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☆ Sweden expects Turkey to approve its NATO membership 'within weeks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS — Sweden expects Turkey to approve its NATO membership "within weeks," the country's foreign affairs minister told CNBC after a months-long impasse over Stockholm's future within the alliance. Sweden sent a formal application to join NATO back in May 2022, alongside Finland. The latter became an official member in April 2023, but Sweden has been kept waiting by member nations Hungary and Turkey. During a NATO summit in July, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to let Sweden into the alliance. "I had a bilateral with my colleague the foreign minister of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, where he told me he expects the ratification to take place within weeks," Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström said Wednesday in Brussels.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ulf Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Hungary's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Tobias Billström, Billström Organizations: Swedish, NATO, BRUSSELS —, CNBC, Kurdistan Workers Party, Foreign Locations: Vilnius, BRUSSELS, BRUSSELS — Sweden, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Turkish, Brussels

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Winter storms batter Russia and Ukraine, wreaking havoc, death and destruction ... but war continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told CNBC it would be a "tragedy" for Ukrainians if Russian President Vladimir Putin wins the war. Therefore we will be more vulnerable if President Putin wins so it's in our security interests to support Ukraine," he told CNBC's Silvia Amaro in Brussels. Concerns have grown recently that public support for continued military funding for Ukraine has declined. Stoltenberg said bipartisan support for Ukraine remained strong in the U.S., despite some rumblings of Republican discontent over military aid. "I'm absolutely confident that the United States understands that it's dangerous for the United States if President Putin wins in Ukraine," he said.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin, Stoltenberg, Putin, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: CNBC, Kyiv, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Beijing, Brussels, Europe, U.S, United States

Last month's slayings of about 1,200 people in Israel by armed Palestinian militants represented the biggest killing of Jews since the Holocaust. ACTS OF ANTISEMITISM — AND HOW THAT'S DEFINEDAntisemitism is broadly defined as hatred of Jews. Criticism of Israel's policies and antisemitism have long been conflated by Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and by some watchdog groups. Some of Europe's Jews say they see it on the streets and the news. Many Jews, though, say the chant is inherently anti-Jewish and calls for the destruction of Israel.

Persons: Michel Dreifuss, —, Herbert Traube, Benjamin Netanyahu, Susan Neiman, “, you’ve, ”, Israel, Israel —, There's, Anna Segal, Segal, ” Segal, Peggy Hicks, “ I’ve, Hicks, ” ___ Kellman, Kirsten Grieshaber, Silvia Stellacci, Karel Janicek, Lorne Cook, Jari Tanner, Vanessa Gera, John Leicester, Sylvie Corbet Organizations: GENEVA, Einstein, —, French Interior Ministry, Community Security Trust, Israel, West Bank Locations: Geneva, Israel, Gaza, Europe, Germany, Austria, Potsdam, Britain, Russia, Berlin, Lyon, France, In Berlin, Palestine, Jordan, Jerusalem, London, Rome, Prague, Brussels, Helsinki, Warsaw, Poland, Paris

☆ Three Mexican journalists freed following kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mexico is one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists, with five killed this year, the international free-speech group, Article 19, has said. Another journalist freed on Saturday was Marco Toledo, director of the weekly El Espectador de Taxco, authorities said. Toledo's wife and son had also been kidnapped by five armed men who entered their home last Sunday, Article 19 said. Although Toledo's wife has been freed, authorities are still searching for the journalist's son, the attorney-general's office said in its statement. With a tally of 13 murdered, last year was the deadliest for journalists in Mexico since Article 19 began keeping records in 2000.

Persons: general's, Silvia Arce, Alberto Sanchez, Marco Toledo, Taxco, Toledo's, Adriana Barrera, Valentine Hilaire, Daniel Wallis, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: MEXICO CITY, El, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Guerrero, Mexico, Taxco

☆ Mexico Authorities Search for Journalists Taken in Tourist Town
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Authorities on Friday intensified the search for three journalists believed kidnapped by armed men in the south of Mexico, which press freedom groups consider among the world's most dangerous countries for reporters. The attorney general's office in the state of Guerrero on Thursday said it was investigating the disappearance of five people in the tourist town of Taxco, among them journalists Marco Toledo, Silvia Arce and Alberto Sanchez. Carlos Monge, communications chief for the attorney general's office, said searches would be reinforced with participation from the state prosecutors' office, the state search commission, state police, National Guard and the Army. Fifteen vans with personnel from various law enforcement agencies were deployed from the state capital to Taxco, Monge said. Mexico is among the world's deadliest countries for journalists, with five journalists killed so far this year, according to Article 19.

