Standard & Poor's Ratings Services placed its 'A/A-1' long-term and short-term local and foreign currency ratings on the Sultanate of Oman (Oman) on CreditWatch with negative implications.

Aramex, UAE's courier firm, expects fourth-quarter profit growth to be in line with the rest of 2010 but the company does anticipate a tough 2011 as inflation starts to bite.

Emirates Steel increased its finished products production by 17.5 per cent in 2010 over the previous year.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has placed its 'BBB-/A-3' long- and short-term corporate credit ratings on France-based building materials group Lafarge S.A. on CreditWatch with negative implications.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) to 'BBB+' from 'A-'.