US and China welcome ‘constructive’ trade talks after delay August 25, 2020 The US and China have welcomed a “constructive” round of talks over a phase one trade deal after discussions were delayed earlier this month. In a call between US trade representative Robert Lighthitzer, US treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and Chinese vice premier Liu He, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the deal. “Both sides [...]
Tiktok sues Donald Trump over executive order banning video app August 24, 2020 Tiktok and parent company Bytedance have today sued US President Donald Trump over his decision to sign an executive order banning the short-form video app. In a blog post earlier today, the firm said that it had been left with “no choice” but to sue the president, adding that it strongly disagreed with the White [...]
BT shares jump as it ramps up defences against potential takeover August 24, 2020 Shares in BT jumped this morning following reports that the telecoms giant has ramped up its defences against a potential £15bn takeover. BT’s share price increased more than five per cent this morning after the firm took steps to strengthen its defences after its stock slumped to the lowest level in a decade. Sky News [...]
Asian stocks climb after Wall Street rally August 24, 2020 Asian stocks started the week in positive territory this morning after an announcement from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) raised hopes of a coronavirus vaccine. The FDA last night said it had authorised the use of blood plasma from recovered patients as a possible treatment for the virus. The announcement came on the [...]
BT steps up takeover defence after share price halves August 23, 2020 Bosses at telecoms giant BT have taken steps to bolster its defences against a potential takeover after a plunge in its share price. According to Sky News, the firm, which is now valued at £10.1bn, has told Goldman Sachs to update its strategy for defending BT from such a move. The plans may also involve [...]
Alibaba gets lockdown revenue boost as US threat looms August 20, 2020 Alibaba today posted better-than-expected revenue and profit in its latest quarter as the coronavirus lockdown boosted trading in its core ecommerce business. The Chinese conglomerate booked revenue of 135.8bn yuan (£14.9bn) in the three months to the end of June, up 34 per cent on the same period last year. Net income also jumped from [...]
FTSE 100 gives up gains despite S&P 500 hitting all-time high August 18, 2020 The US’s S&P 500 stock index hit an all-time high before slipping back along with the FTSE 100 and other global markets amid rising US-China tensions. The S&P 500 rose to 3,395 points, topping a high it hit in February, having been boosted by record levels of stimulus. But the index reversed course and slipped [...]
Oracle ‘in talks’ over Tiktok takeover as US ban looms August 18, 2020 Oracle is said to be mulling a bid for Tiktok as it looks to rival Microsoft in the race to take over the wildly popular social media platform. The US tech giant, which is led by billionaire Larry Ellison, has held preliminary talks with Tiktok’s Chinese parent company Bytedance over an offer for Tiktok’s operations [...]
BHP profits dip as it warns of contraction outside of China August 18, 2020 The world’s biggest mining group BHP has reported a dip in profits as it warns that major world economies outside of China will bear the brunt of the downturn. The figures BHP reported attributable profit of $8bn for the year ended 30 June, down four per cent on the previous year. Profit from operations dipped [...]
Markets live: US stocks slip as retail sales miss target while FTSE 100 slumps August 14, 2020 Wall Street opened lower after disappointing US retail data while the FTSE 100 languished in the red as the UK’s decision to add France to its quarantine list weighed down travel stocks. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 slipped in early trading on Wall Street, but recovered to tick up 0.11 per cent and 0.01 [...]