C1 Instinet Up for Sale Instinet Groupis up for sale, executives briefed on the plan say.

Sanofi-Synthélabo, the French pharmaceutical company, is considering making a takeover offer worth more than $60 billion for its neighboring rival, Aventis, executives briefed on the plan said Thursday.

Industry analysts and executives briefed on the negotiations say Qwest could well raise its bid for MCI to $32 a share or more if Verizon matches its offer.

The Instinet Group, owner of one of the largest electronic stock trading systems, is for sale, executives briefed on the plan say.

Once the guarantee was made, the firm would begin a push to get policyholders to cash them in, executives briefed on the talks said.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but executives briefed on the deal say it was valued at around $100 million.

Financial details were scarce today, but executives briefed on the deal said Hong Kong would put up the bulk of the project's cost through its contribution toward land, roads and other services.

But trading experts and executives briefed on the deal say the power swap and its ramifications on El Paso's first-quarter financial report contain several troublesome features.

Lehman Brothers, an institutional brokerage firm that has talked to two day-trading firms, is seeking to improve and upgrade its institutional trading systems, executives briefed on the talks said.

This turned out to be the case, executives briefed on the negotiations said.