Swatch Group is happy to go it alone with a launch next year of watches with "smart" features to compete with so-called wearable gadgets from the big tech companies, a market potentially worth $93 billion.
Europe
Virgin Money eyes 2 billion pound stock market listing
Virgin Money [NRTRK.UL], the British financial services company partly owned by Sir Richard Branson, is in talks over a possible 2 billion pound ($3.32 billion) stock market listing as early as next month, Sky News reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Factory activity in Europe, Asia cools; demand lull a concern
Factory activity in Europe and Asia cooled in August after a strong July, as new orders dwindled in the face of escalating tensions in Ukraine and a patchy recovery in China, purchasing managers indexes showed.
EU regulators to decide on Facebook, WhatsApp deal by Oct. 3
European Union antitrust regulators will decide by Oct. 3 whether to clear world No. 1 online social network Facebook's $19 billion offer for mobile messaging startup WhatsApp, the European Commission said on Monday.
Heineken to sell Mexican can, bottle maker to Crown
Dutch brewer Heineken (HEIN.AS) has agreed to sell its Mexican packaging business Empaque to Crown (CCK.N) for $1.23 billion including debt, shedding a non-core business it acquired when entering the Mexican market in 2010.
Latest News
Nearly two thirds of the French believe companies should be allowed exemptions to the country's 35-hour working week if they reach agreements with trade unions, two polls showed on Saturday.
German solar firm SAG Solarstrom AG, which filed for insolvency late last year, said on Saturday it agreed to be acquired by Shunfeng Photovoltaic International for 65 million euros ($85 million).
Fiat (FIA.MI) signaled its merger with U.S. affiliate Chrysler was on track on Friday as a tally of shareholders suggested most had chosen not to exercise an option that could derail the plan, a vital step in the Italian carmaker's turnaround efforts.
Britain's CSR (CSR.L) has rebuffed an approach from Microchip Technology (MCHP.O), saying that the undisclosed price proposed by Microchip was not enough if its U.S. rival wants to bolster its role in the "Internet of Things" with the chipmaker's radio technology.
Asia Resource Minerals (ARMS) , the Indonesia-focused miner formerly known as Bumi Plc, needs to refinance its debts soon in order to survive, its accountants said on Thursday, as the firm posted a wider first-half underlying loss.
Commodities trader and miner Glencore (GLEN.L) and Chinese nickel producer Jinchuan Group are the frontrunners to buy BHP Billiton's (BHP.AX)(BLT.L) Australian Nickel West division, two sources close to the situation said.
Shares in British online fashion retailer ASOS (ASOS.L), which have fallen sharply in recent months after profit warnings and a warehouse fire, jumped on Wednesday on an unconfirmed report of a U.S. bid for a stake in the business.
Berlin has banned car service Uber, which allows users to summon a ride on their smartphone, for not offering drivers and vehicles licensed to carry passengers, or full insurance cover, the German capital said.
European Union antitrust regulators may open an investigation into Qualcomm, the world's No. 1 mobile chipmaker, based on a four-year-old complaint by a unit of rival Nvidia Corp, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
