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Friday, July 21, 2017

FTC probing allegations of Amazon's deceptive discounting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As part of its review of Amazon's agreement to buy Whole Foods, the Federal Trade Commission is looking into allegations that Amazon misleads customers about its pricing discounts, according to a source close to the probe.

Exclusive: Baidu, JD.com to join others investing $12 bln in state-owned China Unicom - sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Baidu Inc and JD.com will join other big Chinese technology firms to jointly invest about $12 billion in the Shanghai-listed unit of China Unicom, the weakest of three big state-owned telecoms firms, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Siemens retreats from Russian energy after Crimean scandal

FRANKFURT/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Germany's Siemens tried to distance itself from a Crimean sanctions scandal on Friday, halting deliveries of power equipment to Russian state-controlled customers and reviewing supply deals.

Blackstone, CVC make their move as payment companies cash in

(Reuters) - Private equity firms Blackstone and CVC Capital Partners [CVC.UL] bid 2.9 billion pounds ($3.7 billion) for payments processing company Paysafe Group on Friday, joining a rush of investors into the industry.

Landis+Gyr dips on debut after biggest Swiss IPO in 11 years

ZURICH (Reuters) - Shares in Swiss smart meter maker Landis+Gyr made a subdued stock market debut on Friday after completing Switzerland's biggest initial public offering (IPO) in 11 years.

Hungary's OTP to buy Banca Romaneasca from Greece's NBG: sources

BUDAPEST/ATHENS (Reuters) - Hungary's OTP Bank has agreed to buy Romania's Banca Romaneasca from the National Bank of Greece (NBG), two sources with knowledge of the deal told Reuters on Friday, continuing OTP's acquisition drive in central and eastern Europe.

Spain's ACS studies Abertis counterbid to deny Italy's Atlantia

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish construction group ACS said on Friday it was considering a counterbid for Spain's Abertis after a more than 16 billion euro offer by Italy's Atlantia for the toll road company.

China Construction Bank gets nod for debt-for-equity swap subsidiary

BEIJING (Reuters) - China Construction Bank Corp (CCB), the country's second-largest commercial lender, said on Friday it has received regulatory approval to set up a subsidiary to conduct market-driven debt-for-equity swaps.

Exclusive: U.S. toughens stance on foreign deals in blow to China's buying spree

(Reuters) - A secretive U.S. government panel has objected to at least nine acquisitions of U.S. companies by foreign buyers so far this year, people familiar with the matter said, a historically high number that bodes poorly for China's overseas buying spree.

Permira joins payments rush by buying into Sweden's Klarna

LONDON (Reuters) - Private equity group Permira has bought a stake of at least 10 percent in payments firm Klarna, one of Europe's most highly valued tech startups, the companies said on Friday.