Citi deal

Apollo Management agreed to buy Citigroup’s Citi Property Investors, a real estate investment unit with a portfolio val ued at $3.5 billion, according to a person fa miliar with the deal. In June, the properties were valued at $12.5 billion.

Jobs pop

Morgan Stanley econo mist David Greenlaw said as many as 300,000 jobs may be added in March, setting the stage for what some economists say will be sustained employment gains. Better weather, hir ing of temporary census government workers and a growing economy could bring the biggest job increases since March 2006.

Big crew

Apparel retailer J. Crew yesterday posted a high er-than-expected quar terly profit, helped by tight inventory and dou ble-digit sales growth. Revenue rose 19 percent to $460.6 million, helped by a 17-percent increase in same-store sales.

China costs

China’s inflation accel erated and exports climbed in February, according to surveys of economists, increasing the likelihood of the cen tral bank raising interest rates from a five-year low. Consumer prices are thought to be up 2.5 per cent from a year before.