| European banks rally ahead of Fed meeting Banking stocks lead European equities higher as investors prepare for the outcome of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting in the US  Richemont rises on talk of acquisition Swiss luxury goods company climbs against a falling market on rumours that it might buy internet designer-clothing retailer Net-a-Porter Questions remain over Greece rescue Greece's socialist government puts a brave face on a eurozone plan to help it out of its debt crisis in spite of lingering uncertainties over how much money might be offered and on what terms Renault deal has attractions for Daimler Daimler has a new possible alliance partner in the French company, which is in weaker financial shape but is far stronger than the German group in the market for small cars Daimler and Renault explore tie-up European carmakers are in talks about acquiring mutual equity interests as part of talks about greater co-operation Deutsche Bank names pair to Oppenheim Deutsche Bank moved quickly to strengthen the management of Sal Oppenheim after completing the takeover of the private bank by naming two executives to oversee financial control and risk management CF Industries buys Terra for $4.7bn The first battle of the 'fertilizer wars' closed after US-based CF Industries closed a deal to buy US rival Terra for $4.7bn in cash and shares Wood pulp shortage lifts UPM-Kymmene Volkswagen shares rallied 4.3 per cent to €74.43 after the German carmaker said it would use a convertible bond issue and a share sale to fund acquisitions Eurozone industrial production speeds ahead Industrial production in the eurozone grows at its fastest level for over 20 years in January, amid signs of a far more sustained recovery than had been seen previously Sales growth starts to return in Europe European companies have started to see an increase in sales in the last quarter, providing a tentative boost to corporate confidence India's ONGC and Russia in energy pact talks India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp is in talks with Gazprom and Rosneft over taking equity stakes in oil and gas projects to help cement an energy partnership Philips slides amid talk of Hologic bid France's Lagardère, the world's largest publisher of consumer magazines, suffered the steepest falls on the FTSE Eurofirst index after disappointing investors with poor earnings for 2009 and a weak outlook for the year ahead RTL seeks relaxation of advertising rules Broadcaster, RTL is calling on regulators to relax advertising rules surrounding sponsors' logos and product placement to ease the pain left by the advertising recession VW eyes convertibles to help pay for Porsche Europe's largest carmaker announces plans to launch a convertible bond issue alongside its multibillion-euro capital increase, in a move to woo investors wary of equity issues F&C eager for further purchases F&C Asset Management underlines its desire to expand via acquisition by confirming that it would seek more deals on top of its proposal to buy C-Quadrat for €54m News Wizard |