FOREXLEARNING

Apache to buy Mariner for $2.7 billion »

(Reuters) – Apache Corp (APA.N) said it will acquire smaller oil and natural gas explorer Mariner Energy Inc (ME.N) for $2.7 billion, in a bid to extend its operations into deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Deals

Apache said the stock and cash deal valued Mariner’s common stock at $26.22 per share, a 45 percent premium over its Wednesday [...]

GM posts $4.3 billion loss, says 2010 profit possible »

DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co posted a net loss for 2009, but said it was possible to make a profit this year and that it was laying the foundation to return to public ownership.

GM reported a $4.3 billion 2009 net loss covering the period from its emergence from bankruptcy in July through the end [...]

Dai-ichi Life gains on debut after $11 billion IPO »

TOKYO (Reuters) – Dai-ichi Life Insurance rose 14 percent on its debut on Thursday after pricing its $11 billion IPO at a discount to rivals, but investors remain wary of its growth prospects outside a mature Japanese market.

Deals  |  Asian Markets

The IPO was the world’s largest since Visa Inc’s $19.7 billion offering two years ago and was [...]

Geely signs $1.8 billion deal for Ford’s Volvo car unit »

Geely signs $1.8 billion deal for Ford’s Volvo car unit
GOTHENBURG, Sweden
(Reuters) – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, China’s largest private-run car maker, agreed on Sunday to buy Ford Motor’s (
F.N
) Volvo car unit for $1.8 billion, the country’s biggest overseas auto purchase.
The takeover underscores China’s arrival as a major force [...]

Teva to buy Ratiopharm for nearly $5 billion »

TEVA.TA
) has won the battle for German generic drugmaker Ratiopharm, paying an enterprise value of 3.625 billion euros to fix the industry leader’s weakness in the world’s second-largest generics market.
Teva, which beat U.S. drugs powerhouse Pfizer (
PFE.N
) and Iceland’s Actavis in the race for Ratiopharm, said the combined company would have [...]

$4 billion yanked from stock funds in February (Reuters) »

BOSTON (Reuters) –
Investors in February pulled an estimated $3.7 billion from U.S. stock-focused mutual funds, dashing hopes of a rebound in demand for equities, while showering $19.7 billion on
, according to a report from Morningstar.
U.S. stock funds
last year, analysts thought the trend might have turned around in January, when investors added a [...]

MetLife buying AIG’s Alico unit for $15.5 billion »

MetLife buying AIG’s Alico unit for $15.5 billion
AIG.N
MET.N
) for about $15.5 billion, its second major asset sale in a week as it raises funds to repay a $182.3 billion U.S. government bailout.
MetLife said on Monday that it would pay AIG $6.8 billion in cash and about $8.7 billion in equity for [...]

China banks absorbed $170 billion FX swaps in ‘09: report »

Chinese commercial banks absorbed about $170 billion in foreign exchange from the financial system last year, mainly through yuan-dollar swaps, state media on Wednesday cited a former official as saying.
The Shanghai Securities News cited Xu Shanda, former deputy head of the State Administration of Taxation, as saying that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange [...]

StanChart year profit tops $5 billion, strong January »

StanChart year profit tops $5 billion, strong January
STAN.L
) met expectations with a 13 percent jump in 2009 profit, as strong investment banking growth in its core Asian markets offset a jump in bad debts in the Middle East.
The bank said it would give bonuses to management, unlike many London-listed rivals, and pay [...]

Prudential confirms to buy AIG Asia for $35.5 billion »

Prudential confirms to buy AIG Asia for $35.5 billion
PRU.L
AIG.N
) Asian life insurance arm for $35.5 billion, making it the undisputed foreign leader in one of the world’s fastest-growing financial services markets.
The acquisition of AIA will be funded by a rights issue of $21 billion including costs and fees, the biggest ever [...]