February 8, 2012
BP ups dividend as profits rise
BP has raised its dividend to shareholders by 14%, the first increase since the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, following sharply higher profits. Replacement cost profit, which is profit stripping out the effect of oil and other price movements, for…
February 8, 2012
Brazil’s Itau Unibanco has record profits in 2011
Itau Unibanco has posted the highest-ever annual profits for a bank from Brazil. Itau Unibanco, the biggest private bank in Brazil, said net profits rose almost 10% to 14.6bn reais ($8.5bn, £5.3bn) in 2011 from the previous year. The bank is also…
February 8, 2012
UBS profits slump on weak business
Profits UBS have slumped by 76% in its latest quarterly results. Net income for the last three months of 2011 were 393m Swiss francs ($430m; £270m), down from 1.7bn francs a year ago and well short of expectations. Business levels fell both at its…
February 6, 2012
Greece crisis bailout talks delayed
Greece is set to continue talks with international authorities over cuts being demanded in exchange for crucial bailout funds. However, negotiations between coalition parties on the austerity measures, which broke down on Sunday, have been delayed…
February 6, 2012
China ‘bans’ airlines from joining EU carbon scheme
China has "banned" all airlines in the country from joining the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) aimed at cutting carbon emissions. The authorities have also barred the airlines from increasing their fares or adding new charges for…
February 6, 2012
Mitsubishi to close European plant
Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors is to end production at its only plant in Western Europe. Production has fallen at Mitsubishi's car plant at Born in the Netherlands to just 50,000 cars, as Mitsubishi's European sales have dropped sharply. It…
February 6, 2012
HTC profits rise but sales set to fall
Taiwan smartphone maker HTC has posted a jump in profits, but says recent sales have been hit as it faces tougher competition from rivals such as Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy range. It reported post-tax profits of 61.98bn Taiwan dollars…
February 6, 2012
Euro crisis could almost halve China’s growth, IMF says
A eurozone recession could almost halve Chinese growth this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF forecasts China's economy will grow by 8.2% this year - but warns that a recession in the eurozone could cut this to……
February 3, 2012
US economy creates 243,000 jobs in January
The US economy created 243,000 jobs in December, the highest total for nine months, official figures show. The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%, which…
February 3, 2012
Eurozone service sector grows after four-month lull
The eurozone's service sector has grown for the first time in four months, although Spain and Italy have continued to post falls in business activity. The Markit eurozone services purchasing managers' index (PMI) was 50.4 in January, up from…