Suits & Sayings: Smoke Screen

Even as the fog of Iran war engulfs the GCC region, a midsized consumer deal that was quietly in the works has run aground. The Indian behemoth that had appeared keen on the Emirati firm has now told bankers it’s walking away from the negotiations. The bankers are not exactly chuffed. They suspect that the war may have provided aconvenient cover, and the real sticking point is the valuation the sellers were demanding.

(For more on our weekly roundup of wackiest whispers and murmurs in corporate corridors & policy parlours, pick up today's edition of The Economic Times newspaper)