New York Times:
CF Industries announced Friday that all three of its nominees were elected to the board of rival fertilizer maker Terra Industries, potentially ending an 11-month takeover battle. (Read More)
The Guardian:
Reckitt Benckiser, the Cillit Bang and Dettol group, has bucked a falling market following reports it was close to announcing a major deal.A merger with US group Colgate Palmolive was one suggestion, as was a takeover of Durex maker SSL International, up 10p to 676.5p. But analysts played down the Colgate talk, saying if it (Read More)
Consumerist:
After yesterday's news that Comcast was considering getting in on the already-under-antitrust-scrutiny merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the original article has been updated to be slightly less bad. The Bloomberg article that we had cited has since been updated to better state rumors that Comcast is considering (Read More)
Wall Street Journal:
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Morgan Stanley have decided to delay and amend their initial plans to create a new securities firm by merging their brokerage units in Japan. (Read More)
The Guardian:
It is alleged that a former Cazenove partner bought shares in six companies between 2003 and 2005 after he left Cazenove. Cazenove is not involved in the caseA high-profile City insider dealing trial is in danger of collapsing following the illness of a key witness for the prosecution.The case being thrown into doubt involv (Read More)
The Guardian:
Large scale combined airline will appeal to investors keen to see both carriers stave off the effects of a deep recession and increased competition from no-frills operatorsIberia underlined why it needs a £4.3bn merger with British Airways this morning by reporting a loss during its profitable summer trading period.The Span (Read More)
The Guardian:
• £4bn merger with Iberia forced by heavy losses • Deal would open up new routes for passengersBritish Airways alarmed passengers a decade ago by removing the Union Jack from its tailfins. But they now have the prospect of the Spanish flag flying alongside the national airline as BA closes in on a £3.96bn merger with rival (Read More)
The Guardian:
The Crunchie fan may claim to be 'like a kid in a candy shop' - but others see him as taciturn, quiet, serious and work-focusedTodd Stitzer, the chief executive of Cadbury, is, it is fair to say, definitely no Milk Tray Man. He may claim to be "like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to my job", but others see something fa (Read More)
The Guardian:
Fate of hundreds of British workers hangs on the decision of major shareholders Warren Buffett and Nelson PeltzThe fate of Cadbury as a proudly independent confectioner, and the security of hundreds of jobs in the UK and Ireland, may hang on critical decisions taken this weekend by two towering figures in the stock-picking (Read More)
WSJ.com: Deal Journal - WSJ.com:
J.P. Morgan: Theodore Dimon is moving to the house his son has built. The 78-year-old broker is leaving Bank of America Merrill Lynch to join J.P. Morgan Chase, where his son, James Dimon, is CEO. The elder Dimon, according to Bloomberg, will join the Bear Stearns Private Client Services, a unit J.P. Morgan acquired in th (Read More)
The Guardian:
• Cosmen family seeks independent advice after failed Stagecoach merger • The company is now seeking to raise £350mNational Express's biggest investor, the Cosmen family, has been canvassing fellow shareholders to see if they concur with its opinion that a fresh strategic review for the transport operator is required and th (Read More)
Wall Street Journal:
For now, the much-ballyhooed M&A recovery remains all talk.Through Oct. 29, the dollar volume of announced world-wide merger and acquisitions was down 42% from September, according to data provider Dealogic. That made it the slowest month of the year. In the U.S., activity fell 46% from September, according to Dealogic.Thos (Read More)
The Guardian:
The Cosmens, who hold 18% of National Express and run its Spanish bus operations, feared that National Express risked losing further value for all shareholdersThe National Express saga turned nasty today when Spain's Cosmen family, the company's biggest shareholder, expressed "serious concerns" about its future and urged it (Read More)
The Guardian:
• Law-makers say trials must wait till March 2011 meeting• Use of extra assistants in Europa League means delayDespite the comments this month from the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, that he wished to explore goalline technology again, the International Football Association Board – which presides over the sport's laws – last (Read More)
paidContent.org:
Updated: Don’t think big thoughts when you look at that $1.8 billion-plus in IAC’s bank account: Barry Diller is sticking to his guns when it comes to major acquisitions. He told analysts during the Q3 earnings call that he’s more inclined to repatriate the money through buybacks, not through M&A investment. But Diller did (Read More)