Shortage of Suzuki car mirrors reflects Sri Lanka’s growing economic crisis

Car spare parts dealers in Sri Lanka’s main city of Colombo are receiving a steady stream of customers looking for what is fast becoming a prized commodity in the island nation – side mirrors for Suzuki’s compact Wagon R.
GSK sees sales growth in 2022 after quarterly beat, prepares for spin-off

Britain’s GSK (GSK.L) forecast growth in 2022 after racking up 1.4 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) in COVID-related sales in 2021, beating quarterly forecasts in its first earnings report since rejecting Unilever’s (ULVR.L) bid for its consumer arm.
Indonesia’s GDP speeds up on easing COVID-19 curbs, brisk exports

Indonesia’s economic growth accelerated in the final quarter of last year as consumption perked up following the easing of anti-virus mobility restrictions and as stronger commodity prices pushed exports to record highs.
Insurer MetLife’s quarterly profit beats on higher investment gains

MetLife Inc’s (MET.N) fourth-quarter profit rose nearly 7% to surpass Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, as strong investment gains cushioned the hit from higher pandemic-related claims in some parts of its business.
Caterer Compass feeds share price rise with strong revenue recovery

Compass Group (CPG.L), the world’s largest catering firm, said on Thursday its first-quarter revenue was near pre-pandemic levels and stuck to its annual forecast, lifting its shares.
Shell ends 2021 on high note, hikes dividend, buybacks again

Shell (SHEL.L) again boosted its dividend and share repurchases on Thursday after fourth quarter profits hit their highest in eight years, fuelled by higher oil and gas prices and strong gas trading performance.
Omicron restrains U.S. manufacturing; supply bottlenecks slowly easing

A measure of U.S. manufacturing activity fell to a 14-month low in January amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, supporting the view that economic growth lost steam at the start of the year.
Starbucks to hike prices to offset inflation; lowers profit guidance

Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) will raise menu prices in 2022 and reduce some spending to offset soaring costs for labor and goods, as rising COVID-19 cases prompted the coffee chain on Tuesday to lower estimates for profits this year.
Santander lifts profits as it releases pandemic provisions

Spain’s Santander (SAN.MC) released 750 million euros ($846 million) in pandemic-related provisions in the fourth quarter, betting on an economic recovery in its main markets and helping boost net profit eight-fold compared to a year earlier.
Swedbank shares hit by interest income dip

Swedish lender Swedbank (SWEDa.ST) reported slightly worse than expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, with a drop in interest income disappointing investors and sending its shares down more than 4%.