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COPENHAGEN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Lego continued to take market share in the first six months of the year even as the toy market declined and Chinese consumers returned to stores at a slower pace than expected, the Denmark-based toymaker said on Wednesday. By comparison, Lego grew sales 17% last year and 27% the year before. "But we've taken market share and have grown 10% faster than the market." The company's consumer sales grew 3% in a market that declined by 7%, meaning it grabbed market share from competitors like Hasbro (HAS.O) and Barbie-maker Mattel (MAT.O). He said he believes Lego can continue opening stores at the same pace for another five to 10 years.

Persons: toymaker, Niels Christiansen, Christiansen, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Hasbro, Mattel, Eiffel, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, China

☆ Morning Bid: Cooler labor warms markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Raindrops hang on a sign for Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., October 26, 2020. Stubborn inflation readings from Europe on Wednesday and hesitation around this week's China market rebound suggested the coast was far from clear despite worldwide stock and bond market rally in the previous session. Ebbing consumer confidence in August reinforced the message of slowing activity, however, and The Conference Board's so-called labor market differential, derived from respondents' views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard to get, narrowed by almost six points to 26.2% - its lowest since April 2021. China's stock markets also stalled after a two-day rally, with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo claiming on her three-day visit to the country that many U.S. firms now see China as "un-investable". But it seemed to draw a line under the stock market this week with a series of supports and the prospect of further cuts in lending, deposit and mortgage rates.

Persons: Mike Segar, Mike Dolan, St's, bitcoin, Gina Raimondo, Denmark's, Kristalina Georgieva, James, Brown, Forman, Louise Heavens Organizations: Wall, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Labor, Nasdaq, Securities, Exchange, U.S . Commerce, International Monetary Fund, Treasury, Cooper Companies Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Europe, China, Monday's U.S, Spain, Beijing, payrolls, Shanghai, CrowdStrike

☆ Orsted’s issues fan way beyond the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The 16 billion crown ($2.3 billion) overall hit is over half the book value of Orsted’s U.S. operations. And he’s sticking with assumptions that Orsted’s projects can generate returns of up to 300 basis points over their costs of capital. But the $7 billion hit to Orsted’s market value on Wednesday suggests investors don’t see this as a United States-specific headache. On top of this, the increase in long-dated interest rates in the United States affected both offshore as well as some onshore wind projects and will cause impairments of around 5 billion crowns, Orsted added. Orsted’s share price fell 20% to 444 Danish crowns as of 1038 GMT on Aug. 30.

Persons: Mads Nipper, don’t, Orsted’s, Nipper, Sweden’s Vattenfall, Orsted, Orsted hadn’t, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Siemens, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States

☆ Denmark's Orsted anticipates $730 mln impact on US portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

General view of the Walney Extension offshore wind farm operated by Orsted off the coast of Blackpool, Britain, September 5, 2018. 1 offshore wind farm developer, said on Wednesday it anticipates impairments of up to 5 billion Danish crowns ($729.78 million) on its U.S. portfolio, as there is an increasing risk in its suppliers' ability to deliver on their commitments. The Ocean Wind 1, Sunrise Wind, and Revolution Wind projects are adversely impacted by a handful of supplier delays, the company said in a statement. In July, Orsted's Ocean Wind project won approval from the U.S. Interior Department, to help the country reach its goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 on every shoreline.

Persons: Orsted, Phil Noble, Gursimran Kaur, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Interior Department, Ocean, Public Service Enterprise, Thomson Locations: Walney, Blackpool, Britain, U.S, Orsted, New Jersey, Bengaluru

☆ Orsted plunges 20% on risk of $2.3 billion in US impairments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | 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. "The situation in U.S. offshore wind is severe," Chief Executive Mads Nipper told reporters on a conference call. The company's Ocean Wind 1, Sunrise Wind, and Revolution Wind projects are adversely impacted by several supplier delays, which may trigger impairments of up to 5 billion crowns, the company said in a statement. On top of this, the increase in long-dated interest rates in the United States affected both offshore as well as some onshore wind projects and will cause impairments of around 5 billion crowns, Orsted said. The U.S. government has set a national goal to develop 30 gigawatt of offshore wind by 2030.

