Do More With Reuters
Partner Services

UPDATE 2-Int'l Assets to buy FCStone for $130 mln in stock

Thu Jul 2, 2009 8:02pm IST
 
Email | Print | | Single Page
[-] Text [+]

* FCStone shareholders to get $4.64/shr in IAAC stock

* Deal at 12 pct premium to Wednesday's close

* Int'l Assets shares fall as much as 10 pct (Adds background, details, share movement)

July 2 (Reuters) - Securities firm International Assets Holding Corp (IAAC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) agreed to buy commodity risk management firm FCStone Group Inc (FCSX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) in an all-stock deal valued at about $130 million, as it looks to expand presence in the commodities market.

FCStone's stockholders will get 0.2950 share of International Assets for each share held, valuing FCStone shares at $4.64, based on International Asset Holding stock's closing price of $15.74 on Wednesday.

The deal values FCStone, whose shares have fallen more than 85 percent in the last one year, at a premium of about 12 percent.

Concerns about Kansas City, Missouri-based FCStone had grown earlier in the year after the firm warned of mounting losses tied to a soured energy-trading account. The broker was the clearing firm or counter-party on those accounts.

Loss making FCStone, which arranges and clears energy and commodity trades, had blamed a decline in market transparency and liquidity as contributing to problems assessing losses.

Following the deal, Altamonte Springs-based International Assets' current shareholders will own about 52.5 percent of the company, while FCStone shareholders will hold the rest, International Assets said in a statement.  Continued...

Dubai Debt Fears

Villas are seen on the The Palm, Jumeirah, with Atlantis, The Palm, under construction on the breakwater (crescent), May 3, 2008.  REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh

Banks outside the Gulf played down their exposure to Dubai debt, after fears the emirate could default and even derail world economic recovery prompted a sell-off in global markets.  Full Article | Slideshow 

A man walks with the Indian national flag in front of the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the sites of last year's militant attacks, in Mumbai November 26, 2009.  REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe
One Year Later

Mumbai held tearful memorials as it marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people.   Full Article | Full Coverage