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Digital Realty Trust Inc. said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Telx from private-equity firms Abry Partners and Berkshire Partners in a deal valued at $1.9 billion. The deal is expected to double Digital Realty’s presence in the colocation business. “Telx’s extensive interconnection ecosystem enables the exchange of information between communications service providers, enterprises, content providers and other entities with low latency and diverse connectivity across a global network and is expected to provide Digital Realty an opportunity for future growth,” the company said in a statement. The deal is expected to close later this year and to boost 2016 financial metrics, said the statement. Digital Realty shares were not yet active in premarket trade, but are up 3.2% in the year so far, while the S&P 500 has gained about 2%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

The British pound jumped above $1.55 on Tuesday as Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the time “is moving closer” for an increase in U.K. interest rates. The pound climbed to $1.5589, compared with $1.5487 late Monday. When policy makers begin the rate-hike cycle, the pace of increases will be gradual, Carney said, speaking at a Treasury committee meeting. The benchmark interest rate is 0.5%, where it’s stood since March 2009.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Small-business sentiment dropped sharply in June, mostly on concerns over earning trends, according to an index released Tuesday. The National Federation of Independent Business small-business optimism index fell 4.2 points to 94.1. “While it is not a disaster or a signal of a looming recession, it is a disappointing sign that economic growth on Main Street is not set for a strong second half of growth. The weakness was substantial across the board, showing no signs of a growth spurt in the near future,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg in a statement.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Starbucks Corp. has struck a deal to push into sub-Saharan Africa, with its first store set to open in Johannesburg in the first half of 2016, the coffee chain said on Tuesday. The Seattle-based coffee group said it agreed to a licensed partnership with Taste Holdings to design and build stores in South Africa. Under the agreement, Taste still own the exclusive rights to develop Starbucks retail outlets in South Africa as well as owning and operating the stores directly.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Nearly a third of U.S. homes are vulnerable to wildfire. Reduce your risk by preparing now with these tips …read more

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Here are the latest trading levels for Asia’s major stock markets:

Tokyo (Nikkei Average ) up 1.4%
; Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index ) down 0.7%
; Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index ) down 0.7%
; Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 ) up 1.6%
; Seoul (Kospi ) down 0.3%
; Taipei (Taiex ) up 0.8%

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Chinese stocks struggled Tuesday morning, with Hong Kong and Shanghai benchmarks seesawing in early moves despite news of a bailout deal for Greece that helped to lift other markets in Asia and in the West. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index eased 0.2% lower to trim its 1.3% gain on Monday, while the Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.9% after briefly breaching positive territory. The choppy action occurred as hundreds of shares reportedly came off their recent trading halts, with Sohu Finance reporting the resumption of trade in about 350 names on Monday and another 250 on Tuesday. While the return of some shares were greeted with declines, others took a bounce, including a 19% climb for ZTE Corp. in Hong Kong. On the downside, energy shares dragged on Hong Kong, with crude-oil futures falling as a deal to ease sanctions on Iran was reportedly imminent. PetroChina Co. lost 1.1%, and Cnooc Ltd. gave up 1%, while coal extractor China Resources Power Holdings Co. retreated 1.9%. Financials were mixed, with index heavyweight HSBC Holdings PLC down 1%, but Bank of Communications Co. adding 0.5%. Also weighing on Hong Kong, shares of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. sank 3.9% as the company warned of a 40% drop in its net profit for the first half of the year. On the upside, the Macau casino stocks saw some very strong gains (Sands China Ltd. up 5.3%, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. up 3.4%, Wynn Macau Ltd. up 3.5%) on news that authorities may relax anti-smoking rules at the gambling houses.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News