Persons: Marco Toledo, Silvia Arce, Alberto Sanchez, Carlos Monge, Monge, Toledo, Arce, Sanchez, Arce's, Raul Cortes Fernandez, Alistair Bell Organizations: MEXICO CITY, National Guard, Army, El Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, Guerrero, Taxco, Toledo

Amundi signed a 10-year distribution accord in 2017 when it bought UniCredit's Pioneer Investments for 3.6 billion euros. Credit Agricole CEO Philippe Brassac told reporters this month it was no secret UniCredit was looking at ways "to optimise" the accord with Amundi. Orcel, sources have said, is unhappy with the amount of Amundi funds the accord binds UniCredit to place with customers. UniCredit had 134 billion euros in AUM from fund and portfolio management as of Sept. 30. If their relationship ended after 2027, it would still take UniCredit time to replace Amundi funds with other products.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Amundi, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit, Philippe Brassac, Brassac, Orcel, Azimut, Valentina Za, Mathieu Rosemain, Silvia Aloisi, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Investments, Agricole, Credit, Amundi, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, MILAN, Italy, Italian, Milan

The logo of Renault is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 15, 2023. The group set out financial targets for the unit, including revenue of 25 billion euros in 2031, break-even in 2025 and an operating margin of at least 10% from 2030, ahead of an investor day in Paris. Sources close to the matter told Reuters last month the company was unlikely to go ahead with the IPO if the overall valuation for Ampere fell below 7 billion euros. We will reduce our costs to lower our prices, while improving our margins at the same time," finance chief Thierry Pieton said. ($1 = 0.9195 euros)Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Ampere, Luca de Meo's, De Meo, Thierry Pieton, Gilles Guillaume, Silvia Aloisi, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Ampere, Reuters, Twingo, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, PARIS, Europe

☆ Renault sets out targets for EV unit, says won't sell it cheap
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - French car maker Renault said on Wednesday its electric vehicles unit Ampere, which it plans to list on the market next year, forecast 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) in revenues in 2025, more than doubling to 25 billion euros in 2031. Finance chief Thierry Pieton told reporters ahead of the presentation Renault would not sell off Ampere cheap and had ample cash flow to keep financing it should it not get the valuation it wanted for an IPO. Asked if Renault could decide to distribute Ampere shares to existing Renault shareholders instead of proceeding with an IPO, he said: "Renault is always open to other options for Ampere, but the IPO is the preferred option." Sources close to the matter told Reuters last month the company was unlikely to go ahead with the IPO if the overall valuation for Ampere fell below 7 billion euros. We will reduce our costs to lower our prices, while improving our margins at the same time."

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Luca de Meo's, Thierry Pieton, Ampere, Pieton, Renault, Gilles Guillaume, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Finance, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Europe

☆ France's supreme court annuls penalties against UBS in tax evasion case - ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A UBS logo is seen next to Credit Suisse at the Bahnhofstrasse before a news conference of Swiss bank UBS in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - France's supreme court on Wednesday annulled penalties of 1.8 billion euros ($1.96 billion) imposed on Swiss bank UBS (UBSG.S) in 2021 in a major tax fraud case. The case will now go back to a lower court for a new decision on the penalties, the court said in its ruling. The court partially accepted an appeal by UBS against a decision taken by a lower court in 2021, which had imposed the penalties of 1.8 billion against the bank for allegedly helping wealthy clients in France evade taxes. ($1 = 0.9207 euros)Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, editing by Silvia AloisiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Tassilo Hummel, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, Swiss, France

A UBS logo is seen next to Credit Suisse at the Bahnhofstrasse before a news conference of Swiss bank UBS in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. The court, which also upheld the guilty verdict against the bank, said a new trial would need to take place at the Paris appeals court to determine a new fine, if any. UBS's shares, which were already up on the day, spiked as much as 3% more after news broke that the 1.8 billion-euro fine was struck down. The decision by the Cour de Cassation, France's highest judicial court, means the guilty verdict on UBS is final. France's top court reviewed whether the Paris appeals court ruling had complied with the law, not the facts that underpinned its decision.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, UBS's, " Keefe, Woods, Tassilo Hummel, Mathieu Rosemain, Stefania Spezzati, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter Organizations: UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss, REUTERS, of, Cassation, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, Paris, PARIS, Cour, Swiss, France, United States, Mozambique

☆ Renault seeks to charge up investors for EV unit IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

