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The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Moscow already demands a 50% discount on all foreign deals after consultants selected by the Russian government have valued the business. But three people familiar with the exit process for foreign companies said that some deals are facing demands for additional discounts before the government gives a green light. Another person, who works on M&A transactions and with foreign companies, said deals exceeding $100 million were at particular risk of being denied. In its biannual financial stability review, the central bank said foreign companies under pressure to leave Russia were doing so on "unfavourable" terms.

Persons: Evgenia, Carlsberg's, Intesa, Vladimir Putin's, Suren Gortsunyan, Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Alexey Kupriyanov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Victor Goury, Josephine Mason, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Heineken, Arnest, Companies, Nasdaq, Russia, Dyakin, Partners, Aspring, Nato, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, London, Laffont, Gdansk

☆ Goldman Sachs weighs selling part of wealth business in broad strategy revamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Saeed Azhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. The purchase was aimed at broadening Goldman's client list beyond the ultra-rich, but the unit has remained a small part of the bank's wealth business. High net worth individuals - who would fall within the business Goldman is considering selling - typically have about $1 million to $10 million to invest. Goldman's wealth business has lagged behind rivals, including Morgan Stanley (MS.N), where CEO James Gorman built the wealth management arm through a series of acquisitions that generate steady income from fees. The bank plans to grow its core wealth business serving ultra-high-net-worth clients, reiterating aspirations from its investor day in late February.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly, David Solomon, Goldman, Stephen Biggar, They've, Biggar, RIA, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Solomon, Marcus, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Tom Hogue, Sharon Singleton, Jonathan Oatis, Deepa Babington Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Argus Research, RIA, United Capital Financial Partners, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Ayco

☆ Goldman Sachs weighs sale of part of its wealth business
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Saeed Azhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The purchase aimed to broaden Goldman's client list beyond the ultra-rich, but the unit has remained a small part of the bank's wealth business. The potential divestments come after CEO David Solomon reorganized the firm into three units last year and scaled back ambitions for its loss-making consumer business. Goldman's wealth business has lagged rivals, including Morgan Stanley (MS.N), where CEO James Gorman built the wealth management arm through a series of acquisitions that generate steady income from fees. The bank plans to grow its core wealth business serving ultra-high net worth clients, reiterating aspirations from its investor day in late February. Other core wealth businesses include workplace financial planning through Ayco, and Marcus savings, Goldman said.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly, Goldman, RIABiz, David Solomon, Stephen Biggar, They've, Biggar, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Solomon, Marcus, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Tom Hogue, Sharon Singleton Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, GreenSky, RIA, United Capital Financial Partners, Argus Research, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Ayco

☆ Goldman Sachs weighs sale for part of its wealth business
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Saeed Azhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs (GS.N) is weighing the sale of a part of its wealth business catering to high net worth clients, it said on Monday, as it shifts its focus back to serving the ultra-rich. The purchase aimed to broaden Goldman's client list beyond the ultra-rich, but the unit has remained a small part of the bank's wealth business. Goldman's private wealth unit oversees $1 trillion in assets for ultra-high net worth clients. The bank plans to grow its core wealth business serving ultra-high net worth clients, reiterating aspirations from its investor day in late February.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly, Goldman, David Solomon, Solomon, Marcus, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Tom Hogue Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, United Capital Financial Partners, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Ayco

☆ China's Xpeng falls on dull forecast as EV price war takes toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo on an XPeng Inc. P7 performance electric vehicle is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, U.S., August 27, 2020. The Chinese electric vehicle-maker forecast revenue of 8.5 billion yuan to 9 billion yuan for the current quarter ending September, below estimates of 9.77 billion yuan ($1.34 billion), according to the average estimate of six analysts by Refinitiv. The forecast underscores weak demand in China and intense competition following price cuts unleashed by Tesla (TSLA.O) and other home-grown automakers. In the second quarter ended June 30, Xpeng's revenue decreased 32% to 5.06 billion yuan, in line with estimates. ($1 = 7.2905 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mike Segar, Tesla, Hongdi Brian Gu, Yuvraj Malik, Sriraj Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, HK, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, China, Bengaluru

