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☆ Paris loses stock market crown to London as political upheaval looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —London’s stock market has edged ahead of its rival in Paris as fears grow over the outcome of France’s looming parliamentary elections. The first round of the French elections is scheduled for June 30, followed by a second round on July 7. Hubert de Barochez, a senior market economist at consultancy Capital Economics, said investors might be concerned that a parliament run by the National Rally would penalize banks. In contrast with the political and financial turmoil in France, UK financial markets are “relatively stable,” said Rudolph at IG Group. Credit ratings agencies are already keeping a close eye on France, one of the EU’s three most-indebted countries.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Axel Rudolph, you’ve, ”, OpinionWay, Macron, Hubert de Barochez, Rudolph, Richard Hunter, Mohit Kumar Organizations: London CNN, Bloomberg, CAC, FTSE, European Union, “, CNN, National, BNP, Credit, Capital Economics, IG Group, Labour Party, Interactive Investor, National Rally, Jefferies Locations: Paris, France, United Kingdom, Europe’s, Britain

LONDON (AP) — Unilever, the company that makes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Dove soaps and Vaseline, said Tuesday that it is cutting 7,500 jobs and spinning off its ice cream business to reduce costs and boost profits. London-based Unilever said its ice cream business, which also includes Magnum bars, has “distinct characteristics” from its other brands and would benefit from separate ownership to increase growth. The British consumer goods company with 128,000 employees also said it is launching a “productivity program” that is expected to lead to a reduction of about 7,500 mostly office-based jobs worldwide. The company behind Hellman’s mayonnaise, Axe fragrances and Cif household cleaners said it is targeting underlying sales growth of mid-single digits after spinning off the ice cream business. It saw sales volume drop 3.6% in 2022 after jacking up prices 13.3% on average across its brands that year.

Persons: Hein Schumacher, ”, Richard Hunter Organizations: — Unilever, Unilever, London Stock Exchange Locations: London

London-based BP reported its underlying replacement cost profit, which excludes one-time items and fluctuations in the value of inventories, down from $3.3 billion in the previous quarter. It brought in $13.8 billion for all of last year, a huge drop from the $27.7 billion it earned in 2022, when Russia's war in Ukraine sent oil and natural gas prices surging. Energy prices have since fallen as a weak global economy holds back demand for fossil fuels to power cars, planes, factories and more. Despite the drop in annual earnings, BP kept its dividend steady and said it would buy back $1.75 billion in shares as well as commit to $3.5 billion in additional share buybacks for first half of this year. It's a pressure that the energy industry is facing, with companies like BP and Shell pledging to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Persons: Murray Auchincloss, ”, Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Looney, Joseph Evans, ” Richard Hunter Organizations: —, BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Institute for Public Policy Research, “ Locations: Ukraine, London, Spain, Portugal

☆ Orsted’s ‘deputy heads must roll’ stance is risky
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view of the Walney Extension offshore wind farm operated by Orsted off the coast of Blackpool, Britain September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Nov 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Orsted’s (ORSTED.CO) recent implosion has finally prompted a reaction. Denmark’s $17 billion offshore wind producer on Tuesday said Chief Financial Officer Daniel Lerup and Chief Operating Officer Richard Hunter were stepping down. The COO is responsible for the procurement, construction, and operations of the wind farms, and supplier delays accounted for the lion’s share of Orsted’s U.S. writedowns. Yet Mads Nipper, who became Orsted chief executive in early 2021 and handpicked the departing duo, has been spared for now.

Persons: Orsted, Phil Noble, Daniel Lerup, Richard Hunter, Hunter, Lerup, Mads Nipper, Henrik Poulsen, Yawen Chen, Cameron, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: Walney, Blackpool, Britain, Rights SINGAPORE, United States, U.S

☆ Orsted's finance and operations chiefs out after big losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The offshore wind industry has found itself in a perfect storm of rising inflation, interest rate hikes and delays in the supply chain struggling to cope with growing demand. Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, on Nov. 1 scrapped two U.S. offshore wind projects, flagging $5.6 billion in related impairments after delays, partly due to vessel availability, meant costs soared. "Together with the finance team and the group executive team, Rasmus Errboe will lead the work on supporting Orsted's capital structure and long-term commitment to its credit rating," the company said. Board member Andrew Brown, who has executive experience from Shell and Portugal's Galp, was appointed interim COO, Orsted said. The company said contracts it had signed for its U.S. offshore wind projects were secured recently and were therefore more reflective of current costs.

Persons: Tom Little, Rasmus Errboe, Andrew Brown, Daniel Lerup, Richard Hunter, Orsted, Mads Nipper, Nipper, Essi Lehto, Susanna Twidale, Louise Rasmussen, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Shell, RWE, Thomson Locations: Nysted, Denmark, HELSINKI

☆ UK 30-year borrowing costs rise to highest since 1998
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A bus passes the Bank of England in the City of London, Britain, February 14, 2017. Ten-year gilt yields were 2 basis point higher on the day at 4.69%, not far off a 15-year high of 4.755% set on Aug. 17. The BoE has raised its interest rate 14 times since December 2021 to 5.25%, but investors think it is now on pause, with only a 13% chance of a rate rise on Nov. 2 after its next meeting. The chances of a further quarter-point rate to 5.5% by March next year stand at around 55%. Reporting by David Milliken; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Liz Truss, Jerome Powell, Richard Hunter, Jeremy Hunt, BoE, David Milliken, William James Our Organizations: Bank of England, City of, REUTERS, Treasury, Federal, Interactive Investor, Bank of, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain

☆ Imperial Brands sticks by forecast, announces $1.3 bln share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman poses with a cigarette in front of Imperial Brands logo in this illustration taken July 26, 2022. The company also announced a share buyback of 1.1 billion pounds ($1.34 billion). Rival British American Tobacco (BATS.L) has lost more than 24% of its share value. In recent years, Imperial Brands has focused on its top five markets and expanding next-generation products deemed less harmful to health. ($1 = 0.8230 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Krishna Chandra Eluri and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, buyback, Hargreaves, Derren Nathan, Winston, blu vapes, Richard Hunter, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Michael Perry Organizations: Imperial Brands, REUTERS, FTSE, British American Tobacco, Interactive, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

The Hang Seng (HSNGY)closed 4% higher, notching its biggest one-day gain in three months. Brent crude, the benchmark for global oil prices, gained almost 1.6% to trade at $75.46 a barrel. Hang Seng reboundsIn Hong Kong, the two best-performing stocks were Chinese real estate developers Longfor Group (LNGPF) and Country Garden Services, soaring 17% and 12% respectively. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Friday that China was working on such measures. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s Kospi index ended the day 1.3% up, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was 1.2% higher, and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.8%.

Persons: Philip Jefferson, Joe Biden, “, ”, Richard Hunter, ” Dow, Germany’s DAX, DAX Organizations: London CNN — Global, US, Markets, Treasury, Interactive, Nasdaq, CAC, Brent, Longfor, Garden Services, Bloomberg, Nikkei Locations: Hong Kong, London, China, France, Qingdao, Asia, South, Shanghai

U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday signed off on an agreement to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and cap some federal spending. ET (1900 GMT), to discuss the debt ceiling bill. Reflecting investor optimism, the cost of insuring exposure to a U.S. debt default fell further on Tuesday, while yields on longer-dated U.S. Treasuries fell. Other chipmakers including Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O), Marvell Technology Inc (MRVL.O) and Intel Corp (INTC.O) added about 3% each. ET, Dow e-minis were up 60 points, or 0.18%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 22.75 points, or 0.54%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 157.25 points, or 1.1%.

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