Summary: Deliveroo surpasses profit expectations in the UK, with a 7% increase in gross transaction value . Proposed return of £250 million surplus cash to investors and potential introduction of regular dividend s. Stock price surges by 3.75% in response to improved profit outlook. Deliveroo 's performance shows progress compared to initial challenges since its 2021 stock listing. ...

Summary: Centrica , the owner of British Gas , reports a profit of £2.1 billion, nearly double the previous year's figures. British Gas profits have seen a tenfold increase, with £969 million in the past year. The significant profits have been attributed to changes in the price cap imposed by off-gem. Consumer groups argue that the regulatory system for energy suppliers needs an overhaul to promote competition and fair pricing. The privatized utilities sector continues to face debates on what constitutes a fair price and reasonable profit. ...

Summary: HSBC 's first-half profit surges more than twofold. HSBC announces a new share buyback program worth $2 billion. Market cap reaches $162 billion, with a pre-tax profit of $21.7 billion in the first six months. Investors are excited about the confidence shown through share buyback s. HSBC shares are soaring after reporting strong earnings and announcing a fresh share buyback of up to $2 billion. ...

Summary: FTSE 100 index hits four-week lows around 7,500 points, attributed to underperforming mining companies . Fintech Group plus 500 introduces $60 million share buyback program despite declining revenue and profit . Ugov considers potential listing in the US, leading to a rise in the company's opening performance. Real estate investor Sharps Recapital secures £200 million loan for bond repayment, resulting in early value slide. UK government extends rules allowing takeaway pint sales without a license until March next year. Small caps RC 365 gains exclusive rights to use US-based Unique AI 's AI-driven plat...

Summary: Lloyds banking group reports a 10% increase in underlying profit , reaching just over 4 billion for the first half of the year. Impairment charge of 700 million pounds reflects delinquencies and bad debts on the company's books. Loans and advances to customers decline by approximately 10% to 450 billion, while customer deposits drop by about 1.2% to 469 billion. Lloyds announces a 15% increase in interim dividend s, remaining ahead of its target. Despite positive announcements, Lloyds' shares still decline by 3.8% in response to the first-half figures. ...

Summary: FTSE 100 rises on a day of earnings announcements , driven by Cendrica 's exceptional performance with a tenfold increase in net cash and 55% jump in adjusted profit . Shell 's $5.5 billion buyback scheme and dividend hike fail to impress investors , leading to a decline in shares. Barclays faces challenges as increasing quarterly pre-tax profits are overshadowed by mounting bad debt provisions . Drax Group 's positive half-year pre-tax earnings do not prevent a slip in shares. BT opens higher on the back of quarterly revenue rise , while Ocado 's shares are impacted by the upcoming retirement of th...

Summary: FTSE 100 opened higher on positive results for London listed companies . NatWest announced a £1 billion jump in Bretex profits . Standard Chartered reported a 20% jump in interim profits and announced a $1 billion buyback. International Airlines Group announced a half-year profit of €1.26 billion. AstraZeneca 's deal to buy Pfizer's gene therapy portfolio led to a jump in their stock. Right Moves experienced significant revenue growth. Europa Oil and Gas to take over the Clouton Gas Discovery near Scarborough . ...

Martin Lewis: Energy Price Guarantee rise would be 'act of national harm' If the price rises in April, it's not firms, it's not regulators, it is the government putting people's prices up. Well, I wrote to the Chancellor three weeks ago, asking him to not increase the rise, the energy price guarantee in April by 20% as planned, for all the reasons that have just been outlined there. And most importantly, what you have to understand is if we do increase it, it would result in an act of national mental health harm. People have been battered by successive rises in energy bills, 14% rises in broadband, 7% in water, 5% in council tax. And for the sake of just three months, and you heard the explanation of why it's just three months there, to send millions of people another letter is bad for people's finances. It's bad for people's state of mental health....

Summary: Spotify is raising its subscription prices for the first time in over a decade. The price hike will affect 200 million subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and 49 other countries. Other streaming services have also increased their subscription costs, reflecting the industry's pursuit of profitability . Users may consider downgrading to the ad-supported version or exploring alternative streaming providers. Competition and customer preferences will play a significant role in determining the success of this price increase . ...

Earnings Preview: Tesla, Netflix to Report Q2 Earnings After Closing Bell Summary: Netflix implemented a policy to stop password sharing among users, raising questions about its impact on subscriber numbers. Analysts expect Netflix to report earnings per share of $2.84 and total revenues of $8.25 billion, a potential record high for the company. Netflix's share price has surged by over 200% since last year's lows, with a 70% gain in 2023. Investors are eagerly awaiting t...

SNP leadership candidates' energy policies laid out at hustings I think, certainly if I'm the leader for a future Scotland round, I don't think we should just lease, I think we should take an equity stake so that actually if companies are benefiting then that benefit, that profit is coming to us. So I will instruct for the next round at an equity stake in our renewables and I think there's also an advantage of having why do we not have a national renewable energy company? I think we should and that's something that I think again would help to make sure that the benefit of that amazing potential that we've got of renewables is not kept in the hands of profitable companies but shared with the people. Well the disgrace that Scotland is, one of the few countries that found oil and got poorer and that is why our kids are in poverty today and the lessons there are cl...

Train strikes: RMT Boss says pay offer 'not acceptable' Well, the R&T General Secretary, Mick Lynch, joins me now. A very good morning to you, Mick Lynch. First of all, just how much support do you expect to have for the walkout today? Just how disruptive will this strike be? Well, our members will be out all over the country. They'll be on picket lines up and down the rail network. We've had a very strong mandate to renew our action in the last week or so, a nine-to-one vote on a heavy turnout. So our members are up and down the picket lines, taking the action as instructed by the union and as voted for by them. And so the action is solid, and it will be as long as this campaign goes on. People watching will know that this dispute has been going on for a long time. How close are you now to a resolution? Well, we had an offer put to us, the second or third offer,...