December, 2020

• 22 December

  Orban calls Merkel ‘brilliant’ after EU budget compromise

  

  Bloomberg Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said German Chancellor Angela Merkel was “brilliant” for the way she resolved a dispute over the European Union’s $2.2 trillion budget and stimulus package, in an interview in Welt am Sonntag. Germany brokered the compromise that led Hungary and Poland to drop a threat to veto the plan, which would make payments to EU ...

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• 22 December

  Rent-A-Center to buy Acima Holdings in $1.6 billion deal

  Bloomberg Rent-A-Center Inc. is acquiring online lease-to-own provider Acima Holdings LLC in a cash-and-stock deal valued at more than $1.6 billion. The transaction will include $1.27 billion in cash and about 10.8 million shares of Rent-A-Center common stock currently valued at $377 million, the Plano, Texas-based company said. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2021. ...

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• 22 December

  Nokia to sacrifice network margins for growth in 5G

  

  Bloomberg Nokia Oyj said it expects margins for its networking business to be zero next year as it focuses on “regaining 5G leadership.” The company will develop its products for so-called Open RAN, a type of architecture that allows operators to use equipment from multiple vendors, and virtual RAN, which can be run as software on generic hardware, Nokia said ...

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• 22 December

  UK home prices to drop 5% next year

  Bloomberg UK home prices could slump as much as 5% next year as unemployment rises and government incentives end, according to mortgage lender Halifax. House prices surged the most since 2016 this year as demand for more space, state support for wages and a temporary reduction in a property transaction tax offset the economic damage from the Covid-19 pandemic. That ...

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• 22 December

  Musk inquires about moving ‘large deals’ to Bitcoin

  

  Bloomberg Elon Musk inquired about converting “large transactions” of Tesla Inc.’s balance sheet into Bitcoin in a Twitter exchange with Michael Saylor, a prominent booster of digital currency. In a series of tweets, Saylor, chief executive officer of Microstrategy Inc., encouraged the billionaire to shift US dollars from the electric-car maker to Bitcoin and “do your shareholders a $100 billion ...

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• 21 December

  European stocks slump on virus curbs; pound drops

  

  Bloomberg European stocks tumbled as a new strain of the coronavirus in the UK caused chaos ahead of the Christmas holiday, with regional neighbours suspending travel with the nation following another missed deadline in Brexit talks. Travel and energy shares dragged the Stoxx Europe 600 Index down around 2% at the open as Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and France closed ...

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• 21 December

  Singapore’s top stock of this year is facing a rougher ride in 2021

  

  Bloomberg Equity investors have given Singapore’s Sembcorp Industries Ltd. a big thumbs-up this year after it shed its loss-making marine unit. But 2021 may prove to be a lot less euphoric, according to analysts. The utilities firm is 2020’s top gainer on the benchmark Straits Times Index, after being the worst performer in the preceding five-year period. However, concerns over ...

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• 21 December

  UAE welcomes formation of new government in Yemen

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE has welcomed the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council. It further welcomed the formation of a government of political competencies in Yemen, and expressed its hope that this will be a step towards a political solution and an accelerated end to the Yemeni crisis. In ...

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• 21 December

  UAE, US explore opportunities to develop clean energy projects

  

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, was joined by Carlos Pascual, Senior Vice President for Global Energy at IHS Markit, during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) Web Series, which was held in partnership with the Atlantic Council. Joining the episode from Jakarta, Indonesia, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar ...

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• 21 December

  Mohammed issues decree to form UAE Food Bank board

  DUBAI / WAM In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued Decree No. (36) of 2020 forming the Board of Trustees of the UAE Food Bank. According to the Decree, HH Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum will chair the Board and ...

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