Short View: End of corporate bond heyday?

Takeover talk buoyed the stock markets, but for corporate bond investors, this sign of financial confidence could signal the end of their day in the sun, writes Jennifer Hughes

• Lex: Corporate default rates

BC Partners to buy ATI for $500m

The UK-based private equity group is to announce that it has tapped into the US education market by acquiring ATI Enterprises, the operator of 24 campuses, for about $500m

Cadbury rounds on hostile Kraft bid

Cadbury defiantly rejected the formal bid from Kraft, describing the US food group’s offer as “derisory” after it did not alter the terms of its approach two months ago

GE scraps ambitious India target

General Electric India is resetting its targets from the ambitious $8bn in revenue a year goal by 2010 it forecast three years ago, as it juggles businesses affected by the global slowdown

Cadbury expected to receive hostile bid

The board of the UK food group is preparing to meet on Monday amid expectations that Kraft will go hostile with its takeover offer. The US group will either formalise its original proposal of 300p in cash and 0.2589 new Kraft Foods shares per Cadbury share, or increase it slightly

Blackstone to pounce on rivals hit by crisis

The world’s biggest private equity company is targeting its competitors and hedge fund managers that have been weakened by the credit turmoil, after it enjoyed a third-quarter rebound

GM attitude hardened on bottom line

General Motors is a more hard-nosed carmaker since emerging from bankruptcy, with a new and determined board ‘in business to run the company’ in a shift from the previous complacent culture

Citigroup boost for CDOs

One of the first emerging market collateralised debt obligations since the credit crunch began is being prepared by Citigroup bankers in a further sign of debt market thawing