Verizon Communications

AT&T on Oct. 22 announced a deal worth $108.7 billion for Time Warner that would create a powerhouse with control over a vast array of media and entertainment assets and the means to deliver them.

For the first time since 2009, yields on bonds sold by French and German companies were higher last month than for Spanish and Italian borrowers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch data show.

Peripheral firms were even able to borrow cheaper than US companies.