Bill Gates tops US rich-list as Trump plunges October 4, 2016 Microsoft founder Bill Gates has retained his position as the richest person in the US for the 23rd year running. The latest Forbes ranking of the richest Americans put the tech entreprenuer top with a net worth of $81bn (£62bn). Meanwhile, US presidential hopeful Donald Trump took a hit, with his personal fortunre dropping around $800m, [...]
Mental health is being ignored by UK business October 4, 2016 Employers across the UK are failing to provide adequate mental health support, new research has shown. More than three quarters (77 per cent) of employees have experienced symptoms of poor mental health in their lives, with 62 per cent of employees saying work has been a contributing factor. Despite this, over half of workers (56 [...]
Oil briefly rises above $51 per barrel, buoyed by Opec optimism October 3, 2016 Oil briefly rose above $51 per barrel today as investors weighed optimism over oil cartel Opec’s ability to agree on a production cut against the stubborn oversupply. The group is meeting next month in Vienna after signalling at a summit last week in Algeria that they could reach their first output agreement in eight years. Brent crude, the [...]
Bupa giving dentistry chain Oasis a check up as preliminary talks for a bid get underway October 3, 2016 Private healthcare group Bupa is weighing a takeover bid for dentistry chain Oasis. Oasis, currently owned by private equity firm Bridgepoint, could be worth in the region of £500m, though reports of its value vary. Bupa has held preliminary talks with Oasis Healthcare's management and shareholders about a deal, it was first reported by Sky News. Discussions are said to [...]
Clinton has Mylan and Wells Fargo in her sights with plans to target “bad corporate actors” October 3, 2016 US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is set to go after "bad corporate actors", she's expected to say in a speech later. The Democratic hopeful plans to make it easier for consumers to take legal action against the likes of Wells Fargo and Mylan, who have recently both had run ins with regulators and corporate watchdogs. According [...]
AstraZeneca licences Crohn’s disease treatment to Allergan for $1.5bn October 3, 2016 Drug giant AstraZeneca has struck a deal with Ireland-based pharma firm Allergan to licence a treatment for Crohn's disease. Allergan will pay $250m upfront and make further payments of up to $1.27bn depending on how the drug performs. AstraZeneca's shares climbed on the news and were earlier up some 1.5 per cent in mid-morning trading. Shares have fallen back a little since then [...]
TalkTalk is jumping before it’s pushed and has done away with separate line rental charges October 3, 2016 TalkTalk has moved to scrap separate line rental charges in a system reboot that it hopes will go some way to repairing the damage to its reputation caused by its data breach last year. Following in the footsteps of Vodafone in August TalkTalk will move to a single combined monthly price. It announced it would make the change [...]
Google has been given until the end of the month to respond to the EU Commission over antitrust charges October 3, 2016 Search giant Google has been given until the end of the month to respond to accusations the dominance of its mobile operating system Android is anti-competitive. The deadline – the fourth extension that Google has been granted – is the latest twist in the long-running battle between the European Commission and Google over anti-competitive behaviour. Over the weekend [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open October 3, 2016 Sterling has dropped after Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK will trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union by March next year. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm. US stock futures are broadly flat in the pre-market. The S&P is off by just 0.01 per [...]
Medical goods maker Convatec announces London listing October 3, 2016 A major international maker of medical products unveiled plans to raise $1.8bn from a London initial public offering (IPO) this morning. Convatec, which specialises in making products for incontinence, wound therapeutics, and critical care announced this morning its intention to float in "late October or early November". The company was sold by the healthcare giant Bristol-Myers Squibb in [...]
