BP shareholders punish Helge Lind with low support
BP's Murray Auchincloss, CEO and Helge Lund, Chair were reelected on Thursday. However, the dramatically reduced level of support from shareholders for Lund may mean that his departure earlier than expected is possible. BP's Board was up for reelection at the annual general meeting. The group faced activist shareholder Elliott Management, as well as criticism from climate-focused shareholders who had demanded a vote against Lund. BP has worked to increase its share price…
European shares increase as Trump lowers China tariffs
After U.S. president Donald Trump exempted smartphones and computers from China's steep tariffs, a rally in technology shares helped lift European stocks on Monday. This provided markets with a breather after weeks of sharp fluctuations. STOXX 600, the pan-European index, was up 2.1% at 0824 GMT after posting its third consecutive week of losses on Friday. The global markets have been rattled by weeks of back and forth over tariffs, which has pushed the benchmark index roughly 12% below its previous record-breaking closing high.
Octopus Energy, a British company, has bought a stake in the East Anglia One windfarm
Octopus Energy, a British company, announced on Thursday that its Octopus Energy Generation division had purchased a 10% share in the East Anglia One Wind Farm, which is one of the largest operating wind farms in the world, supplying electricity to around 700,000 households a year. The unit's fourth investment in an offshore wind farm in Britain and seventh in Europe, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Octopus Energy Generation has a portfolio worth around 5 billion pounds ($6.5billion) of renewable energy in Britain.
European investors warn that the clock is ticking on AI adoption
European companies who are investing heavily in generative artificial intelligence must start showing results by the end of next year or investors will lose patience. AI-exposed shares have been downdrafted with the broader equity market in recent weeks, as fears of recession rise. This has added to the pressure on the sector, which was already under strain in January when the launch low-cost Chinese AI DeepSeek sparked a tech sale. Many investors are optimistic about Gen-AI and its potential to boost profits and productivity.
Partners Group buys California energy assets worth $2.2 billion
The companies announced on Tuesday that Swiss private equity firm Partners Group would purchase an energy asset-management platform in California and certain gas-fired electricity plants from U.S. based Avenue Capital Group, for $2.2 billion. The U.S. In 2025 and 2026, the demand for electricity will increase due to data centers devoted to artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, homes and businesses will use more electricity to heat and transport. However, the surge in demand is straining the country's resources.
Investor leading climate talks with Equinor says it's time to sell out
One of the asset management companies that is co-leading the climate talks with Equinor, on behalf of over 600 investors, has said that it sold its shares because the board of the oil giant failed to align their strategy with the global goal of limiting the effects of global warming. Sarasin & Partners, a British firm, helped to lead discussions with Equinor as part of Climate Action 100+, whose members encourage the largest listed corporations in the world to reduce their emissions.
Putin's decree authorizes US hedge funds to purchase foreign-owned Russian securities
A presidential decree published on Monday showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given permission to a U.S.-based hedge fund to purchase securities in Russian firms from certain foreign investors and to sell them to two Russian funds. Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, Moscow has tightened its restrictions on the sale of foreign assets. Any transactions in the energy or finance sector require Putin's approval. Investors are looking for signs that the thaw of U.S.-Russian relations…
Microsoft's data center worries continue to persist, as Europe's top AI companies slide further.
The sentiment of some of Europe's top AI stocks was dampened for a second consecutive day on Tuesday after an analyst report late last week, which warned of a possible slowdown in Microsoft data centre leasing, impacted the market ahead of Nvidia's make-or-break earnings. In less than a week, the Chinese DeepSeek artificial intelligence model was released. This triggered a sell-off of tech stocks and a reassessment on how much Western companies spend on infrastructure and development.
DeepSeek fever fuels patriotic betting on Chinese AI stocks
Chinese investors are investing in AI-related stocks. They believe that the homegrown startup DeepSeek's artificial intelligence advancement will result in a boom for the sector, and give China the advantage in an intensifying Sino/U.S. tech war. As President Donald Trump re-energizes the trade war by imposing new tariffs, patriotic calls have fueled a frenzy of buying in Chinese chipmakers and software developers as well as data centre operators.
DeepSeek fever fuels patriotic betting on Chinese AI stocks
Chinese investors are investing in AI-related stocks. They believe that the homegrown startup DeepSeek's artificial intelligence advancement will result in a boom for the sector, and give China the advantage in an intensifying Sino/U.S. tech war. As President Donald Trump re-energizes the trade war by imposing new tariffs, patriotic calls have fueled a frenzy of buying in Chinese chipmakers and software developers as well as data centre operators.
