DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Novak Djokovic gets French Open campaign off to winning start; matches Roger Federer record
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic got his French Open campaign off to a winning start with a dominant victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round. The victory continues his undefeated record in first round French Open matches, moving to 19-0 for his career. If Djokovic is able to claim a third French Open title, he would return to the top of the men’s world rankings. He also now has 86 wins at the grand slam, second only to Nadal’s 112. The 22-time grand slam champion will now face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

☆ ECB rates to peak by summer - Villeroy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, May 22 (Reuters) - European Central Bank interest rate hikes are likely to peak out by the end of summer, but the more important issue now is how long rates stay elevated than the exact level, French ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Monday. Villeroy said the lag between the ECB's exceptionally fast rate hikes over the last 10 months and their impact on the economy was more likely at the upper end of the two-year range economists expect. That made monitoring the pass-through of those hikes, which saw rates increased by 375 basis points, more important for monetary policy moves in the coming months than how much further rates are increased. "I expect today that we will be at the terminal rate not later than by summer," Villeroy told an event held at the Bank of France. "In the meantime, we have three possible Governing Councils either for hiking or pausing but don't deduce a guidance from this or a preference for a given terminal rate," he added.

☆ Rothschild & Co targets private assets market with new unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Rothschild & Co (ROTH.PA) said on Monday it had created a new private markets group within its wealth and asset management division, amid a broader push by finance firms to offer more private assets to wealthy individuals. The Paris-listed investment bank, which is being taken private by its owners, said the new team would be led by Jessica Sellam. Sellam previously led the bank's private markets and business development teams for France, Belgium and Monaco, the company said. The new team will look for investment opportunities in private equity, private debt, infrastructure and real estate, the company added. Sweden-based private equity house EQT (EQTAB.ST) also said this month it had launched a new strategy for private wealth clients to broaden its investor base.

☆ Ontario to offer more money for Stellantis to resume battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Jabri-Pickett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ontario's Premier Doug Ford and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answer questions from the media at the Stellantis Research and Development Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada May 2, 2022. ... Read moreTORONTO, May 19 (Reuters) - Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that his government will put more money on the table to help carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) resume its battery plant in Canada. Stellantis on Monday stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS), saying Canada has not fulfilled the promises. read moreStellantis and LGES announced their battery plant investment in March last year, but tensions emerged when the United States in August passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a massive package of clean-tech incentives for companies. Canada's federal government has argued that the province of Ontario, where the battery plant is being built, should pay its share to resolve the dispute.

☆ Canada has increased planned Stellantis battery factory support -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OTTAWA, May 16 (Reuters) - Canada has increased its planned support to carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) to build a battery plant in Windsor, Ontario, the industry minister said on Tuesday, but it wants the Ontario provincial government to help pay for it. To break the "stalemate," it is important that Ontario "pay its fair share," Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters at a news conference in Seoul. Stellantis on Monday stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS). Canada has not delivered what it already promised and there are no new talks under way, Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also making an official visit to South Korea this week before heading to the G7 in Japan.

☆ Canadian minister 'confident' of Stellantis battery plant deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, May 16 (Reuters) - Canada's industry minister is optimistic about reaching a deal with carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) over subsidies to build a battery plant in Windsor, Ontario, provided that the provincial government also offers some support, he said on Tuesday. Stellantis stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS), while in talks with the federal government. "I'm very confident that we will come to an agreement," Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters at a press conference in Seoul. Talks with the company are ongoing, he said, adding that it was important that the Ontario provincial government "pay its fair share". Stellantis and LGES announced their battery plant investment last year, but tensions developed between the company and Canada after the country agreed in April to provide up to C$13 billion in subsidies and a C$700 million grant to lure German automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) to build its North American battery plant in the country.

☆ Tableau's chief product officer says he's relied on 3 strategies to help his company thrive through more than a decade of economic ups and downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Meira Gebel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Francois Ajenstat, Tableau's chief product officer, has been with the company for over 12 years. When faced with economic uncertainties, Ajenstat leans on the organization's value propositions. "Change management is hard for people, so you always have to connect people to the why," he told Insider. Ajenstat told Insider how fellow tech leaders can stay out of the red, while meeting their goals. Times of economic uncertainty provide leaders with the opportunity to evaluate operations, Ajenstat told Insider.

