In the ultimate David and Goliath story, the China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Sinopec, Asia's largest refiner and one of China's biggest state-owned firms, dropped its hostile bid to take over the much smaller, privately-held China Gas Holdings after a contentious struggle lasting nearly a year, according to major media stories.
Sectors
U.S. New-Home Construction Surge Suggests Recovery for the Housing Market
New home construction in the U.S. jumped in September to its highest level in four years, reported Bloomberg Businessweek, based on Commerce Department data released Wednesday.
SEC Accuses Hedge Fund Yorkville Advisors of Overvaluing Assets and Lying About Performance
In a 35-page complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, the agency accuses Jersey City, N.J.-based hedge fund Yorkville Advisors of misrepresenting the value of its assets and lying about performance, The New York Times reported.
Citi CEO Vikram Pandit Steps down Abruptly, What's Next?
Citigroup Inc. announced on Tuesday that CEO Vikram Pandit, 55, who has held the post since the eve of the financial crisis in 2008, is stepping down.
Australia's Nine Media Company Agrees to Debt/Equity Swap, CVC Loses $1.8 Billion in Asia's Largest-Ever Single Deal Private Equity Loss
After months of negotiations, Australia's Nine Entertainment television network, one of the country's biggest and best known, has agreed to swap more than $3 billion in debt for equity, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Latest News
The Wall Street Journal has recognized the world's hottest new innovations with its annual Technology Innovation Awards, highlighted in today's paper. Culled from 536 applications originating in two dozen countries, the 37 winners and runners up span 18 categories and include start-ups as well as larger, more established companies.
The Japanese telecommunications company Softbank Corp. has struck a deal to buy a 70 percent stake in Sprint Nextel for $20.1 billion.
After months of negotiations, the German retailer Douglas Holding, which is known throughout Europe for its perfumeries, jewelry and book stores, is well on the road to going private. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the company's founding family has joined private equity firm Advent International in a takeover offer.
U.S. retail sales rose 1.1 percent in Sept. according to data released on Monday from the Commerce Department, totaling $412.9 billion. The growth is better than expected and good news for the economy, since consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of the country's total economic growth.
Although a new study by one of the world's largest actuarial firms, Milliman, found the 100 largest pension funds are underreporting their unfunded liabilities by about $300 billion, a spokeswoman for the firm said the amount was "insignificant." Large public funds remain skeptical of private equity.
The online, privately held lending company borro just received $26 million in new funding to expand its U.K. and U.S. operations. borro offers loans ranging from $1,000 to $1 million dollars secured against personal assets such as jewelry, fine art, classic cars or even wine collections. It just received $26
A recently released study by Dow Jones finds that venture capital-backed companies with female executives are more successful than those with only men in senior executive roles.
Apple's answer to the Kindle Fire and Nook, the iPad Mini, could be in stores as early as Oct. 23, according to the technology website AllThingsD, as reported by ABC News.
Millennial Media, a six-year old independent company ranked No. 2 last year in mobile advertising sales in the United States, Reuters reported today. Its customers included 75 of the top 100 Ad Age advertisers.
