RMZ offers Rs 8.15 billion to acquire L&T's 14-acre land in Bengaluru

Bengaluru-based property developer RMZ is in the final round of negotiations to acquire 14-acre land of engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in Bengaluru. If the deal goes through, it will become the largest land deal in south India this year.

RMZ has quoted around Rs 8.15 billion (Rs 0.58 billion per acre) for the land parcel in Hebbal area of Bengaluru, said sources in the know.

“They are in final leg of the talks. L&T board should now approve it,” said a person who did not want to be quoted. L&T spokesperson did not comment on the development. RMZ executives, too, declined to speak on the deal.

RMZ is expected to develop a commercial property on the plot, which is close to Bengaluru airport and has a development potential of 4 million square feet. Though another Bengaluru developer, Salarpuria Sattva, has shown an interest in the plot, it did not bid for the property, said Bijay Agarwal, firm’s managing director.

General Electric to cut 4,500 jobs in Europe: Source

General Electric Co plans to cut 4,500 jobs in Europe, the first numbers to emerge on layoffs from the US industrial conglomerate since it outlined plans to restructure and shed units last month.

The cuts, which are linked to businesses GE bought from France's Alstom in 2015, will affect employees in Switzerland, Germany and Britain, said French newspaper Les Echos, which first reported the news on Tuesday.

A labor union source confirmed the layoff numbers to Reuters on Wednesday and said an official announcement was expected as early as Thursday.

GE did not confirm the numbers but said it was "reviewing its operations to ensure the business is best positioned to respond to our market realities and for long-term success." The company had presented a proposal to the European body representing legacy Alstom employees, it added.

Last month, General Electric CEO John Flannery outlined plans to reduce the manufacturing footprint of GE's power business to respond to a sharp fall in demand for fossil fuel power equipment. GE did not specify how many jobs would be cut or where.
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Plans to shrink GE worries investors; shares hit five-year low

General Electric Co's new Chief Executive John Flannery on Monday outlined steps that will turn the biggest U.S. industrial conglomerate into a smaller, more focussed company, surprising some investors who sold the company's shares to a five-year low.

Flannery's plan to shrink GE's multi-industry array of businesses was a reversal of the deal-driven empire building of his predecessors, Jeff Immelt and Jack Welch, and potentially a milestone in the decline of the conglomerate as a business strategy.

Other companies that once emulated the GE model of spreading bets among diverse industries are now unwinding their portfolios as well, something Immelt also did throughout his 16 years as CEO, even as he made acquisitions.

Flannery said he will pare GE down to three core businesses: power, aviation and healthcare. He will keep Immelt's strategy of building software to complement GE's machinery, albeit with a narrower focus and reduced budget.

For investors, Flannery's decision to cut both the dividend and the 2018 earnings forecast by half added up to a whole that was less than they judged GE be worth last week.

GE shares fell to their lowest level in more than five years as investors worried the years-long overhaul would not pare down enough expenses or generate as much cash as they hoped. They closed off the day's lows, down 7.2 percent to $19.02.
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Wall Street slips amid tax reform uncertainty, General Electric losses

US stocks were lower in morning trading on Monday as uncertainty over a US tax reform deal and GE's dismal outlook hit investor sentiment.

General Electric fell 3.5 percent after the industrial conglomerate cut its 2018 profit forecast, slashed dividend and unveiled a restructuring plan. The stock weighed the most on the S&P 500 index.

The S&P and the Dow ended the week lower for the first time in nine weeks on Friday after Senate Republicans unveiled a new tax plan that differed from the House of Representatives' version.

Hopes of lower taxes, one of President Donald Trump's main campaign promises, have helped drive the S&P 500 up 20 percent since the 2016 presidential election.

"We're entering a period of uncertainty until the tax bill is either passed or till we have more details," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York.

"Any disappointment on corporate tax deductions will probably set the stage for the market to pull back."

With third-quarter earnings season on its last leg, investors are closely tracking developments around the tax bill as well as economic data to make their bets.
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