Simon Property Group Inc (SPG.N) offered to buy Macerich Co (MAC.N) for $14.39 billion in a deal that would join the No. 1 and No. 3 U.S. shopping mall owners.

Swiss company Holcim (HOLN.VX) came under pressure on Monday to secure improved terms for its shareholders in a planned merger with France's Lafarge (LAFP.PA) that would create the world's largest cement maker.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd appointed Jeff Zhang to oversee its main services on Monday, bringing Taobao, Tmall and Juhuasuan into a newly created "China Retail Marketplaces" division.

The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed former Google Inc executive Michelle Lee to head the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a position that has been vacant for more than two years.

Chipmaker Qualcomm Inc said it would buy back up to $15 billion of shares and raise its quarterly dividend. Shares of the company, which said it would buy back up to $10 billion of shares in the next 12 months, rose 2.6 percent to $74.60 in extended trading on Monday.

An upstate New York man, who was set to face trial in May for attempting to defraud Facebook Inc and founder Mark Zuckerberg, is missing, his lawyer said on Monday.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) launched its long-awaited watch on Monday, including yellow or rose gold models with sapphire faces costing up to $17,000, but investors questioned whether Chief Executive Tim Cook's first product would be a breakaway hit.

Warning Greece it had "no time to lose", euro zone ministers agreed technical talks between finance experts from Athens and its international creditors would start on Wednesday with the aim of unlocking further funding.

The International Monetary Fund's bailout program for Ukraine assumes Kiev will be able to get $15.4 billion from talks with its creditors, according to four sources familiar with the IMF's documents.

Investors pulled $18.5 million from Bill Gross's Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund (JUCAX.O) in February, the first such cash withdrawal since the closely watched investor took on the portfolio in October, Morningstar said on Monday.

Billionaire investor William Ackman has purchased a five percent stake in Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO) (VRX.N), his hedge fund said on Monday, making him the Canadian drug company's fifth-largest stakeholder.

U.S. stocks bounced back on Monday, helped by merger and acquisitions activity, while Apple shares ended slightly higher following the long-anticipated rollout of its watch.

Yahoo Inc shareholder Starboard Value LP said the company's spinoff of its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd was a "good first step" but it could do more, including a share buyback of up to $4 billion.

China's long-awaited international payment system to process cross-border yuan transactions is ready, and may be launched as early as September or October, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

President Dilma Rousseff appealed to Brazilians on Sunday to back fiscal austerity policies, while saying that the belt-tightening will last as long as needed and positive results will only start showing at the end of this year.

Concordia Healthcare Corp (CXR.TO), which makes drugs for rare diseases and devices for diabetic patients, said it would buy some assets of privately held Covis Pharma Holdings SARL for $1.2 billion in cash.

Metals company Alcoa Inc (AA.N) on Monday it would acquire titanium supplier RTI International Metals Inc (RTI.N) as it continues to invest in more profitable products for the aerospace and automotive industries.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook on Monday is expected to announce details of the first product developed under his leadership, a watch that Apple hopes will transform the market of wearable technology.

High-end electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) on Monday said it is cutting jobs in China under a restructuring plan launched earlier this year, after missing a sales target in the world's biggest car market.

McDonald's Corp's decision last week to phase out human antibiotics from its U.S. chicken supply will add to costs of production in a tight-margin business that are likely to be borne mostly by poultry companies.

Brent crude oil fell toward $59 a barrel on Monday as the dollar strengthened and a supply glut pushed global oil inventories to record highs.

Stocks fell and the dollar held firm on Monday in the wake of forecast-beating U.S. jobs numbers that stoked expectations the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates sooner than previously thought.

General Motors Co. said Monday it would launch a new, $5 billion share buyback, and put forward a more detailed plan for capital allocation that promises investors the potential for further cash returns.

Apple CEO Tim Cook summed up the problem during a conversation with sales staff at a London Apple Store: "We've never sold anything as a company that people could try on before."

The Swiss National Bank, battling a rise in the country's currency, could push interest rates further into negative territory if the franc moves in the "wrong direction", a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the bank.

A rare five-dollar gold piece and a prized silver dollar each could fetch $10 million or more in upcoming auctions, making the American rare coin market as attractive, though not nearly as glamorous, as fine art.

Saudi Arabia overtook India to become the world's biggest weapons importer in 2014, a year when global defense trade rose for the sixth straight year to a record $64.4 billion, research company IHS said on Sunday.

Greece's euro zone membership is a given and does form part of negotiations with the country's lenders, the finance ministry said on Sunday.

Potential Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Scott Walker told Iowa voters on Saturday that they supported government policies to boost ethanol use, a change in position that could help their prospects in the corn-growing state.

Egypt wants to attract foreign direct investments worth $60 billion and to get an average growth rate of 7 percent over the next four years, the country's planning minister said.