US treasuries futures fell late on Wednesday after Moody’s Investors Services placed the US government on review for a possible downgrade, which could see it stripped of its AAA rating. The ratings agency upped the likelihood of the US defaulting on loan obligations, saying that the possibility was higher than a month ago when it…
The IMF urged the Italian government late on Tuesday to “continue pursuing fiscal consolidation”, stressing that it should cut its budget deficit to below three percent of GDP by 2012 through “decisive implementation”. Italy is hoping to approve a €40bn austerity plan by Sunday in an attempt to stabilise its budget and restore confidence in…
The attention surrounding News International – Rupert Murdoch’s media empire – intensified as allegations emerged that former Prime Minister Gordon Brown had personal data targeted by several News International publications. Brown on Tuesday accused Murdoch’s newspapers of employing criminals to obtain confidential details about him and his family. The former prime minister believes, while in…
Nestlé, the world’s largest food and drink group, announced on Monday that it intends to buy a majority stake in Chinese confectioner Hsu Fu Chi for $1.67bn or SFr1.4bn. The Swiss food company, which produces Dreyer’s ice cream, Nescafe Coffee and chocolate bars including KitKat, stated it will acquire 60 percent of shares in Hsu…
JPMorgan Chase reached a record $211.2m settlement late on Thursday with federal and state regulators on charges it manipulated a bidding process to gain business from municipalities. The agreed settlement by the bank’s Wall Street division with 25 states and various federal regulators will see the bank paying, among others, the SEC, the Justice Department…
News of the World, the British tabloid paper that sold to millions as “the best for news, showbiz and sport exclusives” is shutting down amid the escalating phone hacking scandal, the head of News International James Murdoch said late on Thursday. It is widely believed that shutting down the 168-year-old title is an attempt to…
German engineering and steel conglomerate ThyssenKrupp announced late on Wednesday plans to sell all of its remaining 49.48 million treasure shares accrued from its 2006 and 2008 buyback programmes. The share sale, which would generate €1.7bn based on Wednesday’s closing share price, will assist the company in paying off part of its €6.5bn debt. The…
Officially, according to Mexico’s constitution as established in 1917, only Mexican citizens and corporations can own properties in the country’s “Restricted Zone.” Fortunately for real estate investors, Mexico’s government saw the problems that this law posed for drawing international investment to the country. Instead of trying to change the constitution, the government implemented a system…
FTSE 100 oil company Tullow Oil published a trading and operation statement on Tuesday ahead of the group’s half-year result release showing record revenues of $1.05bn. The company raised its full-year production guidance as it said that high revenues were due to strong operational performance driven by production in Africa. The group indicated that average…
Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest automaker, has secured a majority stake in German-based heavy truck maker MAN SE, the company said on Monday. VW now holds 55.9 percent of the voting rights in MAN, which brings it a step closer to a tie-up with Swedish Scania. The company said it had made a mandatory offer to all…
