19/08/2008
Venezuela will take control of cement plants and offices belonging to Mexico’s Cemex as of midnight on Monday after failing to reach an agreement in nationalization talks, the government said.
The expropriation...
19/08/2008
An increased number of bankrupts are predicted to hit the construction industry later in 2008, according to Aon Trade Credit.
The risk assessor and insurance broker said the rise in insolvencies is...
08/08/2008
Private housing construction orders have fallen 20% in the last year, reports Building magazine.
Overall construction orders fell 7% for the year ended June 2008, but there have been rises in public...
07/08/2008
At least 2,500 construction companies could fall victim to the downturn before the year is out - a sharp rise on the 1,500 declared insolvent in 2007, reports Contract Journal.
More than...
04/08/2008
Marketers are currently on the front line battling against the downturn in the construction industry. CIMCIG has got together with consultancy Leading Edge to try to survey how construction businesses are...
31/07/2008
Travis Perkins predicts that the slowdown in the housing market will result in faster than expected slowdown in the RMI market in the second half of 2008 and 2009, and warned...
31/07/2008
One more 'site joke' has bitten the dust with HBG's decision to rebrand to the Dutch parent group name of BAM. HBG, victim to the gag 'what does HBG stand...
30/07/2008
Reporting their figures in New York yesterday CB Richard Ellis revealed an 88% drop in net profit from $141.1m in the second quarter of last year to $16.6m this year, while...
28/07/2008
The press headlines certainly make for depressing reading but what does the economic downturn mean for property marketers in reality, and with increasing job losses what should you do if you...
28/07/2008
CIMCIG members can now get a discount on tickets for the forthcoming series of Building Briefings - business-based seminars on Forecasting, International Markets, and Publis Sector opportunities.
If you want to attend...
28/07/2008
Persimmon is demanding that subcontractors cut their prices on agreed contracts by 15%. If they don't the contracts will be retendered.
Other housebuilders, including Barratt and Bovis have insisted on discounts from...
25/07/2008
Scott Wilson has acquired civil and structural engineering specialist Benaim for £5.5M.
Scott Wilson said the purchase strengthened its position in the rail sector. The two companies have worked together on...
23/07/2008
The World's biggest equipment manufacturer posted record second quarter profits of $1.1bn, and raised its expectations for the full year, seemingly bucking the global downturn in the construction economy.
Cat though is...
22/07/2008
Interbuild has added a new feature which explores cutting edge construction methods to help companies meet both private and public sector requirements.
In the middle of the show, they're going to...
21/07/2008
Demand for commercial property has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, intensifying pressure on landlords who are facing demands to rip up rental agreements in the tough...
09/07/2008
Construction News magazine has started to publish a free marketing and business development newsletter in association with CIMCIG.
Each week, there will be a round up of the marketing news in the...
13/12/2006
The Code for Sustainable Homes is published.
A challenging package of measures for planners and housebuilders, which will help to reduce carbon emissions and bring innovation to the building industry, was published...
26/09/2006
Publication of the Stern Review's final report
Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the Government Economics Service and Adviser to the Government on the economics of climate change and development, is delighted to...
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News
Cemex plants seized in Venezuela
19/08/2008
Venezuela will take control of cement plants and offices belonging to Mexico’s Cemex as of midnight on Monday after failing to reach an agreement in nationalization talks, the government said.
The expropriation is part of a drive by socialist President Hugo Chavez to place key industries under state control.
Officials said they had struck deals to buy majority stakes in the local operations of European cement makers Holcim and Lafarge but said Cemex was asking for too much.
The impact of this on the global cement market is hard to pick, on the one hand it's a small part of these companies production, on the other, any reduction in supply will probably produce a price rise.
That is, unless the Venezuelans decide to try to sell cheap cement on the world market - remember the deal Ken Livingstone tried to do for cut price Venezuelan oil?