Reuters Holdings Plc has expressed interest in either acquiring or forming a joint venture with Dow Jones & Co Inc, according to BusinessWeek. The magazine reported that Reuters had approached some of the controlling shareholders of Dow Jones expressing interest in doing a deal. Reuters declined to comment, and Dow Jones called the column pure speculation, adding that controlling shareholders referred to descendants of founder Clarence Barron, adding it isn’t (the company) directly. The column cited an unidentified investment banker and money managers as saying Reuters had told the shareholders it would not do anything hostile. Dow Jones, which owns the Wall Street Journal, said this month that it would spend $650m to expand and revitalize its Telerate financial data services unit.
