(RTTNews) - West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST), on Thursday, reported its higher net income in the fourth quarter compared with the previous year and issued an outlook for the full year 2026.
(RTTNews) - West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST), on Thursday, reported its higher net income in the fourth quarter compared with the previous year and issued an outlook for the full year 2026.
Thames Water is looking to tap more emergency cash from its creditors as talks over a rescue deal for the ailing UK utility company drag on. The company is starting a process to unlock the £823 million ($1.1 billion) of funding that creditors previously agreed to provide under certain conditions, according to a filing on Thursday. It includes a £750 million so-called accordion facility that was pr...
Thames Water is looking to tap more emergency cash from its creditors as talks over a rescue deal for the ailing UK utility company drag on. The company is starting a process to unlock the £823 million ($1.1 billion) of funding that creditors previously agreed to provide under certain conditions, according to a filing on Thursday. It includes a £750 million so-called accordion facility that was promised as part of a £3 billion funding package granted by a London court, and £73 million of deferred commitments. Thames Water has said it needs more cash as it works toward a solution that would resolve a long-running crisis caused by excessive debt and poor environmental performance. It has almost entirely drawn an initial £1.5 billion that was part of the funding agreement. A group of holders of Thames Water’s Class A debt, called the London & Valley Water consortium, has been locked in negotiations with water regulator Ofwat and the government over a new capital structure and business plan to relaunch the struggling business. Talks are at an advanced stage, but there is not yet a definitive agreement, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We are working constructively with stakeholders to deliver a market-led recapitalisation in the best interests of customers and the environment, and we remain hopeful of reaching agreement,” the company said in an email statement. Last October, the senior creditors pitched to inject £5.4 billion of fresh funds split between equity and debt, and to take a 25% write-off on their existing Class A exposure. The utility firm is running against a ticking clock. It has previously said that the cash it had access to would last “until at least March.” The challenge for the company is that creditors will likely only unlock extra funding if a deal is in sight. On Thursday, Thames Water in its filing that creditors have until 5 p.m. London time on Feb. 26 to submit documentation to participate to ...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Sally Beauty ( SBH ) is still in the middle of a long-term turnaround. This company has been buying back its shares and paying off its debt, so it just needs to maintain its current margins to sustain EPS growth. Its long-term Fuel for Growth cost-savings program is helping it achieve that goal. The company is closing less profitable stores and exiting l...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Sally Beauty ( SBH ) is still in the middle of a long-term turnaround. This company has been buying back its shares and paying off its debt, so it just needs to maintain its current margins to sustain EPS growth. Its long-term Fuel for Growth cost-savings program is helping it achieve that goal. The company is closing less profitable stores and exiting less profitable markets to strengthen its margins. At the same time, it’s adding incremental revenue by remodeling its stores, selling more products online, and adding new products such as fragrances. So, in short, I still think Sally Beauty is a buy because it is likely to report strong EPS growth even if it also reports mediocre revenue growth. In fiscal Q1 2026 , Sally Beauty reported that consolidated revenue rose 0.6% to $943 million. The company also reported 0.1% consolidated same-store sales growth. While this result might not look great, the company beat analysts’ expectations on revenue. It also reported adjusted EPS of $0.48, so it beat estimates on the bottom line as well. Sally Beauty also reported an adjusted operating margin of 8.5%. And the company also narrowed its full-year EPS guidance by raising the bottom of the range by $0.02, so its new guidance calls for $2.02 to $2.10 in full-year EPS. So, it looks like Sally Beauty’s 2026 plans are still on track, and the company didn’t change most of its guidance this quarter. While Sally Beauty’s stock price has risen by 63% over the past year, its forward P/E of 8.2 is still relatively low, so I think this is still a value stock. I don’t think it’s too late to buy this stock now, even though I’ve recommended it before. Sally Beauty still has a lot of cash flow that it can use for stock buybacks because it doesn’t need more stores and it doesn’t pay a dividend. And it’s still coming up with more ways to add incremental growth in 2026. Sally Beauty Is Selling Fragrances Now Sally Beauty is best known for selling ha...
Artificial intelligence has made a lot of noise in the stock market lately, with bots from Alphabet Inc. and startups Anthropic and Altruist disrupting businesses from software to financial services . But one name has been conspicuously absent from the chatter: OpenAI. The erstwhile AI kingmaker has been passed by its rivals, or at least that’s the public perception. However, Wall Street isn’t rea...
