SYDNEY (Reuters) – Canada's Goldcorp Inc (G.TO) agreed to buy gold miner Andean Resources Ltd (AND.TO) for C$3.6 billion ($3.4 billion), trumping a competing offer from rival Eldorado Gold Corp (ELD.TO) (EAU.AX).

The takeover is the latest in a series of mining deals this year, including Australia's Newcrest Mining's (NCM.AX) $8.4 billion purchase of rival Lihir Gold, as gold prices are hovering near a record high with global economic uncertainty driving investors to safer havens.

Goldcorp said its cash and share offer, at C$6.50 per share, was expected to close in late 2010 or early 2011 and had been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

Goldcorp's offer topped Eldorado's all-share bid, worth C$6.36 a share, made hours earlier after the companies failed to agree.

Goldcorp's offer puts a 35 percent premium to Andean Resources last traded price on the Toronto exchange. Andean Australian-listed shares (AND.AX) jumped 30.9 percent in Sydney trading to A$6.40 before it was placed on trading halt.

"Andean's plan to sell does not come as a surprise. It was set up to be taken over at some stage. It was a question of how and what price. The pricing and the premium looks pretty reasonable. There might be a small window to move," said Tim Barker, Portfolio Manager at BT Financial Group.

Goldcorp said Andean's principal asset was its 100-percent owned Cerro Negro Gold project in the southern province of Santa Cruz in Argentina, which would add to its gold production pipeline.

Cerro Negro is the company's advanced-stage gold exploration project, which preliminary studies suggest may have resource of 3.1 million ounces of gold and 25 million ounces of silver as of March 2010, according to the company's website.

The mining sector is leading the global M&A activity, which recorded $267 billion worth of deals in August, making it the biggest month since June 2009, Thomson Reuters data showed.

The materials sector has seen a 30 percent rise in deals with global miner BHP Billiton (BHP.AX) leading the charge with a $39 billion offer for Canada's Potash (POT.TO).

($1=1.052 Canadian dollar) (Additional reporting by Krishna N. Das in Bangalore; Editing by Valerie Lee)

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STOCKHOLM – Swedish investment bank Carnegie AB Friday said it will buy competitor HQ Bank AB, which had its banking license revoked by the financial watchdog last week.

Carnegie said it has signed an agreement to buy HQ for 268 million kronor ($37 million), which will make it the Nordic region's leading independent investment bank.

The deal has been approved by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

Carnegie said HQ's bank operations will be merged into its existing operations and that its fund business, HQ Fonder will be run as a subsidiary.

Carnegie chief executive Frans Lindelow said the takeover means HQ can resume its operations quickly and keep all 300 staff members. He said the deal also guarantees the savings of HQ's customers.

Sweden's financial watchdog on Saturday revoked HQ's license, saying it had overvalued its trading portfolio and reported its financial position incorrectly. The bank, which focuses on major investments, entered liquidation on Monday and has been in talks to save its business through a merger since then.

"It is highly gratifying that following intensive days of negotiation we have in such a short time found a solution for HQ Bank that is forward-looking and that safeguards the interests of the clients and employees," HQ's liquidator Biorn Riese said in a statement.

Carnegie had its own banking license revoked by authorities during the financial crisis in 2008, but was saved by a government bailout. A year later, the government sold the bank to private equity company Altor and the investment firm Bure.

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(Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.21 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.17 percent and Nasdaq100 futures flat at 0725 GMT (3:25 a.m. ET).

The Labor Department is due to release the August employment report at 1230 GMT. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast 100,000 jobs were lost in the month compared with 131,000 lost in July. The unemployment rate is seen at 9.6 percent, compared with a 9.5 percent rate in the prior month.

The nonfarm payrolls will probably show a hit from a combination of the fading boost from census hiring, a reluctance by firms to add staff and relentless layoffs at cash-strapped state and local governments.

Economic indicators on tap for Friday also include the Institute for Supply Management's services sector report, while on the earnings front, Campbell Soup Co (CPB.N) is the only S&P 500 company scheduled to post quarterly results Friday.

Tech shares will be in focus after Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS), the world's No.2 handset maker, expects to sell up to 25 million smartphones this year, exceeding its earlier target, and aims to double shipments next year, media reports said on Friday.

On the M&A front, Canada's Goldcorp Inc (G.TO) agreed to buy gold miner Andean Resources Ltd (AND.TO) for $3.2 billion, trumping a competing offer from rival Eldorado Gold Corp (ELD.TO) (EAU.AX).

BP Plc (BP.L)(BP.N) said on Friday the cost of dealing with its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had risen to $8 billion and that it was a fortnight away from sealing the well for good.

Video game maker Take-Two Interactive Inc (TTWO.O) on Thursday smashed Wall Street expectations for its fiscal third quarter and raised its forecast for the current fourth quarter, citing strong sales for its "Red Dead Redemption" title. Shares of Take-Two traded in Frankfurt (TTWO.F) were up 18 percent.

H&R Block Inc (HRB.N) posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss as the No. 1 U.S. tax preparer cut costs in the face of stiff competition from Intuit Inc (INTU.O) and said it expects to sell about 150 more offices before the next tax season.

European shares were up 0.2 percent in morning trade, while Tokyo's Nikkei average rose 0.6 percent, as more positive data reassured investors about the health of the global economic recovery.

U.S. stocks rose on low volume on Thursday as data showed improvement in housing and the job market a day ahead of the critical monthly payrolls figures. The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) added 50.63 points, or 0.49 percent, to 10,320.10. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) rose 9.81 points, or 0.91 percent, to 1,090.10. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) gained 23.17 points, or 1.06 percent, to close at 2,200.01.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Mike Nesbit)

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