German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA will acquire AZ Electronic Materials for GBP1.6 billion. Merck will pay AZ's existing stockholders GBP403.5 in cash for each share.

Glencore Xtrata PLC, led by its chief executive officer Ivan Glasenberg, will be committing more capital in thermal coal than rivals BHP Billiton Ltd., Rio Tinto Group and Anglo American PLC.

UK-based independent private equity firm Vitruvian Partners closed USD1.6 billion (EUR1.2 billion) in a fundraising round for its second fund, the Vitruvian Investment Partnership II (VIP II).

BNP Paribas, the largest bank in France, said it will be buying Bank Gospodarki Zywnosciowej, the Polish arm of Dutch bank Rabobank Groep, for EUR 1 billion.

AT&T will be up against smaller rival T-Mobile should the former decide to offer a bid for Verizon Wireless' spectrum block. Verizon, which bought the asset for USD2.4 billion, is seeking to generate USD2.75 billion from the sale.

Colorado firm CSG has bought the key assets of mobile and broadband policy and charging solutions provider Volubill in a deal that will help CSG expand its market reach.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Verizon's to buyout of Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless for USD130 billion, giving Verizon full ownership of the said network.

Auction house Christie's said the value of the 2,781 works collection fully and partially-owned by the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) was around the USD452 million to USD866 million range.

The Chinese government on Thursday cleared the USD1.3 billion car-making joint venture between Dongfeng Motor Group and France's Renault. Under the deal, the two companies will manufacture 150,000 multi-purpose vehicles annually.

Despite the rally posted by Sears Holding Corp on the stock exchange this year, which made it one of the best performers of the US listed stocks held by hedge fund ESL Partners, a Bloomberg report said some of the investors of hedge fund were not happy about it at all.