COMPANIES

Cadbury fired the final salvo in its defence on Thursday, branding Kraft Foods' bid as more unattractive than a month ago, as Cadbury shares rose on hopes of a rival bid from Hershey.

The European Central Bank kept benchmark interest rates unchanged at a record low of 1.0 percent on Thursday with the ECB expected to remain in a holding pattern given uneven growth and low inflation.

Green technologies posed the investment opportunity of our lifetime said Deutsche Bank's global head of asset management, in a study published on Thursday.

Private equity investors have shortlisted investment banks for an offering of stock in Denmark's leading telecom operator TDC, a $9 billion company, which would be Copenhagen's biggest offering in years.

The heads of Canada's four largest banks said on Thursday they remain focused on capital conservation because of uncertainty over global regulatory changes and the riskiness of making acquisitions.

Oil and gas company Forest Oil Corp said production results from its third and fourth wells in the Texas Panhandle Granite Wash area exceeded its expectations, sending its shares up 14 percent to a year-high.

Vacancy rates for apartments in New York City's borough of Manhattan, the largest U.S. apartment market, declined in 2009, as lower rents and better landlord incentives attracted tenants, according to a quarterly brokerage report.

U.S. foreclosure actions shattered all records in 2009 and will do so again this year, with unemployment and wage cuts overcoming programs to remedy failing home loans, RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

Lotte Group, which operates South Korea's second-largest retailer Lotte Shopping, said it was considering buying GS Retail's department store and discount store operations.

Lithium-ion battery supplier A123 Systems said on Thursday that it had signed a deal to supply power packs for the Fisker Karma, a rechargeable luxury car being launched later this year.

Billionaire Carlos Slim's America Movil launched a $21 billion offer on Wednesday for Mexican telephone company Telmex and Telmex Internacional to give a boost to his telecom empire.

LaBranche & Co Inc said on Wednesday it agreed to sell its New York Stock Exchange specialist business to Barclays Plc for $25 million in cash, reflecting the difficulties standalone market makers face in a shrinking industry.

Japanese retailer Ministop, South Korea's Lotte Group and U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group will make final bids for South Korean retailer Buy The Way on Friday, two sources said.

TSMC, the world's biggest contract chipmaker, said it will recruit more than 3,000 employees, or about 13 percent of its total workforce, in 2010 as it expands capacity to meet future demand.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) expects new members to join at its next meeting while China and world top oil exporter Saudi Arabia are to attend as observers, its head said on Wednesday.

U.S. mortgage bonds at the heart of the financial crisis may be revived by Wall Street as soon as this quarter, in what could be the most significant step yet toward repairing the credit and housing markets.

The head of General Motors Co's China operations said on Wednesday that GM is still awaiting Beijing's approval for a deal to sell Hummer and that he is uncertain of the outcome.

The government, photovoltaic companies and consumer lobby groups moved closer on Wednesday toward an agreement on trimming state-mandated incentives for solar power to reflect a steeper overall slide in costs.

Canadian auto parts maker Magna International Inc forecast 2010 sales of $19.5 billion to $20.5 billion and said it would spend $750 million to $800 million for fixed assets during the year.

Dutch sports car maker Spyker is working around the clock to clinch a deal to buy Sweden's Saab and has a deadline of days not weeks as parent General Motors GM.UL starts winding down the business, Spyker's CEO said on Tuesday.

Luxembourg-based Genii Capital said on Wednesday it had submitted a revised offer to GM GM.UL for ailing carmaker Saab which showed it has the financial muscle to run the firm.

More foreclosed properties are expected in New York City’s commercial sector as vacancy rates continue to rise and as rents continue to fall in the city.

German fragrance-to-fashion retailer Douglas Holding AG is counting on consumers' appetite for indulgence to prop up earnings this year.

Banks in the UAE, heavily exposed to the region's ailing real estate market, can use a local foreclosure law to reclaim assets, but a sharp increase in reposessions is unlikely for now, lenders and analysts said.

Nokia's network gear making arm Nokia Siemens won part of the key next generation LTE network contract on Wednesday from Nordic operator TeliaSonera, surprisingly beating Chinese rival Huawei.

China renewed its vow to curb runaway property prices and keep a watch on excessive lending, while investors rushed to cut exposure to risk on Wednesday, a day after the central bank tightened bank reserve requirements.

Novartis will likely nudge up its lowball bid to minority shareholders in eyecare group Alcon to push a deal through cleanly, even though it appears to hold all the trump cards.

The Hattab home -- grey paint peeling from the walls, foundations sinking through the ground -- is squeezed in by brightly painted, three-storey villas blocking its view of the Mediterranean Sea.

C.A. Bancorp urged shareholders on Wednesday not to tender their stock to a new unsolicited bid from private equity firm Maxam, saying it was continuing talks with other parties interested in acquiring it.