Bloomberg Standard Life Plc, Scotland’s largest insurer, agreed to acquire Aberdeen Asset Management Plc for about 3.8 billion pounds ($4.7 billion), a deal that would create the UK’s largest active manager. The stocks soared in London trading. Under the terms, Standard Life shareholders will own 66.7 percent of the combined group, according to a joint statement on Monday. Aberdeen’s …

  Bloomberg Palm oil bears are growing in confidence this year with production in the two largest growers expected to surge as plantations recover from the scorching effects of El Nino. The factors that may stand in the way, however, include Donald Trump and a possible early return of El Nino. The quarterly average price of the oil used in …

  Bloomberg A strike at the world’s largest copper mine faces a critical phase this week as the union expects management to tempt workers with an offer that could end the stoppage in northern Chile. After 30 days of strike, on March 10, BHP Billiton Ltd.’s Escondida can legally make individual offers to workers. If it manages to convince more …