Merger Talks In Singapore

Shares of Keppel Hitachi Zosen Ltd. and Keppel FELS Energy & Infrastructure Ltd. surged on market talk the two units of the Singapore conglomerate Keppel Corp. would be merged. Ship repair specialist Keppel Hitachi jumped as much as 47 percent to an eight-month high of S$0.575 before moving back to S$0.51, up 12 cents, in moderate trade of 3.7 million shares. KepFELS, which also has a marine business, rose eight cents to S$0.935 after surging as much as 17 percent earlier to S$1.00 -- a level not seen since the middle of March. Volume was high with more than 10 million shares traded. "The rumours are not new. It seems that day traders were riding the wave," said a senior trader at a local brokerage. A Keppel official said she was "not aware of any corporate development". Shares of Keppel-related companies, including the parent, have risen recently on talk of an impending restructuring within the conglomerate. - (Reuters)