☆ Stellantis halts battery plant construction over dispute with Canadian govt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Stellantis assembly worker works on the interior of a Chrysler Pacifica at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. "Effective immediately, all construction related to the battery module production on the Windsor site has stopped," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Canada's Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The move comes days after the carmaker and South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd (373220.KS) (LGES) said they were implementing "contingency plans" related to a more-than C$5 billion ($3.74 billion) battery plant investment in Canada. ($1 = 1.3372 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Ismail Shakil in OttawaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Novartis names Sandoz board members ahead of spin-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, May 15 (Reuters) - Novartis (NOVN.S) on Monday named the intended new board members of Sandoz, the generics business it plans to spin off to shareholders later this year. The Basel company approved the recommendations of Sandoz Chairman-designate Gilbert Ghostine for the 10 members of the board, which will start preparatory work in June. Others to be appointed to the board include former Novartis executive Karen Huebscher, Aarti Shah, who worked at Eli Lilly (LLY.N), and Deutsche Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) CFO Remco Steenburgen. Unilever (ULVR.L) Chief Legal Officer Maria Varsellona, and former Procter & Gamble (PG.N) executive Yannis Skoufalos, complete the nominations to the committee. "The Sandoz Board of Directors will start preparatory work from June onwards and will be effective following the planned spin-off of Sandoz in the second half of 2023, subject to Novartis Board of Directors and shareholder approval," Novartis said on Monday.

☆ Stellantis halts battery plant construction over dispute with Canadian government
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wears safety glasses as he attends a tour of the Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Automaker Stellantis has stopped all construction at a more-than C$5 billion ($3.74 billion) electric vehicles battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Canada, over a disagreement with the federal government about subsidies, a spokesperson for the company said on Monday. "Effective immediately, all construction related to the battery module production on the Windsor site has stopped," the spokesperson said. The move comes days after the carmaker and South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd (373220.KS) said they were implementing "contingency plans" related to a more-than C$5 billion ($3.74 billion) battery plant investment in Canada. LGES and Stellantis announced their battery plant investment in the country last year, aiming for an annual production capacity in excess of 45 gigawatt hours (GWh) and expected to create an estimated 2,500 new jobs in the Windsor area.

☆ Stellantis, LGES implementing 'contingency plans' for battery plant in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A Stellantis sign is seen outside the company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S., June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File PhotoOTTAWA, May 12 (Reuters) - Automaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) and South Korea's LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) (LGES) are implementing "contingency plans" related to a more-than C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) battery plant investment in Canada because the federal government has not delivered on its promises, a Stellantis spokesperson said on Friday. "As of today, the Canadian Government has not delivered on what was agreed to, therefore Stellantis and LG Energy Solution will immediately begin implementing their contingency plans," Stellantis said in a brief emailed statement, without elaborating. LGES and Stellantis announced the investment last year to establish a large-scale, domestic, electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Canada. Canada's deal with Volkswagen for a battery gigafactory, announced this year, is the biggest single investment ever in the country's electric-vehicle supply chain.

☆ 'Ketchup boat guy' plans to paint a Heinz bottle on his new boat after the company came up with more cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Heinz gave Elvis Francois another $9,900 this week on top of the almost $15,000 it donated in April. Francois survived weeks at sea on ketchup in January and Heinz wanted to help him get a new boat. The company paid Elvis Francois $26,761 East Caribbean dollars ($9,900) on Tuesday so he could complete work on his boat. Elvis Francois plans to paint a Heinz bottle on his new boat. A Heinz representative told Insider: "We're happy that Elvis is safely able to get back on water."

☆ 'Hope is action': White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tells Rice grads 'change is possible'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre delivered the commencement speech to Rice University's undergraduate class of 2023 on May 6. Throughout the 22-minute address, Jean-Pierre had one central message, which she repeated 12 times: "Hope is action." "My parents worked hard jobs, and even harder hours, to make sure my siblings and I got the education we needed," she said. It was a significant moment for Jean-Pierre and especially for her father. Still, Jean-Pierre points to voting as one of the key actions an individual can take to change their community.

