U.K. FTSE 100 Index Increases, Led by Friends Provident on Merger Talks

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks rallied, led by Friends
Provident Plc after Resolution Plc said it is in ``advanced''
merger talks with the insurer. Prudential Plc and Legal & General
Group Plc rose after UBS AG recommended investors buy the shares.

Antofagasta Plc and Anglo American Plc paced gains in mining
companies. Barclays Plc rose after the bank increased its offer
for ABN Amro Holding NV.


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European Stocks Advance; Depfa, Friends Provident, Barclays Climb

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks rose after Hypo Real
Estate Holding AG agreed to buy Depfa Bank Plc for 5.7 billion
euros ($7.9 billion) and merger talks between two U.K. insurers
revived speculation that takeovers in the region will continue.

Depfa soared 13 percent. Friends Provident Plc jumped the most
in more than two months and Resolution Plc headed for its biggest
gain since March after the companies said they are in talks for a
merger that would create the U.K.'s fifth-biggest insurer. Barclays
Plc climbed after it increased its bid for ABN Amro Holding NV.


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U.K. Stocks Rebound, Paced by Prudential, Resolution; Barclays Advances

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks climbed, rebounding from
last week's decline, led by Friends Provident Plc after Resolution
Plc said its in ``advanced'' talks to merge with the insurer.

Prudential Plc and Legal & General Group Plc paced the gains
after UBS AG recommended investors buy the shares. Barclays Plc
rose after the bank increased its offer for ABN Amro Holding NV.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

U.K.'s FTSE 100 Is Little Changed; Barclays, Glaxo, BT Climb, Lonmin Drops

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks including Barclays Plc
rose after Royal Bank of Scotland Plc sweetened its 71.1 billion
euro ($98.1 billion) offer for ABN Amro Holding NV.

Lonmin Plc limited gains after the mining company said it
will delay the sale of as much as 90,000 ounces of platinum.
Wolseley Plc slid after the company said pretax profit fell.


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European Stocks Advance, Led by ABN Amro, Barclays, BT Group, Glaxo

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks rose for a third day,
led by ABN Amro Holding NV after Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc
sweetened its 71.1 billion-euro ($98.1 billion) offer for the
Dutch lender, seeking to trump Barclays Plc.

ABN Amro jumped the most in three months. Barclays also
climbed. BT Group Plc, the U.K.'s largest phone company, and
drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc rose after brokerages lifted their
recommendations on the shares.


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Goodwin Bid Spurns Shareholders as Royal Bank Trails Rivals in U.K. Market

(Bloomberg) -- Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc Chief
Executive Officer Fred Goodwin's pursuit of the world's biggest
banking takeover has already cost shareholders $6.6 billion of
market value and the fight is far from over.

Goodwin, who has overseen more than $60 billion of
acquisitions since 2000, has failed to convince investors that
the proposed $97 billion bid for ABN Amro Holding NV, the largest
Dutch bank, will increase profit fast enough to bolster Royal
Bank's underperforming stock. Shares of Royal Bank dropped 5.2
percent since the offer for ABN Amro was unveiled almost three
months ago and Goodwin estimated the deal would result in $5.2
billion of merger expenses, reducing profit for two years.


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Deutsche Bank Hires ABN Amro's Debt Syndication Head in Asia, People Say

(Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Bank AG hired Herman van den
Wall Bake from ABN Amro Holding NV as the German bank increases
its market share in Asia, according to two people with knowledge
of the matter.

The former head of Asian debt syndication at ABN Amro will
join the region's leading bond underwriter as a director, the
people said, asking not to be named before a company announcement.
Singapore-based van den Wall Bake, 37, will report to Mark Leahy,
Deutsche Bank's head of Asian debt syndication.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News