Persons: Orsted, Phil Noble, Mads Nipper, Bernstein, Terje Solsvik, Gursimran Kaur, Nora Buli, Andy Sullivan, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Ocean, Public Service Enterprise, Thomson Locations: Walney, Blackpool, Britain, Rights OSLO, United States, U.S, New Jersey, Oslo, Bengaluru

COPENHAGEN, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Denmark's Orsted (ORSTED.CO), the world's No. 1 offshore wind farm developer, on Thursday reported second-quarter operating profit below expectations and confirmed its full-year guidance. Orsted kept its 2023 forecast for EBITDA excluding new partnerships unchanged at between 20 billion and 23 billion crowns. "However, compared to the guidance provided in our annual report for 2022, we now expect higher earnings in Offshore than initially announced," Chief Executive Mads Nipper said in a statement. ($1 = 6.7816 Danish crowns)Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Orsted, Mads Nipper, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN

☆ Danske Bank hikes guidance, resumes dividends
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Nikolaj Skydsgaard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COPENHAGEN, July 21 (Reuters) - Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO) on Friday raised its full-year profit guidance and said it would resume paying dividends to its shareholders after posting forecast-beating earnings in the second quarter. Denmark's largest lender now expects net profit for 2023 to land in the range of 18.5 billion to 20.5 billion Danish crowns ($2.77 billion-$3.06 billion), up from an earlier estimate of between 16.5 billion and 18.5 billion crowns. Danske's net profit for the April-June quarter rose to 5 billion Danish crowns from 1.7 billion a year earlier, above analysts' expectations in a company-compiled poll of around 4.6 billion crowns. The better-than-expected results mirror those of rival Nordic banks Nordea (NDAFI.HE), SEB, DNB (DNB.OL) and Swedbank (SWEDa.ST), which beat analysts expectations when they published second-quarter results earlier this week. "The losses are lower than expected, and 1.5 billion crowns in loan loss provisions for the whole year acts as a built-in buffer for a further positive guidance change," Nordnet analyst Per Hansen said in a note.

Persons: Carsten Egeriis, Egeriis, SEB, Per Hansen, Nikolaj Skydsgaard, Tom Hogue Organizations: Danske Bank, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, U.S, Denmark

Pig prices soared in Europe last year as output was cut by farms squeezed by high grain and energy costs. The EU pork industry has been buffeted in the past decade by a Russian trade embargo, the westward spread of African swine fever and the COVID-19 pandemic. "We're continuing to add costs to the overall pork production chain," Justin Sherrard, global strategist for animal protein at Rabobank, said. That may mean EU pork exports, whose share of production more than doubled to 21% between 2000 and 2020, have peaked. But an inflationary economy may make consumers less ready to accept rising pork prices and deepen a shift towards chicken as a cheaper, more convenient option.

Persons: Carole Joliff, Joliff, Jean, Paul Simier, AKI, We're, Justin Sherrard, slaughterhouses, Klaus Kaiser, FICT, Rabobank's Sherrard, jamon serrano, prosciutto, Tim Koch, Gus Trompiz, Forrest Crellin, Michael Hogan, Johannes Birkebaek, Emma Pinedo, Toby Sterling, David Evans Organizations: European Union, Commission, Rabobank, BLE, Danish Crown, AMI, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Brittany, Europe, Russian, Hungarian, China, Japan, Denmark, Netherlands, Danish, France, Brazil, United States, Germany, EU, Paris, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Madrid, Amsterdam

☆ Orsted to invest $68 bln in power capacity by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil Noble/File PhotoOSLO, June 8 (Reuters) - Renewable energy group Orsted (ORSTED.CO) will invest 475 billion Danish crowns ($68.3 billion) to achieve a 2030 goal to install 50 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity, it said ahead of an investors' update later on Thursday. The Danish company said the plans were fully self-funded and it expected to exceed goals set in 2021 for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) as well as for return on capital employed (ROCE). "We're on track to outperform our previous EBITDA and ROCE targets for 2020-2027, confirming the significant value in our portfolio of renewable projects," Chief Executive Mads Nipper said in a statement. 1 offshore wind farm developer by gigawatt capacity, operates 15.5 GW of renewable energy assets. Capacity of 4.9 GW is under construction and projects representing another 10.6 GW have been awarded, it said.

