COMPANIES

Insolvent German luxury fashion house Escada has attracted interest from more than 10 potential investors, a source close to the matter told Reuters.

Cadbury chairman Roger Carr has emerged victorious from many bid battles but if U.S. food giant Kraft ups its multi-billion pound offer the tough-talking takeover veteran will be under pressure to soften his stance.

Banco Santander's Brazilian unit, the biggest IPO of the year, lagged far behind much smaller Warren Buffett-backed Verisk Analytics in their stock market debuts on Wednesday -- a sign that valuation remains a key concern as the IPO market revives.

Japan's top wireless operator NTT DoCoMo Inc is easing the pace of its M&A activity in Asia as it focuses on existing acquisitions, an executive said.

HSBC has resumed talks with Royal Bank of Scotland over the purchase of the remaining retail and commercial units that bailed-out RBS owns in Asia, sources said on Thursday.

Don't look now but mortgage rates are really, really low -- practically at record low levels. Homeowners who still have adequate equity might want to jump on this and refinance one more time. Or start using their home equity line again. Or switch to a fixed-rate loan. Or give up on their plans to pay off their home quickly and stretch it out as long as possible.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG gained exclusive worldwide rights to a drug candidate already in late-stage trials for treatment of drug-resistant bacteria like MRSA, it said on Thursday.

U.S. bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc said on Thursday it expects lower same-store sales for its current quarter and full year after adjusting its financial reporting period to reflect a recent acquisition.

South Korea's LG Group plans to go ahead with a long-considered merger of its three telecom units in the near future, to boost its consumer base and strengthen service offerings, LG Telecom said on Thursday.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

UK fund house Threadneedle said on Thursday it has hired Campbell Fleming as its new head of distribution, with responsibility for wholesale and institutional business as well as marketing and product development.

Marriott International posted an adjusted quarterly profit that exceeded analyst expectations on Thursday buoyed by higher leisure demand during the summer season and higher than expected revenue.

U.S. retailers, including Macy's Inc and Abercrombie & Fitch , surprised Wall Street with better-than-expected September sales, suggesting shoppers could be loosening their purse strings ahead of the crucial holiday season.

Manhattan rents are expected to continue their fall until New York City's economy picks up and fortunes improve on Wall Street, according to a quarterly report issued by a New York realty firm.

PepsiCo Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by increased sales volumes of snacks and beverages, and its shares rose nearly 2 percent.

Every 13 seconds in America, there is another foreclosure filing.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

PepsiCo Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by increased sales volumes of snacks and beverages.

U.S. retailers, including Limited Brands Inc and Children's Place , surprised Wall Street with small increases in September sales, suggesting that shoppers could be heading back for the crucial holiday season.

GM on Track; Alcoa's Surprise; Regulator Pleased

Manitoba Telecom Services its revenue and cash flow outlook for the year on Wednesday, saying its long distance business and enterprise unit were hurt by the recession and the slow pace of economic recovery.

Marathon Oil Corp on Wednesday said its third-quarter oil and gas production will be lower than the previous quarter, but at the high end of its expectations.

Bank of America Corp should look for a new chief executive outside of the company, a shareholder that has criticized the current management in the past said on Wednesday.

Hype about the swine flu vaccines, pent-up demand for cash and a push by major drugmakers to boost their flagging research pipelines has helped lift biotechnology fund-raising 36 percent so far this year.

Verisk Analytics Inc, an insurance services firm partly owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, soared in its first day of trading on Wednesday, and stirred hopes that the appetite for such offerings is warming.

The Obama administration's latest effort to boost the beleaguered housing market is likely to help mortgage insurers as lower defaults will boost their liquidity.

Alcoa Inc posted a surprise profit on Wednesday, after three consecutive quarterly losses, mainly because of cost savings and an increase in aluminum prices.

Spain's Telefonica offered on Wednesday to buy Brazilian telecommunications company GVT for 6.5 billion reais ($3.7 billion) in cash, seeking to trump a bid by French rival Vivendi.

Dell Inc said it will close a North Carolina desktop computer manufacturing plant early next year, laying off 905 workers, as the world's No. 2 PC maker continues to shed jobs and streamline its business.