DealZone

In Monday’s DealZone Daily: French insurer AXA sets its sights on Asian growth. Meanwhile, General Electric Co. and Comcast Corp agree on a valuation of around $30 billion for a joint venture between NBC Universal and Comcast, ironing out what has been a key obstacle in talks so far, a source familiar with the matter says.

For more on these stories, and the rest of the latest deals news from Reuters, click here.

And in the newspapers:

* Indian energy giant Reliance Industries (RELI.BO) is close to a nearly $6 billion overseas acquisition and the likely target is the assets of petrochemicals firm LyondellBasell, the Economic Times reported, citing an unidentified banker.

* NYSE Euronext (NYX.N)(NYX.PA), parent of the New York Stock Exchange, has expressed strong interest in a China listing as the country prepares to allow for such listings, Hong Kong media reported. Reuters story here.

* Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N). is preparing to pump at least $1 billion more into Clearwire Corp., the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Poland’s top utility PGE jumped 13 percent at its market debut on the Warsaw bourse today. The IPO, at $2.1 billion, is Europe’s biggest this year.

And IPO flows from Asia continue — South Korea’s No. 2 insurer Korea Life Insurance may raise around $2 billion in the country’s biggest IPO since Lotte Shopping’s $3.8 billion listing in 2006.

For more on deal-related stories from Reuters, click here.

And here’s some picks from the papers:

* Intel, the world’s biggest chip maker, is planning to participate in bids invited by Indian state-owned telecom equipment maker ITI Ltd. to set up joint ventures, the Business Standard reports.

General Motors abandons a long-expected sale of Opel, saying it is now keeping its European arm rather than selling it to a group led by Canada’s Magna.

Goldman Sachs has agreed to sell half of its holdings in Shineway Group, China’s top meat processor for $150 million, earning five times its investment from a 2006 deal.

For more on these stories, and all the rest of the latest deal-related news from Reuters, click here.

Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, Britain’s two largest retail lenders, have ageed to sell hundreds of branches and key businesses to appease EU concerns over state aid and competition.

For more on these stories, and all the rest of the latest deal-related news from Reuters, click here.

And here’s some picks from the papers:

* French investment company Wendel (MWDP.PA) has started looking for “modest” acquisitions, its new chief executive Frederic Lemoine tells the Financial Times.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) says its deal with EU regulators and the UK government could include “divestments not initially contemplated” as radical shake-up of the UK bank sector looms in the coming days.

For more on these stories, and all the rest of the latest deal-related news from Reuters, click here.

And here’s some picks from the papers (some external links may require subscriptions):

That big, candy-coated M&A bellwether, Kraft-Cadbury, remains at the forefront of many dealmakers’ thinking. Brad Dorfman examines how the clock will really start ticking on a deal to create the world’s biggest confectioner once Kraft (KFT.N) reports earnings next week. Meanwhile, a clutch of other companies are making more upbeat noises about M&A, to wit:

* Juniper Networks Inc’s (JNPR.N) chief executive says the network equipment maker is open to acquisitions, although in-house research and partnerships remain its priorities.

* Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG.AX), Australia’s largest investment bank, has grown its surplus capital by almost half to a hefty A$4.5 billion ($4.1 billion), giving it muscle to hunt for assets overseas.

Blackstone Group (BX.N) talks to lenders about cutting up to $5 billion of debt held by its Hilton Hotels chain; National Express (NEX.L) ends talks over a possible merger with rival British bus and rail group Stagecoach (SGC.L); and the U.S. IT services sector occupies a sweet spot for M&A. Plus, will Obama’s upcoming trip to China be marked by a deal between Disney and Shanghai?

For more on these stories, and all the rest of the latest deal-related news from Reuters, click here.

And here’s some picks from the papers (some external links may require subscriptions):

The end of the year looks set to be full of news of rights issues and IPOs as share investors are offered a bet on next year’s economic recovery.

The travails of UK transport firm National Express fill many of Tuesday’s business pages, with rivals First Group and Stagecoach both in the frame for a bid, while the debt-laden company finalises plans for a rights issue. For other Reuters stories on deals, click here.

Other stories in Tuesday’s newspapers include:

- Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management is in advanced preparations to take rifle and ammunition maker Freedom Group Inc public, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Blackstone boss Stephen Schwarzman’s taste for theme parks. The merits of a bid for British grocer Sainsbury. And why are Indian outsourcers shy of blockbuster M&A?

For these and the rest of the latest deals news from Reuters, click here.

And here’s what the newspapers are saying. (Some external links may require subscriptions).

* CME Group Inc (CME.O), the world’s largest derivatives exchange, is in talks to take over the Chicago Board Options Exchange in a deal that would value the largest U.S. options market at up to $5 billion, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

Mining group Xstrata did not support hopes of a more general M&A rebound on Thursday, announcing it had no intention of offering for rival Anglo American and that it continued to assess a range of alternative growth options. Read the Reuters report here.

OCBC , the smallest of Singapore’s three local banks, has agreed to buy ING‘s private banking unit in Asia for $1.5 billion, a surprise outcome in a complex drawn-out auction.

CIT Group  is getting closer to finalizing the terms of a new loan that would give the commercial lender, trying to avoid bankruptcy, $3 billion to $6.5 billion, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.