Persons: Orsted, Phil Noble, Mads Nipper, Bernstein, Terje Solsvik, Essi Lehto, David Goodman, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Walney, Blackpool, Britain, OSLO, Danish

☆ Danske Bank raises profit goal, puts Norway retail unit up for sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nikolaj Skydsgaard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Danske Bank has during recent years made fundamental changes to refocus the bank, reduce our risk exposure, develop our organisation and accelerate our commercial momentum," said CEO Carsten Egeriis. Rival Nordic banks Nordea (NDAFI.HE) and DNB (DNB.OL) both have long-term ROE targets of more than 13%, while Swedbank (SWEDa.ST) has a goal of at least 15%. Danske Bank is Norway's third-biggest bank after DNB and Nordea with a market share of close to 5%, regulatory data shows. Danske also said it would double investments into the strategic development of the bank, including digital platforms, expert advisory services and sustainability. It plans to maintain its dividend payout ratio of between 40-60% of net profit.

Persons: Carsten Egeriis, Danske, JP Morgan, Nikolaj Skydsgaard, Terje Solsvik, Jason Neely Organizations: Bank, Danske Bank, Danske, Nordic, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, United States, Denmark

☆ Bet365 must pay compensation to Danish soccer star Eriksen and others, court finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The owner of Bet365, Malta-based Hillside Plc, was ordered to pay 4.7 million Danish crowns ($697,000) to the athletes, including badminton player and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, football player Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. Manchester United midfielder Eriksen, whose image was used the most frequently according to the plaintiffs, was awarded the largest sum amounting to 1.45 million crowns, the verdict showed. While Bet365 had argued that its use of names and images should be regarded as editorial content, and was therefore not subject to payments, the court found instead that it amounted to marketing that required consent. Reuters was not immediately able to reach the company or its lawyers for comment. ($1 = 6.7433 Danish crowns)Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Novo Nordisk cuts some US supply of obesity drug Wegovy to cope with demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nikolaj Skydsgaard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Novo halves supply of Wegovy starter doses in U.S. "To safeguard continuity of care, the supply of the lower Wegovy dose strengths in the US will be reduced temporarily," Novo said in a statement. Novo has faced supply constraints for its hugely popular Wegovy drug as a result of overwhelming demand, and has invested massively in increasing supply. Supply of starter doses in the U.S. would be cut by around 50% for "some months," Jorgensen added. Credit Suisse analysts said they were not surprised by the move, given the level of demand for the drug.

☆ Novo Nordisk’s chunky valuation risks crash diet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO) weighty valuation could be headed for a crash diet. This lofty position is thanks to its domination of the obesity market via its Wegovy drug. Obesity sales for Novo are still only expected to reach $12 billion by 2027, according to estimates from Visible Alpha. It also remains unclear how fast the obesity drug market will grow. Novo reported earnings before interest and taxes of 25 billion Danish crowns ($3.72 billion), above an average analyst forecast of 22.4 billion, according to a Refinitiv poll.

☆ Weight-loss drug maker Novo Nordisk beats earnings forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Novo Nordisk A/S FollowCOPENHAGEN, May 4 (Reuters) - Danish drug developer Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) on Thursday reported first-quarter operating profit above analyst forecasts, helped by sales in the United States of its hugely popular Wegovy weight-loss drug. Novo reported earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 25 billion Danish crowns ($3.72 billion), above an average analyst forecast of 22.4 billion, according to a Refinitiv poll. Earlier this month, Novo, the second-most valuable company in Europe by market capitalisation, significantly raised its full-year operating profit and sales expectations on the back of strong demand for Wegovy. Novo on Thursday maintained the full-year growth guidance in local currencies. It specified that sales and operating profit growth reported in Danish crowns are now expected to be 6 and 9 percentage points lower than at local currencies, respectively.

