The Week in Business: Is Net Zero going out of fashion? February 14, 2025 Just a few short years ago BP proudly told us they were embarking on a journey – and I quote – “in support of our purpose to reimagine energy for people and our planet, and our ambition to become a Net Zero company by 2050 or sooner and help the world get to Net Zero.” [...]
Elliott takes up £3.8bn stake in BP February 13, 2025 Notorious activist investor Elliott Management has taken up a £3.8bn stake in BP, becoming the ailing oil major’s third-largest shareholder, according to reports. The US fund’s investment in the London-listed petrochemical giant emerged last weekend, shortly before BP reported an anaemic set of full-year results that saw its profit slump to $8.9bn (£7.9bn). The earnings [...]
BP’s Net Zero push has crashed into reality February 12, 2025 I remember when I first encountered a hard copy FTSE 100 annual report. I was a first year undergraduate and my achingly left-wing lecturer in Business and Politics dropped copies in front of us in a seminar room, and asked us to rank the directors “on a fat cat scale.” I can still recall the [...]
BP to target shareholder returns as firm plans fundamental reset February 11, 2025 Oil and gas giant BP has promised to “fundamentally reset” its strategy and improve its performance after profit crashed last year. On Tuesday, the group reported a near 50 per cent decline in profit for the fourth quarter due to a collapse in profit at its refining arm. The results prompted boss Murray Auchincloss to [...]
BP shares top the FTSE 100 as Elliott stake ignites breakup chatter February 10, 2025 BP shares jumped to the top of the FTSE 100 this morning as a rumour emerged that an activist hedge fund had taken a position in the stock. Shares in the blue-chip oil giant jumped eight per cent in early deals on the news activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management had built a position in [...]
Cut taxes for BP and Shell to protect UK from Trump’s trade war, Rachel Reeves told February 6, 2025 Oil giants such as BP and Shell who operate in the North Sea should be given huge tax breaks to help protect the UK against Donald Trump’s burgeoning trade war, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told. Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the UK government to reduce the 78 per cent tax [...]
Shell’s spending on renewables falls as firm prioritises shareholder returns January 30, 2025 Shell paid out more than £18.7bn to shareholders in 2024 while cutting spending on renewable energy according to its full year results. The FTSE 100 giant reported a dip in earnings from £23bn in 2023 to £19.1bn in 2024 amid weaker oil prices and lower demand for fossil fuels. Despite the drop-off in earnings, Shell said [...]
BP to axe thousands of job in cost cutting drive January 16, 2025 BP told staff on Thursday its plans would impact around 4,700 roles and that it would also reduce contractor numbers by 3000.
BP reveals boss Auchincloss recovering after procedure as it signals weaker trading January 14, 2025 Oil giant BP has delayed an investor event due to be held in New York to allow boss Murray Auchincloss to recover after a medical procedure as it signalled weaker end-of-year trading. Its scheduled capital markets event that was due on February 11 in New York will now be delayed until February 26 and will [...]
FTSE bosses should be paid like top footballers, says ICAP founder December 11, 2024 Bosses of London-listed firms should be paid like the best footballers without facing a backlash, Michael Spencer has argued. The founder of brokerage ICAP and former Conservative party Treasurer said that to attract top talent to run major companies, the UK needed to tackle the “political hot potato” of FTSE bosses’ pay. “We don’t mind [...]