Acquisition | featured news

Private equity firms Apollo Global Management LLC and C. Dean Metropoulos & Co are near a deal to buy snack cake brands including Hostess Twinkies and Donettes, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

AT&T agreed to buy U.S. spectrum licenses covering 18 states from rival Verizon Wireless for $1.9 billion in cash.

Microsoft Corp. is reportedly in discussions to help finance a buyout of struggling computer maker Dell Inc. According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a person familiar with the talks, Microsoft's investment "would likely be in the range of a couple of billion dollars." CNBC reported a range of $1 billion to $3 billion, citing sources close to the matter.

Among H-P's fumbles, the Autonomy acquisition ranks among the costliest. H-P missed a chance to walk away while several factors pushed it toward a deal it almost instantly regretted.

AT&T said Tuesday that it has reached a deal to buy the Alltel U.S. wireless operations for about $780 million to boost its spectrum in rural areas.Click to Continue »

The Sacramento Kings may be playing their last games in the capital city. Sources said Sunday night that the Maloof family, which owns the team, reached agreement over the weekend to sell a controlling interest in the club to a group led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen, whose intention after buying the team is to petition the NBA to move the team to Seattle in time for the 2013-14 season.

Shares of Dell rose more than 12 percent early Monday afternoon after Bloomberg News reported that the personal computer maker was in talks with at least two private equity firms about going private.

Post-vice presidential life has been very good to Al Gore. Thanks to the $500 million sale of his liberal news station Current TV to Al Jazeera this month, Gore now has a personal fortune of $300 million, Forbes magazine estimates. That puts him ahead of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, whose estimated $230 million left him vulnerable to charges that he was out of touch with the common man.

A newspaper is reporting that Flowers Foods and Bimbo are emerging as bidders for the bread brands of Hostess, which in the midst of a bankruptcy-court liquidation of its assets.

Avis is buying Zipcar for $491.2 million, expanding its offerings from traditional car rentals to car sharing services.