Arch Coal to buy International Coal Group for $3.4bn

Arch Coal (ACI.N) will buy smaller peer International Coal Group Inc (ICO.N) for $3.4 billion to create the second-largest U.S. producer of steel-making coal, the companies said on Monday. The deal is the latest in the coal industry, following Alpha Natural Resources’ (ANR.N) $6.6 billion plan to buy Massey Energy (MEE.N) and Walter Energy’s (WLT.N) $3.3 billion agreement to buy Canada’s Western Coal.