French and Benelux stocks - Factors to watch on Nov 17

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Below are company-related news and leading stories from French and Benelux newspapers which could have an impact on the region's markets or individual stocks. ACCOR The French hotel group said its board will decide by the end of the year on whether to split up its two main businesses--hotels and pre-paid services like hotel vouchers and bank cards. PPR The French retail and luxury group could release a statement on Tuesday saying whether it plans to list its CFAO unit on the stock market. PPR's board met on Monday to discuss the matter, according to a banking source. DANONE The French dairy and food group holds its investor seminar in Amsterdam on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co shares rose nearly 5 percent on Monday, a day after it said it would spin off its 83 percent stake in infant nutrition company Mead Johnson Nutrition Co . Mead Johnson could mesh well with Danone or Nestle SA , said a source familiar with the situation. SANOFI-AVENTIS Aspirin alone proved as effective as aspirin plus the blood clot preventer Plavix, made by the French drugmaker, in keeping coronary artery bypass grafts open during the first year after surgery, a study released on Monday showed. THROMBOGENICS The Belgian biotech launched a private placement of up to 2.6 million new shares, with its shares set to be suspended until the results are announced. It also announced positive Phase I trial results of anti-cancer antibody TB-403 in patients with advanced solid tumours. The treatment, it said, was well-tolerated with no reported dose limiting toxicity. AXA Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd took aim at speculation it would raise its around $11 billion joint bid with the French insurer for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings, saying on Tuesday that the price had to be economically responsible. The French insurer and Australia's AMP Ltd need to sweeten their bid for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings by about 10 percent to seal the proposed $11 billion deal, analysts and fund managers say. FRENCH LOANS French universities and research labs should get the largest chunk of the 35 billion euros ($52 billion) the government plans to raise through a special loan, members of a panel preparing for the loan said on Monday. US FEDERAL RESERVE CHIEF ON US DOLLAR U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday that the U.S. central bank was monitoring the declining value of the dollar closely, adding that the Fed was committed to both jobs growth and price stability and would keep interest rates exceptionally low for "an extended period." FORTIS Belgian insurance group will provide trading update on Tuesday on the first nine months of the year. BOSKALIS The Dutch dredging group is due to release a trading update for the third quarter. ________________________________________________________ For a diary of top European results and forecasts For the Itraxx Europe CDS index see For blue-chip stocks news see For small- and mid-cap stocks news see For research on FTSEurofirst 300 companies _______________________________________________________ To view related displays double click on the following codes: Main stock markets: Dow Jones............... Wall Street report ..... Nikkei 225............. Tokyo report............ FTSE 100............... London report........... Xetra DAX............. European stocks stories. CAC-40................. AEX index............. World Indices....... Bel-20 index........... Bel-20 futures...... AEX futures......... French mid-smallcap .. Dutch midcap index.. AEX options......... Luxx index......... Dutch earnings poll.. French diary... Belgian/Luxembourg diary Dutch diary... European equity diary... ______________________________________________________ Reuters survey of world bourse outlook.......... Western European IPO diary........................... European Asset Allocation......................... Reuters News at a Glance: Equities............... Main currency report:............................... FTSE Eurotop 300 index............................ DJ STOXX index.................................... Eurotop 300 sector gainers/losers............. Top 25 European pct gainers..................... Top 25 European pct losers...................... European Equities speed guide.................. Pan European indices........................... (Paris newsroom [phone], [e-mail] Amsterdam [phone], [e-mail] Brussels ++32 2 287 6810, [e-mail]) Keywords: MARKETS FRANCE BENELUX/STOCKS =2 PARIS COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.

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