Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The following are the top stories on metals, agriculture and shipping. COMMODITY EXCLUSIVES: Serbian Agriculture to Contract as Much as 4%, Chamber Says Serbia’s agriculture industry will probably shrink as much as 4 percent this year, more than estimated by the official Statistics Office, after a lengthy winter and heavy rainfall, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said. Anadarko Debtors Forgiving Spill in Bond Frenzy: Credit Markets Anadarko Petroleum Corp. sold $2 billion of notes that lack creditor protections against claims stemming from the worst oil spill in U.S. history, underscoring how corporations are gaining the upper hand over debt investors. Reliance Said to Be Operating Jamnagar VGO Unit at 40% Capacity Reliance Industries Ltd., owner of the world’s largest refining complex, is running a vacuum gasoil unit at its Jamnagar facility at 40 percent capacity, according to two people with knowledge of the plant’s operations. Transitgas Says Natural Gas Flows to Italy to Start Aug. 13 Transitgas AG, operator of a natural-gas pipeline across Switzerland to Italy, said flows through the link should resume on Aug. 13 after halting last month because of safety concerns, the company said in a statement on its website. Moscow Smog Curbs Bond Trading, Bankers Flee Capital (Update1) Record heat and drought in Russia are curbing stock and bond trading as bankers flee Moscow to escape acrid smoke from wildfires east of the capital. China’s July Coal Imports From South Africa Soar to Record China, the world’s biggest energy user, bought a record amount of coal in July from Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), taking advantage of lower prices at Africa’s largest export facility for the fuel. Jain Irrigation Profit Growth May Exceed 30% on Good Monsoon Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., the second-biggest maker of irrigation equipment, expects profit to grow more than 30 percent as bigger harvests leave farmers with more money to spend on drip water products in the winter months. INDUSTRIAL METALS: Copper Leads Metals Lower on China Property, Dollar Strength Copper paced a decline in industrial metals in Asia as some investors deemed the recent rally as excessive amid concerns that demand may slow as China’s property market cools. China’s Copper Imports Gain First Time in Four Months (Update2) Copper imports by China, the world’s largest consumer, climbed for the first time in four months as arbitrage traders sought profits by buying the metal in London and selling it in Shanghai. MINING: China Iron Ore Imports Post First Gain in Four Months (Update2) Iron ore imports by China, the largest buyer of the steelmaking ingredient, rose for the first time in four months in July, indicating steelmakers are restocking after depleting inventories. China’s Largest Gold Producer Shuts Mines for Checks (Update2) China’s largest gold-producing city halted output after a fire at a mine killed 16 workers, prompting investors to sell shares of Zijin Mining Group Co. and Shandong Gold Mining Co. European Stocks Retreat From 15-Week High; TUI Travel Slumps European and Asian stocks fell and U.S. index futures declined as reports added to evidence that Chinese economic growth is slowing and investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s latest policy statement. ArcelorMittal S. Africa Will Buy Owner in Sishen Mine (Update1) ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd., a unit of the world’s largest steelmaker, said it will buy all the shares in Imperial Crown Trading, which owns a portion of the prospecting rights in Kumba Iron Ore Ltd.’s Sishen mine. Norsk Hydro Delays Ramp-Up of Qatalum Aluminum Plant (Update1) Norsk Hydro ASA, Europe’s third- largest aluminum maker, delayed a planned increase in production at its Qatari Qatalum plant after a power failure halted output. Alumina First-Half Profit Surges 11-Fold on Prices (Update3) Alumina Ltd., partner in the world’s biggest producer of the material used to make aluminum, said first-half profit jumped 11-fold because of higher metal prices and sales volumes, allowing it to reinstate a dividend. PRECIOUS METALS: China’s Biggest Gold Producer Shuts Mines; Zijin Fall (Correct) China’s largest gold-producing city halted output after a fire at a mine killed 16 workers, prompting investors to sell shares of Zijin Mining Group Co. and Shandong Gold Mining Co. Commodities to Tumble as ‘Blob’ Eats Credit: Technical Analysis Commodities may skid 43 percent over the next 16 months, returning to the four-year low of February 2009, as deflationary concerns commandeer financial markets and drain credit, said Walter J. Zimmerman Jr., the chief technical analyst at United- ICAP in Jersey City, New Jersey. Gold Holdings Decline Isn’t Signaling ‘Big Exit’: Chart of Day Three weeks of declining gold holdings in exchange-traded funds doesn’t signal a “big exit,” according to UBS AG. Gold Falls, Ends Longest Rally Since November, as Dollar Gains Gold futures fell, snapping the longest rally since November, as the dollar’s rebound curbed demand for the precious metal as an alternative asset. AGRICULTURE: Wheat Falls for Third Day in Chicago as Rally Deemed Excessive Wheat futures declined for a third day on speculation that prices have risen more than justified on falling production in Russia because world stocks of the grain remain ample. Palm Oil Tumbles Most in More Three Months on Malaysia Exports Palm oil plunged the most in more than three months after reports showed that shipments from Malaysia, the second-biggest producer, declined this month. Sugar Falls 1.1% in London on Signs of Increased India Supplies White sugar fell for a fourth straight session in London on increased Indian supplies of the sweetener. Pakistan Floods May Spread as Heat Harms Russia, U.S. Midwest Pakistan’s deadliest floods that affected 13.8 million people may sweep through southern areas, increasing damage to crops and infrastructure. Extreme heat and smoke from wildfires forced people to flee Moscow. Ginger Price in China May Fall on New Harvest, Ministry Says The price of ginger in China may drop when a new harvest starting in September boosts supply, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement on its website. Ukraine’s Corn Crop Damaged From Drought, Grain Group Head Says Ukraine’s corn crop will be 10 percent lower than previously forecast because of drought, Volodymyr Klymenko, the head of the grain association, said at a press conference today. SHIPPING: Middle East Supertanker Excess Remains Unchanged From Last Week A surplus of supertankers competing to haul 2 million- barrel cargoes of Middle East oil stayed unchanged, curbing owners’ ability to profit as demand strengthens. Marseille Oil-Port Workers Go on Strike, Inchape Shipping Says Workers at the Fos and Lavera oil terminals at the French port of Marseille declared a strike, Inchcape Shipping Services said on its website. The action will start Aug. 20 at 6 a.m. and finish at the same time a day later, Inchcape said. Middle East Tankers Flat on ‘Substantial’ Excess, DnB NOR Says DnB NOR Markets shipping analysts Henrik With and Glenn Lodden comment in an e-mailed report on supply and demand for supertankers collecting 2 million-barrel cargoes of Middle East crude oil. LNG Storage Off Fujairah May Equal Six Months of China Demand Liquefied natural gas tankers anchored off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates may be storing the equivalent of about six months of China’s average purchases.

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