Anheuser-Busch InBev To Make Bid For SABMiller

Shares in SABMiller PLC traded 23% higher in London after the beer giant said rival Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V. has indicated it plans to make an offer for SABMiller. SABMiller's board "notes the recent press speculation and confirms that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ... has informed SABMiller that it intends to make a proposal to acquire SABMiller," said SABMiller in a news release. "No proposal has yet been received and the Board of SABMiller has no further details about the terms of any such proposal." The Financial Times on Wednesday reported that a merger of the world's two largest brewers has been speculated for years, but AB InBev's biggest shareholder, the acquisitive Brazilian private equity group 3G, is now ready to have talks with SAB. Shares in AB InBev rose 7.4% in Brussels before they were halted.