Tiffany today reported its financial results for the three months (“second quarter”) and six months (“first half”) ended July 31, 2017. In both periods, modest net sales increases and improved operating margins contributed to growth in diluted earnings per share. Management maintained its sales and earnings guidance for the full year ending January 31, 2018 (“fiscal 2017”), and provided guidance for the second half of the year.
Italy’s largest retail bank Intesa Sanpaolo said on Wednesday it had reached an agreement to buy Switzerland’s Banque Morval. "The agreement is in line with Intesa Sanpaolo’s strategic plan to strengthen its presence on international markets in the field of private banking," the two said in a joint statement, without disclosing the value of the acquisition.
Google and Walmart on Tuesday announced a partnership that would make the retailer’s products available on the internet giant’s online shopping mall.
The two companies said that next month Google would start offering Walmart products to people who shop on Google Express, the company’s online shopping mall. It’s the first time the world’s biggest retailer has made its products available online in the United States outside of its own website.
Global dividends hit an all-time quarterly record of $447.5 billion (€380.5 billion) in the second quarter of this year as growth accelerated to the fastest rate since 2015, according to new data.
The Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index revealed that the amount paid out in dividends globally increased 5.4% year-on-year on a headline basis – equivalent to an underlying rise of 7.2% once exchange rates, special dividends and other factors were taken into account. The asset manager raised its dividend forecast for the whole of 2017 to $1.208 trillion, up $50 billion since an initial forecast in January, following evidence of “more synchronised” global economic growth, an oil price rally and a revival in banking sector payouts.
Heineken’s £403million takeover of Punch Taverns received the grreen light by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after the competition watchdog accepted plans to sell off some the almost 1,900 newly-acquired pubs to allay fears it could reduce competition.
Heineken announced last December that it was teaming up with Patron Capital, the private equity firm, to buy Punch for £409m (€305m), or £1.78bn once Punch’s debt is taken into account.
Swiss Life on Wednesday posted a larger-than-expected rise in half-year profit despite trimming back business in its core life insurance operations. Insurer Group reported that its first-half net profit increased 5% from last year to 524 million Swiss francs.
Swiss Life said net profit rose 5 percent to 524 million Swiss francs ($538.8 million), ahead of expectations for 514 million francs in a Reuters poll of eight analysts.
Facebook announced “Watch,” the long-awaited update to its video section where people can go watch short, episodic video shows. You’ll also be able to watch some live video here, including live sports that the social network has the rights to stream, like Major League Baseball games.
Facebook already had a video tab. But now that tab has been redesigned, and will include short episodic “shows” that Facebook didn’t have before. Facebook is paying publishers like BuzzFeed, ATTN and Group Nine Media to make these shows, and will retain the rights to some of them. The majority of the shows, though, will be posted on Facebook free of charge. Some publishers plan to run mid-roll video ads, Ã la commercials, during the shows to make money.
Zurich Insurance posted a 21 percent rise in second-quarter net earnings as the group made strides in enacting a turnaround plan set out last year.
The Swiss insurer’s net profit for April through June rose to $896 million, beating even the highest estimate in Reuters poll of analysts that on average expected $790 million.
