Reuters UK Business

(Reuters) – Shares in BASF fell 3% in early Frankfurt trading after the chemical company late on Friday reported write-downs and a drop in annual earnings below estimates. According to preliminary figures, 2024 earnings before interest and taxes fell to 2 billion euros ($2.09 billion), missing Vara’s analyst consensus of 3.2 billion euros, also falling …

BASF shares indicated 3% lower as impairments drag earnings lower Read More »

MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish oil company Repsol plans to invest 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion) in data centres, Expansion newspaper reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources close to the process. The planned data centres would be located near the northern Spanish city of Zaragoza, the newspaper said. A Repsol spokesperson did not immediately respond to …

Spain’s Repsol to invest up to 4 billion euros in data centres, Expansion says Read More »

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin Buckland For two years, investors and analysts have pondered what – if anything – could take some of the steam out of the AI stocks rally. China may have just come up with the answer. Futures in the tech-centric U.S. Nasdaq Composite …

Morning bid: China’s AI challenger puts investors on edge Read More »

By Yoruk Bahceli and Stefano Rebaudo LONDON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank meets on Thursday for the first time since Donald Trump returned to office, leaving U.S. tariff threats looming over the euro zone’s sluggish economy and potentially complicating the economic outlook. Traders reckon further rate cuts are a done deal, so the question …

In Trump’s shadow: Five Questions for the ECB Read More »

(Reuters) – Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will invest 65 million pounds ($80.71 million) to expand its luxury paint services in the UK and Slovakia to meet increased demand for personalised cars from high-end clients, it said on Monday. The luxury car maker joins rival Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a unit of BMW, in trying to cash …

JLR to invest $80 million to meet demand for custom luxury car colours Read More »

By Andy Bruce (Reuters) – A clear majority of British businesses look set to cut the size of pay awards for staff in response to coming tax hikes and they remain pessimistic about the outlook for the economy, two surveys showed on Monday. Data provider Incomes Data Research said 69% of employers it canvassed were …

UK employers target wage bill to offset tax hikes as gloom persists Read More »

(Reuters) – Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s biggest music label, and Swedish streaming giant Spotify have reached a new multi-year agreement for recorded music and music publishing, they said on Sunday. The publishing agreement establishes a direct license between Spotify and UMG across Spotify’s current product portfolio in the U.S. and several other countries, …

Universal Music Group and Spotify strike new agreement Read More »

LONDON (Reuters) – British finance minister Rachel Reeves will later this week announce plans to allow corporate pension scheme surpluses worth tens of billions of pounds to be released and reinvested, Sky News reported on Sunday. Reeves is seeking new sources of investment as she tries to breathe life into a stagnant British economy to …

UK to release pension surpluses to fuel growth push, Sky News reports Read More »