LONDON (Reuters) - British inflation rose by a little more than expected in December, pushed up by transport costs such as air fares, official data showed on Wednesday. Consumer prices rose 0.6% in annual terms after a 0.3% increase in November, the Office for National Statistics said. A Reuters poll of economists...
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LONDON (Reuters) - British retailer Dixons Carphone (LON:DC) reported a rise in sales of electricals over Christmas as a strong online performance more than offset the closure of stores during COVID-19 lockdowns. Like-for-like sales of electricals increased 11% in the 10 weeks to Jan. 9, said the group, which trades as Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse in the UK. Dixons Carphone...
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LONDON (Reuters) - Global education group Pearson said group sales fell by 10% in 2020, marking an improvement in the final quarter, as growth in online learning demand offset cancelled exams. The British company, which had reported a 14% sales drop in the first nine months, said it expected to report adjusted operating profit in a range of 310 million pounds...
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(Reuters) - British pub operator Wetherspoon on Wednesday said it raised 93.7 million pounds ($127.92 million) in its second cash call from investors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the government's order to close hospitality venues hammers its finances. The cheap beer specialist said 8.4 million new shares had been placed by Investec Bank at a price of 1,120 pence...
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By Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. corporate results and profit outlooks are becoming increasingly important in sustaining investor optimism in a stock market rally that has driven valuations close to a 20-year high. With fourth-quarter reports starting to pour in, the benchmark S&P 500 is trading at 22.6 times earnings estimates for the next 12 months, according to Refinitiv Datastream....
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LONDON (Reuters) - London Stock Exchange said on Tuesday that it should complete its $27 billion acquisition of Refinitiv on Jan. 29, as it bulks up into a major financial data provider to compete with Bloomberg. The company said it expected all outstanding regulatory approvals for the deal to come "shortly", enabling it to close the all-share deal in coming days. The...
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(Reuters) - Mike Ashley-led Frasers said on Tuesday it has increased its stake in German luxury fashion house Hugo Boss to 15.2% through stocks and derivatives, part of Ashley's ongoing drive to take the British sportswear retailer upmarket. Frasers, known as Sports Direct (LON:FRAS) before its takeover of House of Fraser, is raising the stake for the second time...
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SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Group founder Jack Ma met with 100 rural teachers in China via a video meeting on Wednesday, local government media reported, making the businessman's first appearance in public since October. Tianmu News, a news portal under Zhejiang Online, a government-backed news website, reported the meeting on Wednesday. ...
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By Hideyuki Sano TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares climbed to a record high on Wednesday as U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen advocated for a hefty fiscal relief package to help the world's largest economy ride out a pandemic-driven slump. At her confirmation hearing on Tuesday, she said the benefits of a big stimulus package are greater than the expenses of a...
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BEIJING (Reuters) - German premium automaker Audi aims to sell 1 million vehicles in China in 2023, versus 726,000 vehicles in 2020, the brand's China chief Werner Eichhorn said on Wednesday. Audi, which is making cars in the world's biggest auto market with FAW Group, will also add more products in China, Eichhorn said. Audi's rivals include Daimler and BMW. ...
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