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☆ Exxon, Chevron shareholders soundly reject climate-related petitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HOUSTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) shareholders on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected calls for stronger measures to mitigate climate change, dismissing more than a dozen climate-related proposals at their annual meetings. His group, which represents some 9,500 shareholders in oil and gas companies, had requested Exxon set medium-term targets for meeting customer emissions reduction goals that seeks to keep global temperature increase below 1.5° Celsius. That resolution received less than half of the support 11% of vote cast compared with 27% from the group's emission reduction proposal last year. Exxon holders rejected all 12 shareholder proposals, the majority of which dealt with climate-related issues. Chevron investors also rejected proposals on customers' emissions reduction target, creating a board committee on decarbonization risk, and a report on worker and community impact from facility closures and energy transitions.

Persons: Mark van Baal, Darren Woods, Woods, Sabrina Valle, Arathy, Mrinalika Roy, Sourasis Bose, Jon Boyle, Marguerita Choy Organizations: HOUSTON, Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Shell PLC, BP PLC, Exxon, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Guyana, Houston, Bengaluru

☆ Prudential says CFO leaves after conduct falls short of standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People walk past a Prudential sign outside offices in the City of London March 27, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregorSYDNEY/HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters) - Prudential Plc (PRU.L) said on Wednesday its chief financial officer, James Turner, would leave the company after a code of conduct investigation into a recent recruitment showed he had fallen short of its standards. "The group sets itself high standards and Mr Turner fell short on this occasion," Prudential said in a statement, without detailing the issue. The incident was identified as part of internal processes, and the recruitment in question was not completed, a company spokesperson said, without stating the nature of the misconduct. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luke MacGregor SYDNEY, James Turner, Turner, Ben Bulmer, Mr Turner, Anil Wadhwani, Bulmer, Scott Murdoch, Selena Li, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Prudential, REUTERS, Prudential Plc, HK, Thomson Locations: City of London, HONG KONG, Asia, Sydney, Hong Kong

May 30 (Reuters) - Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) said on Tuesday Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly would leave the consumer goods giant by the end of May 2024 after more than two decades. Pitkethly, who has been with the maker of Dove soap since 2002, succeeded Jean-Marc Huët as finance chief in 2015. The 56-year-old previously served as executive vice president of Unilever's UK and Ireland business, including head of M&A and head of treasury. Unilever, which did not say why Pitkethly planned to "retire from the company", said it would proceed with a formal internal and external search for his successor. "Eight years as CFO of a multinational is a decent time and retiring in May 2024 should enable a useful handover to a new CFO."

LONDON/BERLIN, May 30 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S), the world's biggest packaged food company, said on Tuesday it had hired the London Stock Exchange Group's (LSEG) finance chief Anna Manz as its new chief financial officer. Manz will replace Francois-Xavier Roger, who the company said is stepping down to "pursue new professional challenges" after eight years in the role. Nestle, whose more than 2,000 brands include Kit Kat, Haagen-Dazs and Nescafe, said Manz will join Nestle as soon as she is released from her current duties. "We trust that Anna will pursue Francois' legacy, considering her strong career at Diageo," Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy said. Rival Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) also said on Tuesday that CFO Graeme Pitkethly would leave the consumer goods giant by the end of May 2024 after more than two decades.

☆ Trinidad and Tobago nears awards for onshore oil and gas exploration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 29 (Reuters) - The Trinidad and Tobago government accepted bid recommendations for six of eight onshore oil and gas exploration blocks, people close to the matter said on Sunday, setting the stage for awards to be disclosed as soon as this week. The Caribbean nation has pushed to expand exploration to counter declines in its oil and gas production. A decision to award licenses was taken by the country's cabinet on Thursday on the recommendation of Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister Stuart Young, the people said. Trinidad and Tobago's A&V Oil and Gas Ltd was recommended for the St. Mary’s block. The Aripero Block will go to Nabi Construction (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd, while the Buenos Aires block is to be awarded to Trinity Exploration & Production Plc, the people said.

[1/2] Trade visitors walk past an advertisement for BAE Systems at Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, Britain, July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleNEW DELHI, May 29 (Reuters) - India has filed a graft case against Britain's BAE Systems plc (BAES.L) and Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.L) for "criminal conspiracy" in the procurement and licensed manufacturing of 123 advanced jet trainers, a federal police document showed. The case is based on the findings of an investigation launched by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2016, the document dated May 23 said. In its response BAE said it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing probe. Between 2008 and 2010, it said the Indian government approved the licensed manufacturing of an additional 57 jets for 95 billion rupees ($1.16 billion) under a separate agreement with BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd.

