DEALS

After months of shunning the initial public offerings of tech companies, investors have begun warming to them again, yet another sign the IPO market might be recovering.

Growing demand, cheaper financing and wider participation are expected to double the volume of asset-backed securities issuance in the upcoming round of the Federal Reserve's TALF program in June.

Amazon on Wednesday launched a next generation Kindle, an e-reader with a large, textbook, magazine and newspaper-friendly screen called the DX.

Morgan Stanley is not likely to pursue a retail bank acquisition while it scrambles to complete its joint venture with Citigroup Inc brokerage unit Smith Barney, Morgan Chief Executive John Mack said.

General Motors moved closer to selling a majority stake in Opel, while the deadline for Chrysler to find a partner entered its final days, and Japan's Toyota kept its top global ranking even after reporting a 27 percent drop in sales.

Yahoo shares rose Monday after reports that software maker Microsoft is discussing possible search and advertising partnerships with the Internet portal.

In the fast-paced world we live in, owning cars is an essential necessity in life. With a car, you can manage your life easier, and more efficiently.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is challenging some of the tax deals structured by AIG Financial Products Corp, the unit of the giant insurer that has caused political outrage over $165 million in employee bonuses, the Wall Street Journal said.

If my e-mail inbox is any gauge of the current climate, travelers are looking for ways to cut costs on airfare. I’ve gotten lots of questions lately about “consolidator” fares. Do the bucket shops...

Purchases by governments and state-backed firms made up a record proportion of global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in February, underscoring how the financial crisis has sidelined private-sector buyers.

Look for countries with strong middle-class growth -- say, China or Brazil. Stick mainly to housing and retail. Focus on the long term. And don't attempt to do it without a local partner.

As Brazil becomes one of the world?s major players in investment opportunity, airlines are vying to offer new flights and routes. American Airlines launched service from Miami (MIA) to Recife (REC) and Salvador da Bahia (SSA) on Nov. 2 and to Belo Horizonte (CNF) on Nov. 4. Delta Air Lines inaugurated daily flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Manaus (MAO) in late November, alo.....

The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 1430 GMT on Monday.

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson said it had signed deals with 10 music labels to add content to its PlayNow service, which lets users download music via their mobile phones.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co and Hitachi Ltd are discussing multi-billion dollar deals on flat panels that could reshape an industry hit by fierce competition, a source familiar with the matter said.

Wells Fargo & Co Chairman Dick Kovacevich is not against the No. 5 U.S. bank making a major acquisition, but he said on Tuesday the prospect of that happening is unlikely even as large rivals become vulnerable due to shaky subprime lending.

The holiday shopping season kicked off on Thursday even before the turkey was carved, as retailers, worried that gift buying may slow this year, posted special deals on their Web sites on Thanksgiving day. Numerous retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Best Buy Co Inc and Circuit City Stores Inc, are offering special deals online.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to visit Bolivia on Thursday, the first time an Iranian leader has visited the impoverished South American country, to solidify diplomatic ties and sign aid agreements.

Upcoming deals such as Sirius Satellite Radio's planned takeover of XM Satellite Radio could be helped by a court decision in favor of a takeover deal between two organic food retailers.

The tightening of the credit markets and fears of a global liquidity crunch have turned a normal summer slowdown in mergers and acquisitions into a deep freeze.

The 47th Paris air show opens on Monday with France-based planemaker Airbus expected to announce major deals from Middle East-based airlines as it seeks to make up ground on sales by U.S. rival Boeing Co.