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☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Meta, Uber, Netflix, Apollo, Datadog & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple, Microsoft and Meta as overweight The firm says "mega-cap tech under-ownership narrows" in the third-quarter but that it's sticking with all three stocks. " UBS upgrades Comfort Systems to buy from neutral UBS says the HVAC company is a beneficiary in tech and data center cooling. UBS upgrades American Water Works to buy from neutral UBS says it sees "consistent" total returns for the water company. " Jefferies reiterates Netflix as buy The firm raised its price target on the stock to $1,000 per share from $800. TD Cowen names Datadog a best idea The firm says the stock is a top idea in 2025.

Persons: Stifel, it's, Morgan Stanley, Okta, –, Jefferies, Uber, Needham, Joby, Piper Sandler downgrades Kraft Heinz, Piper, Kraft Heinz, Piper Sandler, Paul, Tyson, NFLX, TD Cowen, United, Datadog, Scott Thomson, it's bullish Organizations: Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Barclays, UBS, Comfort Systems, Works, Edison Electric, Kraft, Apollo, TAM, Netflix, Bank of America, Bank of, Scotiabank, JPMorgan Locations: Bank of Nova Scotia, robotaxis

☆ Tokyo Metro set to raise $2.3 bln in Japan's biggest IPO in 6 years, Reuters reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tokyo Metro is expected to raise 348.6 billion yen ($2.3 billion) after pricing its initial public offering at the top end of its range, according to two sources familiar with the matter, in the largest IPO in Japan for six years. One of Tokyo's two major subway operators, the company is set to announce the pricing later on Tuesday and list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Oct. 23. The price gives Tokyo Metro a dividend yield of 3.3% based on its forecast dividend of 40 yen per share for the financial year ending March 2025. "That stands out compared to other private and JR railways," said Kazumi Tanaka, an analyst at DZH Financial Research. The central government, which owns 53.4% of Tokyo Metro, and the Tokyo government, which holds the remaining 46.6%, are selling half of their shares in the IPO.

Persons: Kazumi Tanaka Organizations: Tokyo Metro, Tokyo Stock Exchange, DZH Financial Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Britain's Rightmove rejects $8.1 bln sweetened bid from Australia's REA Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The Rightmove Plc app on an App Store page on a smartphone arranged in London, UK, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. British real estate portal Rightmove on Wednesday rejected a sweetened $8.1 billion takeover proposal from Australian property listing firm REA Group, saying the bid undervalued the company. "The board considered the increased proposal... and concluded that the increased proposal continues to be unattractive and materially undervalues the company and its future prospects," Rightmove said in a statement. The most recent proposal from REA Group, which is 62% owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, consists of 341 pence in cash and 0.0422 new REA shares, giving Rightmove an implied value of 770 pence per share. The latest bid came after an initial offer of 705 pence per share, or 5.6 billion pounds, and the second one of 749 pence per share, were rejected by Rightmove.

Persons: REA, Rightmove Organizations: REA Group, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, REA Locations: London, British

☆ UK's Playtech to sell Italian unit to Flutter for $2.56 bln
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

People walk by a banner outside of the New York Stock Exchange for the initial public offering of Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of FanDuel, on Jan. 29, 2024. British gambling technology firm Playtech has agreed to sell its Italian unit Snaitech for 2.3 billion euros ($2.56 billion), including debt, to the world's largest betting company Flutter Entertainment , the companies said on Tuesday. Flutter - the owner of FanDuel and Paddy Power - said the deal, which is expected to close by the second quarter of 2025, will add to its earnings per share immediately. The deal will see one of Italy's largest gambling companies change hands, leaving Playtech to continue its operations as a business-to-business software provider. The two parties have been in talks regarding Snaitech since August.

