COMPANIES

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is beefing up in Europe by buying the half of Cazenove it does not already own in a deal valuing the 190-year old UK stockbroker at 2 billion pounds ($3.4 billion).

U.S. mortgage delinquency rates and the percentage of loans that entered the foreclosure process jumped in the third quarter, with both reaching record highs, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Thursday.

Union leaders at Ford Motor's Volvo car unit held their first talks with China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group on Thursday but are still waiting to see Geely's financing plans for the Swedish carmaker.

Mitsubishi Fuso, the Japanese unit of market leader Daimler Trucks, aims to weatherproof the company for smaller volumes in the future in order to steer clear of the losses it will book this year.

Exide Technologies has landed a deal to sell 105,000 more batteries a year to Toyota Motor Corp, deepening its relationship with the world's top carmaker and boosting the battery company's shares.

Demand for Swiss watches picked up slightly in October from the previous month as the pace of decline in exports slowed, pointing to a sluggish recovery reliant on sustained demand from Asia.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is beefing up in Europe by buying the half of Cazenove it does not already own in a deal valuing the 190-year old UK stockbroker at 2 billion pounds ($3.36 billion).

French insurer AXA said on Thursday that there was no change for now to its offer made with partner AMP for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings, despite speculation the bid may be raised.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is interested in buying Allied Irish Banks' minority stake in U.S. lender M&T Bank Corp, the Irish Independent reported on Thursday.

Spain's Santander, the banking group which owns Britain's Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley, will next year launch a no-fees current account, with no charges for overdraft use or access to foreign ATMs.

Belgian banking and insurance group KBC will divest its private equity unit as part of the restructuring plan required in return for receiving state aid, a spokeswoman for the group said on Thursday.

Sony Corp said it would launch 3D TVs and networked products and services to unleash its potential as an electronics and entertainment giant and reverse its fortunes as it heads for a second straight annual loss.

Computer maker Dell said its Perot Systems acquisition will boost its IT services offering to the public sector, as some of its government customers face a freeze on spending due to the recession.

The naming of a new CEO at DirecTV Group Inc could signal it's time for a takeover bid for the satellite TV company.

Nokia Siemens Networks and private equity firm One Equity Partners have jointly bid for Nortel Networks Corp's optical networking and carrier ethernet business, a person familiar with the sale said on Wednesday, challenging Ciena Corp's $526 million bid for the assets.

Thanks to Ferrero and Hershey, Cadbury may finally have a bargaining position.

New U.S. housing starts in October unexpectedly fell to their lowest level in six months, weighed down by a sharp decline in construction activity for both single-family and multi-family dwellings, a government report showed on Wednesday.

Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday upgraded its bank financial strength rating on Wells Fargo & Co by one notch, citing an improved capital position after the bank's earnings beat expectations.

The Obama administration wants a fast-track initial public offering of General Motors Co GM.UL shares to reduce its majority stake in the automaker, a senior official said.

The Obama administration wants a fast-track initial public offering of General Motors Co shares to reduce its majority stake in the automaker, a senior official said.

U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase & Co is likely to seal its purchase of the half of Cazenove it does not own for just under 1 billion pounds ($1.7 billion) on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said.

Perry Ellis International Inc said it is all set for a solid holiday season after posting a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by tighter cost controls.

Chinese photovoltaic cell maker Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd reported a third-quarter profit that beat analysts estimates, helped by higher shipment volumes, sending its shares up 8 percent.

Russian oil company TNK-BP is looking at acquisitions or joint ventures as a means of growing in the oil refining sector, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.

Cadbury Plc on Wednesday said it will give proper attention to any offer that gives a full value for the company, but until that happens it has nothing to comment upon further.

Maxis Bhd, Malaysia's top mobile provider, looks set to rise on its debut on Thursday in Southeast Asia's biggest IPO.

Shares of network security provider Fortinet Inc soared in their debut on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, in what is on track to be among the strongest debuts of any initial public offering in 2009, after pricing above the expected range.

Cossette shares rose on Wednesday after private equity firm Cosmos Capital raised its takeover bid for Canada's largest homegrown advertiser for the third time.

A popular tactic used by Indian brokerages to raise money for rich clients is likely to be banned by the central bank's move to curb unregulated lending, potentially crimping funding for a long pipeline of planned IPOs.