Space-transportation startup Rocket Lab USA is nearing an agreement to go public by merging with Vector Acquisition (VACQ), Cara Lombardo of Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal values Rocket Lab at around $4.1B including debt and could be finalized by Monday, sources told the Journal. It is expected to include additional funds of about $470M in the form of a private investment in public equity from investors including BlackRock (BLK) and Neuberger Berman Group, the sources added. Reference Link

AstraZeneca (AZN) has sold its stake in Moderna (MRNA) for more than $1B after the latter's shares soared on the back of its coronavirus vaccine breakthrough, The Times' Alex Ralph reports. AstraZeneca has disposed of its 7.7% holding, which had made it Moderna's second largest investor last year, the author notes. Reference Link

Herbalife Nutrition plans to overhaul its board as Carl Icahn winds down his eight-year involvement with the company, Cara Lombardo of Wall Street Journal reports. Herbalife it set to announce Monday three additions to its board: Sophie L'Helias, Kevin Jones and Don Mulligan, according to Lombardo. Following the additions, the board is expected to have nine members after the company's annual meeting this spring as two current directors, Margarita Palau-Hernandez and Michael Montelongo, don't plan to stand for re-election, she adds. Reference Link

Twilio (TWLO) is in talks to invest as much as $750M in Carlyle Group's (CG) Syniverse Technologies in a precursor to a public listing, Cara Lombardo and Dana Cimilluca of Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with the matter. The investment will be announced Monday and could be followed in the coming months by a merger between Syniverse and a special-purpose acquisition company, sources told the Journal. Such a deal could value Syniverse around $2B to $3B including debt, they added. The Twilio deal involves a commercial arrangement that would send a significant amount of business to Syniverse, which provides roaming, messaging and other telecommunications services, the sources said. Reference Link

CAE (CAE) is nearing a deal to acquire L3Harris Technologies' military-training division for $1.05B that will be funded by a private placement of roughly C$700M from two institutional investors, Cara Lombardo of Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter. An agreement is expected to be announced Monday for the business which has about $500M in annual revenue, sources tell the Journal. CAE expects the deal to be accretive to earnings and forecasts cost savings of roughly C$35M to C$45M a year in the second year post-close, they added. Reference Link

Chains from Macy's (M) to Gap (GPS) to Neiman Marcus Group have introduced buy now, pay later options in recent months to attract younger shoppers, who are less likely to use credit cards, The Wall Street Journal's Suzanne Kapner reports. The emerging payment option is a modern take on old-fashioned layaway plans, allowing shoppers to pay for purchases over time, the author notes. Instead of earning a profit from customers who revolve a balance on their store cards, retailers pay fees to the financial-technology companies that offer buy now, pay later plans, including Klarna Bank AB, Affirm Holdings (AFRM) and Afterpay, the publication adds. Reference Link

President Joe Biden's $1.9T plan to address the human and economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic passed the U.S. House of Representatives early on Saturday, with the next step Senate consideration, according to Reuters. Reference Link

India's conglomerate Reliance Industries has partnered with Facebook (FB), Google (GOOGL) and fintech player Infibeam to set up a national digital payment network, according to Reuters, citing a report by the Economic Times. Last year, India's central bank invited companies to forge new umbrella entities to create a payments network that would rival the system operated by the National Payments Council of India, as it seeks to reduce concentration risks in the space, the report notes. Reference Link

Danone said on Sunday it was taking a first step toward selling off its stake in its Chinese dairy partner as the French food group faces pressure from shareholders to improve its performance and governance, according to Reuters. Danone said that following a review of its portfolio it had reached an agreement to convert its indirect stake in China Mengniu Dairy Company into a 9.8% direct holding in the Hong Kong-listed group, the publication adds. Reference Link

Hyatt Hotels called symbols of hate "abhorrent" on Sunday after the design of a stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference at one of its hotels drew comparisons to a Norse rune used by Nazis during World War Two, according to Reuters. High-profile Republicans including former President Donald Trump are attending the four-day event in Orlando, Florida, the publication notes. A photo of the CPAC stage went viral on social media on Saturday, with thousands of Twitter users sharing posts comparing its distinctive design to an othala rune, one of many ancient European symbols that Nazis adopted to "reconstruct a mythic 'Aryan' past," according to the Anti-Defamation League. Reference Link

McDonald's said it is considering selling part of Dynamic Yield, its artificial intelligence startup that provides personalized digital promotions to consumers, Bloomberg's Crayton Harrison reports. "The potential sale of the non-McDonald's part of our business has been discussed from the outset and now feels like the right time to explore that possibility," Liad Agmon, founder and chief executive officer of Dynamic Yield, said. "We look forward to our continued relationship while continuing to expand the use of Dynamic Yield's technology at McDonald's restaurants around the world." Reference Link