Roland Li

3i Group plc (London: III) the largest listed UK private equity company, is in talks with Spain's Ferrovial to sell its Enterprise maintenance and cleaning company, the Financial Times reported.

Spain, the euro zone's fourth-largest economy, said Monday industrial output decrease by 7.5 percent in March compared to the prior year, following sharp unemployment and shrinking gross domestic product, according to official data.

Chinese beer maker Beijing Yanjian Brewery Co. (Shenzhen: 729) is in exclusive talks to buy Hong Kong-based Kingway Brewery Holdings Ltd. (Hong Kong: 124) for $700 million, Dow Jones reported Friday.

The Obama administration will reportedly restrict hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, by promulgating a set of rules governing such practices on federal land.

Bright Food Group Co., the second-largest food company in China, said Thursday it would buy a 60 percent stake in British cereal maker Weetabix Ltd. as it seeks to expand in foreign markets.

U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to a new record low of 3.84 percent in the week ending May 2, following subdued economic data, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

U.S. non-farm productivity fell in the first quarter by 0.5 percent as the country's employment base increased, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Euro zone manufacturing shrank at the sharpest level in nearly three years, sending the euro falling against the dollar and raising more concerns for the region.

The CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK), the second-largest U.S. natural gas producer, will give up the role of chairman after shareholders said there was a potential conflict of interest with his separate investments, the company said Tuesday.

Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), one of the world's largest media conglomerates, is expected to have increased revenue and earnings per share in the first quarter, as viewership in its cable television division increases.

Chrysler Group LLC said Tuesday that U.S. auto sales rose by 20 percent in April, the strongest result in four years and another sign of a resurgent auto industry.

Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL), the second-largest U.S. commercial airline, is reportedly close to a bid for a Pennsylvania oil refinery that could mitigate high fuel costs by cutting out the middleman.

Private equity group Terra Firma Capital Partners said Monday it would buy Four Seasons Health Care, the UK's largest independent elderly healthcare provider, for 825 million pounds ($1.34 billion) to take advantage of the growing demand.

Gamification is the application of game mechanics like progression, prestige, competition and social feedback in non-gaming environments to change user behavior. In the pre-digital world, gamification took the form of marketing programs like frequent-flier miles, for example, but the Internet has taken gamification into more interactive and innovative areas.

Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the largest U.S. mall landlord, said Friday its profits more than tripled in the first quarter as the value of its properties rose and higher rents and occupancy rates boosted its revenue.

Consumer sentiment rose slightly in April as more Americans took a positive view of a long-term recovery, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index released Friday.

Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX), the largest gold miner, said Thursday it sold its 20.4 percent stake in Russian company Highland Gold Mining Ltd. (London: HGM) for $130 million as it seeks to unload non-core business.

U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates dipped to 3.88 percent in the week ending April 26, staying near record lows as the housing market remained mixed, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

U.S. pending home sales increased 4.1 percent in March compared to the prior month, signaling improvement in the national housing market and beating forecasts, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG), the largest U.S. mall landlord, is expected to have higher profits in the first quarter as its strong properties drive higher revenue.

Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual raised 3.65 billion reais ($1.96 billion) in the country's largest initial public offering in more than 2 1/2 years amid strong demand, a local regulator said Tuesday.

Sales of new U.S. homes fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 328,000 in March, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, but beat expectations by analysts.

The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), the largest U.S. airplane and defense manufacturer, is expected to report higher first quarter earnings as the sale of more high-profit aircraft types offsets rising pension costs.

Bill Ackman and Sam Zell spoke Thursday at the NYU Shack Institute's annual REIT conference.

U.S. existing home sales fell 2.6 percent in March to an annual rate of 4.48 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, missing expectations and highlighting continued weakness in the housing market.

Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW), the second-largest chemical company by revenue, said Thursday it will build an ethylene plant in Texas to take advantage of the sharply lower costs of natural gas feedstock, something its foreign rivals cannot take advantage of.

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), the No. 2 search engine, said Tuesday its first quarter revenue increased 1 percent to $1.07 billion from the prior year as web traffic rose, beating estimates.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) Chief Financial Officer David Viniar took questions from analysts on Tuesday morning in a wide-ranging call that touched on government regulation, risk, departures of the firm's partners and the firm's standing on Wall Street. Here are five key points.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), the fifth-largest U.S. bank by assets, said Tuesday it had 23% less profit in the first quarter on falling investment banking and trading revenue, but its revenue beat analyst forecasts as it raised its dividend.