Yet that consolidation showed no signs of abating as press reports say Washington Mutual Inc. is up for sale and Morgan Stanley is in merger talks. And in Britain, HBOS plc has confirmed it will be sold to Lloyds TSB Group plc for £12.2 billion ($21.8 billion) in stock.
Key stock markets in Europe had risen after the U.S. Federal Reserve issued a statement saying it was working with other central banks to provide liquidity to the market.
The U.S. central bank said in a statement it had increased its swap lines with other major central banks by $180 billion in an effort to ease the flow of money around the world. The participating central banks include the European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Bank of England, Bank of Canada and Swiss National Bank. - Peter Moreira
See Dealscape: Washington Mutual puts itself on the auction block
See Dealscape: Breaking: Lloyds strikes deal for HBOS
