ICE seen at risk of overpaying if raises CBOT bid

(Reuters) - After months of battle, analysts wondered whether ICE Chief
Executive Jeff Sprecher could simply bow out after CME raised
its bid for CBOT Holdings Inc. by 7 percent on Friday.




ICE's stock "acted as if ICE is not going to buy," said
Scott Appleby of Appleby Capital Inc. "But I still think
there's a good chance they will raise their bid."


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Asian Stocks Climb in U.S. Trading; Shares of PetroChina and Posco Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose in U.S. trading as
energy shares including PetroChina Co. gained along with oil
prices. Posco jumped following the Indian government's plan to
ease delays in mining permits.

The Bank of New York Co.'s Asia ADR Index, tracking the
region's American depositary receipts, added 0.4 percent to
171.65. For the week, it gained 2.5 percent, the biggest weekly
increase since June 1.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Stocks may rise as earnings season starts

(Reuters) - Alcoa Inc. , the world's largest aluminum company,
kicks off another earnings season on Monday, and results from
the second quarter could surprise on the upside because of the
weak U.S. dollar.




"The earnings are going to surprise on the high side,
mostly because the dollar has lost ground through the quarter
and the analyst community always underestimates this effect,"
Milton Ezrati, senior economist and market strategist at Lord
Abbett & Co.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Piper looks at acquisitions in munis

(Reuters) - The Minneapolis investment bank, which focuses on advisory
and underwriting for mid-sized companies, is mainly looking to
expand in areas where it already does business, like public
finance and international banking, or once did, like asset
management.




But acquisitions will be made over time, and at valuations
that make sense, Duffy said.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Mexico stocks close up, led by Grupo Mexico gains

(Reuters) - The benchmark IPC stock index was up 0.73 percent at
32,411.84 points, while the peso currency rose
0.31 percent in local trading to 10.773 per dollar.




Mexican lawmakers are debating changes to President Felipe
Calderon's tax reform proposal that was unveiled last month.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Italy postpones Alitalia bid deadline again

(Reuters) - The treasury, which is selling at least 39.9 percent of the
unprofitable airline in the hopes of turning it around, did not
specify what additional information was now available.




All other terms of the sale remain unchanged, it said.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Group fights higher taxes on buyout firms, funds

(Reuters) - Republican Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia is heading a
coalition backed by the financial services, real estate, resort
and energy industries to thwart a U.S. House bill that takes
aim at the 15 percent tax rate now paid by most managers of
private equity funds, hedge funds and other investment
partnerships.




The Coalition for the Freedom of American Investors and
Retirees also opposes a bipartisan Senate bill that would close
a loophole that allows private equity firms to go public as
partnerships without paying corporate taxes.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News