Deals of the Hour

Trying to find out what's the deal with the world, tracking what's on sale and who's talking about it on Twitter. Update hourly.

Deals of the Hour / August 17, 2010, 12:40 pm

Saints pick up Ladell Betts

The New Orleans Saints have apparently found their Lynell Hamilton replacement. It's 30-year-old running back Ladell Betts, who signed with the champs Monday. The one-year deal includes a $755,000 base salary, a $50,000 ... (Source: Fantasy Football Toolbox 2010-08-17T02:00:43Z)

Stocks see best gains in 2 weeks

Stocks were jumping this afternoon and poised for their best finish in two weeks. The Dow Jones industrials ($INDU) nudged into the black again for the year. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) popped above its 50-day ... (Source: MSN Money 2010-08-17T18:57:11Z)

3rd UPDATE: Potash Rejects $38.56 Billion Takeover Bid By BHP Billiton

TORONTO -(Dow Jones)- Canada's Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (POT, POT.T) on Tuesday rejected an unsolicited takeover bid from BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP, BLT.LN), calling the $38.56 billion offer "grossly inadequate ... (Source: NASDAQ 2010-08-17T15:43:55Z)

Trade embargo conviction leads to NY sentencing

NEW YORK — The fate of an Ivy League-educated man who was convicted of violating the Iran trade embargo after his family sent him millions of dollars from Iran rests with a federal judge in Manhattan. Judge John Keenan ... (Source: Wall Street Journal 2010-08-16T14:55:00Z)

Dell to buy storage systems provider 3Par for $1.13 billion

Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, said Monday it expects the deal to add to its adjusted profit in fiscal 2012. It says it also plans to invest in added engineering and sales resources in 3Par. The deal has ... (Source: Los Angeles Times 2010-08-16T11:20:15Z)

Medco to acquire United BioSource for $710M

Medco Health Solutions Inc., the largest pharmacy benefits manager by revenue in the United States, has agreed to buy closely held United BioSource Corp. for $730 million in an all-cash deal. Medco operates an automated ... (Source: Ibj.com 2010-08-16T13:57:44Z)

Potash Corp rejects BHP Billiton's $39 bln bid

TORONTO (Reuters) - BHP Billiton launched an unsolicited $38.6 billion bid for Potash Corp in a deal that would make the Australian mining giant the world's leading fertilizer supplier. The acquisition offer -- the ... (Source: FOXBusiness 2010-08-17T18:50:02Z)

Dell to buy 3Par for $1.13 billion

Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, expects the deal to add to its adjusted profit in fiscal 2012. It says it also plans to invest in added engineering and sales resources at 3Par. The deal has been approved by ... (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer 2010-08-17T10:57:35Z)

Ag Bank confirms world's largest IPO

The bank, China's main rural lender, sold an additional 3.34 billion shares at the IPO price of 2.68 yuan ($0.39) per share as part of the overallotment, as expected, according to a notice Monday on the Web site of the ... (Source: Today's Zaman 2010-08-17T12:59:17Z)

Report: Saints sign RB Ladell Betts

NEW ORLEANS – ESPN is reporting the Saints have signed veteran running back Ladell Betts to a one-year deal. According to beat writer Pat Yasinskas, Betts will earn $755,000, but he could gather up to $1 million in ... (Source: WWL-TV 2010-08-17T00:13:20Z)

Dell Bids To Boost Storage Sales With $1.13 Billion 3Par Acquisition

SEATTLE — Dell ( DELL ) said Monday it's buying 3Par, a maker of enterprise data storage gear, for about $1.13 billion cash. Dell is offering $18 per share for 3Par, an 87% premium over Friday's closing price, sending ... (Source: Investors Business Daily 2010-08-16T21:57:20Z)

China military aims 'well beyond Taiwan'

China is extending its military advantage over Taiwan and increasingly looking beyond, building up a force with the power to strike in Asia as far afield as the US territory of Guam, the Pentagon said. File picture of ... (Source: AlterNet 2010-08-17T17:38:27Z)

Reynolds Group To Buy Pactiv for $6B

Pactiv Corp. ( PTV ), maker of Hefty garbage bags, said Tuesday that it will be acquired by food and beverage packaging company Reynolds Group Holdings Ltd. for $6 billion. The deal calls for Pactiv ... (Source: FOXBusiness 2010-08-17T18:50:02Z)

Bid talk stalks Aviva despite RSA rebuff

Aviva, Britain's second-biggest life insurer by market capitalization, confirmed on Monday that it had rejected an approach from RSA to buy its main general insurance businesses in the UK, Ireland and Canada for 5 ... (Source: Today's Zaman 2010-08-17T12:59:17Z)

U.S. clears arms sale to Taiwan despite China's ire

TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has cleared a sale of advanced Patriot air defense missiles to Taiwan despite opposition from rival China, where a military official proposed sanctioning U.S. firms ... (Source: Reuters 2010-08-04T23:58:56Z)

