Michael Kors ($KORS) is reportedly nearing a deal to buy Versace in a deal that would value the storied Italian fashion house at around $2 billion.
Blackstone would sell its 20 percent stake as part of the deal, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is unclear what role the Versace family, led by Donatella, would play in an acquisition. The family has tightly controlled the brand since designer Gianni Versace's murder in 1997.
Unlike Versace with its famous Medusa logo and luxurious stores, Michael Kors has staked out a position in the "mid" high-end market, though it did buy shoe designer Jimmy Choo last year for $1.2 billion.
The cost of financing a home surged again this week as the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed to its highest level since December 2000, further dimming the affordability outlook for many would-be homebuyers.
A commercial fisherman accused of conspiring with others to sell 200,000 pounds (90,000 kilos) of fish in excess of legal quotas has been convicted in federal court in New York.
