BERLIN: German election winner Friedrich Merz's conservatives and outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) held "open and constructive" talks towards forming a coalition, a joint statement said on Friday (Feb 28) without giving details. Parliamentary arithmetic means the centre-left SPD is the most likely ally to help Merz's conservatives form a new governing majority, but there is ill-feeling between the parties after a bruising election campaign. Investors are watching what