AT&T Inc (T.N), the No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier and the world’s largest pay-TV operator, raised its 2015 earnings forecast as quarterly earnings beat expectations on cost cuts and gains in wireless and DirecTV subscribers. AT&T shares rose 1.7 percent in after... More »
Suppliers of everything from groceries to sports equipment are already being squeezed for price cuts and cost sharing by Wal-Mart Stores (WMT.N). Now they are bracing for the pressure to ratchet up even more after a shock earnings warning from the retailer las... More »
Investors questioned Netflix Inc’s premium valuation after the video-streaming service reported U.S. subscriber additions below its own expectations, a sign that competition from the likes of Hulu is intensifying. Netflix shares fell more than 9 percent to $10... More »
Video-streaming service provider Netflix Inc reported third-quarter U.S. subscriber additions below its own forecast, blaming a transition to chip-based cards for the miss. Shares of Netflix, known for its original shows such as “House of Cards” and “Orange is... More »
The New York Times Co said it aimed to double its annual digital revenue to $800 million by 2020 with a concentrated effort to win over more readers on smartphones. The company has crossed 1 million digital subscribers and it needed to create the same “must-re... More »
LONDON Oil company Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is pulling out of exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska for the foreseeable future and could take a hit of up to $4.1 billion after failing to find enough oil. The unsuccessful drilling campaign is Shell’s second... More »
LONDON The UK arm of discount supermarket Aldi said on Monday it would launch an online operation in Britain in 2016, initially selling wine, as it posted a dip in 2014 operating profit reflecting price cuts and higher staff costs. The privately-owned German g... More »
SINGAPORE Oil prices rose by around one percent on Monday as U.S. drilling slowed and analysts estimated that $1.5 trillion worth of planned American production investment was uneconomical at prices of $50 per barrel or lower. Crude prices have plunged over 50... More »
ZURICH Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURN.VX) abandoned its proposed 5.6 billion pound ($8.7 billion) bid for British insurer RSA Insurance Group PLC (RSA.L) on Monday after forecasting a $200 million loss in its general insurance business due to explosions at th... More »
SHANGHAI Profit margins at Chinese firms improved in the third quarter while loan demand remained weak, a private survey showed , with the overall results suggesting the stock market crash would have minimal impact on the broader economy. The quarterly survey ... More »
TOKYO Toshiba Corp (6502.T) swung to a first-quarter loss on weak PC and TV sales, raising pressure on its new chief executive, who is already tasked with improving governance after a $1.3 billion accounting scandal. Toshiba on Monday reported an April-June op... More »
TOKYO Toshiba Corp (6502.T) is set to report an operating loss of more than 10 billion yen ($83 million) in the April-June quarter hurt by weakness in the consumer electronics business, the Nikkei business daily reported. Toshiba last reported a first-quarter ... More »
LONDON Pfizer’s stop-smoking drug Chantix does not raise risks of heart attack or depression, contrary to previous reports, and should be recommended to more smokers wanting to quit, scientists said on Monday. In a study tracking 150,000 smokers in England for... More »
PARIS French media group Vivendi (VIV.PA) reported higher second-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by strong growth in its Universal Music division, and said recent asset sales could enable it to consider more acquisitions in the future. The company, with a ... More »
TORONTO Bank of Nova Scotia, which reported a quarterly profit that beat market expectations on Friday, said bad loans in the energy sector climbed as the oil price selloff took a toll. Shares of Scotiabank, Canada’s third-largest bank, were down nearly 1 perc... More »
SHANGHAI China’s Bank of Communications Co Ltd, the country’s fifth-largest listed bank by assets, reported a 1.5 percent rise in first half net profit, even as its bad debts continued to rise. BoCom on Thursday posted a net profit of 37.32 billion yuan ($11.0... More »
FRANKFURT European broadcaster RTL will focus on buying online businesses and content producers as it seeks to build itself into a video powerhouse that goes beyond traditional broadcast, its finance chief told Reuters on Thursday. RTL has TV and radio channel... More »
BEIJING Boeing Co (BA.N) on Tuesday raised its forecast for China’s aircraft demand over the next 20 years despite a slowing economy and a tumbling stock market that have triggered a worldwide slide in equity and commodity prices. The U.S. plane maker expects ... More »
