Worst sectors for boardroom diversity: Women joining FTSE 100 boards but mining lags far behind retail industry as Conservatives push to end gender pay gap July 13, 2015 More women are joining the boards of Britain’s most powerful companies, but there’s a big difference between different industries, a breakdown by sector reveals. In a bid to end the gender pay gap "in a generation”, Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans today to require UK firms to publish gender pay audits. But progress is [...]
Global activist groups gather to protest Rio Tinto investor event April 16, 2015 MINING group Rio Tinto held its annual meeting yesterday against a backdrop of protests against its environmental record. Representatives from global workers’ unions, including Unite and IndustriALL, as well as the London Mining Network, gathered in London to draw attention to the firm’s transgressions. IndustriALL’s Kemal Ozkan said: “The company systematically fails on environmental, social [...]
GlaxoSmithKline culls £17bn HIV drugs float as outlook improves May 6, 2015 PHARMA giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) yesterday abandoned plans for a float of its HIV medicines division. In first quarter results published today, the company said its decision to hang on to ViiV Healthcare reflected an “updated strong positive outlook”. Analysts at Jefferies have said ViiV could be valued at as much as £17bn on the public [...]
Rio Tinto April 20, 2015 The figures xxx Why it's interesting The FTSE giant was the target of a failed takeover bid by rival Glencore and with the six month cooling period for offers having just come to an end, investors will be eager to see what kind of shape the miner is in with speculation that a new offer [...]
Glencore reveals $1bn share buyback as earnings increase 8pc August 20, 2014 Glencore has revealed an eight per cent increase in adjusted earnings alongside plans to pay out up to $1bn of cash to shareholders through a share buyback programme. The news means Glencore will return capital to investors before mining competitors BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, with the company saying the buyback will run to March [...]
FTSE 100 miner Vedanta Resources merges Indian branches June 14, 2015 Vedanta Resources, the FTSE 100 Indian resources company, is undertaking more work to simplify its structure, confirming plans to merge its Indian subsidiaries, Mumbai-listed Vedanta Limited and Cairn India. Cairn India minority shareholders will receive one equity share in Vedanta Ltd, as well as one 7.5 per cent preference share with a face value [...]
Glencore share price rises as mining giant gives $1bn buyback to shareholders August 20, 2014 Mining and commodities giant Glencore kept to its commitment to reward shareholders as it announced a $1bn share buyback yesterday, with shares rising on the news and strong first-half results that saw its profits rise above expectations. The Switzerland based firm, founded in 1974, saw its underlying profit rise by eight per cent to [...]
Glencore share price slides after a mixed first-half output report August 13, 2014 Commodities powerhouse Glencore saw its share price slump over three per cent yesterday on a mixed half-year production report. The integrated miner trader said production of copper – the metal it makes almost half its profit from – rose 13 per cent to 741,000 tonnes. But the FTSE 100 company, which completed a $40bn (£23.9bn) merger [...]
FTSE dragged by Smith & Nephew – London Report March 3, 2015 BRITAIN’S blue chip share index gave up early gains for a third straight session yesterday and dropped back from record highs as prospects for a takeover of Smith & Nephew dimmed and its shares slumped. The FTSE 100 index was down 51.51 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 6,889.13 points at the close, not far [...]
Analyst Views: What do you make of Glencore’s results and major share buyback? August 20, 2014 MARC ELLIOT | INVESTEC With the key share buyback to return cash to shareholders, we note Glencore is the first of the diversifieds to make such a firm commitment. Operationally, marketing activities put in a solid performance, marginally ahead of expectations, as did industrial activities. CHRISTOPHER LAFEMINA | JEFFERIES Glencore reported slightly better-than-expected financial results [...]