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After apologizing for his post at the event on Wednesday, Musk unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against some of the advertisers for fleeing the platform. The Tesla (TSLA.O) chief acknowledged that an extended boycott by advertisers could bankrupt X, formerly Twitter, but suggested that the public would blame the brands and not him for a potential collapse. "We believe there is risk that more companies will stop advertising on X; at least on a short-term basis," D.A. Monthly U.S. ad revenue at X has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk bought the company in October 2022, Reuters reported last month. "Musk has stated that Twitter is worth a lot lesser than the $44 billion he had paid for it.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Elon, Walt Disney, Musk, D.A, Tom Forte, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Chavi Mehta, Jaspreet Singh, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, New York Times, Warner Bros ., Davidson &, U.S, X, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ Who are OpenAI's new board members as Sam Altman returns?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Tuesday said it reached an agreement for Sam Altman to return as CEO days after his ouster, and also agreed in principle to partly reconstitute the board of directors that had dismissed him. Bret Taylor, formerly co-CEO of Salesforce and Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, along with Quora CEO and current director Adam D'Angelo will be part of the board, OpenAI said. Here's what we know about them:* Taylor, 43, is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur, who is also a board member at Shopify (SHOP.TO). Taylor will chair the OpenAI board* Summers, 68, is an American economist who has served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001* A professor at Charles W Eliot University, Summers is also President Emeritus at Harvard* Summers is also on the board of Jack Dorsey's Block Inc (SQ.N) and Skillsoft Corp (SKIL.N)* D'Angelo, 39, is an American internet entrepreneur, best known as founder of California-based social question-and-answer website and online knowledge market Quora* A Computer Science graduate, D'Angelo was previously CTO of Facebook for nearly two years till June 2008(Sources: TechCrunch, Reuters reporting and LinkedIn)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Altman, Carlos Barria, OpenAI, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, Taylor, Charles, Summers, Jack Dorsey's, D'Angelo, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury, Quora, Treasury, Charles W Eliot University, Harvard, Skillsoft Corp, Science, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, American, Shopify, California, Bengaluru

☆ Who is Emmett Shear, OpenAI's new interim CEO replacing Sam Altman?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Twitch CEO Emmett Shear speaks in a still image taken from a video interview with Reuters in San Francisco, U.S. which was broadcast in May 2018. REUTERS TV via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has named ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear as its interim chief executive officer after the startup ousted former head Sam Altman in a move that rocked the tech industry. Shear, who was part of the first batch of startup accelerator Y Combinator along with Altman, is known as an outspoken advocate of safety in the development of artificial intelligence. Some facts about Emmett Shear:* Shear, 40, stepped down as CEO of Amazon.com (AMZN.O)-owned Twitch this March after more than 16 years at the live video streaming platform* The platform was co-founded by Shear as Justin.tv in 2006, before its name was changed to Twitch in 2011. The platform quickly gained traction in the gaming community and was acquired by Amazon for just under $1 billion in 2014.

Persons: Emmett Shear, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Shear, Justin Kan, Emmett, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Amazon, Yale University, LinkedIn, Forbes, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , U.S, Seattle, Bengaluru

☆ GKN Aerospace-owner Melrose lifts 2023 profit expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - British aerospace supplier Melrose (MRON.L) said on Thursday it expected 2023 profit to be 7% higher than its previous expectations, partly driven by stronger aftermarket demand and improved pricing. The owner of GKN Aerospace, which counts Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) as its top customers, said trading and margin performance during the four month ended Oct. 31 was better than its previous expectations. Melrose, which spun off its auto and other businesses in April to become a pure-play aerospace supplier, now expects an adjusted core profit of 680 million pounds to 700 million pounds ($842.5-$867.2 million) for the year ending Dec. 31. In September, Melrose flagged a potential cash hit of about 200 million pounds through 2026 after Pratt & Whitney parent RTX (RTX.N) warned of grounding of some engine variants for quality checks. GKN Aerospace has a 4% programme share on the GTF PW1100G variant impacted by this issue.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Pratt & Whitney, Yadarisa Shabong, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Savio D'Souza Organizations: REUTERS, Melrose, GKN Aerospace, Boeing, Pratt &, Thomson Locations: GKN, Redditch, Britain, British, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Landsec expects rents to counter lower building valuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - British commercial property company Land Securities Group (LAND.L) expects between low and mid single-digit percentage growth in annual London rental values despite continued pressure on building valuations. Valuations have been hit by high interest rates, hurting investment business within the sector and offsetting relatively better performance on the operational front. Landsec, which in May said it would invest more in prime retail space buoyed by a positive outlook for that portfolio, expects earnings per share for the full year to be broadly stable compared with last year's 50.1 pence. Central London accounts for about two thirds of Landsec's property portfolio. Its half-year pretax loss deepened by 0.5% to 193 million pounds ($237.3 million), hurt by declining property valuations.

