Industries

Wal-Mart Considers First Hong Kong Yuan Bond Sale, Asia Chief Price Says Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, is considering selling yuan bonds in Hong Kong as China opens its markets, according to Asia Chief Executive Officer Scott Price.

Tiger Woods Masters Windfall Nets AT&T, IBM 43% Gain in Advertising Punch Tiger Woods’s return to golf at the Masters Tournament will give sponsors like AT&T Inc. an unexpected boost from their ad dollars, lifting the value of their TV spots by 43 percent, according to a media analyst’s estimate.

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Oil Drops for First Time in Three Days as Dollar Gains, Crude Stocks Rise Crude oil fell for the first time in three days as the dollar gained, buoying demand for most commodities, and as U.S. crude stockpiles rose.

Crude Oil Targets $88 a Barrel as Next `Port of Call': Technical Analysis Crude oil will have $88 a barrel as the next “port of call” if the market this week can surpass technical chart resistance above $83, according to National Australia Bank Ltd.

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`Regulatory Bomb' for Bankers Prompts Societe Generale to Calm Investors Societe Generale SA, France’s second-largest bank by market value, is telling investors that regulators are likely to soften new rules for lenders as governments seek to avoid stifling the economic recovery.

`Sinister and Silly' German Spy Plan Aimed at Hedge Funds, Analysts Say Germany’s suggestion that it may order spies to track speculators targeting currencies is “sinister and silly,” according to analysts, who said hedge funds in London and New York would be the targets.

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Teva Said to Beat Pfizer, Actavis in $4.8 Billion Ratiopharm Acquisition Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. is close to an agreement to buy Ratiopharm GmbH for about 3.5 billion euros ($4.78 billion), ending a nine-month battle for Germany’s second-biggest maker of generic medicines, two people familiar with knowledge of the sale said.

J&J's Alzheimer Drug Test Results May Be Pushed Back 2 Years Until 2012 One of the most eagerly anticipated studies of a drug for Alzheimer’s disease may not yield results until 2012, two years later than had been forecast.

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Travelers Chief Fishman's Bonus Climbs 50% to $7.5 Million on Profit Gain Travelers Cos., the largest U.S. property-casualty insurer by market value, boosted Chief Executive Officer Jay Fishman’s bonus by 50 percent as profit climbed and the company joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

MS&AD to Seek Life Insurance Alliances in China, India After Japan Merger MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc., set to become Japan’s biggest casualty insurer after a three-way merger, said it’s in talks with Chinese and Indian firms to expand its life business as earnings growth stalls at home.

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Giorgio Armani Said to Postpone Hotel in Dubai Tower by More Than a Month Giorgio Armani’s first hotel, due to open in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa today, will be delayed by more than a month, said two people with knowledge of the plan.

Japanese Commercial Land Prices Slump to Record on Economy, Credit Crisis Japanese commercial land prices fell to the lowest in at least 36 years as developers faced tighter credit markets and the recession discouraged buyers.

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China Mobile Quarterly Profit Rises 3.3% as Mobile-Phone Use Increases China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest wireless carrier by users, posted a 3.3 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit as an economic rebound boosted phone usage, offsetting a slowdown in customer growth.

Malone's Liberty, Elliott Said to Drop Out of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Bidding John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp. and hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. have decided not to bid for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. movie studio, according to people with knowledge of the bidding.

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China's Geely May Take Control of Iconic London Black Cab Maker Manganese Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., the Chinese carmaker seeking to buy Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo Cars, may take control of Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc, maker of the iconic London black cab, the U.K.-based company said.

Ford Chief Mulally Says Talks to Sell Volvo Cars Unit to Geely Continuing Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said talks to sell the automaker’s Volvo unit to China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. are proceeding, rebutting local media reports the deal could be delayed.

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