Latest News on private equities market

By Thyagaraju Adinarayan, Emma Thomasson and Philip Blenkinsop

U.S. private equity investor KKR said on Wednesday its investment agreement with the main shareholders in German publisher Axel Springer, under which it is making an offer to buy out minorities, was valid for five years.

U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday it opened a research center in Tel Aviv, becoming one of several global automakers beefing up operations in Israel to take advantage of the country's vibrant technology sector.

Global deliveries for Skoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen group, dropped by 6.6% to 104,900 vehicles in May, pulled down by a weaker overall market in China, its biggest sales destination, the company said on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabian Airlines is close to placing a multi-billion-dollar order for aircraft at least partly involving Airbus jets, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

France's Dassault Systemes moved to build up its life sciences presence with a $5.8 billion cash deal to buy Medidata Solutions, a U.S. firm focused on clinical trials.

Adidas shares fell 1.5% on Wednesday on expectations that one of the German sportswear firm's top shareholders, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), was preparing to sell a portion of its stake, three traders said.

British American Tobacco, the world's No. 2 tobacco company, on Wednesday forecast sales of vaping and e-cigarette products to accelerate in the second half of the year and announced plans to consolidate the business into fewer brands.

British consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser on Wednesday named PepsiCo executive Laxman Narasimhan as its next chief executive officer, to succeed Rakesh Kapoor.

Funds controlled by U.S. private equity investor KKR on Wednesday offered 63 euros a share to buy out minority shareholders in Axel Springer in a deal agreed with the German publisher's main shareholders.

Norway's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund may have to sell its $1 billion stake in commodities giant Glencore, among other companies that derive more than 30 percent of their revenue from coal, to meet proposed tighter ethical investing rules.

China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), Ant Financial Services and Hellobike said on Wednesday they will invest 1 billion yuan ($144.60 million) to establish a electric bicycle battery joint venture.

Iran has been racing to step up exports of petrochemicals and tap new markets to compensate for sliding oil sales, Iranian and international industry sources said, but now risks losing that crucial revenue as Washington tightens the screw on sanctions.

Asian share markets were in a defensive crouch on Wednesday as the White House took a tough line on trade talks with China, while a looming reading on U.S. inflation could scramble the odds for an early cut in interest rates there.

British consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser on Wednesday named PepsiCo executive Laxman Narasimhan to succeed Rakesh Kapoor as chief executive officer.