Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Middle East is expected to drop by at least 10 per cent to between US$50 billion and US$55 billion in 2011 according to a new report.

OCME, a supplier of end of line equipment for the beverage market, will open a new branch in Jeddah in the first quarter of 2012, which will be dedicated to serving the Middle East region.

Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has acquired a minority stake in Construction Products Holding Company (CPC) through an equity investment of US$75mn.

Danaher Corporation opened a new office in Dubai to serve as the Headquarters for its Middle East operations.

Lafarge posted weaker Q2 results of US$1.01 billion, a drop of 16 per cent versus 2010 earnings of US$1.2 billion due to higher raw material costs.