GOLD FIELDS PULLS CAUTIONARY ON FRANCO

SOUTH Africa’s Gold Fields has withdrawn a cautionary statement to shareholders regarding its proposed merger with Canada’s Franco Nevada. Gold Fields Chairman Chris Thompson said earlier this month that the $3.7bn merger was ”all but dead” after the South African government blocked the deal last year. A Gold Fields representative said that the withdrawal of the cautionary was necessary to comply with Johannesburg bourse regulations. But he added that the company could revive the deal if the government changed its mind. Speculation has mounted that world number one gold producer AngloGold Ltd is eyeing Gold Fields, the country’s second largest gold company with annual output of four million ounces. – Reuters