Univar agrees $2 bln bid by CVC, shares surge

(Reuters) - The bid from Ulysses Luxembourg S.a.r.l., a company controlled by funds managed by CVC Capital Partners , is at 53.50 euros per share, Univar and CVC said in a joint statement.




HAL Holding N.V. , which owns about 26.6 percent of Univar shares, said in a statement it has agreed to offer its stake to the bidder, and will not offer its shares to another party at a price below 57.50 euros within a certain time period.


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Nordic Stocks Climb to Record; A.P. Moeller-Maersk, SSAB, Boliden Gain

(Bloomberg) -- Nordic stocks advanced for a second
day, pushing the Dow Jones Nordic 30 Index to a record.

A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S increased, following shares of Asian
shipping companies, after a media report said sea freight
companies raised rates.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

UPDATE 1-IHOP says Argonne Capital buys its Florida licensee

(Reuters) - FMS owned, operated and sub-franchised 148 IHOP restaurants
in Florida and in certain counties of Southern Georgia.




Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.


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US STOCKS-Futures rise on profit optimism, Alcoa up

(Reuters) - Shares of Alcoa Inc. , the best performing Dow Jones
industrial average stock so far this year, rose 1.5 percent in
Europe before the aluminum producer's second-quarter financial
results expected after the market's close.




Even though fallout from the housing slowdown and recent
increases in fuel costs have stirred some caution, analysts
expect recent signs pointing to a strong labor market to boost
prospects for higher-than-expected profits.


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Indian firms eye Devon's West Africa assets - sources

(Reuters) - Four state-run Indian oil firms are weighing up whether to enter the race for some of the West African oil and gas assets held by U.S.-based Devon Energy, sources close to the potential bids said on Monday.

A source said exploration firm Oil India Ltd. and refiner Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) were jointly evaluating data for a possible non-binding bid for Devon's Angolan assets and "would submit a bid if the data meets expectations".


Read more at Reuters Africa

Biofuels output seen doubling, still marginal: IEA

(Reuters) - But looking ahead, its latest Medium-Term Oil Market Report stated the need for caution and said limited data made prediction difficult.




"Price pressure this year on feedstocks such as corn, sugar, soybeans, wheat and palm oil reinforces our concerns over economic viability due to competition between first-generation biofuels and the food chain," it said.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

Numico shares up on talk of interest from Danone

(Reuters) - "It strategically works for both Danone or Pepsi. We see a takeout price of at least 55-60 euros," said a trader.




Danone and Numico both declined to comment.


Read more at Reuters.com Hot Stocks News