INVESTMENT

Germany's Bundesbank urged banks to use a markets recovery to restructure and prevent a rerun of the financial crisis even as Deutsche Bank's chief called for a common bailout fund with taxpayer backing.

J.P. Morgan is close to buying out British stockbroker Cazenove in a deal likely to be worth almost 1 billion pounds ($1.7 billion) and trigger windfalls for dozens of London's top dealmakers.

GM Repaying Loans; Retail's Rise; Dollar Dominance to Last

U.S. network equipment maker Cisco raised its bid for Norwegian video conferencing equipment maker Tandberg and said it was backed by holders of more than 40 percent of its shares after few warmed to its previous offer.

China Forestry Holdings Group, a forestry plantation operator backed by the Carlyle Group, plans to raise up to $203 million via an initial offering of shares in Hong Kong late this month.

French dairy group Danone said on Monday it will launch a public offer to buy some of its bonds, in a move to simplify its debt structure and lower its cost.

U.S. stock index futures gained on Monday, taking a cue from rising global markets, as a weaker dollar lifted commodity prices in a boost to natural resource stocks and investors looked ahead to economic data and a speech by the Federal Reserve chairman.

Smaller U.S. brokers are cashing in on the opportunity to provide prime brokerage services to small and mid-sized hedge funds as top players rebuild their crisis-scarred operations by focusing on large money managers.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.84 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.57 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.55 percent at 0925 GMT (4:25 a.m. EST).

Citigroup Inc recently rejected a proposal from Guy Hands' private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners to restructure the debt of music group EMI, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.

Gold hit a record high on Monday as investors hedged against a weak dollar while Asian shares edged higher after upbeat reports from U.S. retailers underpinned confidence the global economy is recovering.

Citigroup Inc said on Sunday it has agreed to sell its stake in Japanese telemarketer Bellsystem24 to U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital for 93.5 billion yen ($1 billion).

FedEx Corp shares, which have more than doubled since a low in March, may climb further given the delivery company's growing exposure to overseas markets such as China, Barron's reported on Sunday.

U.S. stocks could face difficulty gaining traction this week as the S&P 500 bumps against the 1,100 mark and investors become content to cool their heels rather than risk losing gains made for the year.

Swiss bank UBS may hand over only a small amount of bank data as part of a U.S. settlement because the Internal Revenue Service has succeeded in cracking down on tax evaders, a radio station reported.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's largest bank, will issue about $11 billion in new shares to meet stricter capital requirements and boost lending in Asia, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Funds specializing in niche assets such as art and wine, long the preserve of ultra-rich hobbyists, are seeing a spike in interest from more mainstream investors seeking an antidote to the complexity of hedge funds.

Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson's firm took a stake in Citigroup , while cutting holdings in Bank of America and its interest in Goldman Sachs , according to a regulatory filing on Friday.

Blackstone Group said on Friday its Chief Operating Officer sold $67.5 million of his stake in the private equity firm to invest in various Blackstone funds.

The United States needs a credible way to dismantle large troubled financial institutions to squash a belief that some firms will always be rescued, a top U.S. government watchdog said on Friday.

U.S. stocks rose in light volume on Friday to achieve a second straight week of gains as upbeat retail news reinforced hopes for strong sales in the key holiday season