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 The nation's largest thrift is in talks with buyout shop TPG Inc. about a possible capital injection, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company, which has suffered big losses tied to subprime mortgages, would become the latest U.S. financial institution to reach such a deal.
In addition, Microsoft Inc. gave Yahoo Inc. a three-week deadline to agree to a takeover, or Microsoft would launch a proxy fight for control of the company. Yahoo said Monday the deal isn't in the best interests of its shareholders and called the proxy threat counterproductive.
And Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis AG said it will spend about $38 billion in a two-step bid for a majority stake in U.S. eye-care company Alcon Inc.
Earnings season unofficially begins after the closing bell when Alcoa Inc., the world's third-largest aluminum producer, is scheduled to release first-quarter results.
Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 67, or 0.70 percent, to 12,677. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures advanced 9.70, or 0.71 percent, to 1,381.80. Nasdaq 100 index futures rose 16.50, or 0.88 percent, to 1,886.25.
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Bond prices fell. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note,
which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.52 percent from 3.47
percent late Wednesday.
Light, sweet crude rose $1.10 to $107.33 in premarket electronic
trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold was higher, and
the dollar was mixed against other major currencies.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.18 percent.
Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.95 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.32
percent, and France's CAC-40 added 0.85 percent.
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On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com/
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com/
[Associated Press; By JOE BEL BRUNO]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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