Law and business: commercial news round-up 02.05.14
updated on 02 May 2014
A new month and a new focus – this week, on the ups and downs of commercial fortunes. Read on for tales of improving economic predictions and declining popularity of once-favoured brands (oh, and potentially the biggest takeover in the UK, ever!):
- The CBI has a pleasing forecast for UK business – growth over the next three months expected to be “exceptionally strong”.
- And more good news, this time from the FT (free to read), with its analysis of what it calls “the 2014 M&A spree”.
- Home to Neighbours and Big Brother, Channel 5 is to be bought by US company Viacom in a £450 million deal.
- The BBC’s Linda Yueh analyses the economic theory of “creative destruction”, focusing on the fortunes and misfortunes of tech companies Nokia and Blackberry. Once the height of sophistication, now considered a little passé…
- AstraZeneca, UK pharma company, has twice this week rejected a takeover bid by US company Pfizer, despite the most recent bid taking its offer to £64 billion. The government is being drafted in, with a letter from Pfizer to David Cameron promising to keep jobs and R&D in the UK in the event of a takeover.
Be sure to check the LC.N Says section every Friday afternoon for this weekly commercial news round-up, produced by LawCareers.Net editor Isla Grant.
Follow @LawCareersNetUKand @CityLawLIVE on Twitter for instant business news updates.
