News

Bloomberg European Union finance ministers were expected to discuss US legislation to slash taxes at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday and whether the new plan violates international trade rules. The centerpiece of the tax bill that passed the US Senate is a reduction in the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. The bill still needs to ...

Bloomberg BMW AG is targeting another ambitious hike in plug-in hybrid and battery car sales next year to defend its position in the electric-car shift as competitors like Volkswagen AG ready their own battery lineups. The planned increase to about 150,000 cars sold would represent a 50 percent rise from this year, and a jump of about two-thirds from last ...

Bloomberg The UK’s net worth increased the most on record last year, as the value of land continued to increase. The nation’s total worth was estimated at 9.8 trillion pounds ($13.2 trillion) at the end of 2016, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday. That’s 803 billion pounds higher than the previous year— and, at almost 9 percent, the ...

Bloomberg UK services growth slowed in November from the fastest pace in six months as price pressures intensified. The services Purchasing Managers Index fell to 53.8 from 55.6 in October, IHS Markit said on Tuesday. Economists had forecast a reading of 55.0. Input costs increased the most since 2011 and prices charged rose at the fastest clip since 2008. While ...

Bloomberg The UK’s Cineworld Group Plc agreed to buy US theatre operator Regal Entertainment Group for about $3.6 billion to expand into the biggest movie market. The $23-a-share deal comes a week after the companies confirmed news reports of takeover discussions, jolting cinema-operator stocks. The price represents a 26 percent premium to Regal’s close on November 27, the day before ...

Dubai / WAM DP World has announced that it completed the acquisition of an additional 66.67% stake in Empresa Brasileira de Terminais Portuarios (Embraport) in Brazil from Odebrecht Transport (OTP). This transaction increases DP World’s shareholding to 100% and the terminal will be rebranded to DP World Santos. The purchase consideration is below 5% of DP World’s net asset value ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Health Insurance Company, Daman, to collaborate and consult on initiatives to promote the growth and development of the insurance-related FinTech ecosystem, InsurTech, in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The MoU was signed by Dr Michael Bitzer, CEO of Daman, and Richard Teng, CEO ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE Central Bank’s reserve of gold bars amounted to AED1.129 billion by the end of October, a growth of 11.2% from AED1.015 billion by the end of 2016. The month of April saw the CB resuming gold holdings after eight years during which the banks’ reserves were confined to a foreign currency basket, primarily US ...

Dubai / WAM His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, has said that the 46th National Day is testimony to the fact that no matter what the challenges are, the determination of honest leaders to prioritise the wellbeing and prosperity of citizens over everything else always prevails. In a statement issued through the ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The Scottish government has appointed its first Scottish trade envoy to the UAE and in the MENA region, reflecting the significance of the UAE to Scotland and the UK. Nick Maclean will serve in the position as part of Scotland’s plans to extend its worldwide business reach with the appointment of a team of trade envoys ...