Reuters UK Business

By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) – U.S. companies that scale back workplace diversity efforts to avoid scrutiny from the Trump administration may be exposing themselves to more discrimination lawsuits by workers, experts said. President Donald Trump this week issued a sweeping executive order directing federal agencies to terminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and encouraging private …

Despite Trump order, abandoning DEI could land companies in legal trouble Read More »

By Alexander Smith and Elisa Martinuzzi DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – British industry and energy minister Sarah Jones said that meetings in Davos this week with CEOs considering where to make their next investment had been positive as the government took its growth mantra to the Swiss mountains. “People are enthusiastic with the message that they’re …

British growth plans get positive response in Davos, minister says Read More »

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany’s top chemical maker BASF reported a drop in annual earnings below estimates on Friday, weighed by impairments on battery materials in its surface technologies unit and restructuring costs. The surface technologies unit produces materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, especially for the German automotive sector, which is now struggling against weak demand …

BASF 2024 earnings miss estimate by 1 billion euros on impairments Read More »

(Reuters) – Diageo, the world’s top spirits maker, is exploring a potential spin-off or sale of beer brand Guinness and is reviewing its stake in LVMH’s drinks unit, Moet Hennessy, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. News about a potential sale of the beer label, a star performer in Diageo’s …

Diageo exploring potential spin-off or sale of Guinness, Bloomberg News reports Read More »

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission has asked social media giants including Facebook, TikTok and X to take part in a test to see whether they are doing enough to counter disinformation in the run-up to next month’s German election, an EU spokesperson said on Friday. Microsoft, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google, Snap, Facebook-owner Meta and X …

EU to test Facebook, X and others on disinformation ahead of German election Read More »

By Carolina Mandl NEW YORK (Reuters) – The hedge fund industry ended 2024 with $4.51 trillion in assets under management, a 9.75% increase from the previous year, research firm HFR said on Friday. Total assets increased by $401.4 billion last year, the highest amount since 2021, mainly driven by a strong performance across different strategies. …

Hedge fund industry reaches $4.5 trillion in 2024 Read More »

By Hugo Lhomedet and Leo Marchandon (Reuters) -Signify, the world’s largest lighting manufacturer, said CEO Eric Rondolat would step down in April, after it reported lower sales and core earnings for 2024 on Friday. The abrupt leadership change comes at a time when the company is bracing for the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s …

Signify share buyback, CEO exit cheer investors despite declining profits Read More »

By Valentina Za and Gianluca Semeraro MILAN (Reuters) -State-backed Monte dei Paschi di Siena on Friday joined the consolidation wave sweeping Italian banking with a surprise 13.3 billion euro ($14 billion) all-share offer to buy merchant bank Mediobanca. The takeover offer, which was welcomed by the government but puzzled analysts and investors, comes after previous …

Monte dei Paschi bids for Mediobanca as Italian banking drama escalates Read More »