Eurozone economic sentiment hits 15-month high July 30, 2013 Economic sentiment in the Eurozone rose to 92.5 in July from 91.3 the month before. This is the third consecutive month of increases and puts the index at a 15-month high. However, forecasts of 92.6 were just slightly too optimistic (release). Growth was driven by confidence boosts in industry (up 0.6 to -10.6) services (beating [...]
BP profits fall as Gulf spill costs leap in second quarter July 30, 2013 OIL GIANT BP today posted a 25 per cent fall in second-quarter profits to $2.7bn (£1.8bn) year-on-year, due to lower oil prices and higher taxes. The firm also said that provisions for compensation claims relating to the Gulf of Mexico disaster had increased by $1.4bn over the second quarter, bringing total claims costs to $19.7bn [...]
Hedge fund manager pushes Sony to ditch entertainment division July 30, 2013 Activist investor Dan Loeb has stepped up his campaign to force Sony into spinning off its entertainment group in an investor letter. Loeb’s hedge fund Third Point owns around seven per cent of Sony. While he says the company as a whole is “significantly undervalued”, the entertainment division is “poorly managed, with a famously bloated [...]
Vodafone launches Kabel takeover offer July 30, 2013 TELECOMS company Vodafone today said it has formally launched a takeover offer for German cable company Kabel Deutschland, after beating European cable giant Liberty Global in a bidding war last month. The British firm has offered €84.50 (£73) per Kabel share in cash, plus the payment of the proposed €2.50 dividend announced by the cableco [...]
Rate of Spanish decline begins to moderate as prime minister approaches corruption hearing July 30, 2013 The Spanish economy has been contracting for two years now, according to GDP data released this morning. Compared to the first quarter of the year, second quarter GDP fell by 0.1 per cent, and by 1.7 per cent relative to the same period the year before (release). However, the rate of decline is moderating, pointing [...]
Centrica buys US gas supplier for £480m July 30, 2013 ‘BIG SIX’ energy company Centrica today said that it has agreed to buy a US business-to-business gas supplier for $731m (£478m), as it looks to expand its operations in North America. The FTSE 100-listed firm said its North American subsidiary, Direct Energy Business, would acquire the New Jersey-based energy marketing business of Hess Corporation for [...]
Barclays shares drop as profits fall and announces plans to fill capital hole July 30, 2013 Barclays has reported a 17 per cent fall in half year adjusted profits to £3.591bn as it was hit by the cost of a group-wide restructure in the wake of the Libor rate-rigging scandal. The bank also reported that its capital hole was much larger than thought at £12.8bn and announced a £5.8bn capital-raising rights [...]
BP profits fall on lower oil prices July 30, 2013 BP has reported it made an underlying pre-tax profit of $2.7bn in the second quarter of the year, down 45 per cent from the first quarter and 25 per cent from the same period the year before. Shares are down nearly three per cent. The fall was driven primarily by lower oil prices, an unusually [...]
ITV shares open up three per cent on better than expected profits July 30, 2013 ITV has reported a better-than-expected 16 per cent rise in first half adjusted pre-tax profits to £270m, with adjusted earnings per share up 15 per cent to 5.3p (release). Shares opened up over three per cent on the news. This came despite an expected fall in advertising revenues, as significant growth in online, pay & [...]
Barclays shares drop as it reports a fall in profits and plans to fill £12.8bn capital hole July 30, 2013 Barclays has reported a 17 per cent fall in half year adjusted profits to £3.591bn as it was hit by the cost of a group-wide restructure in the wake of the Libor rate-rigging scandal. The bank also reported that its capital hole was much larger than thought at £12.8bn and announced a £5.8bn capital-raising rights [...]