Germany's property sector is in stress, underscoring a major change of fortune for real estate in Europe's largest economy after an end to the era of cheap money. In the latest signs of stress in the sector, Germany's largest real estate group Vonovia (VNAn.DE) posted multi-billion euro losses and writedowns, and job growth for construction workers has stagnated. The property sector makes up roughly a fifth of economic output and one in ten jobs, according to the German Property Federation. The Ukraine war has also made German property seem riskier for foreign investors. The president of the German Property Federation, Andreas Mattner, is pressing the government to temporarily suspend a property sales tax and is demanding a low-interest rate credit program to support new residential building.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Sven Carstensen, Florian Schwalm, Olaf Scholz, Klara Geywitz, Andreas Mattner, Oliver Mueller, Matthias Inverardi, Holger Hansen, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: REUTERS, CARE, German Property Federation, Reuters Graphics Reuters, European Central Bank, Germany, German Construction Industry Federation, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Germany's, Europe's, Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT, United States, Sweden, Ukraine, East, Asia

☆ Goldman Sachs' Rogers to step back from chief of staff role-memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Saeed Azhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo for Goldman Sachs is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyNEW YORK, Aug 8 (Reuters) - John Rogers, an influential Goldman Sachs (GS.N) executive, will step back from his role as chief of staff next month, according to an internal memo. He will be succeeded by Russell Horwitz, a Goldman veteran who will rejoin the bank after working at Citadel, according to the memo. Goldman Sachs profit dropped 60% in the second quarter, missing estimates, as writedowns in the investment bank's consumer businesses and real estate investments weighed on earnings. Horwitz, who previously worked at Goldman for 16 years, will rejoin Goldman Sachs as a partner and a member of the management committee, reporting to Solomon, the memo said.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly NEW, John Rogers, Russell Horwitz, Rogers, Dodd, Frank, David Solomon, John, Goldman, Tom Montag, Horwitz, Solomon, Saeed Azhar, Conor Humphries Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Andrew Kelly NEW YORK, Goldman, Citadel, Reuters, New York Times, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S

☆ Europe's biggest companies reported a combined €100 billion loss from leaving Russia, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Since the invasion of Ukraine last year, companies have been scrambling to cut ties with Russia. An FT survey found that companies lost €100 billion attempting to leave the state. European companies have lost more than €100 billion in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, according to the Financial Times. If energy and utilities were excluded from the survey, the largest writedowns come from Germany's chemical and automotive industries. In December 2022, Russia started forcing those companies selling their assets to dispose of them at a 50% discount, leading to a scramble among domestic businessmen for bargain-bin assets.

Persons: Putin, TotalEnergies –, Yale, Nabi Abdullaev, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Morning, Financial, BP, Shell, Danone Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Danone's

COVID vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer are pinning their hopes on private markets sales and strong demand for their new updated shots targeting XBB.1.5 variant to turn around a slump in sales of the products that had bumper growth during the peak of the pandemic. The company sees between $2 billion and $4 billion in the vaccine sales from commercial contracts in the United States and other places. However, it said $1 billion of a total $5 billion in sales from signed government contracts would be deferred to next year. Pfizer on Tuesday warned that sales of COVID vaccines were uncertain, adding that the COVID vaccination rates this fall should be a good predictor for annual rates. For Moderna, second-quarter COVID vaccine sales slumped 94% to $293 million, which was still higher than analysts' average estimate of $233.6 million, according to Refinitiv data.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Leroy Leo, Patrick Wingrove, Shinjini Organizations: REUTERS, Moderna Inc, Moderna, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Japan's Nomura Q1 profit soars on strong domestic stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We had a market tailwind," Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura told a media briefing. Nomura's April-June profit came in at 23.33 billion yen ($163.42 million) versus 1.696 billion yen a year earlier, when fears of slowing global economic growth hit financial markets and forced investment portfolio writedowns at the Japanese firm. In contrast to the strong gains at the retail business, Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, posted a pretax profit of just 2.1 billion yen, down sharply from 25.3 billion yen a year earlier. The Bank of Japan's relaxation of its cap on bond yields last week could also be "a major tailwind" to its business, as it is likely to increase market volatility, he said. ($1 = 142.7600 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Takumi Kitamura, Nomura's, Kentaro Okuda, Kitamura, Makiko Yamazaki, Himani Sarkar, Mark Potter Organizations: Nomura Holdings Inc, of, Energy, NTT Group, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Western Digital's first-quarter forecast disappoints as weak cloud demand weighs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 31 (Reuters) - Memory chipmaker Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) forecast a bigger-than-expected loss in the first quarter and revenue below Wall Street targets on Monday as weak demand, mainly for its cloud business, forces it to cut production. Cloud companies will take another "couple of quarters" to clear out excess inventory, finance chief Wissam Jabre said in June. Western Digital forecast its adjusted loss per share to be in the range of $2.10 to $1.80, compared to an estimated loss of $1.40 per share. It also forecast revenue for the same period below estimates. Rival Seagate Technology (STX.O) also forecast downbeat revenue for its first quarter last week, on weakness in major market China and lower tech spending.

