Apple fined $1.2bn by French antitrust authorities March 16, 2020 US technology giant Apple has been fined $1.2bn (£958m) by antitrust authorities in France. This is one of the largest fines the body has ever handed down. Two French wholesalers were also fined for running the cartel with Apple which exploited the company’s dependence on re-sellers. Tech Data and Ingram Micro received fines of 76.1 [...]
CBI boss calls for ‘fast’ action to help businesses March 16, 2020 The boss of the CBI has called for the government to help firms under threat from coronavirus. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn used an appearance on the BBC’s Today programme this morning to highlight the drop in demand facing businesses due to increased social distancing. This comes after the coronavirus crisis continued to escalate. “The severity of [...]
FTSE miners lead recovery as China’s infection rate slows March 13, 2020 FTSE miners led London’s blue-chip index higher today as traders welcomed a lower rate of new coronavirus infections in China. Evraz, BHP, Anglo American, Glencore and Petra Diamonds all posted double-digit gains as the FTSE 100 surged over eight per cent higher following yesterday’s record sell-off. Online trader IG analyst Joshua Mahony linked the jump [...]
Premier Oil defends state of finances amid low oil prices March 13, 2020 Premier Oil has insisted its finances are strong after a major creditor called for it to cancel expensive North Sea oil projects with oil prices perilously low. Premier Oil told investors today it has hedged 30 per cent of its full year gas and oil entitlement production at $60 a barrel. This includes 40 per [...]
Transglobe Energy reports loss as oil turmoil continues March 12, 2020 Transglobe Energy was the latest company to post a difficult set of results today as turmoil on the world oil market continues. The Canadian company, which also has extensive operations in Egypt, reported a net loss of $4m (£3.1m) for 2019 swinging from a $15m profit in 2018. That included a $7.9m non-cash impairment loss [...]
Oil giants slump as Trump EU travel ban makes COVID-19 and price war effect worse March 12, 2020 Oil company shares have sunk today after the Brent crude price sunk below $34 a barrel, as the market absorbs news of President Trump’s travel ban. Shares in BP have fallen 11.18 per cent to 280p and those of Shell are also down 11.15 per cent at 1,165p. Tullow oil and TransGlobe Energy released results [...]
Tullow Oil swings axe at workforce after massive 2019 loss March 12, 2020 Low cost oil exploration company Tullow has warned it will cut over a third of its workforce as it reported a pre-tax loss for 2019 and warned of “material uncertainty” over its future. Tullow Oil unveiled a $1.7bn pre-tax loss in 2019, down from an $85m profit in 2018. And volatility in the world oil [...]
More than $600bn could be wasted in coal power generation at expense of renewables, says report March 12, 2020 An estimated $638bn (£489bn) could be wasted world wide on using coal to generate electricity. That’s according to a report released today which advises international governments to stop using coal as soon as possible. The report by think tank Carbon Tracker Initiative says in all major electricity markets, renewables are either cheaper than new coal [...]
Balfour Beatty confirms delay to £200m share buyback due to coronavirus March 11, 2020 Shares in construction giant Balfour Beatty jumped today, despite confirmation it has scrapped a £200m share buyback. The confirmation comes after Sky News first reported the plan yesterday. Balfour Beatty posted a net profit, although it slipped from £135m in 2018 to £133m in 2019, a drop of 1.4 per cent. This was on the [...]
Costain shares crash as firm hits up investors for £100m March 11, 2020 Shares in engineering firm Costain plummeted 34 per cent today as it revealed plans to launch a £100m fund raise to bolster its balance sheet. Costain’s stock slumped to 104.8p after the announcement, which came off the back of a £6.6m loss before tax in 2019 – compared to a £40.2m profit in 2018. The [...]