Persons: Mark Allan, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Rashmi Aich, David Goodman Organizations: Land Securities Group, FTSE, Thomson Locations: London, Central London, Mayfield, Manchester, Bengaluru

☆ British homebuilder Taylor Wimpey flags market uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A builder working for Taylor Wimpey builds a roof on an estate in Aylesbury, Britain, February 7, 2017. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - UK homebuilder Taylor Wimpey (TW.L) on Thursday flagged "significant market uncertainty" as high mortgage rates dent demand, but forecast annual operating profit at the top end of its previous outlook range. Taylor Wimpey's trading update echoed sector peer Persimmon's (PSN.L), which on Tuesday marginally lifted its annual home-build targets while pointing to "highly uncertain" market conditions in 2024. Taylor Wimpey said year-to-date cancellation rate improved to 18%, compared with 24% during the four weeks to July 30, while its total order book excluding joint ventures as at Nov. 5stood at about 1.9 billion pounds ($2.33 billion), down 27% from a year earlier. ($1 = 0.8143 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Taylor Wimpey, Eddie Keogh, Taylor Wimpey's, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Aylesbury, Britain, Bank of England, Bengaluru

☆ UK housebuilder Persimmon lifts home-build target in tough market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A company logo is seen on the outside of a sales office at a Persimmon housing development in Liverpool, Britain, August 23, 2023. The target hike comes after peers Barratt (BDEV.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) last month flagged that challenges in the British housing market would continue over the coming months. High mortgage rates have dented sales for much of this year, forcing builders to warn on profits and cut home-build targets at a time when the UK economy is battling marked challenges, including sticky inflation and slowdown. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm now expects to build 9,500 homes in 2023, above its August forecast of 9,000 units, helped by improved sales since the start of October. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, Persimmon, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, York, Bengaluru

☆ Music royalty fund Hipgnosis to halt dividends till new fiscal year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A headset is seen in front of displayed Hipgnosis logo in this illustration taken, June 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd (SONG.L), which had been undertaking a review of its financial position, said on Monday it would not declare dividends before its new fiscal year to ensure sufficient cash resources. The music royalty fund said catalogue bonus provision was expected to increase by about $23 million to $68 million as at Sept. 30, adding that operating cash flow would be used to fund the payment of catalogue bonuses. It added that 10 out of the company's 146 catalogues were likely to meet "performance hurdles" now according to the respective acquisition agreements. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hipgnosis, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Nivedita Bhattacharjee Organizations: REUTERS, Fund, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ India developers seek to cash in on soaring EV sales with residential chargers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Electric Vehicle(EV) charging units are seen at a parking lot of Sobha city, a real estate property, in Gurugram, India, October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - More developers in India are putting electric vehicle chargers in parking slots of new developments, hoping to boost the value of the property and attract more buyers in a country where the charging infrastructure can't keep up with soaring EV sales. While EVs accounted for just 2.4% of India's vehicle sales in the first half of this year, EV sales grew 137% to 48,000 units during the same period, research firm Canalys says. The world's most populous nation is aiming to make EVs account for a third of total vehicle sales by 2030, but scarcity of public charging stations could derail these ambitions. Sobha has gone a step further and launched two residential projects in Bengaluru with EV charging facilities in all available parking slots.

Persons: Anushree, Canalys, Javed Shafiq Rao, Ravneet Phokela, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Dhanya Skariachan, Miyoung Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Prestige, EV, Mahindra Lifespace, Brigade, DLF, Ather Energy, Survey, Thomson Locations: Gurugram, India, United States, Bengaluru, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh

☆ AstraZeneca to invest $245 mln in Cellectis to boost gene therapy prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo for AstraZeneca is seen outside its North America headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., March 22, 2021. Cellectis' gene-editing technology and manufacturing capabilities to design novel cell and gene therapy products will help strengthen AstraZeneca's growing offering in the space, it said. AstraZeneca said that as part of the deal, it will pay Cellectis $105 million by the end of this year. That includes an $80 million equity investment, which will be followed by another $140 million in early 2024, which will give AstraZeneca a stake of about 44% in the French company. The Anglo-Swedish pharma company said it had exclusive rights to 25 genetic targets, of which up to 10 candidate products could be explored for development.