Persons: Playtech, Paddy Power Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Snaitech

Moreover, the partnership will enable Rivian to cut operating costs by leveraging volumes of supplies including chips and components, he said. It will also help Rivian, known for its flagship R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, turn cashflow positive. Volkswagen will immediately invest $1 billion in Rivian through a note that will convert to stock on Dec. 1, subject to regulatory approvals. The German automaker will also invest $2 billion in Rivian stock - $1 billion each in 2025 and 2026 - subject to the startup hitting certain milestones, and provide a $1 billion loan in 2026. Rivian stock has halved so far this year.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, RJ Scaringe, Vitaly Golomb, Herbert Diess, Diess, Rivian, Scaringe, Sam Fiorani, Mavka Capital's Golomb, VW's Cariad, Abhirup Roy, Ben Klayman, Noel Randewich, Christina Amann, Harshita Varghese, Sayantani Ghosh, Rod Nickel, Matthew Lewis, Leslie Adler Organizations: Volkswagen, REUTERS, Reuters, JV, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Volkswagen Group, Mavka, VW, AutoForecast Solutions, Traders, S3 Partners, Rivian, Thomson Locations: Reze, Nantes, France, Europe, Asia, North America, U.S, German, South Carolina, San Francisco, Detroit, Oakland , California, Berlin, Bengaluru

☆ KKR acquires $2.1 bln portfolio of multifamily real estate assets from Quarterra
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights New Tab , opens new tabJune 25 (Reuters) - Investment firm KKR (KKR.N) New Tab , opens new tab acquired a portfolio of 18 multifamily real estate assets on Tuesday from a closed end fund sponsored by developer Quarterra Multifamily for about $2.1 billion. The portfolio includes 5,200 units across California, Washington, Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Colorado and New Jersey. "We believe this is a great moment to invest in real estate, as transaction activity starts to pick up on the heels of two-years of dislocation in commercial real estate markets," said Justin Pattner, KKR's head of real estate equity in the Americas. KKR will partner with prominent multifamily real estate operators Carter-Haston, MG Properties and Dalan Real Estate to operate the assets. New Tab , opens new tab

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Quarterra, Justin Pattner, Carter, Pritam Biswas, Krishna Chandra Organizations: KKR, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Investment, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, California, Washington , Florida , Texas, Georgia, North Carolina , Colorado, New Jersey, Americas, Bengaluru

☆ Royal Mail owner IDS set to agree $4.4 bln Kretinsky takeover bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

IDS owns UK's Royal Mail, which is loss making, and international parcels network GLS. Royal Mail was privatised in 2013 in one of Britain's biggest state sell-offs in decades. It is expected the commitment to offer these contractual undertakings to the British government would be reflected in the cooperation agreement between the parties if a firm offer is made, it added. EP Group now has until May 29 to make a formal offer or walk away. EP is a 100% shareholder in VESA Equity investment which owns Kretinsky's IDS stake of nearly 28%.

Persons: Daniel Kretinsky, Keith Williams Organizations: International, Services, IDS, Royal Mail, UK's, Royal, National Security and Investment, Reuters, Equity Locations: Czech, London, Britain, British

☆ South Korea prepares support package worth over $7 bln for chip industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Samsung Electronics Co. 12-layer HBM3E, top, and other DDR modules arranged in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSouth Korea is readying plans for a support package for chip investments and research worth more than 10 trillion won ($7.30 billion), the finance minister said on Sunday, after setting its sights on winning a "war" in the semiconductor industry. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said the government would soon announce details of the package, which targets chip materials, equipment makers, and fabless companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain. South Korea is also building a mega chip cluster in Yongin, south of its capital, Seoul, which it touts as the world's largest such high-tech complex. President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to pour all possible resources into winning the "war" in chips, promising tax benefits for investments.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, Choi Sang, mok, Choi, Yoon Suk Yeol Organizations: Samsung Electronics Co, Galaxy, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Finance Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea

Meanwhile, Wells Fargo called for 20% upside for Meta Platforms and raised one of its estimates for the company's ad sales. Despite those positive trends, the new price target from KBW is still below the stock's closing level on Tuesday of $245.84. — Jesse Pound 5:53 a.m.: Redburn Atlantic upgrades UPS UPS could be in for strong gains after a slow start to the year, according to Redburn Atlantic. Analyst Oliver Holmes upgraded the package delivery giant to buy, raising its price target to $180. "We believe UPS is at, or close to, trough revenue, volume, margin and share price levels," Holmes wrote to clients.