☆ Exclusive: Trinidad and Tobago nears awards for onshore oil and gas exploration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 29 (Reuters) - The Trinidad and Tobago government accepted bid recommendations for six of eight onshore oil and gas exploration blocks, people close to the matter said on Sunday, setting the stage for awards to be disclosed as soon as this week. The Caribbean nation has pushed to expand exploration to counter declines in its oil and gas production. Trinidad and Tobago's A&V Oil and Gas Ltd was recommended for the St. Mary’s block, which had received four bids, the most of any offer. A&V bested Canadian energy firm, Touchstone Exploration Inc (TXP.TO), which bid as Primera Oil and Gas Limited, the people said. The Aripero Block will go to Nabi Construction (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd, while the Buenos Aires block is to be awarded to Trinity Exploration & Production Plc.

☆ ‘Go to hell, Shell’: Climate protesters try to storm stage at oil giant’s annual shareholders meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The protests come as Shell faces a shareholder vote on a measure to increase its climate ambitions following a year of record profits at the company. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — Shell Chief Executive Wael Sawan and the firm's board of directors on Tuesday were shielded by security staff as climate protesters unsuccessfully tried to storm the stage at the British oil giant's annual shareholders meeting. Follow This, a small Dutch activist investor and campaign group with stakes in several Big Oil companies, tabled a resolution at Shell's shareholders meeting. For the first time, Dutch pension managers MN and PGGM — both Shell shareholders — have endorsed the resolution. The company described Climate Resolution 26 as "unclear, generic and would create confusion as to Board and shareholder accountabilities."

May 22 (Reuters) - First Citizens BancShares Inc (FCNCA.O), which acquired Silicon Valley Bank following its collapse, sued HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA.L) on Monday, accusing it of poaching more than 40 of the failed bank's employees in order to launch its own U.S. venture banking business. The lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court says HSBC violated federal law by hiring away the workers so it could gain access to Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB) trade secrets including information about clients in the tech and healthcare sectors. First Citizens in the lawsuit said it is seeking more than $1 billion in damages. First Citizens later in March purchased SVB's assets and deposits for up to $500 million in stock - a fraction of what the bank was worth before it failed. In April, HSBC had said it had hired dozens of Silicon Valley Bank employees to help the bank establish a dedicated practice focused on serving companies in technology and healthcare and investors who support them.

NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed long-running litigation by investors who accused HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) and Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) of conspiring to fix silver prices. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan said the investors lacked legal standing to pursue federal antitrust claims under the Sherman Act, or claims under the federal Commodity Exchange Act. Investors had accused HSBC, Scotiabank and Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) of manipulating silver prices from 2007 to 2013, saying they had "smoking gun" evidence of a price-fixing conspiracy among those banks and several other silver market makers. The judge also said the investors were not "efficient enforcers" of their private antitrust claims, unlike people who might have sold silver at the Fix price. The cases is In re London Silver Fixing Ltd Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ FTSE 100 edges higher as NatWest, StanChart shares rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Domestic house prices rise in MayUK lowers stake in NatWest, shares climbDechra Pharma down after profit warningUS debt ceiling talks to resume after impasseFTSE 100 0.3%, FTSE 250 flatMay 22 (Reuters) - UK's blue-chip index edged higher on Monday, with NatWest shares rising after it agreed to buy 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) worth of its shares back from the government, although lingering uncertainty over the U.S. debt ceiling impasse weighed on overall mood. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.3%, with bank stocks in the lead. Standard Chartered (STAN.L) rose 2.4% after Bank of America upgraded the stock to "buy" from "neutral". UK-listed stocks have traded in tight bands since late April as investors digested mixed corporate earnings, weakening outlook for commodity-linked stocks and standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling deal. ($1 = 0.7923 pounds)Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HOUSTON, May 19 (Reuters) - An attorney representing the family of a 55-year-old Marathon Petroleum (MPC.N) refinery worker killed in a fire at the Texas facility this week called the plant where he worked "dangerous" on Friday. Higgins family plans to file a gross negligence lawsuit against the oil refiner and other firms involved in the plant's maintenance, he said. Buzbee is seeking documents on the plant and maintenance, according to court filings. "Scott always thought he might die at that plant," Buzbee said. And the reason he talked to them about it is because that plant is very dangerous," Buzbee said.

