Global Investing Roundups

HP Beats 4Q Forecasts; Carrefour Milks New CEO From Nestle; InBev Officially Closes Anheuser Buy; Home Depot Beats 3Q Estimate; Gulf Bank Loses $1.4 Billion; Mexican Tycoon Interested in Circuit City; Wholesale Prices Plummet

• Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), the world’s largest maker of personal computers, offered a preview of its fiscal fourth-quarter profits – reporting that it will beat market expectations and raise its fiscal 2009 outlook. “HP is gaining market share in an extremely strong competitive position. They’ve got share gains, combined with very aggressive cost reduction,” Shannon Cross of Cross Research told Reuters.

• Lars Olofsson, Executive Vice President of Nestle SA,…

Kuwait Sovereign Wealth Fund Considering Bigger Citigroup and Merrill Stakes

Struggling U.S. financials Citigroup Inc. (C) and Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. (MER) may get another equity injection from state-owned Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), the fund’s managing director told Reuters.

Their valuations would make it tempting – as both firms are trading near their 52-week lows – but Bader al-Saad said it’s more about the companies’ plans for recovery.

“In Citi or Merrill, if there is good opportunity, we will look into it. Do we increase our stake? It all depends on the performance and strategy,” Saad said when asked whether KIA might raise its stakes in both troubled U.S. banks.

In January,…