Markets highlights

1. China's biggest reinsurer, China Reinsurance, is set to launch an initial public offering of up to US$2 billion (S$2.8 billion) in Hong Kong on Monday after receiving strong feedback from investors for the deal, Reuters reported.

2. Macquarie Group will buy Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's Esanda car dealer finance business and seek to raise A$400 million (S$407 million) by selling shares to institutions to help fund the deal.

3. The Blackstone Group agreed to acquire real estate investment trust BioMed Realty Trust, which caters to biotech firms, for US$23.75 a share. The transaction is valued at about US$8 billion (S$11.3 billion), said Bloomberg.

4. The sovereign wealth fund of Qatar has joined investors expressing an interest in buying a minority stake in Glencore's agriculture business, according to three people familiar with the conversations.

5. The share price of Starburst, which specialises in firearms training facilities, jumped 16.7 per cent in trading yesterday after OCBC Securities initiated coverage on the stock, calling it an "undervalued marksman".

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 09, 2015, with the headline Markets highlights. Subscribe