Wall Street Journal
H-P Profit Rises on Cost Cutting
Hewlett-Packard's quarterly profit rose 14% as cost cutting boosted profit margins in its services business and offset lower sales in its computer and printer divisions.
PPR's Chief Aims to Strip French Retail Units
François-Henri Pinault, PPR's chief executive, plans to sell the French company's European retail divisions, including electronics retailer Fnac and the Conforama discount-furniture stores.
Icahn Places Starting Bid for Fontainebleau
Carl Icahn outbid Penn National Gaming to place a starting bid of $155 million for the Fontainebleau, the stalled Las Vegas hotel-and-casino project whose construction is expected to cost nearly $3.5 billion.
People's United to Acquire Financial Federal
People's United Financial agreed to acquire Financial Federal in a deal valued at $738 million, increasing its presence in the equipment-finance sector.
Analog Devices Profit Falls 27%
Analog Devices Inc.'s fiscal-fourth-quarter profit dropped 27% on lower sales and margins, but the company reported a double-digit increase in order rates from the third quarter.
Microsoft, News Corp. Discuss Web Pact
Microsoft and News Corp. have held discussions about a partnership that could result in News Corp. removing its newspaper content from Google's search engine while continuing to feature it on Microsoft's online properties.
MAN's Chief Executive Resigns
MAN SE's chief executive, Hakan Samuelsson, unexpectedly resigned his post at the European truck maker, effective immediately.
Peet's Coffee Raises Offer for Diedrich
Peet's and Green Mountain Coffee are in a bidding war for Diedrich Coffee, highlighting the sudden popularity of single-serve coffee pods.
Vivendi Increases Stake in Canal Plus France
French private broadcaster Television Francaise 1 said it has agreed to sell its 9.9% stake in Canal Plus France to Vivendi for $1.12 billion.
China Banks Warned on Capital
China's banking regulator told banks to comply with capital requirements or face sanctions, the latest signal that Beijing is worried about risks in the financial system.
Eni to Buy Oil Stakes in Uganda
Italy's Eni is to acquire stakes in two Ugandan oil fields from U.K.-listed Heritage Oil for $1.35 billion.
Google Buys Display-Ad Start-Up
Google agreed to buy Teracent, which has developed technology designed to deliver customized display ads in real time. Terms weren't disclosed.
J.P. Morgan Appoints China Chief
J.P. Morgan said it has appointed Linklaters LLP's Asia managing partner Zili Shao as its new China chairman and chief executive.
Hershey Trustees Back Cadbury Bid
The trust that controls Hershey is pushing it to launch a rival $17 billion bid for Cadbury that would include more cash than Kraft's offer.
Lloyds Raises $14.03 Billion
The U.K. bank said it had raised the maximum $14.03 billion of contingent core Tier 1 and core Tier 1 capital through its non-U.S. bond exchange offer, and said the U.S. exchange offer is already heavily over-subscribed.
BJ Services Swings to a Loss
Low demand for oil-field and pumping services hurts BJ, in what could be one of its last quarters as an independent company.
Price Dispute Delays NBC Deal
GE and Vivendi remain hundreds of millions of dollars apart as they try to agree on a price tag for the sale of a minority stake in NBC Universal.
Gulf Air Launches New Strategy
Bahrain's national carrier hopes to save almost $3 billion over five years as the struggling airline restructures to compete in the Gulf region's increasingly cutthroat aviation market.
Tyson Expects Prices to Rise
Tyson posted a $455 million loss on a write-down. The meat processor expects U.S. beef and pork prices to rise next year as the weakening dollar spurs the company to shift output toward exports.
Tech Data Sees Improving Outlook
Tech Data said it sees signs of improving technology spending as the technology distributor reported an 8% drop in quarterly sales from a year ago but an increase from the second quarter.