COMPANIES

Top Mexican broadcaster Televisa is seen posting an 11 percent fall in net profit during the fourth quarter of 2008, hit by higher tax reserves and a steep fall in the value of the peso currency.

Lego faces intense global competition in the $50 billion global toy market and the challenge of children. Pretax earnings at Europe's biggest toy manufacturer rose to 1.9 billion crowns ($321.3 million) from 1.4 billion in 2007.

Revenue fell 33 percent to 108.4 million euros mainly due to a 36 percent drop in clearing and settlement of transactions to 38 million euros, as well as a drop in revenue from trading in the cash market.

Merger and acquisition activity could pick up in the manufacturing industry over the second half of the year as better-capitalized companies start to take advantage of relative bargains, a high-level Barclays investment banker said on Friday.

to also convert their preferred shares into common stock, the Journal reported. Until most of the news is known, there will be a lot of volatility and probably a downward trend in the equity market because we don't know how much pain for investors government measures will induce, said Dariusz Kowalczyk, chief investment strategist with SJS Markets in Hong Kong. By which I mean, will curr...

to also convert their preferred shares into common stock, the Journal reported. In a separate report, the Financial Times said Citigroup is pressing the U.S. government to agree on a new capital injection that would increase the authorities' stake in the bank to about 40 percent, but stop short of an outright nationalization. The FT said Citi insiders expect a decision on the company's future...

Citigroup Inc plans to sell its 17 percent stake in Brazilian credit card company Redecard, sources with direct knowledge of the plans said on Friday, potentially raising 3.05 billion reais ($1.27 billion) for the struggling U.S. banking giant.

Mining group Anglo American Plc (AAL.L) (AGLJ.J) scrapped its 2008 final dividend on Friday to conserve cash and said it will cut 19,000 jobs as it posted a 1 percent fall in profit, missing analysts' forecasts.

China, which triggered the biggest commodity price spike in a generation is now making deals.

The U.S. government should consider a proposed merger between Chrysler LLC and Italy's Fiat SpA if it is the only way for the distressed Detroit automaker to survive, a senator said on Thursday.

Caltex Australia Ltd, the country's only listed oil refiner and marketer, posted a 58 percent fall in full-year operating profit, due to weaker demand for its fuels and unplanned plant shutdowns.

The shares of PC heavyweights Hewlett-Packard Co., Apple Inc. and Dell Inc. fell on Thursday as new signs emerged of eroding demand for technology hardware.

Facebook's efforts to build a business model around its online social network have hit another roadblock, as a backlash by its users forced the company to reverse a new policy.

Coca-Cola Co. said on Thursday that it was raising its quarterly dividend by 8 percent to 41 cents a share from 38 cents.

Sprint Nextel Corp. posted a fourth-quarter loss as 1.3 million subscribers left its mobile phone service, but the results were not as bad as some had feared, and its shares rose 24 percent.

Sprint Nextel Corp posted a fourth-quarter loss as 1.3 million subscribers left its mobile phone service, but the results were not as bad as some had feared, and its shares rose more than 14 percent. The No. 3 U.S. mobile company, which has struggled with customer defections in the last few years, said on Thursday that its net loss narrowed to $1.6 billion, or 57 cents per share, from...

CVS Caremark Corp. posted a higher fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, driven by growth in its pharmacy services and retail drugstore units.

Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday reported fourth quarter an full-year 2008 results.

Nestle reported strong underlying 2008 sales growth of 8.3 percent and said it was cautiously upbeat for 2009, unlike some rivals, and would push cheaper products to cope with the downturn.

A healthy U.S. auto industry is vital for a sound U.S. economy and by extension for Japanese carmakers, a Tokyo-based auto lobby said, giving a tacit nod to the latest request for federal aid from ailing rivals in Detroit.

General Motors Corp is battling to survive collapsing auto demand, tight credit and uncertain prospects for recovery in its biggest markets.

Tanzania plans to build a 400 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant by 2012 at a cost of $1.2 billion

Brazil's central bank said on Wednesday it has approved a planned merger between Itau, one of the country's largest private banks, and its smaller rival Unibanco .

Hewlett-Packard Co on Wednesday reported first-quarter results.Highlights:* Q1 non-GAAP earnings per share $0.93 * Q1 GAAP earnings per share $0.75 * Sees Q2 2009 GAAP earnings per share about $0.70 to $0.72 * Sees Q2 2009 non-GAAP earnings per share about $0.84 to $0.86 * Sees FY 2009 GAAP earnings per share about $3.19 to $3.31 * Sees FY 2009 non-GAAP earnings per share ab...

Freddie Mac, the No. 2 U.S. home funding company, on Wednesday sold a record $10 billion three-year reference notes, the largest single new issue since the government-sponsored enterprises started global note programs over a decade ago.

Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc reduced stakes in health-care company Johnson & Johnson and consumer products company Procter & Gamble Co.

ACCRA (Reuters) - African bank Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) (ETI.GH) raised $566 million in its share and rights issue late last year, far short of the $2.5 billion targeted, a broker involved in the operation said on Wednesday.

DETROIT - A government-backed bankruptcy reorganization may still be a viable option for saving General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, analysts said on Wednesday, even though the automakers have said they would rather not go down that road. GM and Chrysler asked for billions of dollars more in federal aid on Tuesday and announced sweeping changes including capacity reduction and job ...

Commercial printer Transcontinental Inc is slashing 1,500 jobs or about 10 percent of its workforce as a rapid deterioration of the economy forces its customers to cut back on marketing spending, it said on Wednesday.