Wal-Mart seeks South Africa's Massmart

Wal-Mart seeks South Africa's Massmart Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is offering to buy South African retailer Massmart Holdings Ltd. for about $4.25 billion in a bid to jump-start growth beyond its U.S. business. A deal would give the world's largest retailer an opening to expand in South Africa. Wal-Mart said it would pay 148 rands ($21.11) per share for Massmart, which has 201.5 million shares outstanding, according to Thomson Reuters.

FDIC rules would have banks share some risk Banks will have to share in the risk when they sell investments of the kind that rocked the financial system in 2008 under rules adopted Monday. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is requiring banks hold at least 5 percent of the securities on their books, as part of new rules the regulator adopted Monday that were required under the new financial overhaul law. Banks would be required to purchase their share of the securities beginning Jan. 1. The idea is that banks with such exposure to risk would be more careful about properly screening borrowers.

FTC complaint: Pom not so wonderful The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint Monday against Los Angeles-based pomegranate juice maker Pom Wonderful and owners Lynda and Stewart Resnick, alleging that they violated federal law by making "false and unsubstantiated claims" about the health benefits of their products, which have been advertised as helping to treat conditions including heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction. "Any consumer who sees Pom Wonderful products as a silver bullet against disease has been misled," David Vladeck, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Coke's purchase of bottler passes a hurdle Regulators have approved Coca-Cola Co.'s $3.4 billion buyout of the North American operations of its largest bottler on the condition that the soft drink maker restrict its access to business information from rival Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. The Federal Trade Commission said Monday that according to a settlement, Coca-Cola will set up a "firewall" so that its ownership of the bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, won't give it access to marketing information and plans for Dr Pepper Snapple.

Customs officers slow trade with Japan China has stepped up customs inspections of goods shipped to and from Japan, slowing trade, logistics companies said Monday, amid a spat over the detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain near disputed islands. Customs officers who usually look at 2 percent to 10 percent of goods in shipments began checking up to 95 percent this weekend, said employees of cargo companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen, a port near Hong Kong. Customs officials gave no explanation for the change, they said.

Japan's export growth slows again Japan's export growth slowed for the sixth consecutive month in August as a strong yen and cooling global demand rattled an already fragile recovery. The value of exports climbed 15.8 percent from a year earlier to 5.22 trillion yen ($61.9 billion), the Ministry of Finance said Monday.

Nestle to expand medical nutrition segment Nestle will plow some $500 million into expanding its medical nutrition business over the next decade, in a bid to capture a slice of the growing market for foods to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity, the Swiss consumer company said Monday. The maker of Nesquik and Haagen-Dazs, said it wants to "pioneer a new industry between food and pharma" by creating a medical nutrition institute in Switzerland and a stand-alone subsidiary called Nestle Health Science SA.