- Fed Puts June Rate Increase on Table Provided Economy Says Go (BBG)
- European shares drop as mining stocks weaken, airlines fall (Reuters)
- Oil drops below $48 on Fed hike speculation, fading support from outages (Reuters)
- Violent Struggle Over Oil and Money Rattles Global Energy Market (BBG)
- Bayer Proposes to Acquire Monsanto (WSJ)
- How Wall Street Led LendingClub Into Crisis (BBG)
- Fewer Shareholders Pay U.S. Taxes on Dividends (WSJ)
- Turkey to miss end-June deadline for EU visa-free travel (Reuters)
- Trading Floors ‘Quiet’ as Revenue Drops, JPMorgan Analysts Say (BBG)
- Netanyahu pulls off coalition surprise to upend Israeli politics (Reuters)
- Najib’s Stepson Bought House in London With 1MDB Funds (BBG)
- EU to compile common blacklist of tax havens, sanctions against them (Reuters)
- China steelmakers attack U.S tariff move; say need more time (Reuters)
- FMC Technologies, Technip Agree to $13 Billion Oil-Services Merger (WSJ)
- Donald Trump Releases Names of 11 Potential Supreme Court Choices (WSJ)
- Trump’s Dodd-Frank Plan Will Be Early Test of Republican Unity (BBG)
Overnight Media Digest
WSJ
- EgyptAir said one of its aircraft disappeared early Thursday while flying from Paris to Cairo with 66 people aboard. (http://on.wsj.com/1Vawc1j)
- Bayer AG has approached Monsanto Co about a takeover that would fuse two of the world's largest suppliers of crop seeds and pesticides, the companies said.(http://on.wsj.com/1Vawq8K)
- Theranos Inc has told federal health regulators that the company voided two years of results from its Edison blood-testing devices, according to a person familiar with the matter. (http://on.wsj.com/1VawdlV)
- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday listed 11 candidates he would consider to fill the vacancy at the Supreme Court, a move aimed at easing concerns on the right about his commitment to conservative judges. (http://on.wsj.com/1VawjtU)
FT
* Streaming service like Netflix and Amazon's video service could be forced to devote "at least" 20 percent of their catalogues to European Films and shows, according to a draft of the European Commission proposal.
* Chinese businessman Tony Xia has agreed to buy Aston Villa, the club said on Wednesday.
* Federal Reserve officials felt the U.S. economy could be ready for another interest rate increase in June, according to the minutes from the central bank's April policy meeting released on Wednesday.
NYT
- Monsanto Co said it had received a takeover bid from Bayer AG, potentially signaling another huge merger in the business of crop seeds and pesticides. (http://nyti.ms/1U0URjU)
- The Federal Reserve sent a sharp, simple message to financial markets that it is thinking seriously about raising its benchmark interest rate at its next meeting, in June. (http://nyti.ms/1U0VdqK)
- Tesla Motors Inc said it would offer about $2 billion in stock, mainly to help it ramp up production of its new Model 3 electric car over the next two years. (http://nyti.ms/1U0WaiJ)
- Ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone will no longer draw a salary from Viacom Inc, one of the big media companies he controls. Eliminating his pay is a gesture toward acknowledging that he is no longer involved in operations and deserving pay as a company executive. (http://nyti.ms/1U0Wm1o)
Canada
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is expected to announce the promotion of Mark Machin as its CEO on Thursday, alongside releasing annual results. Machin, 49, currently senior managing director and head of international and Asia at CPPIB, will take over from chief executive Mark Wiseman. (http://bit.ly/1NzOt6J)
** Essar Group, which paid C$1.85 billion ($1.41 billion) to buy Algoma Steel Inc in 2007, has been ruled out as a potential buyer of the company it put into creditor protection last November, sources familiar with the steel company's restructuring said. (http://bit.ly/1OBbUaE)
NATIONAL POST
** Via Rail was in talks with Quebec's pension fund about building a dedicated set of passenger tracks between Quebec City and Toronto, but that fell apart after the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec proposed a C$5.5 billion ($4.20 billion)commuter line for Montreal instead. (http://bit.ly/1TlyYwa)
** Tensions boiled over in the House of Commons on Wednesday during the lead-up to a vote to restrict debate on physician-assisted dying. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accused of charging across the floor, swearing, elbowing an NDP MP, "manhandling" the chief opposition whip, Gordon Brown, and exchanging angry words with NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. (http://bit.ly/1WF2t1A)
** More than 100 million LinkedIn users might be more vulnerable on Wednesday, after their email and passwords have been uploaded online and reportedly for sale. LinkedIn issued a statement saying it is aware of the situation, but added that this is not a new data breach as the information was taken during a hack in 2012. (http://bit.ly/1XmraiA)
Britain
The Times
Britain's second biggest retail energy supplier SSE is considering the sale of a 1 billion pounds stake in its gas distribution division. (http://bit.ly/1U0fI9P)
The Guardian
Burberry is to cut jobs and reduce its product range by up to one-fifth in an attempt to save at least 100 million pounds a year, following a 10 percent fall in profit. (http://bit.ly/1U0ffEz)
Britain's employment rate reached a record high and wages ticked up in March, dashing government claims that the job market was being seriously damaged by the threat of a leave vote in the EU referendum. (http://bit.ly/1U0eYS6)
The Telegraph
Vauxhall is preparing to recall 235,000 Zafira cars for a second time as it can now install a long-term fix to a problem which had been causing as many as several hundred fires. (http://bit.ly/1U0eY4g)
Spanish businessman Javier Ferrán has been named the next chairman of Diageo, bringing to an end speculation over who will lead the board of the FTSE 100 drinks giant. (http://bit.ly/1U0fb7N)
Sky News
Policy makers at the US Federal Reserve indicated that most felt it would be "appropriate" to raise rates at their meeting of 14-15 June if the jobs market and economic growth strengthens, and inflation shows signs of moving towards its 2 percent target. (http://bit.ly/1U0etXZ)
The U.S. has raised the import duty on Chinese cold-rolled steel, which is used in car manufacturing, shipping containers and construction, by more than 520 percent. (http://bit.ly/1U0eOtT)
The Independent
Excessive pay for top bosses is holding back economic growth in Britain, the chief economist of the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, has warned. (http://ind.pn/1U0dhE6)
Mitsubishi Motors President Tetsuro Aikawa will step down as the Japanese automaker looks to regroup from its widening fuel economy testing scandal with the backing of Nissan Motor. (http://ind.pn/1U0dI19)