Thursday Papers: Sinochem struggling to mount Potash bid - tips, comment and bids

Financial Times

* Sinochem of China is struggling to find partners to mount a counterbid for PotashCorp and derail BHP Billiton’s $39 billion hostile takeover following the collapse of talks with a potential Russian partner.

* Goldman Sachs has sold HK$17.5 billion ($2.25 billion) worth of shares in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, marking its second lucrative disposal of stock in the mainland lender.

* Goldman Sachs has given up ownership of one of its most high-profile investments in Japan – the Tiffany Building in Tokyo’s Ginza neighbourhood.

* Blackstone is taking a 40% stake in Pátria Investimentos, a Brazilian private equity group.

* Vision Capital, a UK private equity house, has acquired Terphane, a Brazilian company that makes polyester films, from the bondholders for $100 million.

The Lex Column

* US mortgages: pushing the refi string - Uncle Sam is launching aggressive subsidies to break the housing logjam.

* UK monetary policy - A debate on theory and reality is raging at the Bank of England.

* Spain’s labour market - Tougher and politically challenging measures may be required.

* Gome - Chairman at China’s second largest electronics retailer may have to go.

* Company life cycles - Understanding how corporate credits perform over time is useful.