Persons: Rachel Wisniewski, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Savio D'Souza Organizations: AstraZeneca, REUTERS, Swedish pharma, Thomson Locations: North America, Wilmington , Delaware, U.S, Swedish, Bengaluru

☆ UK's IG Group says it expects to cut 10% of workforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 31 (Reuters) - British online trading platform IG Group (IGG.L) on Tuesday said it would cut 10% of its headcount as part of cost-saving measures to drive operating margin expansion and become a leaner fintech firm. IG Group is trying to bolster its margins as the number of active clients on its platforms declines because of tough market conditions and a hit to customers' disposable income due to a cost-of-living squeeze and rising borrowing costs. IG Group said it expected to reduce about 300 positions worldwide by the end of fiscal 2023, adding that the overall efficiency measures are expected to deliver full run rate cost savings of 50 million pounds ($60.7 million) per year. "We want to position IG Group as a lean fintech company and today's decisive actions ensure a strong platform for future growth," acting CEO Charlie Rozes said in a statement. The company said non-recurring costs to achieve the savings are expected to be about 18 million pounds split across fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

Persons: Charlie Rozes, IG, Morgan McKinley, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sinead Cruise, Varun H, Robert Birsel Organizations: IG Group, Employment Monitor, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, London

☆ UK's Ascential to sell digital commerce, product design units in $1.70 bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 30 (Reuters) - Information and analytics firm Ascential (ASCL.L) said on Monday it would sell its digital commerce and consumer research units for a combined enterprise value of 1.4 billion pounds ($1.70 billion) as the UK-based company focuses on its events business. London-listed Ascential said it intended to distribute about 850 million pounds to shareholders following the completion of the transactions. The digital commerce business would be sold to U.S.-listed Omnicom Group (OMC.N) for a total enterprise value of $900 million, it said. Ascential said its CEO Duncan Painter would join Omnicom to take on a new role as chief of Flywheel Digital, a newly formed part of the U.S.-based company which will operate the digital commerce business. The WGSN divestment is part of a break-up plan announced in January which originally included separation and a U.S. listing of its digital commerce assets.

Persons: Ascential, Duncan Painter, Philip Thomas, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Rashmi Aich, Jason Neely Organizations: Apax Partners, Thomson Locations: London, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ British Land says Meta surrenders lease at one London building
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen on smartphone in front of displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp and Oculus in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. The property firm said the lease surrender would lead to an earnings per share dilution of about 0.6 pence for its half-year period ending Sept. 30. British Land said 1.2 million square feet of leasing was done across the portfolio in the first five months to Aug. 31, with the returns coming in 13.1% ahead of estimated rental value (ERV). The company last week raised its retail park estimated rental value growth outlook for fiscal year 2024 to 3%-5% from 2%-4% earlier, driven by "significant" leasing momentum in the business. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Varun Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, FTSE, Land, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Music investor Hipgnosis to sell catalogues to bolster shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shakira performs during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., September 12, 2023. The sale includes a portfolio of 29 music catalogues and a collection of non-core songs to a partnership between its investment adviser and funds advised by U.S. private equity group Blackstone (BX.N), Hipgnosis said on Thursday. Founder Merck Mercuriadis is the CEO and founder of the investment adviser, Hipgnosis Song Management (HSM), and holds a minority interest in the buyer, Hipgnosis Songs Capital. Hipgnosis Songs Fund will retain ownership of seven of its ten largest catalogues, it added. Last week, Alchemy Copyrights agreed to buy music copyright-focussed investment firm Round Hill Music Royalty Fund (RHM.L) for about $468.8 million.

Persons: Shakira, Brendan Mcdermid, Nelly, Hipgnosis, Peppers, Neil Young, Blondie, Merck Mercuriadis, HSM, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Janane Venkatraman, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Prudential Center, REUTERS, U.S, Blackstone, Blackstone Inc, FTSE, Royalty, Thomson Locations: Newark , New Jersey, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Barratt flags tough housing market conditions after annual profit fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A company logo is seen on a banner outside a Barratt Homes housing development in Warrington, Britain, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) flagged difficult trading conditions over the coming months after it posted a fall in annual profit on Wednesday, as high mortgage rates and a cost-of-living squeeze pummel demand. Affordability concerns stoked by high mortgage rates and a prolonged cost-of-living crisis have weighed on the UK housing market, with indicators on everything from mortgage demand to construction rates and prices sliding in recent months. Barratt said the UK housing market remained difficult and the outlook uncertain, adding that it expected average sales sites to reduce by around 6% in the current fiscal year. British house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier, their biggest annual decline since July 2009, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, David Thomas, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Barratt Homes, REUTERS, FTSE, Nationwide, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Warrington, Britain, Bengaluru, London

