COMPANIES

Vale, the world's largest iron-ore producer, is considering joining a group of companies including France's GDF Suez in a bid for a hydroelectric power dam project in Brazil, Valor Economico newspaper reported on Tuesday without saying how it got the information.

Primus Financial has won the bid for AIG's Taiwan insurance unit Nan Shan Life at $2.2 billion with a contract to be signed on Friday, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Minsheng Bank, China's first listed non-state lender, is looking to increase its stake in San Francisco-based UCBH Holdings Inc, in order to bolster the U.S. bank's capital, Bloomberg said, citing two people briefed on the matter.

German Carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) is considering building the next generation of its Mini brand at a domestic plant rather than adding to production at its factory in Cowley, Oxford, according to a report on Sunday.

German carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) plans to invest 2.2 billion rand ($288 million) at its Rosslyn plant in South Africa to boost production capacity by 45 percent, boosting capacity to 87,000 units.

Citigroup initiated coverage of jeweler Tiffany & Co with a buy rating and a $50 price target, citing an expected return to sustained positive same-store sales in the fourth quarter.

Toyota Motor Corp is considering working with affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd to develop its electric vehicles, slated for a global launch in 2012, the Mainichi newspaper said on Tuesday.

The Swedish government said on Tuesday it had asked the European Commission to assess whether proposed loan guarantees to Saab Automobile would break rules on state support.

St Jude Medical Inc warned on Tuesday that quarterly profit would miss its previous forecasts as hospitals bought fewer of its medical devices, sending its shares down nearly 14 percent.

UBS AG said on Tuesday it had hired 18 investment bankers in the United States to focus on lending in the energy sector.

The booming Chinese auto market continues to be one of the few bright spots for German luxury carmakers, which have drawn few benefits from a flurry of subsidy programmes like the U.S. cash for clunkers scheme.

Czech car sales fell almost 14 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of the year, from a 12 percent fall in the first half, the country's Car Importers Association said on Tuesday.

Boeing Co said it would take a charge of $1 billion in the third quarter because of higher production costs and tough market conditions for its 747-8 program.

Consumer-goods maker Chattem Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by cost cuts and growth in its domestic business, and reaffirmed its full-year adjusted earnings forecast.

The U.S. apartment market in the third quarter turned in one of its weakest performances ever as the national vacancy rate hit a 23-year high despite being propped up by landlords willing to take lower rent to keep tenants, according to real estate research firm Reis Inc.

The long U.S. housing downturn has led homeowners to scale back both the size of houses and the amenities found within them, but consumers are still willing to invest in energy efficiency, according to a quarterly survey by an architects' trade group.

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc reported a slightly higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, as price increases and easing commodity costs helped offset falling sales volume.

Universal Pictures on Monday ousted Chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde after recent box office flops, including big-budget comedy Land of the Lost, replacing the pair with their marketing and production chiefs.

A U.S.-led group that includes former Ford Motor Co director Michael Dingman is in talks to acquire the automaker's money-losing Volvo brand, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Two independent record labels sued U.S. rock band Guns N' Roses for $1 million, claiming the group used portions of two songs by a German musician on their last album Chinese Democracy.

CIT Group Inc is looking at increasing the size of a $3 billion loan it took in July to meet funding needs as the troubled commercial lender restructures, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Magna and its Russian partner Sberbank plan to sign a deal for a 55 percent stake in German carmaker Opel next Monday or Tuesday, several sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

With the population aging and fewer young people to take the place of baby boomers, the demand for housing may slow for years to come, keeping home values from increasing as they have done since World War II, according to at least one well-known housing expert.

More than 80 percent of new single-family homes have at least two bathrooms, which occupy an average of 300 square feet of floor space, or 12 percent of the total area, according to a study by the National Association of Home Builders.

NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker could be about to get a new boss -- and asked to explain a three-year run when his company expanded its cable business and won acclaim for its Olympic broadcasts, but failed to score a single breakout prime-time TV hit.

American Express Co President Alfred Kelly will leave the company early next year to seek an opportunity as a chief executive elsewhere, the credit card issuer said on Monday.

Natural gas producer Open Range Energy Corp said third-quarter production was higher sequentially and it planned to drill two additional wells at its Alberta property in the first half of 2010.

TransAlta Corp said on Monday it has reached a deal to buy renewable energy producer Canadian Hydro Developers after raising its takeover offer to C$5.25 a share.

PepsiCo Inc said on Monday it will combine the North American operations of Pepsi Bottling Group Inc and PepsiAmericas Inc in a new bottling unit to be run by Pepsi Bottling's chief executive, Eric Foss.