☆ JPMorgan, ex-executive spar in court over responsibility for Epstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan wants Staley to cover some or all damages it might face in lawsuits brought by Epstein's accusers and the U.S. Virgin Islands over its ties to Epstein. The lawsuits accuse the bank of aiding in Epstein's sex trafficking by keeping him as a client from 1998 to 2013, the last five years after he pleaded guilty to a Florida prostitution charge. Had Staley "observed his obligations, Epstein would not have been a client," said Leonard Gail, a lawyer for JPMorgan. Staley, who later served as Barclays Plc's (BARC.L) chief executive, has expressed regret for befriending Epstein but denied knowing about his crimes. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

☆ UK equities rise on upbeat global mood, BT Group tumbles on weak cash flow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"There's clearly a lack of real strategy and it's not enough to just say we're going to cut costs. Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) earlier this week said it would cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years after it warned that a poor performance in its biggest market Germany would hit cash flow. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.6%, reflecting an upbeat mood in global markets on hopes that Washington is edging closer to a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and avert a default. Among other movers, luxury group Burberry Group Plc (BRBY.L) fell 6.2% as continued weakness in the United States overshadowed a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter sales driven by a rebound in China. EasyJet Plc rose 1% after the airline posted a first-half loss in line with its guidance.

☆ Deutsche Bank to pay $75 mln to settle lawsuit by Epstein accusers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Deutsche Bank AG has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit by women who say they were abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, and accused the German bank of facilitating his sex trafficking. Epstein had been a Deutsche Bank client from 2013 to 2018. The Deutsche Bank case was led by an unidentified plaintiff, known as Jane Doe 1, who said Epstein sexually abused her from 2003 to 2018. Last September, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $26.25 million to settle a US shareholder lawsuit accusing the bank of lax oversight while doing business with risky, ultra-rich clients like Epstein. The case is Jane Doe 1 v Deutsche Bank AG et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

[1/2] Production units are seen in operation at Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City, Texas, U.S., May 15, 2023. Scott Higgins, a 55-year-old machinist, was killed and two contract employees, including Eduardo Olivo, were injured in a fire at Marathon’s giant Galveston Bay Refinery on Monday morning. The unit is the larger of two Ultraformers at the 593,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Galveston Bay Refinery, the second-largest in the United States. Higgins was the second worker to die at the Marathon refinery this year. On March 23, 2005, when the refinery was owned by BP Plc, 15 contract workers were killed and 180 other people were injured in a explosion caused by an overflowing refinery unit.

The settlement between BP Products North America Inc., the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency will also require the company to invest approximately $197 million in new technology and other capital improvements to reduce air pollution. The BP refinery near Lake Michigan released nearly 16 times the legal limit of benzene allowed by the Clean Air Act, the EPA said in 2009. Following the EPA's investigation, BP spent about $4 billion to expand the Whiting refinery to process heavy Canadian crude. The company also agreed to undertake a $5 million supplemental environmental project to reduce diesel emissions in the communities surrounding the Whiting Refinery and install 10 air pollutant monitoring stations. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Laura Sanicola in Washington; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Experian's outlook highlights North America lending woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 17 (Reuters) - Experian Plc's (EXPN.L) annual revenue growth forecast on Wednesday signalled a challenging economic backdrop, especially in North America, where the failure of three U.S. regional banks has hurt confidence in the sector. Experian's key customers include banks, non-traditional lenders and insurance providers, which use its credit reports and scores to analyse and make decisions around credit risk, fraud prevention and lending terms. "Tighter lending conditions (especially in North America) are impacting some of Experian's business lines with more direct volume exposure, including its core credit bureau and marketplace, which together account for about 17% of group revenue," Bank of America analysts said. About 67% of Experian's group revenue comes from the North America region. For the year ended March 31, Experian's organic revenue growth of 7% to $6.59 billion compared with analysts' consensus of $6.64 billion.

☆ UK's Melrose Industries lifts 2025 expectations on aerospace focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company raised its adjusted operating margin outlook for aerospace to between 17% and 18% by 2025, compared with 14% previously. The operating margin for the Engines business is expected to be 28% in 2025, compared with 22% in 2023. Shares in Melrose, which spun out its automotive business into Dowlais (DWL.L) last month, rose 6% by 1232 GMT, topping London's blue-chip index. Melrose, which makes airframe and engine structures and electrical interconnection systems for the aerospace industry, said last week it had decided to continue as a pure-play aerospace firm. The outlook for 2025 laid out on Wednesday divides its aerospace business into two divisions, namely engines and structures, for the first time.