☆ Investors see big Novo Nordisk stock boost if obesity drug shows heart benefit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Demand for the Danish company's weight-loss treatment Wegovy is soaring in the United States, leading it to significantly raise its full-year profit and sales expectations last month. "But most insurance companies (...) may need to see that data, to definitively see the correlation between weight loss and improved outcomes." Less than 15% could put downward pressure on the stock while around 10% would be a major disappointment, some of the investors and analysts said. Booming demand and production issues have caused shortages of Wegovy though, forcing Novo to delay launching the weekly injection in most of Europe. Even with the medical benefit, investors say the company faces a challenge convincing Europe's cost-conscious health authorities to pay for the drug.

☆ Denmark to make $250 mln donation to Ukraine for military use
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) - Denmark will donate military equipment and financial support to Ukraine worth 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($250 million), the Nordic country's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday. The minister also said Denmark will reduce its military presence in Iraq starting in early-2024 and instead focus on the Baltic countries, offering NATO a battalion to defend the region. The rest of the year, the troops will remain in Denmark, ready to be deployed to the Baltic states in case of a crisis, the ministry of defence said. "We must be prepared for the Danish presence in the Baltics to be long-term, and there is a need for balancing between having soldiers on the ground and being ready to deploy them from Denmark," Poulsen said. ($1 = 6.8051 Danish crowns)Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deutsche Boerse launches 3.9 bln euro bid for Denmark's SimCorp
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) on Thursday launched a 3.9 billion euro ($4.31 billion) takeover offer for Danish software company SimCorp SA (SIM.CO), aiming to boost growth by increasing the range of products and services offered to customers. Shares in Deutsche Boerse were seen down 1.4% in pre-market trade. Deutsche Boerse will make an all-cash voluntary recommended public takeover offer to acquire all SimCorp shares at 735 Danish crowns ($109.04) per share, a statement from the German exchange operator said. "The board of directors of SimCorp has unanimously decided that it intends ... to recommend that the shareholders of SimCorp accept the offer," the Danish company said in a statement. Financial software provider SimCorp, which has more than 2,200 employees, posted operating profit of 126 million euros on revenue of 561 million euros last year.

☆ Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic back in supply in US after months of shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) best-selling diabetes treatment drug Ozempic is back on the shelves in the United States after months of shortage, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website showed on Friday. The main active ingredient in Ozempic is semaglutide, also the key ingredient in Novo's obesity drug Wegovy, which has been seeing supply shortage due to high demand. The company said the 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and the 1 mg doses of Ozempic are available for patients. The 2 mg dose, however, has limited availability until the end of this month, largely due to the demand coupled with overall global supply constraints. "While product continues to be manufactured and shipped, patients in some areas of the country will experience delays with the 2mg dose," Novo Nordisk said.

☆ Bang & Olufsen shares drop after disappointing China sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Headphones are displayed in the Bang & Olufsen flagship store in Copenhagen, Denmark October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen/File PhotoSTOCKHOLM, March 17 (Reuters) - Shares in Bang & Olufsen (BO.CO) plummeted 11% on Friday after the Danish audio and video equipment maker reported a preliminary operating loss for the third quarter and lowered its full-year profit outlook due to disappointing sales in China. The company posted an operating loss before special items for the third quarter of 43 million Danish crowns ($6.14 million) between December to February. Sales in China declined by 65% in the third quarter, the company said. Shares in B&O were trading 11% lower by 1513 GMT, headed for their biggest daily decline since December 2019.

