Total profits jump on strong refining margins October 31, 2012 French oil company Total posted a 20 per cent rise in third quarter profit this morning to €3.3bn (£2.7bn), up from €2.8bn last year. Europe’s third-largest oil company benefited from a temporary widening between the price of crude and the selling price of its fuels, thanks mainly to refinery closures in the US and Europe, [...]
Barclays posts third quarter loss as profit hit by PPI October 31, 2012 High street bank Barclays this morning posted a third quarter loss of £47m, following charges to cover costs relating to missold payment protection insurance (PPI). The loss compares with a £2.4bn profit over the third quarter of last year. Adjusted profits for the bank, which do not take into account additional items, came in at [...]
ArcelorMittal slashes dividend on weak third quarter results October 31, 2012 Steelmaker ArcelorMittal said this morning it would cut its annual dividend, as it reported a net loss for the third quarter. ArcelorMittal reported a third quarter core profit of $1.34bn (£833.1m), in line with market expectations, but its lowest level in three years. That resulted in a net loss of $709m. The world’s largest steelmaker [...]
After the storm October 30, 2012 ■ Stock markets set to re-open today ■ New York may be without power for days ■ Obama and Romney halt campaign events NEW YORK began to pick up the pieces of Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath last night, after Wall Street was brought to a standstill for a second consecutive day. Millions still face power outages [...]
UBS traders shown the door as axe falls in City October 30, 2012 TEN THOUSAND bankers will lose their jobs at Swiss giant UBS over the next two years, the bank revealed yesterday, as the group cuts back on investment banking operations. Over 100 London staff were hit immediately, largely in fixed income units. Yesterday morning the unsuspecting employees were intercepted at the reception of their City offices [...]
Heseltine calls for power to be devolved to regions October 30, 2012 MICHAEL Heseltine will today call for a swathe of economic powers to be devolved to regional institutions, as he demands “every sinew of our body politic” is stretched in the UK’s fight to remain globally competitive. In March the Conservative peer was commissioned by the government to look at ways of boosting economic growth. His [...]
What the other papers say this morning October 30, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Google and Starbucks face grilling Google and Starbucks will be subjected to parliamentary scrutiny over their tax affairs on Monday with the public accounts committee demanding the two US corporate giants give evidence. The committee has agreed to call in the two companies to give evidence at a session into Revenue & Customs [...]
The report’s path to economic growth October 30, 2012 ■ Establish a Prime Minister-led National Growth Council, ensuring all parts of government support growth. ■ Launch an independent body to ensure the Council’s conclusions are fully and swiftly implemented. ■ Introduce a substantial devolution of funding from central government to Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs), based on major regional centres such as Manchester and Birmingham. [...]
Cameron faces large rebellion on EU budget October 30, 2012 DAVID Cameron is today facing the prospect of a substantial backbench rebellion against his stance on EU budget negotiations. Around 40 Tory MPs have already signed an amendment to today’s motion, calling for the Prime Minister to demand a real-term reduction in EU spending. If around 50 Conservatives decide to vote against the government and [...]
UBS swings to loss on a huge goodwill blow October 30, 2012 SWISS bank UBS swung to a loss in the third quarter on costs related to the cuts in its investment arm and a hit from a revaluation of the bank’s debt, according to results published yesterday. The bank lost SFr2.2bn (£1.5bn) in the three-month period, compared with a profit of SFr 435m in the previous [...]