De Meo has targeted a valuation of 8-10 billion euros ($8.6-10.7 billion) for the initial public offering (IPO) of Ampere, which has already been delayed once and is now slated for spring 2024. Two of the sources said Renault was unlikely to go ahead with the IPO if the valuation falls below 7 billion euros, and one said the cut-off point could be closer to 6 billion euros. UBS analysts have valued Ampere at just 3-4 billion euros, and others have questioned the rationale of listing the EV business to raise funds. On Wednesday, De Meo will argue his case for what could be the first attempt by a traditional automaker to unlock value from an EV business via an IPO. Over the first nine months of 2023, Renault brand EV sales fell by around 5% in Europe, having been up 2.5% in the first half, weighed down by a limited line-up.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Ampere, Luca de Meo's, De Meo, Renault, BEV, de Meo, Elon Musk's Tesla, Zoe, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, UBS, ICE, Jefferies, Nissan, Elon, EV, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Europe

☆ Alstom to cut 1,500 staff, sell assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of Alstom is seen at the Alstom's plant in Semeac near Tarbes, France, February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 15 (Reuters) - Alstom (ALSO.PA) on Wednesday said it would cut jobs, sell assets and was considering a capital increase in a bid to boost its balance sheet and alleviate investor concerns over high debt. The maker of France's iconic TGV trains said it aimed to cut about 1,500 staff to help meet its confirmed mid-term targets. Alstom plans to cut its net debt by 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) by March 2025. As of Sept. 30, it had a net debt of 3.43 billion euros.

Persons: Regis, Henri Poupart, Lafarge, Philippe Petitcolin, Safran, Olivier Sorgho, Milla Nissi, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: Alstom, REUTERS, Traders, Thomson Locations: Semeac, Tarbes, France, Gdansk

☆ Renault to launch new Slovenia-made electric city car - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A logo of Renault is seen on a car during the French carmaker Renault's 2022 annual results presentation in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, Feburary 16, 2023. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Renault (RENA.PA) will reveal the launch of an additional "affordable" city electric car during this week's capital markets day for its new EV unit Ampere, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Ampere targets 600,000 produced electric vehicles in 2026 and one million in 2031. The company sold just under 50,000 electric Megane and Kangoo vehicles, its current models, last year. It flagged the arrival of electrified Scenic and R5 models for 2024, followed by the R4, in 2025.

Persons: Christian Hartmann, Ampere, Gilles Guillaume, Tassilo Hummel, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: Renault, REUTERS, Rights, Ampere, Reuters, Nissan, Thomson Locations: Boulogne, Billancourt, Paris, French, Mesto, Slovenia

☆ This US couple sold their house and moved to Italy for good
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The pandemic’s enforced period of no travel led an American couple to rethink their life and retire to sunny southern Italy. “We decided to sell our home, our car and all superfluous possessions and make Italy our retirement home for good. The couple looked at different southern Italian regions offering a 7% flat tax for new immigrant retirees, before picking Puglia. The unexpected rising temperatures in southern Italy are too much even for Louisiana natives. “There is a great amount of work that goes into the legal preparations in Italy if you want to actually live there,” says Glenda Tuminello.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Seventysomethings Glenda, Randy Tuminello, Covid, ” Glenda Tuminello, “, –, ”, Glenda Tuminello Randy Tuminello, it’s, Glenda Tuminello, they’ve, Michal Ludwiczak, they’re Organizations: CNN, intel, CNN Travel, “, Louisiana Locations: American, Italy, Spokane , Washington, Polignano, Puglia, Adriatic, Cefalù, Louisiana, Italian, Mare

☆ France's Macron urges Israel to stop bombing Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Israel must stop bombing Gaza and killing civilians, French President Emmanuel Macron told the BBC in an interview published late on Friday. Macron said there was "no justification" for the bombing and saying a ceasefire would benefit Israel. He said that France "clearly condemns" the "terrorist" actions of Hamas, but that while recognising Israel's right to protect itself, "we do urge them to stop this bombing" in Gaza. When asked if he wanted other leaders - including in the United Sates and Britain - to join his calls for a ceasefire, Macron said: "I hope they will." So we do urge Israel to stop," he said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Christophe Ena, Macron, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Silvia Aloisi, Rami Ayyub, Alistair Bell, Diane Craft Organizations: Rights, BBC, United, Thomson Locations: Cairo, Egypt, Israel, Gaza, France, Britain, Paris , New York, Paris

[1/2] The branch of Credit Agricole bank is seen in Warsaw, Poland, July 3, 2018. Its net income jumped 33% to 1.75 billion euros ($1.87 billion), above the 1.37 billion expected by analysts in a company-compiled poll. Group revenue rose 19% to 6.34 billion euros, topping the 5.99 billion expected by analysts. It reported lower-than-expected provisions of 429 million euros, helping its bottom line. Credit Agricole controls Europe's largest fund manager Amundi (AMUN.PA) and recently announced plans to acquire Belgian wealth management firm Degroof Petercam.