☆ Austria to join countries banning TikTok from government phones
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VIENNA, May 10 (Reuters) - Austria will join the growing list of countries banning Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government employees' work phones, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on Wednesday. Various Western countries including Britain, the United States and several other European Union member states have already barred TikTok over security concerns. The EU's two biggest policymaking institutions also banned the app in March. "It will be banned from work mobile phones. On private phones outside the state network it will of course be possible (to use the app)," Karner told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting when asked if politicians in government would be able to keep using the app.

Both hiked interest rates a quarter point - but only the ECB said more was to come. Without committing to it, the Fed signalled a pause in its 13-month, five percentage point tightening campaign. Money markets do partly agree with Lagarde - seeing one more quarter point rate rise in the pipeline. They now see the so-called terminal ECB rate at 3.5% in September - still a chunky 175 bps below peak Fed rates if you assume that at 5.25%, those have now reached the end of the line. "The extent of policy tightening delivered by the ECB to date is already sufficient to cause a recession," said Fidelity International's Anna Stupnytska.

☆ European shares rise on smaller ECB rate hike, upbeat earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Shubham Batra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies STOXX 600 index up 0.1%Adidas jumps on upbeat earningsEvotec drops on leaving MDAXMay 5 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Friday, as the European Central Bank's smaller rate hike, and market-beating results from Adidas and Apple boosted sentiment. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) edged up 0.1%, but is on track for its second consecutive weekly loss. Energy (.SXEP) and utilities shares (.SXPP) led the gains on the index, rising 1.4% and 1.0% respectively, while food and beverage shares (.SX3P) slid 0.4%. "Inflation pressures worldwide help in driving equity markets although we don't like to pay higher prices, as consumers it eats into our pockets. The higher prices go to some company reaping the rewards of those higher prices," said Chi Chan, Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst, Federated Hermes.

☆ ECB policymakers promise more hikes to beat inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The essence of the effort has been done, although there will probably be a few more rate hikes," Villeroy told French broadcaster Radio Classique. Villeroy explained Thursday's smaller rate increase by saying higher rates were beginning to have an effect on inflation. And two ECB surveys also published on Friday showed economists had cut their inflation forecasts for this year and the next - to 5.6% and 2.6% respectively - and that companies were moderating the pace of price hikes. The ECB aims to bring inflation back to 2% by 2025, "maybe even by the end of 2024", he added. "We will keep rates high for a sufficiently long time to get inflation back to 2%," the Lithuanian central bank chief said.

☆ Budweiser maker's profit jumps as customers absorb higher prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Bottles of non-alcoholic beer and dishwasher soap are pictured at Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery in Leuven, Belgium November 25, 2019. The maker of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona repeated its 2023 forecast that core profit (EBITDA) would grow in line with its medium term outlook of between 4% and 8%, with revenue to grow ahead of EBITDA. He said AB InBev would invest more in Bud Light over the summer. First-quarter results of AB InBev's rivals Heineken and Carlsberg also showed consumer willingness to absorb higher prices. AB InBev's core profit rose by 13.6% on a like-for-like basis to $4.76 billion, compared with the 5.6% average increase expected in a company-compiled poll.

☆ AB InBev profit jumps as consumers absorb higher beer prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Bottles of non-alcoholic beer and dishwasher soap are pictured at Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery in Leuven, Belgium November 25, 2019. REUTERS/Francois LenoirSummarySummary Companies Q1 core profit up 13.6% vs consensus 5.6%Beer volumes up 0.4%, buoyed by ChinaRetains 2023 forecast of 4-8% core profit riseBRUSSELS, May 4 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR), the world's largest brewer, reported higher than expected first-quarter earnings on Thursday as consumers bought its beers at sharply higher prices. Revenue, however, rose sharply, as the company pushed through price increases and some consumers switched to more expensive beers or package formats. First-quarter results of AB InBev's rivals Heineken and Carlsberg also showed consumer willingness to absorb higher prices. AB InBev's core profit rose by 13.6% on a like-for-like basis to $4.76 billion, compared with the 5.6% average increase expected in a company-compiled poll.

☆ 'Focused on the job': France's Le Maire defends writing of steamy novel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was fully focused on creating growth and fighting inflation after coming under fire for penning a steamy novel that was published hours before France's credit rating was downgraded by an agency. "I am 100% focused on the job," Le Maire told Franceinfo radio. It is a graphic account of Oskar having sex with a character named Julia that has exposed Le Maire to mocking and criticism. The French edition of the Huffington Post headlined a story "Bruno Le Maire has written about an anus and no one was ready for this." "These are 10 lines out of a 480 pages book," Le Maire shot back when pushed on his writings during the Franceinfo interview.