DeepSeek's "Sputnik moment" prompts investors to dump big AI players
Investors sent technology stocks like Nvidia and Oracle tumbling on Monday as the appearance of a Chinese artificial intelligence model that is low-cost cast doubts on Western firms' dominance in the sector.Startup DeepSeek launched last week a free assistant that it claims uses less data and costs a fraction of what existing models cost. This could be a turning point for the amount of investment required in AI.Futures for the Nasdaq 100 fell almost 4%.
Financial Times - Jan 17
These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Owners of France's Natixis Investment Managers, and Italian insurer Generali, are nearing an announcement of an agreement for a joint venture in asset management that will bring together the two biggest European names. France's Bureau Veritas has ended merger talks with FTSE group Intertek and pursued a 37.91 billion pounds ($31.91 billion) merger with Swiss rival SGS.
BNP Paribas Funds to exclude new Oil and Gas Bonds
BNP Paribas Asset Management has announced that it will no longer be investing in new bonds issued in November by companies engaged in oil and natural gas exploration and production. According to the document, French asset managers said their policy was to help oil and gas companies transition to sustainable sources of energy, while screening those companies that are not adapting fast enough. The company will no longer purchase new bonds from oil and gas companies including diversified ones…
French and Benelux stocks - Factors to watch in November
Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. The Delen family and Belgian holding company extended their historic shareholder agreements by 25 years. French cybersecurity company CD&R said that Permira and CD&R had received all the regulatory clearances needed for the proposed acquisition of the majority stake in the firm. French semiconductor materials provider reported a 16 percent drop in sales for the first half of the year…
FinecoBank predicts record revenue in 2024 on the back of rising commissions
FinecoBank, an online bank and brokerage in Italy, forecast record revenues this year. The company also pledged a higher dividend for its 2024 results. As interest rates decline, banks are turning to brokerage and net fee products to generate revenue and compensate for the falling contribution of their lending business. Fineco expects to see a small double-digit increase in annual investing revenues. It also expects stable banking fees, and strong brokerage revenue, which will support an improved sales mix.
Budgets for UK mid-caps are boosted by pubs, builders and bookies
The UK midcap stocks rose on Wednesday, as investors deemed that the first UK budget of the new Labour government was less punitive than they had feared. Mid-cap shares outperformed blue-chip stocks, even though UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves had announced a number of new tax increases to the tune 40 billion pounds per year. These would mostly impact businesses. "UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered a fair but tough budget. Much of it was expected because the leaks to the market were already known," said Adrian Gosden.
CorPower Ocean, a wave energy technology company, has secured 32 million Euros.
The firm announced on Wednesday that it had secured funding of 32 million euros ($35 millions) to help commercialise wave energy technology. Wind and tidal projects are being developed in some countries to reduce emissions and achieve climate goals. The wave power industry is still in its early stages of commercialisation and costs are high. It is also more predictable than the wind power. The firm stated that the investment in CorPower…
Macquarie will take a minority stake in D.E. Shaw's green power arm could be worth up to $1.73 billion
Macquarie Group’s asset management division has acquired a minority stake of the green energy arm of U.S.-based investor D.E. The Australian company announced on Tuesday that it would invest up to $1.73 billion in equity into D.E. Macquarie Asset Management, a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management, and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, or DESRI (Development Energy Services and Renewable Investments), has a pipeline of more than 25 gigawatts according to Macquarie.
Maryland Cove Point LNG Export Plant of Berkshire Hathaway shut down for maintenance
According to a notice sent to customers, U.S. energy company Berkshire Hathaway Energy closed its Cove Point LNG export plant in Maryland during the annual autumn maintenance period of about three weeks. According to data from the financial firm LSEG, the amount of natural gases flowing into the plant has dropped to almost zero since August 1, when it averaged around 0.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd). Since mid-October 2023, when it was returned to service from its previous autumn maintenance outage…
Brookfield raises $2.4 Billion for Climate Fund backed by UAE
Brookfield Asset Management announced on Monday that it had raised $2.4 billion to support the Catalytic Transition Fund, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates. The fund aims at scaling up climate finance for emerging markets. CTF was launched last December at the COP28 Climate Talks in Dubai, and was anchored with a commitment of $1 billion from ALTERRA - a $30 billion UAE climate fund. ALTERRA was announced at the climate summit last year and aims to attract $250 Billion in investment by the end the decade.