Persons: Marcin Goclowski, Morgan, Amundi, Degroof, Mathieu Rosemain, Augustin Turpin, Silvia Aloisi, Jason Neely Organizations: Credit Agricole, REUTERS, Credit, Credit Agricole Group, Societe Generale, BNP, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Credit, Warsaw, Poland, PARIS, Italy, France

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators demanding a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza marched in Paris, Berlin and other European cities on Saturday. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,448, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war. Several thousand protesters also marched through the west German city of Duesseldorf. In its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, Hamas employed paragliders to get some fighters across the border between Gaza and southern Israel.

Persons: “ Israel, “, Emmanuel Macron, “ Macron, ”, Stéphane Drai, paragliders, Matteo Salvini, Yara, John Leicester, Stephen McGrath, Brian Melley, Frances D’Emilio, Silvia Stellacci, Kirsten Grieshaber Organizations: PARIS, Ministry, ”, BFM, Police, London, Metropolitan Police, Prosecutors, Hamas, Palestinian, Gaza University, Associated Press Locations: Gaza, Paris, Berlin, Europe, Israel, France, London, Palestine, ” Paris, République, French, Lyon, German, Duesseldorf, Bucharest, ”, Milan, Rome, Italy, Le Pecq, Romania

NII at the French retail division fell by 27% in the quarter, excluding two regulated savings accounts, "well below expectations," JP Morgan said in a note to clients. The French lender said it now saw NII of its French retail, private banking and insurance division falling by more than 20% in 2023. The French retail division's earnings also suffered from hedging contracts against the risks of low interest rates. SocGen's shares had edged up 0.6% by 0924 GMT. The bank has also finalised the merger of its two French retail networks.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, JP Morgan, SocGen, Slawomir Krupa, Jefferies, Krupa, ALD, Mathieu Rosemain, Silvia Aloisi, Ingrid Melander, Emelia Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, European Central Bank, BNP, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France

☆ The surprising thing that helps you cope with change
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Opinion Maggie Jackson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The arousal sparked by uncertainty puts us right where we should be in times of flux, at the raw edge of change. “It means we’re in tune with the environment.”In other words, it pays to lean into uncertainty in times of change. It pays to lean into uncertainty in times of change. Maggie JacksonPeople whose stress levels were most attuned to the game’s fluctuating levels of uncertainty made the most accurate predictions. It may seem surprising that people who can cope with and are even drawn to disquieting not-knowing take such delight in life.

Persons: Maggie Jackson’s, Maggie Jackson Karen Smul, Nicholas Bloom, Maggie Jackson, ”, Joseph Kable, Robb Rutledge, Rutledge, Todd Kashdan, Paul Silvia, Stephanie Gorka of, disquieting, Nicholas Carleton, Stephen Bird, Stephen Organizations: Prometheus Books, CNN, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, George Mason University, “, University of North, Stephanie Gorka of Ohio State University, University of Regina, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Rhode Island, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Canada

☆ Europe is at an impasse over fiscal reform — and Italy's bond market may have the most to lose
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The 27 member states of the EU have been at odds over new debt rules for several months. "Higher perceived risk of a return to old, stringent fiscal rules forcing a faster deficit reduction would worsen medium-term growth expectations for the EU, weighing on the euro. The old rulesEuropean member states have had to comply with fiscal rules that require they respect a 60% debt-to-GDP threshold and a public deficit of 3%. In 2020, the fiscal rulebook was frozen so member states could deviate from their fiscal targets and spend on pandemic-related matters, such as protecting jobs. And with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the fiscal rules were kept on hold because governments were faced with new energy costs and inflationary pressures.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Masiello, Davide Oneglia, Oneglia, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Italian, Getty, European Union, Lombard, Goldman, European Commission Locations: Italy, Ukraine

