RPT-Buyout head likens subprime woes to private equity

(Reuters) - LONDON, July 3 - Debt financing for leveraged
buyouts could be on the verge of drying up, a senior UK private
equity executive warned on Tuesday, drawing parallels to the
collapse of the U.S. subprime mortgage market.




"It could be very close. It could be a year or two forward.
It's very hard to call," said Jon Moulton, the managing partner
of buyout firm Alchemy, in remarks to a Treasury committee
investigating the private equity industry. "It is near future."


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

US STOCKS-Indexes edge up at open on M&A news

(Reuters) - The Dow Jones industrial average was up 9.92 points,
or 0.07 percent, at 13,545.35. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index
was up 2.33 points, or 0.15 percent, at 1,521.76. The
Nasdaq Composite Index was up 3.38 points, or 0.13
percent, at 2,635.68.




Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Uphill struggle for Gulf investors in N.Africa

(Reuters) - Arab Gulf petrodollars are flooding into North Africa, helping investment-starved economies create jobs and help overcome poverty.

On paper, that is.


Read more at Reuters Africa

UPDATE 1-Piper Jaffray to buy investment bank for $50 mln

(Reuters) - The consideration will be paid in about 90 percent cash and
about 10 percent stock at the time the transaction closes,
which is expected in the third quarter.




Piper, a middle-market investment bank, sees deal adding
modestly to its earnings in 2008.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 1-Walgreen June same-store sales rise 5.1 percent

(Reuters) - CHICAGO, July 3 - Walgreen Co. , one of the largest U.S. drugstore chains, on Tuesday posted a 5.1 percent rise in June sales at stores open at least a year as sales of general merchandise grew at a faster clip than sales of prescription drugs.



Pharmacy sales were pressured by the introduction of cheaper generic drugs and a calendar shift, Walgreen said.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

U.S. workers' confidence falters in June - Hudson

(Reuters) - "It appears worker sentiment caved under the pressure of
the weak housing market, high energy prices and inconsistent
job growth," said Robert Morgan, president of talent management
at Hudson Highland Group , a job recruitment company,
in a statement.




After hovering between 32 percent and 33 percent for four
straight months, the number of workers who said their employer
had plans to hire declined to 30 percent in June, the Hudson
survey said.


Read more at Reuters.com Economic News

Treasuries Are Little Changed as Stocks Rally in Europe, U.K. and Japan

(Bloomberg) -- Treasuries were little changed as
stock markets in the U.K., Germany and Japan rallied.

Benchmark 10-year U.S. note yields fell yesterday below 5
percent for the first time in more than three weeks on concern
over weakness in the subprime mortgage sector and terror
threats. Deutsche Bank AG said in a research note that U.S. and
European bonds are expensive relative to share prices.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News