Schneider to spend €1.4bn on Telvent June 1, 2011 FRENCH power network equipment specialist Schneider Electric is to buy energy software provider Telvent for €1.36bn (£1.2bn) as part of its push into energy efficient grids and emerging markets. The takeover bid is backed by US-listed Telvent’s main shareholder and would give Schneider Electric a stronger presence in software to complement its equipment sales. Telvent’s [...]
Russian tax freeze set to hit Gazprom June 1, 2011 RUSSIA will not increase its mineral extraction tax for independent gas producers, finance minister Alexei Kudrin said yesterday, leaving state export monopoly Gazprom to bear the brunt of tax increases. Gazprom deputy chief executive Alexander Ananenkov warned that if the ministry carries through with proposed output levies, production would decline. “More gas will end up [...]
Demographic trends set to lead to boom in healthcare June 1, 2011 INVESTORS have been profiting from a healthcare revolution sweeping the globe, which still has a long way to run. Stephen Barber of Selftrade notes two global demographic changes set to increase demand for healthcare: “The ageing population and the growth of the middle classes in the emerging world, led by China and India.” Across the [...]
Chelsea favourite Hiddink wants return to club game May 31, 2011 FORMER Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has dropped the strongest hint yet that he wants to return to Stamford Bridge – whether he stays on as Turkey coach or not. The Dutchman, whose current role may depend on the outcome of Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium, declared he would relish a return to the day-to-day [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 31, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES UK CONSUMER RECOVERY SET TO BE SLOWEST IN 180 YEARS The UK economy is set to experience the slowest pick-up in consumer spending of any post-recession period since 1830, according to a Financial Times analysis of official forecasts. Families are expected to spend just slightly more by 2015 than they were before the [...]
Belarus devalues its way to hyperinflation May 31, 2011 LAST week, Belarus demonstrated very clearly what happens to a country when it does not address its deficit, does not rein in spending and tries to mask its problems with state intervention. Overnight, the National Bank of Belarus devalued the Belarusian rouble by 56 per cent. The devaluation resulted in an immediate 24 per cent [...]
London jitters thwart Moscow airport float May 31, 2011 MOSCOW’S busiest airport has become the latest group to fall victim to shaky investor confidence in London’s initial public offering (IPO) market. DME Limited, the offshore company that owns Domodedovo airport, announced the withdrawal of its planned $700m-$1bn (£424 – £607m) float in London late on Sunday night, having published its intention to float document [...]
Shock lift for Russia’s rates May 30, 2011 RUSSIA’S central bank surprised markets yesterday by hiking its overnight deposit rate by a quarter of a percentage point, to 3.5 per cent. Its other rates were held steady, as expected, the key refinancing rate sticking to 8.25 per cent and the repo rate at 5.5 per cent. “The decision was made taking into account [...]
G8 countries to warn Greece over its massive debt burden May 26, 2011 THE G8 leaders raised the alarm yesterday about government debts weighing down the world economy but pledged at a meeting in France to find funds to help new Arab democracies. Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary, Tetsuro Fukuyama, told reporters the G8 agreed Greece must do more to sort out its finances and work with the [...]
Lagarde confirms IMF bid May 25, 2011 FRENCH finance minister Christine Lagarde officially declared her candidacy for the leadership of the IMF yesterday, confirming speculation that she would make a bid to replace the ousted Dominique Strauss-Kahn. She appears to have few credible challengers, but her candidacy could cause controversy given that her appointment would follow the decades-old tradition that only Europeans [...]