Blackstone, Emerson Electric strike $14 billion buyout deal

- Industrial company to sell 55% stake in climate-technologies business to investment firm
Emerson Electric Co. is selling a majority stake in its climate-technologies business to Blackstone Inc. in a transformational deal for the industrial company that would value the unit at $14 billion including debt and mark the biggest private-equity buyout in months at a time when such activity has been choked off by market volatility.