Persons: Wells, Tesla, Gary Mobley, Wolfspeed, Mobley, Wells Fargo, — Jesse Pound, Ronald Jewsikow, Guggenheim, Jewsikow, Richard Shane, Shane, Coinbase, Keefe, Kyle Voigt, Voigt, Ken Gawrelski, Gawrelski, Oliver Holmes, Holmes, Fred Imbert, ~ ~ . Organizations: CNBC, Wednesday, UPS, Hyundai, Guggenheim, JPMorgan, ADV, SEC, Meta, Wall, ~$ Locations: Wells Fargo, 4Q23 ., Tuesday's

☆ U.S. companies to announce over $1 bln of investments in the Philippines, Commerce Secretary Raimondo says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks during a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2023. American companies are set to announce investments amounting to more than $1 billion in the Philippines, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said during an official visit to Manila on Monday. Raimondo is heading a two-day trade and investment mission, the first of its kind for the Philippines. The delegation includes executives from 22 companies including United Airlines , Alphabet's Google , Visa , KKR Asia Pacific, and Microsoft . United said last week it would launch new flights from Tokyo-Narita to Cebu, Philippines starting July 31.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Raimondo, United, Joe Biden, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: Commerce, Washington , D.C, U.S . Commerce, United Airlines, Google, Visa, KKR Asia Pacific, Microsoft, U.S, Philippine Locations: Washington ,, Philippines, U.S, Manila, Tokyo, Narita, Cebu, China, South, Taiwan

☆ Lawyers who voided Elon Musk's pay as excessive want $6 bln fee
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The lawyers who voided Elon Musk's $56 billion compensation as excessive on Friday sought a record a $6 billion legal fee, payable in the electric car maker's stock. Musk blasted the request as "criminal," posting on his X platform that "the lawyers who did nothing but damage Tesla want $6 billion." The company would pay the lawyers who represented Richard Tornetta, a shareholder who sued Musk in 2018 over the pay package, which a Delaware judge nixed in January. The electric vehicle maker is being asked to pay the fee because it benefited from the return of Musk's pay package, which the legal team said will result in the return to the carmaker of 266 million shares. Judge Kathaleen McCormick, who is overseeing the case and will decide on the fee, called Musk's pay "unfathomable" in her ruling.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Elon, Musk, Richard Tornetta, nixed, Kathaleen McCormick Organizations: Elon Musk's Locations: Krakow, Poland, Delaware

☆ EU Deal for Ukraine 'Difficult' Despite Move by Hungary -Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Talks between European Union countries aimed at agreeing on more aid for Ukraine later this week remain "difficult", a senior EU official said on Tuesday, despite Hungary having signalled its readiness for a compromise. It has already once blocked the aid package and has also voiced opposition - along with EU paymaster Germany - to topping up the military fund. "We are not there yet," the EU official said under condition of anonymity, referring to preparations for the Thursday summit in Brussels of the leaders of the bloc's 27 member states. As the EU mounts pressure on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to agree, the official said Budapest's conditions for lifting its veto on the financial assistance to Kyiv were not acceptable to the other EU countries. The official added that Hungary's EU peers did not want to agree to review any support to Kyiv every year as that would give Orban a veto each time.

Persons: Russia's, Viktor Orban, Orban, Jan Strupczewski, Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Heinrich Organizations: European Union, EU, Germany, Hungarian Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Hungary, Kyiv, Russia, Brussels

☆ Von Der Leyen Confident All EU States Will Agree on Aid Package to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Gabriela BaczynskaBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's chief executive voiced confidence on Wednesday that all 27 member states will agree to jointly extend more financial aid to Ukraine. Hungary has resisted agreement on an aid package, raising the possibility of the other 26 countries giving funds to Ukraine under separate bilateral deals with Kyiv. But Ursula von der Leyen, who heads the executive European Commission, told EU lawmakers: "I am confident that we will find a solution by 27." EU leaders last month agreed to start accession talks with Ukraine but Hungary vetoed granting 50 billion euros($54 bln) in aid for Kyiv through 2027. The prospect of 26 countries giving aid to Ukraine under separate bilateral deals with Kyiv is one alternative that is under discussion.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Ursula von der Leyen, Viktor Orban, Tassilo Hummel, Bart Meijer, Gabriela Baczynska, Timothy Heritage Organizations: European Commission, EU, Russian, European, Commission, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Hungary, Brussels, Hungarian, Budapest