☆ From holidays to mortgage waivers, UK homebuilders dish out freebies to revive sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

If they have a 5% deposit, then deposit boost works well where we give an additional 5% so that they can secure a 90% loan-to-value mortgage," said a sales director with Persimmon. Some homebuyers are opting for exchange options, where the builder purchases the buyer's existing property and the payment helps fund the new-home purchase. "Mortgage holidays", offered by Persimmon and other builders, are also popular among homebuyers with builders contributing towards home-loan payment during a specific period. Reuters GraphicsKNOCK ON MARGINSThe incentives, while aimed at boosting demand, come at a cost for homebuilders struggling to keep costs low. Persimmon said last month sales incentives and marketing costs shaved off 2.1% from its half-year gross margins.

Persons: Toby Melville, Barratt, Persimmon, Aynsley Lammin, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, Cullen, Taylor, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, British, Reuters Graphics, Bank of England, Reuters, Peel, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, British, Bengaluru

☆ UK clears Broadcom's $69 bln deal to buy VMware
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A smartphone with a displayed Broadcom logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - UK's competition regulator said on Monday it has cleared U.S. tech company Broadcom's (AVGO.O) $69 billion purchase of VMware (VMW.N), following an in-depth phase-2 probe. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in July provisionally cleared the deal, saying it would not weaken competition in the supply of critical computer server products. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Broadcom, REUTERS, VMware, Markets Authority, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Britain's Bellway says new home sales to fall 'materially'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - Britain's Bellway (BWY.L) said on Wednesday it would build fewer homes this year and warned that it expects sales completions to drop "materially" amid a sharp housing sector slowdown triggered by higher mortgage rates. Bellway said it built 10,945 homes in the fiscal year ended July 31, slightly down from the guidance of 11,000 units. "In the current financial year, given the level of the order book and prevailing low reservation rates, legal completions are expected to decrease materially," it said in a statement. Bellway, whose builds range from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes, said its full-year overall reservation rate fell 28.4% to 156 per week, and it also saw a steep fall from 190 units during the Feb. 1-June 4 period. Bellway's mid-cap competitors Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) have said high mortgage rates were hampering demand from first-time buyers.

Persons: Toby Melville, Bellway, Barratt, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Paul Sandle, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Berkeley, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Newcastle, England, Bengaluru

☆ Capita flags up to $32 mln costs related to cyber incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Capita's logo is pictured on a smartphone in front of an electronic display showing the same logo in this illustration taken, December 4, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationAug 4 (Reuters) - Capita (CPI.L) said on Friday it expected net exceptional costs of up to 20-25 million pounds ($32 million) related to the cyber incident which rocked the British outsourcing firm in March. The company confirmed that some data was "exfiltrated" following the cyber incident and said its probe was close to completion. "There was minimal operational impact to the majority ofour clients and their customers during the incident," Capita said in a statement. ($1 = 0.7862 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Capita, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Rashmi Aich, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: REUTERS, Capita, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Estate agent Foxtons says London renters keen on home purchases as rents soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Foxtons CEO Guy Gittins told Reuters that there is an extreme imbalance between supply and demand in the rental market, driving up prices. The number of lettings applicants registering with the company has surged 172% currently compared to pre-pandemic 2019. Foxtons said it expects the wider home sales market to remain challenging as high mortgage costs and tight credit conditions make home purchases less affordable. The company posted a 10% jump in half-year adjusted operating profit at 6.8 million pounds ($8.8 million), mainly on strength of its prime lettings business. The group's revenue from continuing operations grew 9% to about 71 million pounds, while revenue from the lettings division jumped 26%.

Persons: Guy Gittins, Gittins, Foxtons, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Eileen Soreng Organizations: HY, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London's, London, Bengaluru

☆ UK homebuilders under pressure as lofty mortgages deter first-time buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Midcap firms Bellway (BWY.L) and Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) have also pointed to high mortgage rates hampering demand from first-time buyers. Even a potential revival of the government's 'Help to Buy' scheme, which offered incentives to first-time buyers, will not be enough to improve affordability, analysts have said. Persimmon (PSN.L), one of Britain's biggest homebuilders heavily exposed to first-time buyers compared to its FTSE 100 peers, has offered new customers a "10 months mortgage free" deal. Still, the housing sector faces an uncertain path to recovery, given the ultra-elevated mortgage rate levels. Meanwhile, investors will look out for updates on demand when a couple of high-profile homebuilders report half-year results next month.