☆ Heavy rain, floods kill at least 136 in Rwanda and Uganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Philbert Girinema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Residents walk over a water bridge after their homes were swamped following rains that triggered flooding and landslides in Rubavu district, Western province, Rwanda May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Jean BizimanaSummary Rain causes flooding and landslidesRescuers search for people trapped in homesSix dead in Uganda from mudslidesNAIROBI, May 3 (Reuters) - Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 129 people in Rwanda and six in Uganda, authorities said on Wednesday, as rescuers hunted survivors trapped in homes. "We woke up at 2 a.m and heard people screaming," Angelique Nibagwire, 47, said from Karongi district in western Rwanda where at least 16 people died. In a mountainous area of neighbouring Uganda near the border with Rwanda, six people died overnight into Wednesday in the southwestern Kisoro district, the Uganda Red Cross said. Rwanda and Uganda have been experiencing heavy and sustained rains since late March.

☆ France's Le Maire wants to break food price inflation "spiral" by autumn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Le Maire: economic growth remains solidLe Maire: meeting next week to tackle inflation concernsPARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday that he would meet with retailers and suppliers next week to discuss ways to break the food price inflation "spiral" by autumn, which is a major concern for cash-strapped consumers. Le Maire also told Franceinfo radio that economic growth remained solid in France despite recent strikes and protests against President Emmanuel Macron's legislation to raise the retirement age by two years to 64. Le Maire has since repeatedly called on both sides to reopen negotiations to ensure that a recent fall in global wholesale food prices is passed on to consumers. Le Maire has even threatened to take action if they do not respond to his calls. Bank of France governor and European Central Bank member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said last month he expected food price inflation to start easing in the second half of this year.

☆ Euro zone inflation picks up but core unexpectedly slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT, May 2 (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation accelerated last month but underlying price growth eased unexpectedly, adding to arguments for a smaller interest rate hike at the European Central Bank's regular policy meeting on Thursday. Overall price growth in the 20 nations sharing the euro currency picked up to 7.0% in April from 6.9% a month earlier, Eurostat said on Tuesday, in line with expectations in a Reuters poll of economists. Excluding volatile food and fuel prices, core inflation slowed to 7.3% from 7.5%, while an even narrower measure, which excludes alcohol and tobacco, slowed to 5.6% from 5.7%, coming below forecasts for 5.7% for its first decline since last June. In a hopeful development for the ECB, processed food, alcohol and tobacco inflation slowed a full percentage point to 14.7%, suggesting that a long-awaited turnaround in food prices may now be happening. Services inflation accelerated to 5.2% from 5.1% but the price growth of non-energy industrial goods, another crucial segments, slowed to 6.2% from 6.6%.

☆ Austria says talks underway on returning Parthenon marbles to Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna has a tiny collection of marbles - just two fragments from the Parthenon's northern frieze. But Greece hopes that with each agreement to return pieces to Athens there will be growing "positive momentum" in talks on returning pieces being kept elsewhere. "I am very hopeful that the talks can move on very quickly and the marbles will be on display in Athens." Dendias said the talks were important in the context of discussions about bigger collections, particularly that the British Museum in London. "The regional government of Sicily in 2022 and Pope Francis in 2023 returned to Greece part of the Parthenon sculptures so this will be the third one and this for us is of huge, huge importance," Dendias said.

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - Inflation in the euro area is too high for comfort, meaning markets expect the European Central Bank to deliver its seventh straight interest rate hike on Thursday. 1/ How much will the ECB hike rates by on Thursday? Most analysts expect at least one more rate move after Thursday, even as the Federal Reserve looks set to pause its rate hike campaign. Market pricing suggests ECB rates will peak around 3.6% this year, and Belgium's central bank governor Pierre Wunsch says he wouldn't be surprised to see rates rise to 4%. Tuesday's bank lending should offer some clues but it might be too early to gauge the full impact of the March banking crisis on financing conditions.

Search resuls for: "Francois"

25 mentions found