☆ Vodafone signs $1.5 bln Microsoft deal for AI, cloud and IoT
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Vodafone has agreed a 10-year partnership with Microsoft to bring generative AI, digital, enterprise and cloud services to more than 300 million businesses and consumers across its European and African markets. Microsoft's Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff said Vodafone's strength in IoT and financial services were strategically important. Microsoft deploys "digital twins" to model manufacturing environments so that process improvements can be tested in the cloud. "Vodafone's IoT stack allows us to go into those environments, model the environment, create large-scale data stores, and use AI to help customers meet their sustainability goals," he said. "We are excited to bring generative AI capabilities to help customers make more intelligent financial decisions," he said.

Persons: Budrul Chukrut, Vodafone's, Luka Mucic, Judson Althoff Organizations: Vodafone, LON, Getty Images, Microsoft Locations: CHINA, British, Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa

☆ Elon Musk's AI firm xAI files to raise up to $1 bln in equity offering
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 5 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has filed with the U.S. securities regulator to raise up to $1 billion in an equity offering, according to a filing on Tuesday. In a Twitter Spaces event earlier in the year he said that rather than explicitly programming morality into its AI, xAI will seek to create a "maximally curious" AI. The billionaire, who has criticized Big Tech's AI efforts as ridden with censorship, in July launched xAI, calling it a "maximum truth-seeking AI" to rival Google's (GOOGL.O) Bard and Microsoft's Bing AI. In 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, which has created a frenzy for generative AI technology around the world, but stepped down from the board in 2018. The team behind xAI, which launched in July this year, comes from Google's DeepMind, the Windows parent, and other top AI research firms.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, xAI, Google's, Bard, Microsoft's Bing, XAI, Musk, Google's DeepMind, Akash Sriram, Jaiveer, Arsheeya Bajwa, Shailesh Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Elon, Securities and Exchange Commission, Microsoft Corp, Regulators, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ P&G to record up to $2.5 bln in Gillette writedown, operations rejig
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The consumer goods giant said it would take a $1.3 billion non-cash impairment charge before tax in the current quarter ending Dec. 31 on its Gillette business. P&G, which bought Gillette for $57 billion in 2005, gets about 8% of its total sales from the grooming business. "It's very difficult for us as a U.S. dollar-denominated company to create value (in these markets)," Schulten said. Total charges will be between $2 billion and $2.5 billion after tax and will be recognized in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Net earnings attributable to the company was $14.7 billion for fiscal 2023.

Persons: Timothy Aeppel, Andre Schulten, Morgan Stanley, Schulten, Juveria Tabassum, Sriraj Organizations: Procter, REUTERS, Procter & Gamble, Gillette, Morgan, Thomson, & $ Locations: Tabler Station, West Virginia, U.S, Argentina, Nigeria

☆ EU clears up to 1.2 bln euros of aid for cloud computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Tuesday up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.30 billion) of state aid for a European cloud computing project to try to boost the involvement of EU business in a field dominated by U.S. companies. Those countries will provide up to 1.2 billion euros in public funding, which in turn is expected to unlock 1.4 billion euros in private investments, the European Commission said. The European cloud technology project features 19 companies, including French companies Atos (ATOS.PA) and Orange (ORAN.PA), Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Germany's SAP (SAPG.DE), Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) and Telefonica Espana (TEF.MC). The three biggest players in cloud computing are Amazon (AMZN.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O).

