Financial News

SUCCESS STORY: Corinne Bailey RaeSENIOR executives at record label EMI and US rival Warner Music were said %today to be preparing for preliminary talks over a £4bn-plus merger. The companies have courted each other on a number of occasions in the past, but a report suggested that advisers on both sides are being briefed to prepare for fresh talks. EMI, which last week put investors on stand-by for a 12 per cent hike in annual profits, is understood to have lined up %Citigroup and UBS to assist ...

Evening Standard24 April 2006 THE war on terror continues to help drive Cambridge-based Autonomy to record sales as its internet and data monitoring and sorting software is in huge demand. OTHER STORIES Petrol hits £1.19 a litre Goldman to pursue BAA Market Report: Monday Preview Healthy cakes fatten RHM figures Millions face new 'tax' on fuel THE EDITOR'S CHOICE TOP RE ...

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) -- The boards of Spain's Abertis Infraestructuras SA and Italy's Autostrade SpA have approved a merger plan to create a publicly traded company with a market value of 24 billion ($29.62 billion), according to a published report. Abertis' Chief Executive, Salvador Alemany, will be the new company's CEO, according to a report on The Wall Street Journal's Web site. The ...

By Stefano Bernabei and Carlos Ruano ROME/MADRID (Reuters) - Italy's Autostrade (AUTS.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) agreed on Sunday to a buyout by Spain's Abertis (ABE.MC: Quote, Profile, Research) in a deal they say will create the world's largest toll road and infrastructure company. The deal, billed as a merger of equals, adds to a growing wave of cross-border mergers and acquisitions and  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - EMI Group (EMI.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and its U.S. rival Warner Music Group (WMG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are preparing to resume talks that could lead to the creation of the world's third-biggest music company, the Sunday Times reported. The early-stage preparations are expected to result in the resumption of merger talks within months, the newspaper reported, citi ...

By Stefano Bernabei and Carlos Ruano ROME/MADRID (Reuters) - The board of Italy's Autostrade (AUTS.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) has approved a merger with Spain's Abertis (ABE.MC: Quote, Profile, Research) to create the world's largest toll road operator, it said in a statement on Sunday. Autostrade said the 25-billion euro deal ($30 billion) saw a 1-for-1 share swap and an extraordinary divi ...

Wyevale, the UK's largest garden centre operator, agreed the 555p-a-share deal with a consortium led by Sir Tom's investment group West Coast Capital and Baugur.It follows months of takeover interest sparked by an unsuccessful approach by private equity firm Cinven and the purchase of almost 29 per cent of Wyevale's shares by WCC earlier this year.Wyevale yesterday said the offer was "fair and rea ...