WPP in talks with Ford to extend partnership Marathon Patent surge halts on cryptocurrency deal

WPP said on Tuesday Ford Motor Company, a major client, had informed it of its intention to carry on working with the world’s biggest advertising agency for a new period of time beginning in 2018, lifting its shares. Britain’s WPP, led by the high profile businessman Martin Sorrell, has been hit this year by a slowdown in spending from some clients and a new wave of competition that has forced the big ad groups to turn more aggressive when bidding for new contracts. REUTERS< Shares in Marathon Patent Group handed back around a third of the past week’s stellar gains on Tuesday after the firm said it was heavily diluting the value of its existing shares to pay for a much-hyped move into cryptocurrency mining. The micro-cap IP licensing firm has seen its value more than quadruple on its plans to buy Global Bit Ventures and was the second-most traded US stock for much of Monday ahead of a call to lay out the details of the deal post-market. REUTERS<