Persons: Yves Herman, Didier Reynders, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Piotr Lipinski, Philip Blenkinsop, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Commission, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Infrastructure, Services, IPCEI CIS, Union, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, Telecom Italia, Telefonica Espana, Microsoft, Google, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain

☆ Hawaiian Airlines' parent surges on $1.9 bln buyout deal with Alaska Air
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Ananta Agarwal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hawaiian Airlines airplanes sit idle on the runway at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport due to the business downturn caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. April 28, 2020. REUTERS/Marco Garcia/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 4 (Reuters) - Shares of Hawaiian Holdings (HA.O), the parent of Hawaiian Airlines, nearly tripled on Monday after Alaska Air Group (ALK.N) agreed to acquire it for $1.9 billion, including debt. Hawaiian Holdings hasn't reported an adjusted profit in three yearsAlaska and Hawaiian said on Sunday the deal, valued at $929.4 million on an equity basis, will expand their networks and offer more choices to passengers. The deal will enable Alaska to grow in the lucrative Asia Pacific market, while Hawaiian customers can travel non-stop to the U.S. mainland, Becker added. Shares of Seattle-based Alaska Air were down 17.6%.

Persons: Daniel K, Marco Garcia, TD Cowen, Helane Becker, Becker, Craig Jenks, Biden, Ananta Agarwal, Shivansh, Krishna Chandra Eluri Organizations: Airlines, Inouye, REUTERS, Hawaiian Holdings, Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Air Group, Airbus, Alaska Air, Holdings, Sunday, Asia, Airline, Aircraft, U.S . Justice, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Thomson Locations: Honolulu , Hawaii, U.S, Maui, Alaska, Asia Pacific, New York, premarket, Seattle, Bengaluru

According to data firm Preqin, only one emerging markets greenfield renewables fund has raised more than Copenhagen wants to amass, although the 2014 $3.26 billion Guangzhou City Development Industry Fund is focused on China. While a deal to phase out fossil fuels has been hard to agree, more than 60 countries have backed a global agreement to triple renewable energy this decade. The growth in demand for electricity is enormous," he told Reuters, adding that renewable energy was often the cheapest energy source. Founded in 2012, Denmark's Copenhagen manages 26 billion euros ($28.3 billion) of assets and runs 12 funds. Recent development projects include an offshore wind farm in Bangladesh and the first 100% foreign-owned offshore wind energy schemes in the Philippines.

Persons: Niels Holst, Holst, Simon Jessop, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Jan Harvey Organizations: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Reuters, Guangzhou City Development Industry Fund, Denmark's, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Copenhagen, China, Dubai, Britain, Denmark's Copenhagen, Bangladesh, Philippines, Asia, Pacific, America

The deal was expected to fail after Origin's largest shareholder, A$300 billion ($198 billion) pension fund AustralianSuper, said it would reject the A$9.39 per share offer. AustralianSuper owns about 17% of Origin, which was enough to block the bid. Origin already has plans to develop 4 gigawatts by 2030, and Chairman Scott Perkins reaffirmed that strategy, adding that the company was open to working with other investors. "The way we've seen the energy transition is there's been plenty of scope for third party capital to invest alongside Origin," Perkins told reporters after the vote. In its statement, AustralianSuper said it would be a willing capital partner for Origin as it "prepares to transition over the coming decades".

Persons: Dado Ruvic, AustralianSuper, Brookfield, Scott Perkins, Perkins, Scott Murdoch, Lewis Jackson, Alasdair Pal, Miral Organizations: Brookfield, REUTERS, SYDNEY, Origin Energy, EIG Partners, Thomson Locations: Brookfield, Australia's, Sydney

On Monday, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, energy minister and the key climate negotiator, for the kingdom, was a no-show at the Saudi Green Initiative. "The climate finance that they have pledged at this COP28 is simply not enough," said Pakistani activist Zaigham Abbas, whose country was devastated last year by widespread flooding. Elsewhere, France and Japan said they would support a move by the African Development Bank to leverage IMF Special Drawing Rights for climate and development. This year also features the biggest-ever representation of business at the annual U.N. summit, amid hopes for more private investment toward climate causes. "The scale of the climate crisis demands urgent and game-changing solutions from every industry," COP28 President Ahmed Al-Jaber said.

