talented soloist. He saw the noisy mass not as an opportunity to play as manically as possible, but as landscape ripe for tasteful musical exploration. His soloing, which provided a leading musical voice throughout the performance, ranged from strange and jagged to bluesy.

Reed, who seemed good-humored, looked youthful and vibrant. He was seated behind a tall rack stuffed with dozens of pedals, effects and switches. He would viciously attack and twist the buttons, adding a deafening warble, a squealing death howl or some other unearthly sound to the mix. At one point he shouted the lyrics of “Coney Island Baby” into the microphone, looped his voice, and then manipulated it to frightening and unrecognizable degrees.

Toward the second half of the show the music calmed down and Reed got ready to play guitar. This was when people started to leave. It was as if a quiet illness had come over the audience. People would slowly get up and then stagger through the aisle to get out. Others had started staring at a young man near the front row who kept erupting into inexplicable fits of laughter.

As Reed started chugging a low note on his guitar, the band proceeded to play its most coherent and listenable passage of the night. Calhoun started playing his Continuum as if it was a throbbing Hammond organ, creating a low undulating swarm of sound. The band then ferociously climaxed and Reed emerged with a triumphant power chord riff. He kept on playing it, letting it ring out against the otherwise thorny music.

At the end of the show the controversy surrounding the album had manifested itself visibly: almost a quarter of the original audience had left. Many people who had stayed seemed to have done so as a matter of pride. Their faces looked pained and anguished. Some people had a look of pleasant calm, however. The band themselves had been grinning through their performance, having a good time as the music got louder and more unbearable. The guy who’d kept on laughing near the front row, he’d got it right.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/24/lou-reed-brings-controversial-metal-machine-music-to-new-york/

Kasto has developed space-saving modular systems that allow sheet metal, finished parts and other goods to be stored and automatically delivered to workstations.

Kasto has introduced the automated Uniline single- or double-sided system for single-deep storage.

This system is suitable for medium-size volumes requiring approximately 200 to 800 storage locations and up to 30 automatic picks per hour.

The rigid gantry crane is a double-mast unit, featuring handling equipment that moves up and down between the masts.

The crane's pull/push technology moves the system pallet via a precision roller chain and carriers fastened on the chain.

Special plastic tracks/glideways accept the pallet in the shelf block and on the handling stations.

Because of the large support area and the consequent low surface pressure, these tracks work for many years without lubrication or maintenance.

Two precision roller chains are used for the lift movement, while drives store and retrieve.

The drive and the control for the gantry crane are synchronised so that only one drive moves at maximum speed, while the other travels only as fast as necessary.

Deceleration is calculated to ensure pinpoint accuracy on arrival at the designated storage location and to reduce energy consumption.

The storage locations and gantry crane are equipped with sensors to monitor load height.

KastolVR, the inventory control computer, uses this information to store the loaded pallet in a way that maximises space.

To check the height of the load, a scale can be integrated into the pallets; alternatively, the stations can be equipped with weighing cells.

Kasto also offers the Unitower C sheet-metal tower (in which the material is removed manually) and the Unitower B single- or double-sided automatic sheet-metal storage units.

They have a large storage-to-footprint ratio up to heights of 20 metres.

A maximum of 100 storage locations can accept loads to five tonnes.

They can handle and store long stock such as flats, bar and sheet.

Towers can be designed with wall and roof cladding for external locations.

In facilities with production on more than one level, storage and removal stations are possible on all floors.

Kasto's honeycomb Unicompact range is suitable for larger sheet-metal storage systems and is used in many steel and metal-distribution centres.

This system offers high storage density, synchronous vertical and horizontal movement of the gantry crane and optimised, intelligent storage according to whether the stock is fast, medium or slow moving.

Cassette removal and replacement of the previously picked cassette is carried out in one sequence for efficient handling and stock can be output to various discharge points or commissioning tables to serve multiple sheet-processing stations.

Double-deep storage of cassettes is an option, according to storage density and speed of pick required.

These systems are built to heights of between four and 26 metres and for cassettes with a capacity of up to eight tonnes.

The storage volume is between 500 and 4,000 cassettes.

Because of dynamic drives for operating the gantry crane, up to 60 cycles an hour are possible.

Weighing devices can be optionally integrated into the gantry crane or the work stations.

Modularity allows alterations to be made at a future date to the size of the store and to the handling equipment.

This ensures the sheet-metal storage system can adapt over time to changes in machine inventory and/or a need for increased storage capacity.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/riv/riv197.html

Directory guides readers towards sheet metal working equipment and suppliers, giving a clear and informative list of equipment, tooling, and consumables companies.

Sheet Metal Guy has announced its new Industry Directory, which is believed to be the most comprehensive resource for businesses in the metal forming, fabricating, and welding industries.

The directory provides decision makers with a clear and informative list of companies who supply new equipment, tooling, and consumables to the industry, said Sheet Metal Guy.

"We get calls and email every day asking about CNC punch presses, lasers and other machinery.

Some are looking for spare parts others want new equipment or supplies.

The Industry Directory will help these people find what they need quicker," said Joe Bucalo, president and Sheet Metal Guy.

The directory is an invaluable resource to help find contact information and help others find you.

The dirctory is part of the Sheet Metal Guy Web site.

The Industry Directory continues to expand as new resources are being added daily.

Company listings are free for qualified suppliers.

* About Sheet Metal Guy - Sheet Metal Guy, LLC, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, was formed to help increase the productivity of designers and manufacturers through education.

As a publisher of books and other materials, the company's primary focus is to provide high quality, cost effective training for the design and manufacture of sheet metal parts and assemblies.

Sheet Metal Guy is focused on designing easy to understand, self-paced training books for all knowledge levels of 3D CAD software users.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/shv/shv112.html