COMPANIES

U.S. antitrust enforcers plan to hold talks on revamping merger guidelines, they said on Tuesday amid expectations that the Democratic administration will give corporate combinations a tougher review.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc is weighing job cuts as it grapples with enrollment declines stemming from the weak U.S. economy.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday offered companies new guidelines for coping with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, warning that employers could face crippling absenteeism as the U.S. flu season takes hold.

U.S. single-family home prices rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in July from June but were 4.2 percent lower than a year earlier and 10.5 percent below their April 2007 peak, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said on Tuesday.

CarMax Inc (KMX.N), the largest retailer of used cars in the United States, posted a higher quarterly profit, helped by improving customer traffic trends.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced C$54.8 million ($50.7 million) in aid to autoparts maker Linamar Corp (LNR.TO) on Monday to help it develop green and fuel-efficient automotive powertrains.

The chief executive of Canadian auto supplier Magna International (MGa.TO) said on Tuesday he did not know of any tie-up plans with China's Geely Group.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Zaragoza north east Spain on Saturday to protest Canada's Magna's (MGa.TO) acquisition of 55 percent of General Motors' Opel, Spanish media reported.

The Obama administration has opened a dialogue with major lenders, economists, and government officials over the possibility of extending a financial lifeline to home owners who no longer can afford their mortgages because of job losses.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors and a former executive have settled a legal dispute that stemmed from the company's early struggles to launch a battery-powered sports car, the company said on Monday.

Canadian auto supplier Magna International (MGa.TO) said it plans to hold talks to appease Volkswagen (VOWG.DE), which has threatened to pull business from Magna if it goes through with an investment in Opel.

Canada's commercial lending industry is healthier than its U.S. counterpart, with fewer borrowers behind on payments and other signs an economic recovery is under way, according to a survey by PayNet Inc.

No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc backed its outlook on Tuesday for the year ending Jan. 29, but said it might have to recognize impairment charges related to operating stores in the second half of the period.

Hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners said in a regulatory filing it had sold about 5 million shares in New York Times Co at $8.25 apiece on Sept. 17, to reduce its stake to 16.38 percent from 19.94 percent.

Credit Suisse downgraded Dell Inc to neutral raising concerns over the company's acquisition strategy, and recommended investors take profits from Dell stock but add positions in Hewlett-Packard Co, Apple Inc and EMC Corp.

The White House kept insurance companies squarely in its sights on Tuesday in the push for healthcare reform by releasing research showing that health insurance premiums have risen far faster than inflation in every U.S. state.

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch has appointed former top Goldman Sachs JB Were executive Craig Drummond to head its Australian operations, a top official said on Tuesday.

India's Bharti Airtel has offered to retain the top management at MTN for at least three years and given the option of an all-cash offer to minority MTN shareholders to sew up the planned tie-up between the two firms, the Economic Times reported on Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest maker of memory chips, said on Tuesday it remains cautious about the sector's outlook even as the industry emerges from its two-year slump.

Plantation and palm oil processor Wilmar International is expected to spin off its China food operation, raising up to HK$27.3 billion ($3.5 billion) in a flotation of shares in Hong Kong in October, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported on Tuesday.

Business development company Fifth Street Finance Corp said it began a public offering of 4 million common shares and expects to use most of the proceeds to make investments in small and mid-sized companies.

Education Management Corp is set to price its planned $380 million IPO in early October and become the latest private equity-owned firm to go public during the current stock market rally.

A potential initial public offering of the Casa de Pedra iron ore mine owned by Brazilian steelmaker CSN would likely raise much more than $2 billion, the company's chief executive said on Monday.

Brazilian mining company Vale said on Monday it agreed with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Steel to increase its stake in steelmaker Siderurgica do Atlantico (CSA) to nearly 27 percent from 10 percent for 965 million euros ($1.42 billion).

The head of chocolate maker Cadbury PLC, which is facing a possible takeover by U.S. food giant Kraft Foods Inc, said there were some complementary elements in the two companies' portfolios, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Spain's biggest bank Santander could raise about 13.13 billion reais ($7.3 billion) by listing 16.2 percent of its Brazilian unit in the Latin American country's biggest ever initial public offering.

Bank of America failed to meet a Monday deadline to hand lawmakers further details about its acquisition of Merrill Lynch and faces the possibility of new charges from U.S. securities regulators.

French media company Vivendi SA will decide whether to unload its 20 percent stake in NBC Universal by early December, setting the stage for a sale that may draw far more headlines than bidders.

Technology distributor Synnex Corp posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by lower costs and an 18 percent rise in its global business service revenue, and forecast fourth-quarter results in line with Wall Street expectations.