Attorney general warns Twitter users could breach fair trial rules December 4, 2013 TWITTER and Facebook users are to be warned about the dangers of committing a contempt of court by commenting about ongoing court cases online. Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, will publish court advisory notices which, up until now, were only provided to traditional print and broadcast media. “In days gone by, it was only the [...]
EU antitrust probe gives green light to Nokia for handset sale December 4, 2013 EUROPEAN Union antitrust regulators have approved Nokia’s €5.44bn (£4.5bn) sale of its devices and services division to Microsoft. “The commission concluded that the transaction would not raise any competition concerns,” the European Commission said in a statement yesterday. The deal has now passed final regulatory approval, having been given the go ahead by the US [...]
Amec wins £76m Abu Dhabi deal December 4, 2013 FTSE 100-listed engineering firm Amec yesterday said it has won a $124m (£76m) contract with Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company to manage the development of an oil field located off the UAE. The five-year agreement is expected to create 100 extra jobs for Amec in Abu Dhabi. “Further expansion in the Middle East is a [...]
Shaftesbury signs £125m loan December 4, 2013 Shaftesbury, the West End landlord, said yesterday it has signed a new £125m five-year loan with Lloyds Bank in a refinancing deal. The facility will replace an existing £125m loan which was due to expire in April 2016. “This will strengthen the group’s financial base by improving the maturity profile of its debt and diversifying [...]
St Modwen secures M&S as tenant December 4, 2013 Developer St Modwen said it has clinched a deal with Marks & Spencer that will see the retailer anchor the group’s regeneration scheme in Birmingham. The high street chain will pre-let a 150,000 square feet store major at St Modwen’s huge regeneration scheme at Longbridge in Birmingham. The news came as the group raised its [...]
Split in business surveys reveals two-speed euro December 4, 2013 THE EUROZONE’S economy continued growing in November according to a widely-regarded set of business surveys released yesterday, yet crucial member states such as France and Italy appear to be stuck in the mud. While Germany hit a 29-month high in Markit’s purchasing managers’ index – with a reading of 55.4 across all sectors of its economy [...]
US firms keep on expanding December 4, 2013 THE US non-manufacturing economy grew at a slightly slower pace during November, with new export orders adding particularly to the expansion. The score from the latest Institute for Supply Management (ISM) report on activity fell slightly, down to 53.9 from 55.4 last month. Any figure over 50 signals growth.
India factories growing again December 4, 2013 A NEW report says that Indian manufacturing returned to growth last month, after a tough summer. HSBC’s emerging markets index, released today, also suggests that November saw the fastest growth in developing economies since March. The index reached 52.1, indicating an expansion.
City A.M. shadow MPC votes 7-2 to hold again December 4, 2013 ALLISTER HEATH | CITY A.M. “Lift rates by 0.25 per cent. Business surveys are heating up and some economists expect one per cent GDP growth in the final quarter of the year – this is no time for emergency all-time-low interest rates. Furthermore, the situation with the housing market, expecially in London, is worrying.” GRAEME LEACH [...]
City analysts expect pressure on Bank to raise rates in 2014 December 4, 2013 THE BANK of England will hold off from any rise in interest rates in the opening months of next year even if unemployment keeps falling, analysts say. Yet some economists believe the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) will come under intense pressure to tighten its stance. A report from City-based Fathom Consulting said yesterday that price [...]