Grotech Ventures Announces Sale of United BioSource to Medco Health

Grotech Ventures, a leading early investor in high-potential technology companies and one of the longest-established firms in the venture industry, announced today that Medco Health Solutions, Inc. has agreed to acquire ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-08-17T13:56:33Z)

Stocks flat as malaise persists and investors play it safe

NEW YORK -- Stocks managed to break a four-day losing streak yesterday by the slimmest of margins. Investors had no change of heart about the economy, however, and again poured money into the safety of Treasurys. The Dow ... (Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2010-08-17T18:35:43Z)

US STOCKS-Wall Street buoyed by earnings, deal talk

NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as earnings from major retailers and a $39 billion takeover bid in the agriculture sector restored optimism about the profit outlook. Growth prospects also ... (Source: Inside Fidelity 2010-08-17T19:11:30Z)

Aviva: Offer from RSA Group would not benefit shareholders

London, England — Insurer Aviva PLC said Monday it rejected a $7.8 billion cash offer from rival RSA Insurance Group PLC for some of its general insurance businesses because the deal wasn't in the best ... (Source: Des Moines Register 2010-08-17T09:46:00Z)

Hefty Trash Bag Maker Pactiv (PTV) Acquired In $6 Billion Deal

Pactiv Corp. (NYSE: PTV ), the maker of Hefty brand trash bags, said Tuesday that it has agreed to be acquired by Reynolds Group Holdings Ltd. in a deal worth roughly $4.4 billion, or around $6 billion including debt ... (Source: StreetInsider.com 2010-08-17T15:58:14Z)

Aviva says RSA bid wasn't in shareholders' interests

LONDON (Bloomberg)—Aviva P.L.C., Britain's second-biggest insurer, said it rejected a £5 billion ($7.80 billion) bid for its general insurance businesses in the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland because the deal wasn ... (Source: Business Insurance 2010-08-16T16:13:44Z)

Pactiv to be bought by Reynolds; shares rally

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Pactiv Corp., the maker of Hefty trash bags, said early Tuesday that it would be acquired by Rank Group's Reynolds Group Holdings Ltd. subsidiary in a deal valued at $6 billion. Shares of ... (Source: Investors Business Daily 2010-08-17T16:55:30Z)

Saints RB Bush returns to practice; No. 3 RB Lynell Hamilton hurts right knee

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Reggie Bush returned to practice after missing one session with cramps, and he might have become even more important for the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on Wednesday. No. 3 ... (Source: Chicago Tribune 2010-08-11T21:41:47Z)

Ivy League-educated engineer gets 2 1/2 years in prison for violating Iran trade ...

NEW YORK (AP) — A Princeton-educated man convicted of violating the Iran trade embargo after his family sent him millions of dollars has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. Mahmoud Reza Banki (MAH'-mood ... (Source: KWCH.com 2010-08-16T18:22:35Z)

BHP Billiton Launches $39 Billion Bid for Potash Corp

TORONTO (Reuters) - BHP Billiton launched an unsolicited $38.6 billion bid for Potash Corp in a deal that would make the Australian mining giant the world's leading fertilizer supplier. The acquisition offer ... (Source: ABC News 2010-08-17T17:31:17Z)

Taiwan Fails to Learn From Its Own History

TAIPEI -- The leader of China's ethnic Uyghur minority, Rebiya Kadeer, was recently banned from entering Taiwan for three years. Kadeer, a human rights advocate and spokesperson for millions of China's repressed Uyghurs ... (Source: Huffingtonpost.com 2010-08-17T17:09:49Z)

Medco Health Buying United BioSource for $730 Million

Medco Health Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) has agreed to acquire United BioSource , a Bethesda, Md.-based scientific and medical affairs organization. The all-cash deal is valued at around $730 million. United BioSource has ... (Source: Private Equity Hub 2010-08-16T13:50:34Z)

China bank IPO the world's largest first-time share sale

Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. boosted the size of its initial public offering to $22.1 billion after selling more stock in Shanghai, making it the world's largest first-time share sale. China's biggest ... (Source: Denver Post 2010-08-17T06:54:12Z)

Agricultural Bank of China Sets IPO Record With $22.1 Billion Boosted Sale

Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. boosted the size of its initial public offering to $22.1 billion after selling more stock in Shanghai, making it the world's largest first-time share sale. China's biggest ... (Source: Bloomberg 2010-08-16T03:27:48Z)

Ivy League-educated engineer faces sentencing in NY for violating Iran trade embargo

NEW YORK - A Princeton-educated man convicted of violating the Iran trade embargo after his family sent him millions of dollars is to be sentenced by a federal judge in New York. Mahmoud Reza Banki (MAH'-mood ... (Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune 2010-08-16T15:16:28Z)

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