JPMorgan Chase & Co said it had agreed to settle claims related to faulty mortgage bonds with 21 investors which included the asset management units of BlackRock Inc, Goldman Sachs Group and Pacific Investment Management Co.
Investors
Wilton Re looking into possible sale or IPO next year
Bermuda-based life insurer Wilton Re Holdings is scouting for investment banks to advise it on its possible sale or initial public offering next year. Wilton Re has received a total fund of USD1.5 billion from private equity firms.
China eyes property in the West
Chinese institutional investors' outbound investment in real estate will continue to increase next year as buying opportunities emerge in the United States and Europe and international financial institutions dispose of their property assets.
What to watch in the week ahead
Investors remain inclined to take markets higher in the absence of anything that would suggest equities should fall. The market seems to have hit a stage where strong data helps and weak data affirms the Fed's intentions to keep policy accommodative, which also helps stocks.
Senior executive at Monte Paschi's biggest shareholder quits job over stake sale plan
Giorgio Olivato, vice chairman of a foundation that is Monte Paschi's largest shareholder, has resigned from office for unknown reasons. Sources, however, said that Olivato opposed the foundation's plan to sell its stake in the Italian bank.
Latest News
French car maker Peugeot is looking into a possible sale of top vehicle interiors and emission control technology company Faurecia. Peugeot exiting Faurecia might be necessary to secure another government bailout.
A USD 1.6 million Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant was awarded to biopharmaceutical company Signum Dermalogix from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
A CNBC report said the infrastructure industry, including power plants, ports and pipes, has given private equity companies and hedge fund firms opportunities for investment.
A peHUB report said private equity firms may pass up on the acquisition of Forbes Media which has put itself up for sale for at least USD 400 million.
The Social+Capital Partnership and Resolute.vc led the USD 2.7 million investment round for software recruitment solutions provider Greenhouse. Other investors like Bill Lohse of Pinterest and Seth Goldstein of DJZ and Turntable.fm also supported Greenhouse.
Activist investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square hedge fund announced its intention to acquire almost 10% stakes each in troubled mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Canadian large-scale gold mining companies Barrick Gold and Goldcorp have separately hired banks to explore the sale of their jointly owned Marigold mine in Nevada.
Jim Moloshok, Larry Braitman and Adam Nash provided seed funding to MovieLala, a social network and movie marketing platform that connects moviegoers, studios and stars.
UK-based company Rexam received offers to buy its healthcare packaging unit from Silgan Holding Inc, Berry Plastics Group, and Gerresheimer for less than USD1 billion.
