Octopus becomes ‘unicorn’ after £300m deal with Australian firm Origin May 1, 2020 Challenger energy firm Octopus has today achieved unicorn status – a valuation of over £1bn – after agreeing a new partnership with Australian energy firm Origin. The agreement will see Origin put £300m into Octopus in return for 20 per cent of the company and license the UK firm’s Kraken technology platform to transform its [...]
Ryanair set to cut up to 3,000 jobs due to coronavirus May 1, 2020 Budget airline Ryanair has warned that it might cut up to 3,000 jobs due to the ongoing disruption from the coronavirus pandemic. The low-cost carrier said that it would begin a restructuring programme in July 2020, with most of the cuts expected to affect pilots and cabin crew staff. It also said that unpaid leave, [...]
RBS profit nearly halves due to coronavirus uncertainty May 1, 2020 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) saw its profit nearly halve in the first quarter of 2020 due to the ongoing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Despite the fall, the bank insisted it was in a “strong positon” to deal with a significant economic downturn. Shares in the bank rose 1.6 per cent in [...]
Shell chief: Economic recovery from Covid-19 could speed up energy transition April 30, 2020 Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said that economic recovery coronavirus pandemic might accelerate the shift to a low-carbon economy as the oil major released its first quarter results amid a decimated oil and gas industry. As a result of collapsed demand for fuel, the firm has elected to cut its capital spending from $25bn [...]
Coronavirus: Glencore set to cut spending as production falls April 30, 2020 Glencore said that it would cut capital spending and production guidance for the year but stressed that it was well-placed to weather the coronavirus storm. Shares in the firm fell over one per cent in the morning’s trading. The coronavirus pandemic has forced the commodities giant to halt operations in countries such as South Africa, [...]
Oil prices continue gains on signs demand starting to pick up April 30, 2020 Oil prices continued to pick up gains this morning due to the combination of signs that crude stocks are not growing as quickly as expected and that demand is slowly starting to pick up. After impressive gains yesterday, US standard West Texas Intermediate increased another 15 per cent to $17.22, buoyed by a smaller than [...]
Astrazeneca partners with Oxford University to manufacture coronavirus vaccine April 30, 2020 Drugs giant Astrazeneca has partnered with Oxford University to manufacture its potential Covid-19 vaccine, the firm announced this morning. The vaccine, which is being developed by the Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Unit, is one of 70 treatments worldwide that is under development to counter the coronavirus disease. Last week the first human trials [...]
Shell cuts dividend as earnings halve in first quarter April 30, 2020 Oil giant Shell today reduced its dividend by 66 per cent after earnings fell by 46 per cent in the first quarter due to the coronavirus crisis. The decision to reduce the dividend is the first time the firm has done so since World War Two, and means it has relinquished its position as the [...]
Elon Musk labels lockdowns ‘fascist’ as Tesla offsets automotive slump April 30, 2020 Outspoken Tesla chief executive Elon Musk labelled the US’ coronavirus lockdowns as “fascist” as the firm surprised investors with another profitable period of trading despite the current market disruption. Speaking on a conference call last night, Musk said that the measures posed a serious risk to Tesla’s business and said he did not know when [...]
SMMT: UK car production falls 38 per cent, 10 times worse than Brexit drops April 30, 2020 The coronavirus crisis hammered British car manufacturing in March, with the total number of vehicles produced falling 37.6 per cent compared to a year ago. Just 78,767 vehicles left factory gates last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That is 47,428 fewer than the previous year, as the coronavirus crisis [...]