Artificial intelligence has made a lot of noise in the stock market lately, with bots from Alphabet Inc. and startups Anthropic and Altruist disrupting businesses from software to financial services . But one name has been conspicuously absent from the chatter: OpenAI. The erstwhile AI kingmaker has been passed by its rivals, or at least that’s the public perception. However, Wall Street isn’t ready to throw in the towel on the maker of ChatGPT or the companies attached to it. “It is very possible, if not likely, that at some point this year OpenAI will have come out with a new model that’s recaptured the zeitgeist, reversing the perception that it is lagging,” said Brian Barbetta , co-leader of Wellington Management’s technology team and a co-portfolio manager on the global innovation strategy. “It stands to reason that the OpenAI-connected stocks will benefit as well.” The shares of companies tied to OpenAI have come under heavy pressure in recent months. A basket of companies connected to OpenAI has tumbled 13% this year, while a basket of Alphabet-tied stocks is up 21%. So that vibe shift is sorely need. But there’s growing optimism among investing pros that OpenAI’s also-ran status is temporary. Should sentiment continue to improve, it could spur rallies in its major partners like Nvidia Corp. , Oracle Corp. , Microsoft Corp. , CoreWeave Inc. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Perceptions about OpenAI’s leadership in the technology landscape shifted last fall after Alphabet’s Gemini AI model received broad acclaim. This year, the story has been Anthropic’s Claude model, which has sparked repeated selloffs in companies considered to be in its competitive path. “Other AI companies are doing well,” Barbetta said. “But so far we haven’t seen evidence that their success is opening at OpenAI’s expense in any meaningful way, in terms of growth or usage.” Read more: VCs Break Taboo by Backing Both Anthropic, OpenAI in AI Battle The next turn in sentiment could reopen the ...
The erstwhile AI kingmaker has been passed by its rivals, or at least that’s the public perception. “It is very possible, if not likely, that at some point this year OpenAI will have come out with a new model that’s recaptured the zeitgeist, reversing the perception that it is lagging,” said Brian Barbetta, co-leader of Wellington Management’s technology team and a co-portfolio manager on the glob...
The erstwhile AI kingmaker has been passed by its rivals, or at least that’s the public perception. “It is very possible, if not likely, that at some point this year OpenAI will have come out with a new model that’s recaptured the zeitgeist, reversing the perception that it is lagging,” said Brian Barbetta, co-leader of Wellington Management’s technology team and a co-portfolio manager on the global innovation strategy. The shares of companies tied to OpenAI have come under heavy pressure in recent months.
Anthropic is adding to the company’s roster of backers in one of the largest startup funding rounds ever as it nears the completion of a deal to raise more than $20 billion. Neil Campling reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
Anthropic is adding to the company’s roster of backers in one of the largest startup funding rounds ever as it nears the completion of a deal to raise more than $20 billion. Neil Campling reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
格隆汇2月12日｜翰博高新公告，参股公司芯东进拟收购韩国东进及其全资子公司Dongjin Global Holdings Limited（简称“香港东进”，韩国东进及香港东进统称为“东进”）共同投资设立的特殊目的公司（简称“标的公司”或“SPV”）70%的股权。 本次交易核心为东进以境内9家目标公司100%股权以及韩国东进在中国拥有的100%所有权的24项专利之100%所有权或50%所有权出资设立...
格隆汇2月12日｜翰博高新公告，参股公司芯东进拟收购韩国东进及其全资子公司Dongjin Global Holdings Limited（简称“香港东进”，韩国东进及香港东进统称为“东进”）共同投资设立的特殊目的公司（简称“标的公司”或“SPV”）70%的股权。 本次交易核心为东进以境内9家目标公司100%股权以及韩国东进在中国拥有的100%所有权的24项专利之100%所有权或50%所有权出资设立标的公司后，芯东进收购标的公司70%股权（简称“目标股权”），目标股权转让价款为1.421亿美元。芯东进通过收购资产直接获取湿电子化学品行业的成熟技术、规模化产能、稳定客户资源及本土化布局优势，快速打通湿电子化学品领域的技术与市场壁垒，显著提升其在剥离液、蚀刻液等核心产品领域的研发能力、产能供给能力和市场竞争力，为公司实现产业升级奠定坚实基础。
IherPhoto/iStock via Getty Images By James Smith , Developed Markets Economist, UK UK GDP grew just 0.1% in the fourth quarter Britain’s economy ended 2025 on a lacklustre note, not that it was a huge surprise. The economy grew by 0.1% in the final quarter and 1.3% overall last year. What’s particularly eye-catching from the release is just how weak business investment (-2.7%) and construction (-2...
