Deutsche Telekom considered making a takeover bid for Dutch rival KPN in 2014, with a view to expanding in neighboring countries, sources familiar with the matter said.
Regions
RWE to close gas unit sale to Russian tycoon by early March
German utility RWE will complete the sale of oil and gas unit DEA [RWEDE.UL] to Russian tycoon Mikhail Fridman by early March, it said on Friday, easing fears of a potential collapse.
U.S. crude hits session high after consumer sentiment report
U.S. crude traded above $48 on Friday after the University of Michigan released a report showing U.S. consumer sentiment reached its highest level in more than a decade in December.
Postbank head favors stock market sale: magazine
The chief executive of Deutsche Bank's (DBKGn.DE) retail arm Postbank (DPBGn.DE) strongly advocates having Deutsche sell a large portion of Postbank's shares on the stock market rather than to another bank, a German magazine reported on Saturday.
Washington wonders why investors asking for less inflation compensation
The Obama administration is asking Wall Street to explain why the yields investors are demanding to compensate them for inflation have dropped since August, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday.
Latest News
China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), the world's biggest e-commerce company, is piloting a mobile messaging app aimed at marrying social networking with business, an Alibaba spokeswoman said on Friday, as the company expands its enterprise services.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has stepped up its investments in Italy by buying 2 percent of power grid operator Terna, the latest in a series of such purchases in large Italian companies.
The New York Post said some of its Twitter accounts were hacked on Friday, in the wake of a series of inaccurate posts on the social network relating to the Federal Reserve, Bank of America and U.S. military engagement with China.
Google Inc is in talks to buy mobile-payments company Softcard, technology news website TechCrunch reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
When the Airbus (AIR.PA) A350 jet made its commercial debut with Qatar Airways this week, the event marked a milestone for engine supplier Rolls-Royce (RR.L), but slipping unnoticed under the radar with financing was its arch-rival General Electric (GE.N).
"Swiss Made" has traditionally stood for quality, precision and reliability. But after a shock move to scrap the cap on the franc, it could convey a less attractive message: Made more expensive.
Citigroup Inc said its quarterly profit dropped 86 percent, hurt by legal settlements and falling bond trading revenue, sending the bank's shares down more than 4 percent.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) reported a 7 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit as sharp market moves in December hit its bond-trading business.
U.S. consumer prices recorded their biggest drop in six years in December and a gauge of underlying inflation was flat, which could make the Federal Reserve more cautious about raising interest rates.
