Business

Business briefs

Office Depot

Office Depot, the second-largest office-supply chain, is extending talks to sell its Mexico unit to Grupo Gigante beyond last Friday’s deadline, said a source. The talks were prolonged in part because Office Depot is already involved in the purchase of OfficeMax for $1.17 billion.

$20B Airbus

Europe’s Airbus has landed a record order potentially worth $20 billion at list prices from Indonesia’s Lion Air, sources said yesterday, smashing rival Boeing’s grip on one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines. In a sign of the rising importance of Asian budget carriers for high-tech manufacturing jobs, the deal is set to be announced today at a ceremony overseen by French President Francois Hollande.

Crude & stuff

Investors increased wagers on a commodity rally by the most in eight months as signs of a US economic recovery bolstered the outlook for demand and drove rallies in crude oil, cotton, copper and gold. Large speculators raised net-long positions across 18 US futures and options in the week ended March 12 by 30 percent, data show.