European stocks rally as Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is approved December 21, 2019 European stocks came close to a record high on Friday following a vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal in Parliament. The Prime Minister’s deal was passed in a second reading in the House of Commons, which now makes the UK’s exit from the EU on 31 January increasingly likely. Read more: UK stocks surge as [...]
What does the Conservatives’ victory mean for the UK economy and markets? December 20, 2019 | City Talk The large majority for Boris Johnson’s Conservative party sees the pound and UK shares react positively, as investors welcome greater clarity on the policy backdrop. The pound climbs against other major currencies and stock markets gain as the scale of the Conservative win removes policy uncertainty. Within UK equities, companies whose operations focus on the [...]
Aberdeen Standard Investments to take control of Woodford Income Focus fund December 20, 2019 Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) will take over Neil Woodford’s sole remaining fund it has been revealed today. Fund administrator Link Fund Solutions confirmed to investors this morning that the management of the £267m fund would be handed to ASI. Read more: Windup date for flagship Neil Woodford fund confirmed by administrators The management of the [...]
Endeavour hits back at Centamin over stalling claims December 19, 2019 Canadian miner Endeavour has hit back at takeover target Centamin over claims that it was stalling the sharing of information crucial to its proposed all-share merger. In a statement, Endeavour said that “the nature of the interaction from Centamin continues to suggest that it is unwilling to explore meaningfully the potential benefits of a merger.” [...]
British firms in the running for Petrobras oil fields December 19, 2019 British firms Trident Energy and Premier Oil, along with Anglo-French producer Perenco, are rumoured to be weighing up the purchase of Petrobras’ Brazilian oil fields. Sources told Reuters that the firms were in preliminary deliberations concerning a cluster of mature fields in Brazil’s Campos basin. Read more: Petrobras offloads gas pipeline to Engie as firm [...]
Farmland-focused investment trust eyes $300m UK float December 19, 2019 An investment trust focused on farmland has set out plans to float in London, aiming to be the UK’s first listed trust offering investors direct access to the asset. The Global Sustainable Farmland Income Trust is seeking to raise $300m from investors to purchase “a diverse portfolio” of farmland around the world. Read more: RBS [...]
E.on and Npower quit industry body Energy UK over membership cost December 18, 2019 Big six energy suppliers E.on and Npower have quit their membership of trade association Energy UK, it was confirmed today. The companies said that the decision was taken because they could no longer afford the membership fees. Read more: Npower announces major restructuring which could cost 4500 jobs The decision comes after Npower, which was [...]
Centamin says Endeavour is stalling in mining merger talks December 18, 2019 Canadian mining corporation Endeavour is refusing to share vital information regarding its value with takeover target Centamin unless it is given an extension to a deadline for making an offer. A statement from London-listed Centamin said that despite an agreement to exchange due diligence information, “Endeavour has now indicated that it will not provide the [...]
De Beers ends difficult 2019 with sales rise December 18, 2019 Anglo American-owned diamond specialists De Beers said that the value of rough diamond sales rose to $425m (£324.5m) in the tenth cycle of 2019. The sales marked a $25m improvement on cycle nine in November, which in turn had the highest levels since June. Read more: De Beers diamond sales improve despite market challenges However, [...]
Shell paid no corporate income tax in the UK in 2018 December 18, 2019 Oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell has revealed that it paid no corporate income tax in the UK in 2018, despite earning $731m (£557m) in profit. Instead, the Anglo-Dutch giant took nearly $115m in tax rebates related to the decommissioning of North Sea oil platforms. Read more: Mitsubishi beats Shell to purchase of Dutch energy supplier [...]