Persons: Wissam Jabre, David Goeckeler, Goeckeler, Chavi Mehta, Stephen Nellis, Pooja Desai Organizations: Digital Corp, Seagate Technology, Western Digital, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Thomson Locations: China, South, Bengaluru, San Francisco

☆ Europe’s banks are bracing for a wave of defaults
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Some of Europe’s biggest banks are setting aside more cash to absorb potential losses on loans, as rising interest rates increase pressure on borrowers. So far, there are “limited signs of stress” across the bank’s loan portfolios, Anna Cross, group finance director at Barclays, told reporters. Loan loss provisions at Deutsche Bank (DB) jumped 72% to €401 million ($446 million) in the second quarter, Germany’s biggest lender said Wednesday. Jonas Goltermann, deputy chief markets economist at Capital Economics, told CNN that he was most worried about the potential for losses on bank loans to the commercial real estate sector. “The near-term economic outlook for the euro area has deteriorated, owing largely to weaker domestic demand,” the bank’s President Christine Lagarde told reporters.

Persons: Anna Cross, Jonas Goltermann, ”, Goltermann, Christine Lagarde, — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN —, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, DB, Spain’s, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Capital Economics, CNN, ” Locations: Spain’s Santander, Europe, United Kingdom

In particular, memory chip demand from corporate buyers stocking AI data centres as well as gaming personal computers is expected to increase in the second half of the year, the world's second-biggest memory chip maker said. SK Hynix reported a 2.9 trillion won ($2.28 billion) operating loss in the June quarter, down from 4.2 trillion won profit a year earlier on weak memory chip pricing and demand. AI CHIPSSK Hynix said demand for AI server memory had more than doubled in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. SK Hynix leads the market in high bandwidth memory (HBM) DRAM used in the fast-growing field of generative AI. Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker, will report its detailed second-quarter financial results on Thursday.

Persons: SK Hynix, Greg Roh, Nam Dae, 1,274.1300, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korea's SK Hynix, Microsoft, SK Hynix's, SK, SK Hynix, Revenue, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Securities, eBEST Investment, Securities, Samsung, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, KS, HBM

☆ UniCredit lifts 2023 goals after bumper quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A logo on the UniCredit SpA headquarters in Milan, Italy, on Saturday Jan. 22, 2022. Italian bank UniCredit on Wednesday raised its net profit and shareholder reward targets for the year after posting much stronger than expected quarterly results as higher rates lifted revenues. UniCredit said it now expects a 2023 net profit of at least 7.25 billion euros ($8 billion), compared with more than 6.5 billion earlier. It plans to return at least 6.5 billion to investors through share buybacks and dividends, versus a previous goal of at least 5.75 billion. Revenues jumped by a quarter yearly, to 5.97 billion euros, topping analyst forecasts, boosted mainly by the gap between rates charged to lend and the still very low rates paid on deposits.

Persons: UniCredit, Andrea Orcel Organizations: UniCredit Locations: Milan, Italy, Italy's, UniCredit

SEOUL, July 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) on Wednesday posted a worse-than-expected quarterly operating loss on weak memory chip pricing and demand, but said the market was beginning to recover from a deep downturn. In particular, memory chip demand from corporate buyers and gaming personal computers is expected to increase in the second half of the year versus the first, the world's second-biggest memory chip maker said in a statement. This compared with expectations for a 2.7 trillion won operating loss, according to 22 analyst views compiled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts that are more consistently accurate. SK Hynix has reported losses each quarter since the fourth quarter of 2022, although the June quarter loss narrowed from a record of 3.4 trillion won loss in the March quarter. A boom in artificial intelligence, however, helped SK Hynix boost sales of high-end DRAM chips in the second quarter and narrow losses from the previous quarter.

