Analysis: High stakes at sea in global rush for wind power

LONDON(Reuters) – Global competition for offshore wind power is so hot that licence auctions now resemble the oil and gas competitions of just a few years ago, and some of the names are familiar too as global oil majors move aggressively into renewable energy. The drive among top fossil fuel producers to make fast inroads […]

European countries may have to mix COVID-19 shots amid AstraZeneca crisis

PARIS (Reuters) – Several European countries are considering mixing up COVID-19 vaccines for citizens who received a first dose of AstraZeneca’s shot, an unprecedented move that highlights challenges for governments struggling to tame fresh rises in infections. Vaccination programmes have been upset after a small number of reports that recipients of the AstraZeneca inoculation have […]

Wall Street set for slightly lower open ahead of Fed minutes

(Reuters) – Wall Street’s main indexes were set to dip at open on Wednesday as investors cautiously awaited minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting that could offer clues on the central bank’s views on inflation and an economic recovery. Massive fiscal stimulus and swift vaccinations prompted several Fed officials at the meeting last month […]

CEO Mary Barra bets GM can grow beyond cars and trucks

(Reuters) – Pam Fletcher wants to change the way General Motors Co makes money. The veteran GM engineer’s Global Innovation team is looking for new enterprises to expand the automaker’s sources of revenue well beyond vehicle sales and is incubating ventures from commercial delivery services to vehicle insurance, to address future markets worth an estimated […]

Nissan’s China passenger and light vehicle sales jump 70.6% in first quarter

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co’s passenger and light vehicle business in China increased unit sales by 70.6% year on year in the first three months of 2021, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The division sold 352,352 vehicles in the quarter. Reporting by Josh Horwitz; Editing by David Goodman Our Standards: The Thomson […]

Shell expects at best steady fuel sales for first quarter

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell expects its fuel sales to fall or at best be broadly steady for the first quarter as some coronavirus restrictions ease, the world’s biggest fuel retailer said in a trading update on Wednesday. Shell said it saw refined oil product sales at 3.7-4.7 million barrels per day (bpd) for […]

Swiss watchmakers go digital to show off new products, revive sales

ZURICH (Reuters) – Luxury Swiss watchmakers, usually not big fans of online retailing, are launching a new all-digital Watches & Wonders event on Wednesday to show off their latest products, hoping to revive sales hit by the coronavirus crisis. Makers of high-end watches still largely rely on physical stores for sales, but the success of […]

Samsung Electronics says Q1 profit likely rose 44%, matching expectations

SEOUL (Reuters) -Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday said first-quarter profit likely rose 44%, with analysts attributing the surge to brisk sales of smartphones and TVs, albeit tempered by a likely fall in chip earnings after a storm halted U.S. output. The South Korean technology giant forecast January-March operating profit of 9.3 trillion won ($8.32 […]

Exclusive-HSBC moves more than 1,200 UK staff to permanent home working

LONDON (Reuters) – HSBC is moving more than 1,200 staff in Britain to permanent working from home contracts, in one of the strongest indications yet of how banks are locking in changes to employees’ work patterns as a result of the pandemic to cut costs. Around 70% of the bank’s 1,800 call centre staff based […]

Asian shares ease from three-week highs, dollar retreats

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares pulled back from a three-week high on Wednesday, dragged lower by Chinese stocks, though investors were still focused on upcoming company earnings for more signs of a global economic recovery. Eurostoxx 50 futures were off 0.1%, those for Germany’s Dax were barely changed while London’s FTSE futures were up 0.4%. […]