Goldman drops ING M&A role, sparks RBS talk -report

(Reuters) - Goldman and ING declined to comment. The U.S. investment bank is an adviser to RBS and has helped on its past deals.

Barclays and ABN confirmed they were in exclusive talks on March 19. The talks are expected to last until around April 18.


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Barclays speaks with Dutch regulator on ABN bid

(Reuters) - AMSTERDAM, April 4 - Barclays Chief Executive John Varley discussed bid procedures for ABN AMRO NV with the chief Dutch market regulator AFM, the regulator said on Wednesday.

ABN and Barclays entered exclusive merger talks last month after the Dutch bank came under pressure from investors, including British hedge fund TCI, to consider a sale or breakup to boost shareholder returns after several years of underperformance.


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EU approves Thales purchase of satellite JV stakes

(Reuters) - One of the joint ventures, Alcatel Alenia Space, makes satellites while the other, Telespazio Holding, operates and services them.

Alenia makes satellites of up to 6,000 kg, its Web site says. They are used for telecommunications, weather forecasting, earth observation, science-based space programmes and navigation through the Galileo system and other applications.


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Three groups submit bids for Chrysler: paper

(Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler is expected to choose one bidder as an exclusive negotiating partner by the end of April, it said, adding DaimlerChrysler was hoping for a price of about $8 billion for Chrysler.

DaimlerChrysler has persistently refused to comment on the status of its strategic review of Chrysler since the world's fifth-biggest carmaker said in February it was examining all options for Chrysler.


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S.Africa says won't bankroll SAA "at any cost"- paper

(Reuters) - South Africa will not support loss-making state-owned airline South African Airways forever, the public enterprises minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Alec Erwin told SAA Chairman Jakes Gerwel in a confidential letter the airline "cannot and will not be supported at all costs", Business Day newspaper said.


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Falling oil, rising home sales spark US stocks rally

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed sharply higher on Tuesday as a drop in oil prices calmed worries about inflation and news of an unexpected rise in home sales raised hopes the housing market is stabilizing.

The rally took the Dow and S&P 500 to their highest levels since February 27.


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Gold drifts higher in Europe, trapped in ranges

(Reuters) - Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday despite a decline in crude oil, and dealers expected it to remain confined to ranges ahead of the Easter holidays.

Spot gold rose to $665.40/666.40 an ounce by 0959 GMT, against $664.00/665.00 in New York late on Tuesday, when it slipped to track a drop in crude oil prices.


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