One of them said that the cut off point could be closer to 6 billion euros ($6.33 billion). Some analysts had already questioned Renault's hoped-for valuation of up to 10 billion euros, with some suggesting the carmaker should pursue alternative options to raise cash. De Meo said in September that the listing could value Ampere at between 8 and 10 billion euros, above the French carmaker's own current market capitalisation of 9.55 billion euros. Other EV makers have seen their market value fall sharply in recent months. The Ampere IPO would include a mix of Renault's shares and new shares and could happen as early as April 2024, one of the people said, depending on market conditions.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Ampere, France's, Tesla, Renault's, Luca de Meo, China's Geely, IPOs, De Meo, Bernstein, de Meo, Elon Musk's Tesla, Mathieu Rosemain, Silvia Aloisi, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Gilles Guillaume, Anousha Sakoui, Alexander Smith Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Reuters, DKV Mobility, HK, Saudi Arabia's Aramco, Nissan, IPOs Renault, EV, Commission, UBS, Barclays, Ampere, Mitsubishi, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, LONDON, China, Saudi, Europe, Ampere, Elon

☆ Michelangelo's 'secret room' in Florence to open for visitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Artist Michelangelo's sculpture known as Vatican Pieta is displayed at Opera del Duomo Museum next to its other versions in Florence, Italy, February 23, 2022. Michelangelo's "secret room" is located inside the Museum of the Medici Chapels and contains charcoal sketches of human figures which have been attributed to the artist, who is said to have taken refuge there in 1530. Dal Poggetto believed the artist had taken refuge in the room after falling foul of Pope Clement VII. Small guided groups of four people will be able to visit the room from Nov. 15 for a maximum of 15 minutes. The room is accessed via a cramped and narrow stairway and the number of weekly visitors will be capped at 100 people.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Michelangelo, Paolo Dal Poggetto, Dal Poggetto, Pope Clement VII . Small, Silvia Ognibene, Keith Weir, Alvise Armellini, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: del Duomo Museum, REUTERS, Rights, Museum, Thomson Locations: Florence, Italy, Rights FLORENCE, Medici

Third-quarter net profit was 1.031 billion euros ($1.06 billion), above an analyst consensus of quarterly net profit attributable to shareholders of 997 million euros, according to LSEG data. The bank's third-quarter net profit was down 8% on the previous year and up 35% on the quarter, amid ongoing struggles in the lender's investment unit. It also said it had scope to release up to an additional 3 billion euros in capital and would increase and accelerate shareholder distributions. The provision for credit losses was 200 million euros, compared to 350 million in the same quarter of last year. Analysts at UBS said Deutsche Bank had delivered a "major improvement in capital" and "robust operational performance," flagging that pre-tax profit of 1.723 billion euros was 9% above consensus.

Persons: James von Moltke, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, von Moltke Organizations: Deutsche Bank, UBS Locations: London

☆ French payment company Worldline slump nearly 40% as it cuts targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Shares in Worldline (WLN.PA) slumped nearly 40% on Wednesday after the French payment company cut its full-year targets as the economic slowdown hurt its business in key markets including Germany. The group also said it had cut ties with some of its merchants to reduce risks "in light of an increase in cybercrime." The group now sees organic sales growth in 2023 of between 6% and 7%, compared with 8% to 10% previously. It also forecast a 150 basis point drop in its operating margin before depreciation and amortization for 2023, compared with a previous forecast of a 100 bps increase. "Worldline missed sales estimates in every division...These results are a disappointment in terms of the full-year miss and also that long-term targets have been discarded," JPMorgan analysts said.

Persons: Worldline, Lina Golovnya, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Germany

☆ Kering sales down 9% as luxury slowdown stalls revamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of French luxury group Kering is seen at Kering headquarters in Paris, France, February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - French luxury group Kering(PRTP.PA) reported a bigger-than-expected drop in third quarter sales, underperforming major rivals as its top brand Gucci and other fashion labels all suffered from a slowing appetite for high-end clothes and accessories. LVMH (LVMH.PA), the world's biggest luxury group and one of Europe's biggest companies by market value, this month also reported a slowdown in third-quarter sales -- although it still clocked an increase in revenues with sales at its fashion and leather goods division up 9%. And Birkin bag-maker Hermes on Tuesday reported a rise in sales of 15.6%. Kering has undertaken a sweeping overhaul aimed at reviving Gucci, which has struggled to capitalise on the strong post-pandemic rebound in luxury goods sales and lost ground to rivals like LVMH's Dior and Louis Vuitton.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Yves, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Jean, Marc Duplaix, Kering, Birkin, Hermes, LVMH's Dior, Louis Vuitton, Mimosa Spencer, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Gucci, Yves Saint, Bottega, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bottega, Milan

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