Barclays, Shell and BP feel the heat as activist investors launch record green campaigns July 4, 2023 Shell, BP and Barclays have felt the wrath of activist investors this year as corporate pressure campaigns are launched in record numbers across Europe, new research shows. The number of activist campaigns in Europe has climbed each month this year to a total of 25 campaigns by May, fuelled by a spike in environmental campaigns [...]
FTSE 100 close: Markets close lower as housebuilders weigh on index June 7, 2023 Strong morning bumps for Primark-owner Associated British Foods and BT were offset by a slump for housebuilders today as the FTSE 100 closed marginally lower. A slump in trading for housebuilders kept movement on London’s flagship index subdued, with the index closing lower. Housebuilders were down after figures from Halifax showed a first annual fall [...]
FTSE 100 close: US recession jitters outweigh oil price surge on London index June 5, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 lost momentum in the afternoon session today after new data revealed the US economy is wilting under the weight of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. The capital’s premier index slipped 0.1 per cent to 7,600 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of [...]
BP and Heathrow join new BCC business council pitched as CBI rival June 5, 2023 Top global firms have led the charge to support a new rival to the under-fire CBI lobbying organisation. Energy giant BP, power firm Drax, Heathrow Airport and international hoteliers IHG have become founding members of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) business council. The organisation is set to take on the Confederation of British Industry [...]
Offshore: 1,650 workers to strike in sector’s biggest walkout – following Shell and BP’s £11.7bn profits May 23, 2023 Around 1,650 North Sea offshore contractors will begin two new rounds of 48-hour strike action in what a trade union said is the biggest walkout in the sector so far. The workers are striking in an increasingly bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions in the offshore sector, Unite said. The union says BP and Shell recorded [...]
Markets: Three things we learned this week May 5, 2023 This week the markets had a lot to digest, bumper energy profits, the tail end of the banking sector’s latest round of results, and a rate rise from the Federal Reserve. There was also some positive house price data, which gave the FTSE 100 a spring in its step. With Coronation weekend looming we take [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index slips despite Shell rising after posting £7.6bn profit May 4, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 tumbled today despite investors piling into Shell after it launched a fresh buyback funded from its huge first quarter profits. The capital’s premier index fell 1.04 per cent to 7,707.52 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dropped 0.62 per [...]
Windfall windbags: Labour calls for tougher tax after BP profits May 3, 2023 Windfall tax-backing politicians were described as “completely out of ideas” after calling for the levy to be toughened up.
BP and the ‘profits of war?’ Could falling energy prices end the battle for a tougher windfall tax May 2, 2023 As Labour ramps up calls for a tougher windfall tax, it would be easy to miss that BP's shares are down five per cent on the FTSE 100.
BP profits the “unearned windfalls of war” say Labour as windfall tax row heats up May 2, 2023 "Pearl-clutching" begins with Labour and Lib Dems plotting moves to toughen up windfall tax - despite BP paying a further £520m already