LDK Solar completes sale of stake in Chinese plant AP (November 20, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - LDK Solar Co. Ltd., a Chinese maker of parts for solar cells, on Friday said it completed the sale of a 15 percent ownership stake in a polysilicon plant in China for about $219 million.
EU extends Oracle/Sun review deadline until Jan 27 AP (November 20, 2009) BRUSSELS (AP) - European Union regulators said Friday that they have extended until Jan. 27 a deadline to wrap up their antitrust review of Oracle Corp.'s planned $7.4 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc.
Vivendi inching closer to decision on NBC AP (November 20, 2009) PARIS (AP) - Media and entertainment conglomerate Vivendi SA is nearing a decision on whether to sell its stake in NBC Universal, which would clear the way for the creation of one of the most powerful media companies in the world.
Volkswagen board moves closer to Porsche merger AP (November 20, 2009) FRANKFURT (AP) - German carmaker Volkswagen AG said Friday its supervisory board had approved certain agreement contracts for the planned merger with German sportscar builder Porsche, taking the companies one step closer to completing the deal.
JP Morgan takes over Cazenove joint venture AP (November 19, 2009) LONDON (AP) - U.S. bank J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. said Thursday it has bought full control of J.P. Morgan Cazenove in a 1 billion pound ($1.67 billion) deal with its joint venture partner, the venerable London financial house Cazenove Group Ltd.
Hershey, Ferrero confirm interest in Cadbury AP (November 18, 2009) LONDON (AP) - Chocolate makers The Hershey Co. and Ferrero International SA say they are considering a possible offer for Cadbury PLC, which is already the target of a hostile bid by Kraft Foods Inc.
American Express to buy Case's Revolution Money AP (November 18, 2009) ST PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - American Express says it will buy Revolution Money for about $300 million in an effort to stay current with ever-changing technology in the marketplace.
Applied Materials offers to buy Semitool for $364M AP (November 17, 2009) SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Applied Materials Inc. said Tuesday it offered to buy Semitool Inc. for $364 million in cash, a move the company says will broaden its portfolio of chip manufacturing equipment.
Cisco raises bid for Tandberg to $3.4 billion AP (November 16, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - Cisco Systems Inc. said Monday it raised its bid for Norway's Tandberg ASA after only a fraction of Tandberg shareholders agreed to Cisco's initial offer.
Broadcast pioneer NBC prepares for cable takeover AP (November 16, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - Eight decades after pioneering the concept of broadcasting, NBC is on the verge of a startling move that illustrates broadcast television's decline.
Motorola buys broadband TV company BitBand AP (November 16, 2009) SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (AP) - Motorola Inc. said Monday it has agreed to acquire BitBand Technologies Ltd., a company that makes equipment for delivering television over broadband connections.
TTM Technologies to buy Meadville assets for $521M AP (November 16, 2009) SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - TTM Technologies Inc. said Monday it has agreed to buy the printed circuit board business of Meadville Holdings Ltd. for $521 million in cash and stock.
Devon Energy to sell Gulf of Mexico assets, others AP (November 16, 2009) OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Independent oil and gas producer Devon Energy Corp. said Monday it will divest its Gulf of Mexico and international assets.
BA confirms board talks on Iberia merger deal AP (November 12, 2009) LONDON (AP) - British Airways PLC and Spanish airline Iberia SA confirmed they are holding separate board meetings Thursday about a long-awaited merger, responding to feverish speculation that has sent the companies' shares soaring.
Syngenta acquires 2 seed companies in California AP (November 12, 2009) BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Swiss agrochemicals company Syngenta AG said Thursday it has acquired two lettuce seed companies based in California.
United Technologies to buy GE's security business AP (November 12, 2009) HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - United Technologies Corp. on Thursday said it will acquire General Electric Co.'s fire detection and security business for $1.82 billion.
FirstMerit buying 24 branches of First Bank AP (November 11, 2009) AKRON, Ohio (AP) - FirstMerit Corp. said Wednesday that it will enter the Chicago-area banking market by buying 24 branches and $1.2 billion in deposits from First Bank for about $42 million.
Electronic Arts acquires Playfish for $275 million AP (November 09, 2009) REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) - Video game publisher Electronic Arts says it has acquired Playfish, a privately held company that makes social network games, for $275 million in cash.
Cadbury rejects $16.4B hostile bid from Kraft AP (November 09, 2009) LONDON (AP) - British candy maker Cadbury PLC has rejected a hostile 9.8 billion pound ($16.4 billion) hostile takeover bid from Kraft Foods Inc.