Persons: Refinitiv SmartEstimate, 1,274.1300, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korea's SK Hynix, SK Hynix, Revenue, Thomson Locations: SEOUL

☆ Goldman brings back Tom Montag as CEO Solomon bolsters board support
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People walk in the Goldman Sachs global headquarters in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 15, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File PhotoJuly 20 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs (GS.N) has brought back to its fold senior executive Tom Montag, adding him to its board as the Wall Street giant looks to regain lost ground after its ill-fated foray into consumer banking. Considered to be an ally of CEO David Solomon, Montag could bolster support for the chief executive, who is looking to undo the damage from the company's high-profile flop in retail banking. "Tom brings extensive financial services and risk management experience, with over 35 years in the industry," Solomon said. "He has incredible perspective regarding the complex financial and non-financial risks that large global financial institutions face."

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly, Tom Montag, Montag, David Solomon, Goldman, Tom, Adebayo Ogunlesi, Merrill Lynch, Solomon, writedowns, Saeed Azhar, Niket, Manya, Arun Koyyur, Lananh Nguyen Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Bank of America, Rubicon, TPG, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, New York, Bengaluru

So far the signs of revival has not translated into strong investment banking revenue, but markets see a better outlook. Goldman took $1.4 billion in writedowns in the second quarter tied to its consumer businesses and real estate investments. In discussing their earnings, Wall Street executives cited a flurry of initial public offerings as an encouraging sign that activity in capital markets will pick up after months in the doldrums. The lender was buoyed by a slight pickup in equity capital markets and a focus on its middle-market business. At Citigroup (C.N), CEO Jane Fraser warned on Friday that "the long-awaited rebound in investment banking has yet to materialize."

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Brendan McDermid, dealmaking, Goldman Sachs, Morgan, ”, Rick Meckler, Goldman, Meckler, Mike Loewengart, David Solomon, Sharon Yeshaya, Alastair Borthwick, Jane Fraser, Mark Mason, Jeremy Barnum, Tatiana Bautzer, Sinead Carew, Saeed Azhar, Noor Zainab Hussain, Lananh Nguyen, Nick Zieminski Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Cherry Lane Investments, Wall Street, Morgan, Reuters, Bank of America's, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New Vernon , New Jersey, writedowns, New York, Bengaluru

NEW YORK, July 19 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs' (GS.N) profit dropped 60% in the second quarter, missing estimates, as the bank's retreat from consumer businesses and declining real estate investments weighed on earnings. The results were the worst for the Wall Street giant since the second quarter of 2020, when it took writedowns over corruption scandal linked to Malaysian state fund 1MDB. "It definitely feels better over the course of the last six, eight weeks," Solomon told analysts on a conference call. "This moment in the economic cycle creates meaningful headwinds for Goldman Sachs," Solomon said told analysts on a conference call. Net earnings dropped 62% to $1.07 billion in the second quarter versus $2.79 billion a year earlier.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Solomon, Goldman, Keith Horowitz, Goldman's Marcus, Marcus, Morgan Stanley, MS.N, headcount, Niket Nishant, Noor Zainab Hussain, Saeed Azhar, Johann M Cherian, Arun Koyyur, Nick Zieminski, Anna Driver Organizations: YORK, Analysts, Citigroup, Goldman, Revenue, JPMorgan Chase, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Malaysian, writedowns, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Goldman Sachs' second-quarter earnings bombed. Here are 5 numbers that best explain what went wrong and where the company is headed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Wall Street earnings season has been challenging across the board, but perhaps none have had it as tough as Goldman Sachs. "This moment in the economic cycle creates meaningful headwinds for Goldman Sachs and our business mix. Here are the five numbers explaining the complex story of Goldman Sachs' second-quarter earnings and its shift from consumer banking to asset management fees. Goldman Sachs Earnings PresentationROE: Down to 4%The return on shareholders' equity fell to 4% this quarter, down from 11.6% last quarter. Goldman Sachs' 2Q23 Earnings Presentation Goldman Sachs' 2Q23 Earnings PresentationEquity underwriting: up 133%One bright spot was equity underwriting, or the process of helping companies raise money through the sale of stocks.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, it's, ROE, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Goldman's, Solomon, Denis Coleman, Coleman, Solomon's, we've, Marcus, they've Organizations: Wall, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Wells, Global Banking, Goldman, Apple, GreenSky, Wealth Management, Investment Locations: Goldman, Wells Fargo

☆ Chinese property developer Evergrande posts $81 billion loss over the past two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Evergrande Group headquarters building in Shenzhen is pictured on January 11, 2022 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. China Evergrande Group posted a combined loss of $81 billion in its long overdue earnings report late on Monday. Evergrande's net losses for 2021 and 2022 were 476 billion yuan ($66.36 billion) and 105.9 billion yuan ($14.76 billion), respectively, as a result of writedowns of properties, return of lands, losses on financial assets and financing costs, the company said. In its last normal year of operation, 2020, Evergrande posted a net profit of 8.1 billion yuan. Evergrande's colossal debt pile in recent years has become the source of serious concern about China's property sector, a bedrock of the Chinese economy, with defaults and abandoned property projects seen across the country.

