Aussie stocks touch record; Monadelphous rises

(Adds Monadelphous; updates indexes)

SYDNEY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Australian shares hit an all-time
high on Thursday, with record oil prices lifting resource firms
such as BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP.AX), while Telstra Corp Ltd
(TLS.AX) rose after lifting its 2008 profit forecast.

Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO rose as
much as 1.1 percent to an all-time high of 6,830.0, surpassing
its previous record reached on Oct. 15. It was trading up 0.8
percent, or 55.1 points, at 6,809.2 by 0211 GMT.

New Zealand's benchmark NZX-50 index .NZ50 edged up 0.1
percent, or 3.92 points, to 4,212.99. The top stock, Telecom
Corp of New Zealand Ltd (TEL.NZ), was down 0.9 percent at
NZ$4.30.

STOCKS ON THE MOVE

* Monadelphous Group (MND.AX) rose 2.3 percent to a record
A$17.23 after the engineering firm said it had won three
construction projects worth a total of about A$180 million
($168 million).

0211 GMT

* Travel firm Flight Centre Ltd (FLT.AX) extended early
gains to rise 3.7 percent to A$25.20 after it said it expected
its first-half profit in 2007/08 to rise about 40 percent from
a year ago [ID:nSYU003413].

0034 GMT

* Straits Resources Ltd (SRL.AX) climbed 4.9 percent to
A$6.69 after its Singapore-listed subsidiary Straits Asia
Resources Ltd (STRL.SI) announced an acquisition of a coal mine
in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, for US$350 million.

Straits Resources owns around a 50 percent stake in Straits
Asia.

0014 GMT

* Companies exposed to the U.S. economy rose on a more rosy
outlook for the world's largest economy.

Westfield Group (WDC.AX), the world's top shopping mall
operator, gained 0.7 percent to A$21.96 while building material
firm James Hardie Industries (JHX.AX) rose 1.1 percent to
A$6.54.

2343 GMT

* Energy firms advanced after U.S. crude futures CLc1 hit
a new record at $95.80 a barrel on Thursday after a steep drop
in U.S. inventories fueled winter supply concerns and the U.S.
Federal Reserve cut interest rates [ID:nSYD170956].

Woodside rose 1.6 percent to A$52.83, Oil Search Ltd
(OSH.AX) climbed 2.6 percent to A$4.36 and Santos Ltd (STO.AX)
rose 1.2 percent to A$14.20.

2342 GMT

* Shares in the world's top miner, BHP Billiton Ltd
(BHP.AX), which is also Australia's top oil and gas producer,
rose 1.8 percent to A$46.95.

Its main rival, Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX), climbed 2.7 percent
to A$113.00.

2340 GMT

* Westpac Banking Group (WBC.AX), Australia's
fourth-largest bank, rose 1.3 percent to A$30.93 after it beat
forecasts with a 9 percent rise in second-half cash profit and
said momentum was strong this year [ID:nSYD301274].

Among the other top banks, National Australia Bank Ltd
(NAB.AX) rose 0.7 percent to A$43.39, Commonwealth Bank of
Australia Ltd (CBA.AX) was up 0.6 percent at A$61.85 and
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX) rose 0.4
percent to A$30.22.

2339 GMT

* St George Bank Ltd SGB.AX, Australia's fifth-biggest
lender, rose 2.5 percent to A$37.24, adding to a 2.9 percent
rise in the previous session.

UBS raised its rating on St George to buy from neutral,
saying it expects the stock to be re-rated following
Wednesday's profit announcement.

2338 GMT

* Telstra Corp Ltd (TLS.AX), Australia's largest phone
company, rose 1.3 percent to A$4.74 after it lifted its 2008
profit forecast and its long-term growth estimates
[ID:nSYD4885].

2336 GMT

* Suncorp Metway Ltd (SUN.AX), Australia's second-biggest
car and home insurer, fell 0.9 percent to A$20.10.

The company said after the market close on Wednesday that
higher credit costs were expected to impact full-year profit by
A$10-A$15 million ($9.2-$13.8 million) in the current fiscal
year [ID:nSYD194237].

2336 GMT
($1=A$1.07)
($1=NZ$1.30)