☆ Factbox: Global firms with exposure to collapsed SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Startup-focused lender SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O) became the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis last week, sending shockwaves across global markets as billions of dollars belonging to companies and investors were left stranded. The collapse raised concerns that the end of decades-long era of cheap money would reveal cracks in the global financial system as climbing interest rates expose vulnerabilities in the economy. HSBC (HSBA.L) said on Monday it is acquiring the UK subsidiary of SVB for 1 pound, rescuing a key lender for technology start-ups in Britain. Below is a list of companies across the globe that have revealed their exposure to SVB:EUROPEAround 16 tech and life sciences companies in Europe have disclosed about $190 million in exposure to SVB in the UK and the United States. Moonpig adds that SVB UK is one of ten lenders that provide senior debt facilities to the group as part of a strong banking syndicateASIA-PACIFICNITRO SOFTWARE (NTO.AX)Australia's productivity software maker Nitro Software Ltd (NTO.AX) said it had about $12.18 million of its global cash reserves held on deposit at SVB.

☆ Factbox: Which companies are affected by SVB collapse?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

ROKU (ROKU.O)Streaming devices maker says it has about $487 million, or 26% of its cash and cash equivalents, held in deposits with SVB. CIRCLEUS cryptocurrency firm Circle says $3.3 billion of its $40 billion of USD Coin reserves are at SVB. BLOCKFIBankrupt crypto lender BlockFi Inc has roughly $227 million in unprotected funds at SVB, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY (VIR.O)Biotech firm says it maintains operating accounts at SVB with about $220 million as of Friday. EUROPEAround 16 tech and life sciences companies in Europe have disclosed about $190 million in exposure to SVB in the UK and the United States.

Carlsberg shares have risen more than 60% during Hart's tenure, outperforming AB Inbev and Heineken, whose shares have dropped around 47% and risen around 45% respectively. Carlsberg's shares fell 3.5% at market open in Copenhagen, but later pared losses and were 0.7% lower at 1118 GMT. "Cees 't Hart has delivered remarkable results during his time at Carlsberg," Supervisory Board Chair Henrik Poulsen said. It is also seeking an option to buy back the Russian business in the future. With only around 16% of revenue coming from Eastern Europe, Carlsberg's biggest markets are Western Europe and Asia.

☆ Carlsberg CEO Hart's retirement plan triggers share fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Nikolaj Skydsgaard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hired in 2015, partly to help restore sluggish sales in its Eastern Europe division, including Russia, Hart has successfully overseen Carlsberg's SAIL'22 strategy, which focused on cutting costs and improve sales of more premium beer brands. Carlsberg said in a statement that Hart planned to leave by the end of the third quarter. "Cees 't Hart has delivered remarkable results during his time at Carlsberg," Supervisory Board Chair Henrik Poulsen said. "He has really been a significant person in the transformation that has taken place, it's been very impressive to witness," Laustsen added. It is seeking an option with the buyer to buy back the Russian business in future.

☆ Lego looks to build on 2022 sales growth with more China stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COPENHAGEN, March 7 (Reuters) - Toymaker Lego said store openings in China and strong demand in Western Europe and the Americas had delivered 17% sales growth in 2022, adding that it expects to outpace the market this year. Lego plans to open another 145 stores this year, mostly in China, which Christiansen said in an interview he expects will help it to grow sales by a high single-digit percentage. "After a few extraordinary years we may see a return to more normal growth," Christiansen said. "High growth in sales has helped us compensate for those extra costs on freight, energy and raw materials," he said. As part of its strategy of placing production close to its key markets, Lego plans to begin operating new factories in Vietnam and Virginia, U.S. in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

☆ Bavarian Nordic to buy travel vaccine portfolio for up to $380 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Danish pharmaceuticals company Bavarian Nordic (BAVA.CO) has agreed to buy a portfolio of travel vaccines from Emergent BioSolutions Inc (EBS.N) for up to $380 million, it said on Wednesday after delivering an upbeat outlook for 2023. The company said it would acquire a typhoid fever vaccine, one against cholera and a Chikungunya virus treatment that is in Phase III trials. Bavarian Nordics makes the only approved mpox vaccine and started receiving massive orders last year as the virus became a global issue. The company expects 2023 revenue of about 6 billion Danish crowns ($863 million) against the 3.15 billion crowns in preliminary 2022 results, with 4.4 billion crowns coming from mpox and smallpox vaccined contracts alone. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) are expected to reach 2.2 billion crowns this year, up from 329 million crowns in the preliminary results for 2022.

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