| * Nets owner and sovereign funds eye Uralkali stakes * Alibaba dream over for HK stock exchange * China to boost domestic formula brands * Latin America is poised for slower growth * Krispy Kreme to open in Colombia * EU steps up courtship of Ukraine * China op-eds * Markets: down Nets owner and sovereign funds eye Uralkali stakes
The billionaire owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, Mikhail Prokhorov, and two Asian groups are among potential bidders for stakes in Russian fertiliser group Uralkali as the group's oligarch shareholder prepares to sell out amid a spat with neighbouring Belarus.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/877a46de-2600-11e3-8ef6-00144feab7de.html Alibaba dream over for HK stock exchange
For the Hong Kong stock exchange the dream of hosting Alibaba's highly anticipated, multibillion-dollar listing has turned into the nightmare of seeing the Chinese internet group turn instead to New York.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/dcb6bb0c-25d1-11e3-8ef6-00144feab7de.html China to boost domestic formula brands
China is set to unveil subsidies and other support for five of its dairy companies to develop infant formula brands to compete against the foreign brands that currently dominate the premium end of Asia's largest formula market.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ab1739dc-25bd-11e3-8ef6-00144feab7de.html Latin America is poised for slower growth
Latin America is poised for one of its slowest economic growth rates in a decade this year, a top official at the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday, as the U.S. signals that its easy-money policies that helped prop up the region could begin to taper off amid a drop in commodity prices. (WSJ)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304526204579097650692794342.html Krispy Kreme to open in Colombia
Krispy Kreme, the US donut maker, said it has signed an agreement with Colombia's IRCC, a subsidiary of the VA! Group, which is the country's leading restaurant operator, to open 25 of its shops over the next five years in cities such as Bogotá, Medellín and Barranquilla – the first deal of its kind in South America.
http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/09/25/krispy-kreme-takes-on-arepa-in-battle-for-colombian-stomach-shares/ EU steps up courtship of Ukraine to wield more influence in east: The EU is stepping up its courtship of Ukraine amid an escalating contest with Russia for influence in eastern Europe. The bloc's goal is to cement closer ties with Ukraine by concluding a political and economic pact, known as an association agreement, at a summit in November that will feature heads of government from a region of Europe where Brussels and Moscow are butting heads.
http://on.ft.com/1dJaGZS Some China op-eds: Why China will disappoint the pessimists (Bloomberg O'Neill) and why it's running out of room to restructure (Bloomberg – Pettis) Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index down -0.15% at 1,006 Americas
DJIA down -0.40% at 15,273
S&P 500 down -0.27% at 1,693
Bovespa down -0.31% at 54,261 Asia
Nikkei 225 up +0.34% at 14,670
Topix down -0.39% at 1,206
Hang Seng down -0.44% at 23,108
Shanghai Composite down -1.47% at 2,166
MSCI Asia ex-Japan down -0.21% at 541.36
CNX Nifty down -0.08% at 5,869 Currencies
€/$ 1.35 (1.35)
$/¥ 98.84 (98.39) Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) down -0.06 at 108.26
Light Crude (Nymex) down -0.32 at 102.34
100 Oz Gold (Comex) unchanged 0.00 at 1,336 | 
