. >>> executives at a maj janese company appears to be dialing up a deal that will give them presence in the united states. softbank is considering acquiring sprint nextel. sprint nextel has more than 56 million subscribers. negotiations are to acquire more than two-thirds of the company's shares. it's expected to reach 2.8 billn. both firmsre providers for apple's iphone and they both use a high speed wireless communication protocol called long term evolution. the stronger yen is believed to be a factor in soft bank's decision in acquiring sprint nextel. they are hoping to vastly expand their network and customer base in the united states where the market is showing considerable growth. if successful the deal would lead to the creation of a te telecommunications wh more than 19 millionsubscrers. >>> u.s. markets ended lower dragged down by lackluster earning reports. the dow jones extended its losing streak to four days. this is the lowest closing since september 11. we go to ramin who is at the tokyo stock exchange. what can you tell us? >> good morning. following the slight losses