VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Even as Spanish banks look to sell off assets in the wake new regulatory demands requiring them to recognize more losses on real estate stacked up on their balance sheets during the earlier economic boom, leading Mexican financial group Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV (Banorte) has reportedly finalized a deal to buy the Bancomer pension fund owned by Spain's Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. (BBVA).

In the wake of strong demand for apartments in key US markets, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc has decided to sell its property group Archstone to two real estate investment trusts (REITs) -- AvalonBay Communities Inc and Equity Residential -- for a total consideration of $6.5 billion.

Even as ConocoPhilips clears the deck for sale of its 8.4 percent stake in Kazakhstan oil field Kashagan to India's oil & gas major ONGC Videsh for a total consideration of about $5 billion, some of ConocoPhillips' partners in the oilfield project could still exercise their right of first refusal on the stake.

Leading American financial services firm Knight Capital Group, engaged in market making, electronic execution, and institutional sales and trading, is reportedly in talks with rival firms Getco and Virtu for sale of its market making business unit.

Even as the British Government lays the ground for its upcoming Energy Bill that will principally aim to promote a low-carbon energy economy in the country, Japanese energy and engineering major Hitachi has completed the acquisition of Britain's Horizon nuclear project.

Italian truck and tractor major Fiat Industrial and its U.S.-based full line agricultural and construction equipment industries firm CNH Global NV have agreed to merge, whereby Fiat Industrial will acquire 12 percent in CNH that it had not owned already.

Russia's largest oil company Rosneft is all set to buy a 50% stake in TNK-BP from BP for a total consideration of about 55 billion.

Even as private equity and other investors train attention on Australian food manufacturers, reports indicate that Blackstone Group LP and China's agribusiness firm New Hope Group have entered the final round of bidding for Australia's largest poultry producer Inghams Enterprises which owns the Ingham Chicken brand.

Even as consumer companies and prescription drug-makers zero in on emerging opportunities in the OTC healthcare market, global consumer goods major Reckitt Benckiser has inked a deal to acquire US group Schiff Nutrition for $1.4 billion.

Singapore-based Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE) has made a record $12.7 billion bid for Fraser & Neave, a leading Pan-Asian consumer group with major interests in food & beverage (F&B), property, publishing and printing businesses.

Australia's leading grains handler GrainCorp has pushed back a $2.8 billion takeover offer from US agricultural major Archer Daniel Midland Co (ADM) citing that the bid does not reflect the fundamental strength of the grains handler.

Even as Goldman Sachs Group and Providence Equity Partners plan their exit from New York Yankees' regional sports network YES, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is reportedly working toward picking up a minority stake in the network.

Economic slowdown in China accompanied by new M&A-friendly regulatory norms have encouraged China-focused private equity firm FountainVest Partners to raise a second fund with the primary objective of making fresh acquisitions.

New York-based $1.2-billion Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc., which owns some of the best-known luxury lodgings in the US like Essex House and Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay in California, is beeping loud on the takeover radar following the exit of its founder Laurence Geller as CEO and President.

Beleaguered Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp is likely to attract investments from US-based Intel Corp and Qualcomm Inc towards the end of the month.