IherPhoto/iStock via Getty Images By James Smith , Developed Markets Economist, UK UK GDP grew just 0.1% in the fourth quarter Britain’s economy ended 2025 on a lacklustre note, not that it was a huge surprise. The economy grew by 0.1% in the final quarter and 1.3% overall last year. What’s particularly eye-catching from the release is just how weak business investment (-2.7%) and construction (-2.1%) came in during the final few months of the year. The former will have been heavily influenced by volatile car production, linked to a major cyberattack at the tail end of the third quarter, even if it’s tempting to blame it on the wider uncertainty in the run-up to the Budget and the weakness in business confidence. The weakness in construction is a reminder that past Bank of England rate hikes are still biting. The average interest rate on outstanding mortgage debt is still rising, not least given the jump in mortgage refinancing expected over the next few months. That being said, we have to take the latest GDP figures with at least a pinch of salt. Growth has become suspiciously seasonal. The first half of the year has looked much stronger than the second every year since 2022. Though hard to pin down, we suspect it’s partly down to higher inflation, the prevalence of price hikes early on in the year, which are not being fully adjusted for in the deflator/seasonal adjustment process somewhere along the line. There’s no reason to think this trend will stop in 2026, and if for no other reason, we suspect we’ll get a bit of a bounce back in Q1 GDP. UK GDP growth has become suspiciously seasonal Source: Macrobond, ING 2026 is likely to be weaker than 2025 However, we think 2026 will be weaker than 2025 – though not dramatically so. Real disposable income growth is likely to be virtually flat. Inflation is set to fall dramatically - from 3.4% in December to 1.8% in April, where it will more or less stay for the rest of the year. But wage growth is falling rapidly too. For...
Two online precious metals trading platforms in Shenzhen’s Shuibei jewelry district have suspended withdrawals amid surging gold and silver prices, trapping investor funds and exposing a high-leverage market operating outside China’s formal exchanges. Jieworui began restricting withdrawals around Jan. 19, with payouts effectively stopping soon after, while Yundiandang reported withdrawal disruptio...
Two online precious metals trading platforms in Shenzhen’s Shuibei jewelry district have suspended withdrawals amid surging gold and silver prices, trapping investor funds and exposing a high-leverage market operating outside China’s formal exchanges. Jieworui began restricting withdrawals around Jan. 19, with payouts effectively stopping soon after, while Yundiandang reported withdrawal disruptions on Jan. 31, citing redemption pressure. Investors gathered outside Jieworui’s main office in Shenzhen as tensions escalated.
(RTTNews) - The DAX benchmark that tracks the performance of the 40 largest companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange rebounded on Thursday as investors evaluated a fresh batch of corporate earning scorecards. The index had closed in the red on Wednesday amidst renewed fea
(RTTNews) - The DAX benchmark that tracks the performance of the 40 largest companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange rebounded on Thursday as investors evaluated a fresh batch of corporate earning scorecards. The index had closed in the red on Wednesday amidst renewed fea
Igor Medved sent home by country’s Olympic committee ‘Alcohol was consumed in violation of our team rules’ The Finnish ski jumping head coach Igor Medved has apologised after being sent home for violating team rules by drinking alcohol at the Winter Olympics. The news was confirmed by the Finnish Olympic committee, who said that Medved had left Italy due to “alcohol-related issues”. Continue readi...
Igor Medved sent home by country’s Olympic committee ‘Alcohol was consumed in violation of our team rules’ The Finnish ski jumping head coach Igor Medved has apologised after being sent home for violating team rules by drinking alcohol at the Winter Olympics. The news was confirmed by the Finnish Olympic committee, who said that Medved had left Italy due to “alcohol-related issues”. Continue reading...