Microsoft to buy SourceGear assets AP (November 09, 2009) REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. said Monday it will buy some assets of SourceGear LLC that will bolster its software design products.
JDA Software to buy i2 for about $434 million AP (November 05, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - JDA Software Group Inc., which makes inventory management software for retailers, said Thursday it has agreed to buy rival i2 Technologies Inc. for about $434 million.
IMS Health to be bought for $4 billion by TPG, CPP AP (November 05, 2009) NORWALK, Conn. (AP) - Health care data company IMS Health Inc. said Thursday it is being bought by investment funds TPG Capital and CPP Investment Board for $4 billion.
Panasonic begins tender offer for Sanyo takeover AP (November 05, 2009) TOKYO (AP) - Panasonic Corp. said Thursday it has started its bid to take over smaller rival Sanyo Electric Co. for an estimated 402 billion yen ($4.4 billion), moving closer to create one of the world's biggest electronics makers.
Merck, now No. 2 drugmaker, set for future buys AP (November 04, 2009) WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. (AP) - The new Merck & Co. becomes the world's second-biggest drugmaker overnight, and it's boasting a fat wallet to fund future deals.
Terra rejects CF's latest takeover offer AP (November 04, 2009) SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Fertilizer company Terra Industries Inc. on Wednesday rejected its bigger rival CF Industries' latest unsolicited takeover offer, saying the $4.1 billion bid was still too low.
Germany fumes over GM ditching Opel sale to Magna AP (November 04, 2009) BERLIN (AP) - Germany's politicians fumed with anger and Opel workers cancelled cost concessions and readied walkouts after General Motors Co. abandoned the sale of its European subsidiary to parts maker Magna International and Russian bank Sberbank.
Merck, now No. 2 drugmaker, set for future buys AP (November 04, 2009) TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The new Merck & Co. has become the world's second-biggest drugmaker overnight with a huge acquisition, but it still has a fat wallet and plans more wheeling and dealing.
Groups representing Mass. tech firms to merge AP (November 04, 2009) BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) - Two organizations that represent the interests of technology companies in Massachusetts are combining forces.
Stanley sees cost savings in Black & Decker deal AP (November 03, 2009) CHICAGO (AP) - Tool makers Stanley Works and Black & Decker Corp. are betting that together they can wring out more profit and better position themselves for a housing market recovery than they could apart.
Osiris gets $15M milestone payment from NuVasive AP (November 03, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - Osiris Therapeutics Inc. said Tuesday it received a $15 million payment from NuVasive Inc., the final milestone fee linked to the sale of Osiris' bone graft stem cell business.
Landry's Restaurants OKs $1.2B acquisition offer AP (November 03, 2009) HOUSTON (AP) - The chairman and CEO of Landry's Restaurants Inc. finally got what he was after Tuesday, as the restaurant owner's board approved his $1.2 billion all-cash offer to take the company private.
Buffett's Berkshire buying Burlington Northern RR AP (November 03, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Tuesday agreed to buy Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., making a $34 billion bet on the future of the U.S. economy.
Merck completes $41B purchase of Schering-Plough AP (November 03, 2009) WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey drugmakers Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. have made their longtime partnership permanent.
Insurer Aetna completes Horizon Behavioral deal AP (November 03, 2009) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Managed care company Aetna Inc. said Tuesday it has completed a $70 million acquisition of employee assistance program provider Horizon Behavioral Services LLC.
Dakotas 2 largest health care systems merge AP (November 03, 2009) FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The two largest health systems in the Dakotas became one Monday, forming what officials said is the nation's largest not-for-profit rural health care provider.
Union backs American Airlines antitrust immunity AP (October 29, 2009) FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The union representing flight attendants at American Airlines is supporting the company's bid to win antitrust immunity and work more closely with British Airways and Iberia.
Ford: China's Geely preferred bidder for Volvo AP (October 28, 2009) DETROIT (AP) - Ford Motor Co. has picked a consortium led by China's Geely Group as the preferred bidder to buy its Swedish Volvo Cars unit, the U.S. automaker said Wednesday.
Vishay to spin off 2 businesses to shareholders AP (October 27, 2009) MALVERN, Pa. (AP) - Vishay Intertechnology Inc. said Tuesday it plans to spin off its measurements and foil resistor businesses into an independent, publicly traded company called Vishay Precision Group Inc.
URS acquires engineering firm ForeRunner AP (October 26, 2009) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - URS Corp., an engineering and construction company, said Monday it acquired ForeRunner Corp., an engineering and construction management company specializing in oil and gas industry projects.