Market Currents

• Thursday, November 5, 2009

• 09:06 AM Manulife Financial (MFC): Q3 EPS of C-$0.12 misses by C$0.32. Revenue of C$13.75B. (PR) Comment!

• Wednesday, September 30, 2009

• 16:26 PM Takeover opportunities are "as attractive as we've ever seen in our history," says Manulife Financial (MFC) CEO Donald Guloien, adding the insurer will focus on North America and Asia for targets. Manulife hasn't made a large acquisition since its $13.9B takeover of John Hancock Financial in 2004. Comment!

• Wednesday, September 2, 2009

• 12:16 PM Manulife (MFC), which runs John Hancock-brand services, becomes the next mutual fund provider filing to enter the ETF market - joining Pimco, who filed to join the market earlier this summer. Comment!

• Monday, June 22, 2009

• 14:56 PM In the wake of Manulife's (MFC -14.3%) warning by Canadian regulators about insufficient disclosure of risks, other variable-annuity providers are tumbling: Hartford Financial (HIG -9.7%), Prudential (PRU -7.1%) and Lincoln Financial (LNC -5.8%) are on the decline. Comment!

• Wednesday, February 25, 2009

• 07:26 AM Several major bidders for AIG's (AIG) $20B Asian life insurance unit have dropped out as the economy worsens, leaving just three suitors and not one formal bid. The trio: Prudential (PUK), Manulife Financial (MFC) and Temasek. Final bids due Friday. Comment!

• Wednesday, January 7, 2009

• 09:27 AM U.S. state enforcement officials are probing Manulife Financial's (MFC) accounting practices in connection with the Canadian insurer's role in a controversial tax shelter that collapsed amid the credit crisis, sources say. Shares -5.5% premarket. Comment!

• Monday, September 22, 2008

• 09:08 AM Global insurer Manulife (MFC) is in talks to buy large parts of AIG's assets (AIG +15%), a purchase that would propel Manulife to the top levels of the global financial services industry. Comment!