Persons: COP28, Johanna Geron, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Nicholas Stern, Mia Mottley, Antonio Guterres, Zaigham Abbas, Abu Dhabi, Ahmed Al, Jaber, Simon Jessop, Maha El, Al Sayegh, Alexander Cornwell, Elizabeth Piper, David Stanway, Katy Daigle Organizations: of, European Union, REUTERS, Companies, Saudi, United, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Green Initiative, Crown, Grantham Research, Asian Peoples ' Movement, Development, African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, BlackRock, HSBC, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Brussels, Belgium, Companies UAE, DUBAI, COP28, United Arab, Saudi Arabia, Sharm el, Sheikh, Egypt, Paris, China, Grantham, Barbados, France, Japan, Copenhagen, Abu

☆ Continental prepares for asset sales, tightens 2023 targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of German tyre company Continental, pictured before the company's annual news conference in Hanover, Germany, March 7, 2019. Continental said in November it would cut thousands of jobs in the automotive division worldwide and reduce the number of business areas within the division from six to five. "The automotive business is with us, it stays with us," Setzer said at a media briefing. Its 2023 outlook forecasts an adjusted EBIT margin of 5.5-6.5% on sales of 41 billion to 43 billion euros. It expected an adjusted earnings margin close to 7% at ContiTech, at or above 13% in the tyres division and near 2% in the automotive division, CFO Katja Garcia Vila said.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Nikolai Setzer, " Setzer, Katja Garcia Vila, Victoria Waldersee, Matthias Williams, Louise Heavens Organizations: Continental, REUTERS, BERLIN, Thomson Locations: Hanover, Germany, Continental, ContiTech

The logo of Swiss drugmaker Roche is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Roche (ROG.S) agreed to take over obesity drug developer Carmot Therapeutics (CRMO.O) for $2.7 billion, joining a list global contestants seeking to challenge the dominant makers of weight-loss drugs Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly. After encouraging Phase I trial results, the drug is ready to be tested on humans in the second of three trial stages, Roche added. Among recent deals to acquire obesity drug development projects, AstraZeneca (AZN.L) last month agreed to pay up to $2 billion for the rights to an experimental pill from China's Eccogene. Roche will obtain access to Carmot's current R&D portfolio including all clinical and preclinical assets.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, ROG.S, Eli Lilly, Swiss drugmaker, Roche, . New Roche, Thomas Schinecker, Ludwig Burger, Noel Illien, Rachel More, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carmot Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, Swiss, ., Alzheimer's

☆ Insurer Aspen chooses New York over London for $4 bln IPO - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Aspen Insurance (AHL_pc.N) is targeting its $4 billion initial public offering next year in New York instead of London partly due to management concerns about valuations and more stringent listing requirements in Britain, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Bermuda-based Aspen, owned by private equity group Apollo, is being advised by Goldman Sachs, Citi and Jefferies on an IPO planned for the first half of next year, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Greater liquidity in the United States was also an important factor, it added. An Aspen spokesperson declined to comment on the report. Reporting by Shivani Tanna and Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams and Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Shivani Tanna, Surbhi Misra, Alison Williams, Will Dunham Organizations: Aspen Insurance, Financial Times, Aspen, Citi, Jefferies, London, Thomson Locations: New York, London, Britain, Sunday, Bermuda, United States, Bengaluru

People arrive to attend the Pledging Conference of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for the First Replenishment in Paris, France, October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United States will pledge $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, sources familiar with matter said on Saturday as Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Dubai for the U.N. climate summit. The fund, with more than $20 billion in pledges, is the largest international fund dedicated to supporting climate action in developing countries. The latest pledge, which Reuters was first to report, would be additional to another $2 billion previously delivered by the United States. In addition to supporting climate adaptation, the fund also finances projects to help countries shift to clean energy.

Persons: Pascal, Kamala Harris, Harris, replenishments, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Nandita Bose, Valerie Volcovici, William James, Elizabeth Piper, Katy Daigle, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Climate, REUTERS, Rights, Climate Fund, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, United, Dubai, United States, U.S, COP28

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