☆ Analysis: Amgen's antitrust woes spur wider pharmaceutical deal fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Carnevali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Even shares of drug companies that do not have pending deals but are seen by analysts and investors as potential acquisition targets were hit. FTC officials did not respond to a request for comment on whether they planned to challenge any other pharmaceutical acquisitions. "We could see similar challenges to the Pfizer/Seagen deal" BMO analysts wrote in a note, arguing that the FTC could target other major drug companies with the resources to engage in bundling. UNDER THE RADARConversely, investors and analysts are hoping that smaller pharmaceutical acquisitions will continue to fly under the radar of regulators. Reporting by David Carnevali in New York; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ LSEG, Experian shares weigh on UK's FTSE 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The financial services sector (.FTUB3020) slid 1.1% while the broader FTSE 100 (.FTSE) shed 0.1%. Shares of Experian Plc (EXPN.L) slipped after the credit data firm forecast annual organic revenue to grow between 4% and 6%, while analysts were expecting a 5.8% growth. "In early trade, the market looks to be taking a cautious approach (with Experian's shares)," said Steve Clayton, head of equity funds, Hargreaves Lansdown. Among other movers, Watches of Switzerland Group Plc (WOSG.L) slumped 7.4% on a marginal sales decline in the first quarter. Bucking the sombre mood, Sage Group Plc (SGE.L) rose 3.6% after upgrading its annual organic recurring revenue growth forecast.

☆ IQE's annual revenue falls 2% on weak orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 17 (Reuters) - British chip components maker IQE Plc (IQE.L) reported a 2% drop in its annual revenue on Wednesday, hit by reduced orders amid weak demand for consumer electronics. Revenue on a constant currency basis fell to 151.2 million pounds ($190.83 million) for the full-year ended December 2022, from 154.1 million pounds a year earlier. The Cardiff-based company reported a wider operating loss of 73 million pounds, driven by non-cash impairment of goodwill of 62.7 million pounds relating to its wireless operating segment. London-listed IQE said current trading was impacted by temporary semiconductor industry setbacks entailing subdued customer forecasts, orders and related revenue. It expects revenue for the half year ending June 30 to be between 50 million pounds and 56 million pounds.

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) - Shell Plc (SHEL.L) will use AI-based technology from big-data analytics firm SparkCognition in its deep sea exploration and production to boost offshore oil output, the companies said on Wednesday. SparkCognition's AI algorithms will process and analyze large amounts of seismic data in the hunt for new oil reservoirs by Shell, the largest oil producer in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. "We are committed to finding new and innovative ways to reinvent our exploration ways of working," Gabriel Guerra, Shell's vice president of innovation and performance, said in a statement. "Generative AI for seismic imaging can positively disrupt the exploration process and has broad and far-reaching implications," said Bruce Porter, chief science officer for Austin, Texas-based SparkCognition. The technology would generate subsurface images using fewer seismic data scans than usual, helping with deep sea preservation, the companies said.

NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - Ed Wehle, a senior Barclays Plc (BARC.L) technology banker, has resigned to join U.S. rival Citigroup Inc (C.N) in New York, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, adding to an exodus of top investment bankers from the London-based bank. An investment banking veteran of nearly three decades, Wehle will join Citigroup as its global head of technology services, Mark Keene, Citigroup's global head of technology investment banking, wrote in the memo to employees on Tuesday. "Technology services complements Citi’s unparalleled global client position, and Ed will work closely with partners in Asia, EMEA and Latin America," said Philip Drury, global head of technology & communications banking, capital markets & advisory at Citi. He was previously head of global technology services banking at Barclays, which he had joined in 2018 from Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE). Reuters reported on Monday that at least seven top Barclays technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) bankers have resigned to join UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) in the U.S. in the last few days.

☆ US FTC sues to block Amgen's $27.8 bln deal for Horizon Therapeutics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would sue to stop Amgen Inc's (AMGN.O) $27.8 billion deal to buy Horizon Therapeutics Plc (HZNP.O). The agency said it was opposing the deal because it would give Amgen "monopoly positions" for medicines used to treat thyroid eye disease and chronic refractory gout. The deal, which was announced in December 2022, would give Amgen two fast-growing drugs, the thyroid eye disease treatment Tepezza and gout treatment Krystexxa. Other key drugs in Amgen's product portfolio, such as psoriasis therapy Otezla, face the loss of patent protections over the next few years. It is unusual for the agency to sue to stop a pharmaceutical deal.

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