COMPANIES

Shares of South Korean technology services firm SK C&C Co Ltd soared as much as 22 percent on the company's trading debut on Wednesday, drawing strong interest from local institutions.

Real estate investors are moving back into the market, according to a new survey from Move.com.

Union workers at Arizona grocery stores operated by Kroger Co and Safeway Inc set a Friday evening strike deadline if a contract agreement is not reached, a union spokesman said on Wednesday.

Two industry powerhouses Real Living and GMAC Real Estate announced Wednesday they are merging to create a residential real estate franchise with about $20 billion in annual home sales.

Japan's Daiwa Securities Group Inc plans to invest 100 billion yen ($1.11 billion) in its operations in Asia outside Japan through next spring, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday.

Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson raised his firm's stake in Cadbury on Wednesday and now holds 2.54 percent of the British confectioner, the subject of a hostile bid by U.S. food group Kraft.

German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said after meeting General Motors executives on Wednesday that the U.S. carmaker needed 3.3 billion euros ($4.9 billion) for its plans to restructure its Opel unit.

German generic drugmaker Ratiopharm has attracted at least 10 first-round bids, several people familiar with the procedure told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that a competitive auction was underway.

Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, had only months to live when he received a visit from an old friend, Rob Fraley, chief of technology for Monsanto Co.

K-Swiss Inc, a maker of athletic shoes, said its board approved a new $70 million repurchase program for Class A shares, replacing its existing buyback plan that expires by year-end.

General Motors Co Chairman Ed Whitacre on Tuesday urged the Obama administration to give the automaker less restrictive pay caps and said it was too early to discuss the timing for the automaker to become a public company again.

Morgan Stanley's Australian real estate unit, Investa Property Group, has abandoned a plan to float some office assets as the offer price did not meet investors' expectations, it said on Wednesday.

Chinese mobile telecoms services firm Umessage is eyeing a Hong Kong or U.S. listing in two years, a top executive at the firm said on Wednesday.

Initial public offerings in Europe are gaining momentum, with three major IPOs set to launch before year-end and about $10 billion that could be raised in the next six months as volatile equity markets calm down.

Qatar has sold half its Volkswagen preference shares, cashing in on recent gains and raising around 1.5 billion euros ($2.4 billion) for possible future deals.

South Korea may have to offer steep discounts to sell key state assets such as bank stakes, to help cut a growing fiscal deficit, while pumping money into the economy to pull it safely out of a global downturn.

A group of private equity firms is expected to progress to the second round of the sale of second-hand car dealership British Car Auctions, people familiar with the matter said.

Honda Motor Co is not betting on an immediate recovery in traditional markets and will focus on bright spots China and India, although it will not build an ultra low-cost car to take on Tata Motor's Nano.

Dutch market regulator AFM has fined GMAC Nederland NV, the local unit of bailed-out U.S. auto and home lender GMAC Financial Services, for not meeting rules on tighter standards for consumer credit and lending.

General Motors Co Chairman Ed Whitacre on Tuesday urged the Obama administration to give the automaker less restrictive pay caps and said it was too early to discuss the timing for the automaker to become a public company again.

The European Commission has set a one-month deadline to review Kraft Foods Inc's $16 billion hostile bid for British chocolate maker Cadbury after the U.S. food group notified EU regulators.

Comcast Corp and General Electric Co have agreed to make NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker the head of their proposed joint venture, but the structure of a new board is still being negotiated, sources familiar with the matter said.

The board of General Motors Co has approved a plan to produce a plug-in hybrid for the luxury Cadillac brand that will adapt technology developed for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, according to people briefed on the decision.

Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc said on Tuesday it expects fourth quarter net contracts to be up about 42 percent, as the housing market shows some signs of stabilization and its shares rose 3.3 percent in after-hours trading.

About 20 percent of struggling U.S. homeowners eligible for loan workouts have entered into a trial modification, but it is unclear how many of them will be able to keep the lower payments permanently, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday.

United Airlines has suspended a pilot who was arrested in London on suspicion that he was about to fly a Boeing 767 with 124 passengers while drunk, the airline said on Tuesday.

The number of U.S. homes listed for sale fell nearly 3 percent in October compared to September, according to real estate brokerage ZipRealty.

Baytex Energy Trust's quarterly profit dropped 70 percent as weaker commodity prices hurt the Canadian oil explorer.

Vodafone, the world's largest cellphone operator by revenue, has doubled its cost cutting target to 2 billion pounds ($3.33 billion) by 2012 to counter fierce competition in India and Europe.