Telecoms Up Slightly Amid Merger Confusion -- Telecoms Roundup

Shares of telecommunications companies rose amid confusion over merger activity. Shares of T-Mobile US and Sprint failed to gain back much of their losses incurred in the wake of The Wall Street Journal's report that a planned merger between the two had foundered. Of the two, T-Mobile US "is best positioned on a standalone basis," said analysts at brokerage Nomura Securities. The failure of the merger would likely mean a return to the cellphone carrier price wars after a brief truce. "It is possible that there could be a more aggressive holiday promotion season as carriers fight even harder for iPhone switchers," the Nomura Securities analysts said.

-Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 31, 2017 16:40 ET (20:40 GMT)