You’ll soon have a chance to buy a piece of the Empire State Building, the art deco-style, 102-story skyscraper at the corner of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
A realty trust controlling the tower and 11 other properties in Manhattan, upstate New York, and Connecticut will attempt a $1 billion public offering in the coming months. Named for the group’s iconic crown jewel, Empire State Realty Trust will list on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the “ESB” ticker, according to its Securities and Exchange Commission fillings.
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Boeing Co. confirmed a 230-aircraft order worth $22.4 billion at list prices from Indonesian budget carrier PT Lion Mentari Airlines, setting a record for the planemaker.
The accord, signed on February 14 at the Singapore Airshow, includes 201 orders for the in-development 737 MAX and 29 for the extended range 737-900. Airbus SAS separately announced a contract for 35 of its planned A320neo aircraft from Kuwait- based Aviation Lease & Finance Co.
The two planemakers are working on more fuel-efficient versions of their single-aisle aircraft as they compete for customers in a …

Ratings agencies Fitch lowered its ratings on four big Spanish banks while Standard & Poor’s cut its rating for the industry as a whole on February 13 following recent sovereign downgrades and on concerns of funding difficulties and a weak economy.
S&P’s revised its Banking Industry Country Assessment (BICRA) to group 5 from group 4, warning it expects the system’s profitability to remain below average for the medium term due to unfavorable economic and financial environment.
“We believe investor confidence remains fragile and anticipate further episodes of illiquidity and volatility in the …

Sheryl Sandberg lingered on stage last week in Davos after leading a panel on “Women as the Way Forward,” and found herself surrounded by a dozen fans — all save one of them female.
Sandberg, the 42-year-old chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., accepted business cards and chatted with those seeking her attention. The co-chair of the World Economic Forum and her devotees that day constituted what was probably the most female-heavy gathering at Davos.
At a five-day meeting that was more than 80 percent populated by men, women often were a …

European shares rose on January 31 morning on optimism Greece was nearing a debt swap deal, while EU leaders agreed on a stricter budget discipline plan to prevent further debt build up in the region.
Earnings news was another boost for the market, with ARM Holdings (ARM.L) one of the top performers, rising 4.6 percent after fourth-quarter results beat forecasts.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top shares was up 0.7 percent to 1,037.11 points at 0937 GMT, after ending at a two-week closing low on January 30. The index is …