Persons: Barratt, BDEV.L, Nicholson, Steve Turner, Bellway, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, housebuilders, Cullen, Persimmon, Rob Perrins, Jeremy Hunt, Aynsley Lammin, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: Berkeley, Reuters, Home Builders Federation, Bank of, Times, Housing, Thomson Locations: Berkeley, England, Wales, Bank of England, Bengaluru

☆ Sorrell's ad group S4 lowers outlook over wary tech clients
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummaryCompanies Co slashes FY revenue growth outlook to 2%-4%Says content business has been difficultShares down 20%July 24 (Reuters) - Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital (SFOR.L) cut its forecasts for annual revenue growth and core profit margin on Monday as tech clients dialled back marketing spend, sending the advertising group's shares down 20%. Last week, U.S.-based peers Interpublic (IPG.N) and Omnicom (OMC.N) also announced weak results that underscored the growing pressures on ad agencies. S4, founded by Sorrell after he left WPP (WPP.L), the world's largest ad group, said it now expects full-year like-for-like net revenue growth of between 2% and 4%, compared with an earlier forecast of 6%-10%. It expects an operational core profit margin of between 14.5% and 15.5%, down from 15%-16% forecast previously. In the first-half trading update, the company said revenue growth is expected to be about 5%, adding that performance in its content business has been more difficult.

Persons: Martin, Interpublic, Sorrell, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Eva Mathews, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, David Holmes Organizations: WPP, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

"Is there going to be a challenge to Royal Enfield? It sold fewer than 30,000 motorcycles - less than the number of bikes Royal Enfield sells each month. Triumph said it has received orders for over 14,000 Speed 400 bikes, exceeding its total India sales of the past decade. Still, the frenzy over the new models is reflected in the surge in Google searches about Harley-Davidson and Triumph in India. Improved financing options is also encouraging lower-income buyers to consider premium bikes, said HDFC Securities analyst Aniket Mhatre.

Persons: Davidson, Rishi Vora, brokerages, Harley, Kotak, Royal Enfield's, Eicher, Royal, Shubhabrata Marmar, Enfield, Varun Painter, MotoCorp, Sathish Rao, Aniket Mhatre, Priyanka Kochhar, Indranil Sarkar, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Nandan Mandayam, Saumya Singh, Navamya Ganesh Acharya, Varun, Dhanya Skariachan, Euan Rocha, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Reuters, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Handout, REUTERS, Royal Enfield, Securities, Harley, Royal, Eicher Motors, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ROYAL, Enfield, Mahindra, Mahindra's, TVS, Bajaj Auto, Bajaj, Triumph, HDFC Securities, Thomson Locations: REUTERS BENGALURU, India, Royal Enfield, Bengaluru

☆ Vistry flags tough housing market, reiterates profit forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 20 (Reuters) - British homebuilder Vistry Group (VTYV.L) on Thursday joined its bigger rivals in flagging an intensifying slowdown in the housing market but retained its annual profit forecast, reflecting resilience in its key affordable homes business. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm, which works with local authorities and housing associations to build affordable homes, expects adjusted pre-tax profit for the year ending Dec. 31 to be in excess of 450 million pounds. Vistry, which is typically better insulated against housing market shocks as demand for affordable housing is high, said it was able to mitigate the slowdown in the market through bulk transactions in both its Partnerships and Housebuilding businesses. However, the group said its Housebuilding business, which is similar to its rivals' operations, had faced "more challenging market conditions" in the half-year period with the broader macro-economic challenges particularly impacting first-time buyers. Reporting by Suban Abdulla in London and Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Greg Fitzgerald, Suban Abdulla, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sonia Cheema, Kate Holton Organizations: Vistry, Thursday, FTSE, Bank of England, British, Countryside, Thomson Locations: British, London, Bengaluru

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) - Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) warned it would build far fewer homes this fiscal year as rising mortgage rates and stubborn inflation hit demand, sending its shares down more than 5% in early trading on Thursday. The FTSE 100-listed firm said it expected to build between 13,250 to 14,250 units in the year ending June 30, 2024, down from 17,206 homes the year before. Average two-year fixed mortgage rates hit a 15-year high earlier this week. Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said Thursday's trading update underlined the impact of rising rates on homebuyers, construction firms and other businesses linked to the housing market. High-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKGH.L) last month forecast a 20% drop in house build sales for its current fiscal year.

Persons: Barratt, Julie Palmer, Begbies Traynor, Suban Abdulla, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Kate Holton, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Thomson Locations: London, Bengaluru

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