Companies

Elliott Management, a US hedge fund, has bought the bonds of the troubled British utility Thames Water in an attempt to bet the markets are too pessimistic about the losses investors might have to bear. Elliott has built up a position on…

Where is Selfridges second largest store? "Is it in Birmingham, or Manchester?" asked one of Central Group's executive directors. Central Group is the Thai conglomerate which co-owns this historic department store chain. It is a strange…

A leading fund manager said that it might take a bid to buy a large UK blue-chip company to awaken investors to the value of the London stock market, which is oversold. Nick Train, a well-known stock picker, once said: "Sometimes, you…

Daniel Kretinsky, however, was not one of those people. He had his work on his mind as he stretched out on a lounger on holiday. The "Czech Sphinx", who was on holiday, picked up the phone and dialed Keith Williams. He then made a…

Daniel Kretinsky wants to take full control of the parent company IDS, which is responsible for the postal service Royal Mail has rejected a takeover offer from billionaire Daniel Kretinsky of the Czech Republic, as the 500 year old…

After a dramatic drop in Champagne sales, the owner of Moet & Chandon and Krug has a post-pandemic 'hangover. LVMH, a French luxury goods company, saw its wine and spirits sales plummet 16pc to €1.4bn ($1.2bn), during the first…

Apple's lead on the global smartphone market was lost at the beginning of 2024. iPhone sales fell by 10% as Chinese competitors such as Xiaomi grew rapidly. According to International Data Corporation's market research, Samsung has…

In the two years following 2021, water companies in England & Wales have paid £2.5bn as dividends to shareholders and added £8.2bn net debt. According to the updated numbers, the 16 water monopolies paid out a combined total of £78bn…

Tesla has cut more than 10% of its staff -- or at least 14,000 positions -- due to a global EV slowdown, and a brutal price war. "We have. . . We made the difficult choice to reduce our global headcount by over 10 percent. . . This will…

After accepting a £378million offer from a Belgian group of self-storage, it appears that Lok'nStore will be the next British firm to be acquired by an overseas competitor. Shurgard's offer works out to £11.10 per share, 15.9% higher…

Tesco will give a "thank-you" bonus to more than 220,000 workers after the profits of the supermarket rose by nearly 160 percent last year. The largest private employer in Britain announced that it will give out around £70 million, or…

Macquarie, a financial group based in Australia, is a member of the consortium that lends to Thames Water parent company Kemble Water Finance. The fate of the struggling utility could be decided by the lenders last week, including two…

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest chipmaker, has agreed that its most advanced products will be made in Arizona starting in 2028. This is a major boost for White House efforts to bring manufacturing of…

The UK's largest long-term retirement and savings business has drawn up plans for a new superfund that will support fast-growing businesses as a boost to Jeremy Hunt. Phoenix, the company that owns Standard Life, has begun creating a…

Hedge funds are swooping on the UK's £200bn Investment Trust sector, which is being shunned and undercut by cheaper competitors. Investment Trusts have been a cornerstone in UK equity markets for more than 100 years. They are now facing…

Rolls-Royce has started flight testing on its most powerful and environmentally friendly business jet engine. The Pearl 10X is a new engine developed specifically for the Dassault Falcon 10X. This aircraft will be in service by 2027.…

Chinese tea buyers have disrupted a heated trade dispute between Nepal and India, which has led to the introduction of counterfeit Darjeeling tea into teapots that were not expecting it. Indian tea estates are under pressure because of a…

Shein, an online fast-fashion company, has seen its profit more than double as it waits for Beijing's approval to list its blockbuster in New York or London. Shein has recorded a record profit of over $2bn for 2023. The company's website…