VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Banco do Brasil SA (BBAS3.SA), the nation's largest bank by assets, said on Friday it received approval from the central bank for a joint venture with card payment processor Cielo SA (CIEL3.SA), but it will not be able to book accounting gains from the deal.

Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) Audi luxury division said on Saturday it will increase spending on new models, plants and technology by 2 billion euros ($2.44 billion) to a record 24 billion euros over the next five years.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, dogged by a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras, vowed on Thursday to stamp out graft at the flagship firm and place it under strict corporate governance.

Brazilian tycoon Abilio Diniz is in talks with Carrefour SA about buying a stake in the French retailer's Brazilian unit, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said on Wednesday.

Brazilian retailers are expecting their worst Christmas season in a decade and signs are pointing to an unhappy New Year ahead.

Telecoms group Altice SA (ATCE.AS) has agreed to buy the Portuguese operations of Brazil's Grupo Oi (OIBR3.SA) for about 7.4 billion euros ($9.2 billion), in what will be its third large acquisition this year.

Brazil's efforts to bring down its debt will translate into renewed investor confidence and additional room to continue poverty-reduction policies for the years to come, incoming Finance Minister Joaquim Levy said on Saturday.

Brazil's JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), the world's largest beef exporter, has agreed to buy Australian processed foods producer Primo Smallgoods for $1.25 billion.

Credit rating agency Standard and Poor's said on Wednesday that China's over-priced and over-supplied property market and capital-starved Russian banks were likely to face further downgrades in the coming years.

Mick Davis, the former boss of miner Xstrata, has made an offer for Anglo American assets including copper mines in Chile, Brazilian nickel mines and some coal operations, the Sunday Times reported without citing sources.

Automakers in Brazil are facing the sharpest slowdown since 1999 and it could be a year or more before things turn the corner.

Swedish aerospace firm Saab (SAABb.ST) has finalised a $5.4 billion order to sell 36 fighter jets to Brazil, one of the most valuable defense contracts up for grabs in an emerging market.

The Brazilian Army has expressed interest in buying a handful of Boeing Co (BA.N) CH-47 Chinook helicopters, the company said on Wednesday, saying that it continued to view Brazil as an important partner for defense and commercial projects.

Brazil, Argentina and the United States have tightened port entry procedures for ships that have sailed from West Africa in a bid to control the potential spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Internet auction site eBay intends to drive a wave of consolidation in Russia's e-commerce market over the next couple of years, persuading smaller companies to get on board as the economy weakens.