WSP Global Is Said to Progress in Discussions to Buy Aecom (1)

Canada’s WSP Global Inc. is moving ahead with talks to acquire rival engineering services firm Aecom, people familiar with the matter said.

A deal could be announced as soon as next week, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. The market volatility has added uncertainty to the negotiations, and discussions could drag on further or fall apart, according to the people.

Shares of Aecom rose 7.7% to $51.33 at 10:14 a.m. in New York trading Wednesday, giving the company a market capitalization of about $8.1 billion. WSP Global shares fell less than 1% ...