As widely expected, Honda and Nissan have ended discussions about a potential merger but will continue working together on electric vehicle (EV) development. The two Japanese automakers, along with Mitsubishi, had considered joining forces to compete with rising Chinese EV manufacturers.
Drinks bottler Coca-Cola HBC (ASX:CHB) saw its shares top the FTSE 100 and reach a new all-time high on Thursday morning even though it slowing in profit growth for the coming year. For the past year, underlying operating profits grew 11% to €1.2 billion, as organic revenue grew 13.8%, with volumes up 2.8% as improvements were seen across sparkling, energy drinks and coffee.
Auto giants Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi drop merger talks — Positive
HMC MSBHF NSANY New York Post — February 13, 2025Honda and Nissan initially wanted to finalize an agreement by June.
Reddit's takes $6bn hit after Q4 earnings miss — Negative
RDDT Proactive Investors — February 13, 2025Reddit's (NYSE:RDDT) stock tumbled 13% in after-hours trading, wiping nearly $6 billion from its valuation following a mixed fourth-quarter earnings report that fell short of investor expectations. Revenue surged 70% year-over-year to $427.7 million, beating analyst forecasts of $405.5 million.
Tesla Stock Snapped Its Losing Streak. Now the Bulls Make a Case for Musk and AI Gains. — Positive
TSLA Barrons — February 13, 2025Two analysts published positive notes as the shares finally arrested a painful slide.
Alibaba chairman confirms Apple partnership for AI-powered iPhones in China — Neutral
AAPL Invezz — February 13, 2025Apple has officially partnered with Alibaba to power AI features on iPhones sold in China, marking a significant shift in the company's artificial intelligence strategy in one of its most critical markets.
Two of the UK's major lenders cut mortgage rates — Positive
BCS Proactive Investors — February 13, 2025Santander and Barclays have launched mortgage deals below 4%, the first since November, as competition between lenders increases. The move comes as expectations grow for further Bank of England base rate cuts after the Monetary Policy Committee opted for a quarter point drop earlier this month to 4.5%.
British American Tobacco tumbles 8% on mixed set of results — Negative
BTI Proactive Investors — February 13, 2025British American Tobacco PLC (LSE:BATS) shares tumbled 8% despite seeming to be slightly better than expectations in terms of revenue and earnings. Revenue for the year was down 5.2% to £25.9 billion, driven by the sale of businesses in Russia and Belarus the year before and currency headwinds, while organic revenue was up 1.3%.
Alibaba Group's (NYSE:BABA) Hong Kong-listed shares were up 2.5% after chairman Joe Tsai confirmed the e-commerce giant will partner with Apple on artificial intelligence for iPhones sold in China. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Tsai said Apple chose Alibaba's AI technology after evaluating multiple Chinese firms.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Third-Quarter Profits Dip 21% To $223M; Corporate Results Jump On Games & Music — Negative
SONY Deadline — February 13, 2025Refresh for latest
Sell Equities, Buy Municipal Debt At A 7.21% Discount With Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio — Positive
NXC Seeking Alpha — February 13, 2025Municipal CEFs like Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio offer tax-free returns, low leverage, and are currently trading at a discount. NXC invests in high-quality municipal securities, with an average coupon of 3.68% and a distribution rate on NAV of 3.97%. The fund's market price is $13.17, NAV is $13.69, and it's trading at a 3.80% discount, presenting a potential profit opportunity.
Barclays has extended the chairmanship of Nigel Higgins for another three years as the bank looks to push ahead with a turnaround plan unveiled last year, the lender said in its annual report on Thursday.
PulseSight Therapeutics Announces First Close of its Series A Financing to Fund Clinical Development of PST-611 in dry AMD — Neutral
AMD GlobeNewsWire — February 13, 2025PARIS, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PulseSight Therapeutics SAS, an ophthalmology biotech company developing disruptive non-viral vectorized therapies with minimally-invasive delivery technology, today announces the first close of its Series A financing with existing investor Pureos BioVentures committing new funds to support the Phase I study of PST-611 and enable preparation for a Phase IIa clinical trial.
Ooredoo Qatar taps Nokia 5G Standalone Core to deliver advanced network services and generate new revenue streams — Neutral
NOK GlobeNewsWire — February 13, 2025Press Release Ooredoo Qatar taps Nokia 5G Standalone Core to deliver advanced network services and generate new revenue streams Nokia will deliver a modernized core network that enables Ooredoo Qatar to offer more advanced services using network slicing. Network will generate new consumer and enterprise revenue streams across industries such as ports, mining and natural gas.
Unilever unveils €1.5bn buyback, Ice Cream to float in Amsterdam, London and NY — Positive
UL Proactive Investors — February 13, 2025Unilever PLC has also announced a new share buyback of up to €1.5 billion, and said it will spin out its ice cream business with joint listings in Amsterdam, London and New York. The final results "reflect a year of significant activity as we focused on transforming Unilever into a consistently higher performing business", says CEO Hein Schumacher.
Unilever sales just miss expectations; Ben and Jerry's ice cream unit heads for triple listing — Negative
UL CNBC — February 13, 2025Unilever posted a 4% rise in fourth-quarter underlying sales, slightly missing a 4.1% forecast. Over the full-year, underlying sales grew 4.2% versus estimates of 4.3%.
Apple will integrate Alibaba's AI into iPhones in China, chairman Joe Tsai says — Positive
AAPL BABA CNBC — February 13, 2025Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai confirmed his companies AI partnership with Apple, while speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday. The partnership was first reported by the Information on Tuesday, triggering a jump in Alibaba and Apple shares.
Barclays launches £1bn buyback and plans £10bn over two years as profits jump — Positive
BCS Proactive Investors — February 13, 2025Barclays PLC stepped up its target for returns in 2025 and plans to distribute at least £10 billion of capital to shareholders by the end of next year, including a £1 billion buyback announced today. This followed a better than expected performance in the fourth quarter, where the statutory return on tangible equity (RoTE) was 7.5% as profit before tax came in at £1.7 billion compared to £0.1 billion a year earlier.
