Talk of a potential bid by BNP Paribas for its rogue trading-stricken compatriot Societe Generale pushed up SocGen shares by more than 10 percent on Tuesday, and BNP isn’t doing much to squelch the rumors. Chief Financial Officer Philippe Bordenave ducked questions on whether BNP might bid for its French rival, which it previously tried to buy in 1999, saying: “My team and I have worked around the clock to get the figures that we are publishing today. During that very short timeframe I have not had much time to elaborate much further on SocGen.” Given the French government’s determination to fend off foreign aggressors, the market seems to like BNP’s chances.

The cheap dollar has Italy’s biggest insurer Generali hunting for bargains in the United States, particularly in specialized sectors like pensions and long-term care, its co-CEO said on Wednesday. Even if the dollar strengthens, “an investment in the United States does not depend only on that, the first objective is to create value,” Sergio Balbinot said.

Lazard Chief Bruce Wasserstein has received a hefty payday: restricted stock worth $96.3 million as part of new five-year employment agreement, plus additional shares to be granted over three years at the discretion of the merger advisory firm’s compensation committee. Lazard shares are down 31 percent over the past year.