Standard & Poor's downgraded France's credit rating from AA+ to AA, citing President Francois Hollande's ineffective growth policies.
Infrastructure
Queensland Investment Corporation announced the sale of its toll road business Queensland Motorways for USD4 billion.
Preliminary plans obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that one of Google's floating barges would be an interactive showroom for about a thousand visitors daily.
Beverage giant Coca-cola Co said it would invest USD5 billion in China between 2015 and 2017 to counter competition.
The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported on Wednesday
CIT Corporate Finance provided a senior secured credit facility worth USD 35 million to wireless communications towers operator Central States Tower II.
A panel from the telecom ministry recommended cutting down the price for wireless spectrum in India.
Microsoft entered a 20-year deal with RES Americas to source wind power from its Texas facility.
Google announced that it will invest USD607 million to upgrade its seawater-cooled facility in Finland and convert it into a bigger data center.
US fund York Capital Management invested EUR100 million in GEK Terna, one of Greece's top construction groups.
A consortium led by Chinalco was shortlisted to bid for Glencore Xstrata's copper mine in Peru, a Chinalco executive said.
Only the issues of sovereign guarantees by Pakistan for the purchases of gas from India hinder the finalization of the agreement between the two countries.
Several banks required to undergo Fed Reserve stress tests to determine capacity of capital cushions on hypothetical adverse conditions.
Essar Group planned to bid for water projects in India.