Persons: Evergrande Organizations: Group, China Evergrande Locations: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China, China

☆ Heineken, Unilever and Oreo maker Mondelez accused of breaking promises to leave Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It’s shameful and unethical.”Sonnenfeld, who has testified before Congress about companies leaving Russia, is not accusing these corporations of breaking the law. ‘Implied endorsement of the Putin regime’The “poster child” for this problem is the popular Dutch brewing giant Heineken, Sonnenfeld said. In March 2022, just one month after the invasion of Ukraine, Heineken won praise for promising to leave Russia. “We expect a significant financial loss to the Heineken company. The Yale research said Mondelez shows “no tangible signs of progress towards exiting” and continues to do business in Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Jeff Sonnenfeld, Philip Morris, ” Sonnenfeld, “, ”, ‘, Putin, Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian, ExxonMobil –, ” Heineken, ” Mondelez, Mondelez, That’s, Lipton, Mark Dixon, Nestle, Kit Kat, Purina, Sbarro, Carl’s Jr, Carl’s, Yale, Tim Calkins, Calkins Organizations: New York CNN Business, Yale, Heineken, Unilever, CNN, ”, Institute . Yale, BP, ExxonMobil, Nabisco, Kyiv School of Economics, Agency, Nestle, WeWork, Mondelez, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Restaurants Holdings, CKE, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, ”, American, South Africa

☆ Shell warns of big drop in gas trading results
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 7 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L), the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) trader, said on Friday second-quarter gas trading results were expected to come in "significantly lower" quarter-on-quarter, though in line with the previous two years' second quarters. Shell cited "seasonality and fewer optimisation opportunities" as reasons for its lower gas trading result. The company does not provide figures for its gas trading results or say what proportion of its business it accounts for. "Shell's trading update included a number of operational indicators which were broadly in line with our forecasts," said RBC equity analyst Biraj Borkhataria in a note. "Weaker trading across oil and gas which should be expected by the market given lower gas prices and the seasonality of Shell's LNG portfolio."

Persons: Shell, Biraj Borkhataria, Eva Mathews, Nora Buli, David Goodman, Mark Potter Organizations: Shell, RBC, Exxon, Thomson Locations: Norway, writedowns, Bengaluru, Shadia, London

☆ Shell warns of significant drop in gas trading results
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 7 (Reuters) - Energy giant Shell (SHEL.L) expects second-quarter gas trading results to be "significantly lower" than in the previous quarter, it said on Friday. In an update ahead of second-quarter results on July 27, the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) trader also flagged $3 billion in writedowns for the quarter, primarily driven by a 1% increase in the discount rate used for impairment testing. It added that trading performance in its chemicals and products business was also expected be lower than in the first quarter, with the indicative refining margin forecast to drop to $9 a barrel from $15 a barrel. U.S. rival Exxon also guided for lower refining margins this week. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Eva Mathews, Shadia, Krishna Chandra Eluri, David Goodman Organizations: Energy, Shell, Exxon, Thomson Locations: writedowns, Bengaluru

☆ Tomb Raider games group Embracer to slash spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, June 13 (Reuters) - Swedish games group Embracer (EMBRACb.ST) announced on Tuesday a restructuring programme to slash costs and investments, including in the development of new products, boosting the company's shares. Embracer has been hit by development delays, weaker demand, bad reception for some new games and, last month, the fall-through of a large planned strategic partnership. Shares in the developer, which last year bought several development studios and the intellectual property rights to a new Tomb Raider edition and other games, on Tuesday rose 4% by 0705 GMT. "The figures include capex related to internal and external game development projects and other intangible assets, as well as tangible assets," it said in a statement. The group's earnings could be hit by one-offs such as potential severance payments and writedowns related to game development projects as part of the restructuring, it said.

Persons: Embracer, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM

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