Disney beats estimates and boasts 28.6m new subscribers for streaming service February 4, 2020 Walt Disney beat analysts’ estimates for its quarterly revenue and boasted 26.5m for its Disney Plus streaming service in the quarter. In a conference call after the earnings release, chief executive Bob Iger said Disney Plus is now at at 28.6m paid subscribers as free trials turned into paid subscriptions. He said the service has “exceeded [...]
Vanguard to bypass banks with new forex algorithms February 4, 2020 Asset manager Vanguard is reportedly set to bypass banks and start using computer-run algorithms to trade FX directly with other funds. The head of FX trading at Vanguard, Andy Maack, told Reuters that the fund was in talks with several forex platforms about launching algorithms to seek out and trade with other asset managers. Trading [...]
Softbank profit plunges 99 per cent on heavy Vision Fund losses February 12, 2020 Softbank’s quarterly profit has been almost entirely wiped out after heavy losses from its Vision Fund hit the technology investor for the second consecutive quarter. The Japanese conglomerate’s operating profit from October to December plummeted 99 per cent to just ¥2.59bn (£18.2m) after its Vision Fund and a related vehicle recorded a $2bn loss. Softbank [...]
Hong Kong stock exchange share price dips in wake of £32bn offer for LSE September 12, 2019 The Hong Kong stock exchange’s share price dipped this morning as investors reacted to the group’s shock £32bn offer for its London counterpart. Shares in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) fell 3.5 per cent during trading today, underlining doubts in the market over the unprecedented bid to buy the LSE and “redefine global capital [...]
Tesla shares hit record highs as firm beats vehicle delivery estimates January 3, 2020 Shares in Elon Musk’s Tesla today hit record highs after the firm beat Wall Street estimates for annual vehicle deliveries and met the low-end of its own target. Tesla said it delivered 112,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter, including 92,550 Model 3s and 19,450 Model S/X SUVs, which was above expectations of 104,960 vehicles, according [...]
Gold hits highest values since 2013 amid geopolitical tensions November 5, 2019 Renewed economic concerns and rising geopolitical tensions has driven the value of gold to a six and a half year high, according to the Refinitiv GFMS gold survey. In the third quarter gold’s dollar value rose to an average of $1,472 (£1,144.5) per ounce, a 12 per cent increase on the previous quarter and 22 [...]
UK outbound M&A plunges to lowest level in a decade October 1, 2019 The value of UK outbound merger and acquisition (M&A) activity plunged in the third quarter, sinking to its lowest level in the last decade. M&A deals have totalled $42.9bn (£35bn) so far this year, down 69 per cent on the same time last year, according to data from Refinitiv. Read more: M&A activity targeting UK [...]
Covid-19: why the tech giants have emerged as winners May 12, 2020 While many businesses struggle to survive under the global lockdown, the largest technology companies remain afloat and in some cases are even thriving. Microsoft has reported a surge in usage of its cloud computing service Azure, as millions of people work from home. Amazon is hiring an additional 75,000 workers, on top of the 100,000 [...]
US private equity snaps up UK companies on the cheap February 17, 2020 The total value of acquisitions of UK companies by US private equity funds jumped 53 per cent last year to £19.9bn. According to a report by law firm Mayer Brown, the depressed valuations of UK companies versus their European peers has made them look to be good value for funds. The period of Brexit uncertainty, [...]
Hong Kong abandons £32bn bid for London Stock Exchange October 8, 2019 Shares in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) dropped as much as six per cent today after Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) confirmed it has abandoned its audacious £32bn takeover bid. “HKEX confirms that it does not intend to make an offer for LSE,” it told the market on open. Read more: Shareholders tell HKEX [...]