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VW, BMW Forecast Sales Growth as German Carmakers Lead Worldwide Recovery Volkswagen AG plans a second consecutive record year for deliveries and BMW, helped by the new 5-Series sedan, aims for an increase in sales as China, Brazil and the U.S. propel a recovery in the global car market.

BP to Pay $7 Billion for Devon's Assets in Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Caspian BP Plc will pay Devon Energy Corp. $7 billion for assets in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and Azerbaijan, adding fields that may extend its production lead over Exxon Mobil Corp.

Elia System Operator, Gemalto, IRIS Group, Thenergo: Europe Equity Preview The following companies’ shares may be active in European trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses and share prices are from the last close.

Hildebrand Says Swiss Central Bank Will Tighten Policy Stance Eventually Swiss central bank head Philipp Hildebrand said officials won’t keep interest rates close to zero indefinitely as the economy shows signs of recovery.

HSBC Private Bank Suisse Says `Serious' Data Theft Affects 15,000 Accounts HSBC Holdings Plc’s Swiss private bank said a former employee stole details on 15,000 existing accounts, as banking secrecy comes under growing pressure from nations keen to crack down on tax evasion.

Chrysler in Hibernation Means Marchionne May Have to Wait on Fiat Spinoff Fiat SpA, the Italian carmaker that helped Chrysler Group LLC emerge from bankruptcy, may wait to turn around the U.S. business before deciding on a share sale or spinoff for its automotive division.

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Chavez Outdone by Billionaire Mendoza as Wealth Soars Amid Takeover Threat Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s “21st Century Socialism” is failing to rein in billionaire Lorenzo Mendoza.

Brown Tries to `Perversely' Benefit From U.K. Relapse Risk Before Election Gordon Brown is trying to turn the threat of a double-dip U.K. recession into an advantage.

Solar Prospectors Chase `Gold Mine' Deals in Chinese, Israeli Subsidies Olivier de Vergnies quit managing family fortunes at Dexia Private Bank (Switzerland) Ltd. in 2008 to run a New York start-up at 100 Wall St. that’s trying to tap riches in solar energy.

Chrysler in Hibernation Means Marchionne May Have to Wait on Fiat Spinoff Fiat SpA, the Italian carmaker that helped Chrysler Group LLC emerge from bankruptcy, may wait to turn around the U.S. business before deciding on a share sale or spinoff for its automotive division.

Red-Coral Rescue Plans Endanger Italian Jewelry Makers of Torre del Greco The people of Torre del Greco, 10 miles south of Naples, have lived off the red corals found in the Mediterranean Sea for more than two millennia. A proposal to list the species as endangered may push the seaside town’s $217 million-a-year coral industry into extinction.

Triple Whammy of Costs, Taxes, Inflation Sinks Stock Returns: Chart of Day U.S. stock investors made far less in the past half century than the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s performance would suggest, according to David Bianco, chief U.S. equity strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.