TORONTO/OTTAWA Canadian banks are expected to begin feeling the impact of an extended downturn in the energy sector as they exercise caution with new and existing loans to companies and individuals. Investors will this week be poring over the balance sheets an... More »
BEIJING “Tragedy” – that was Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) founder Jack Ma’s prediction for the fate of rival JD.com Inc (JD.O) in comments published earlier this year. On Monday, Alibaba signaled it is no longer writing off its smaller competitor, making... More »
Loss-making teen apparel retailer American Apparel Inc (APP.A) said on Tuesday it doesn’t expect to have sufficient funds to keep the business running for the next 12 months, warning shareholders may lose some or all of their investments and it may not be able... More »
Norton antivirus software maker Symantec Corp has agreed to sell its data storage unit, Veritas, for $8 billion to a group led by Carlyle Group LP as it seeks cash to turn around its core security software business. The deal, the biggest U.S. leveraged buyout ... More »
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) (BRKb.N) said on Friday its second-quarter profit fell 37 percent, reflecting a significant decline in investment gains and an underwriting loss from insurance operations, which include Geico. Net income for the... More »
AMC Networks Inc’s (AMCX.O) shares fell as much as 14 percent despite the company’s strong results, continuing a slide triggered by Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) forecast that suggested that more customers were deserting paid TV than expected. Walt Disney Co (DIS.N... More »
New York Times Co reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue as its print advertising sales fell for the fourth straight quarter. Shares of the company, which also forecast a decline in its current-quarter ad revenue, fell as much as 6 percent on Thursday.... More »
Viacom Inc reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue, hurt by lower advertising revenue from its U.S. cable TV business as viewers increasingly shift to online streaming services. The results add to investor concerns over the U.S. cable industry after di... More »
Media company Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOXA.O) on Wednesday reduced its profit expectation for the coming year, citing foreign currency impacts, the timing of film releases, and sports and digital investments in India. Fox had projected earnings in the mi... More »
HONG KONG HSBC Holdings (HSBA.L) beat expectations with a 10 percent rise in first-half profit on Monday, driven by a strong performance in Hong Kong, and said it had agreed the sale of its unprofitable Brazilian unit. It said it had agreed to sell Banco Brade... More »
LONDON European pay-TV group Sky said on Wednesday it expects to perform strongly in its new financial year after better-than-expected 2014/15 profits prompted investors to rethink their growth forecasts for the newly-enlarged group. Sky, formed from the combi... More »
FRANKFURT/STUTTGART SAP’s order pipeline for the second half of the year is “very healthy” and will offset a decline in sales from its packaged software products, which will pose no threat to the company’s full-year operating profit target, its finance chief s... More »
FRANKFURT German business software maker SAP posted quarterly profit at the low end of forecasts, hit by weak sales of its traditional packaged software and a rapid shift by customers to lower-margin cloud software delivered via the Internet. Like established ... More »
SEOUL South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) on Tuesday guided for weaker-than-expected second-quarter earnings, as a supply shortage plagued its latest smartphone launch and tepid demand from key markets likely undercut sales. The guid... More »
SAN FRANCISCO Tumbling markets and economic uncertainty in China pose a risk to major chipmakers such as Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) that derive a big portion of their sales from the world’s second-largest economy. Consumer electronics giant Apple Inc (AAPL.O) could... More »
SEOUL Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) said on Tuesday that operating profit for the April-June quarter will likely be 6.9 trillion won ($6.13 billion), down 4 percent from a year earlier. This was worse than the 7.2 trillion won average forec... More »
CANNES (This version of the story corrects figures on Publicis contract wins, paragraph 13) The reluctance of big companies to spend at a time of lacklustre global growth and fewer major sporting events this year are dampening demand for advertising, said the ... More »
A Whirlpool logo is seen on a range door at the Whirlpool manufacturing plant in Cleveland, Tennessee August 21, 2013. REUTERS/Chris Berry Whirlpool Corp (WHR.N) on Friday reported quarterly results below analysts’ expectations as currency and other headwinds ... More »