BUSINESS

French oil heavyweight TotalEnergies on Thursday reported slumping profits in the second quarter, blaming lower margins in refining and falling sales and prices for natural gas.

"This is a strategic move from NAB in a bid to test whether there's any appetite among borrowers to revert back to fixing. A big bank fixed rate that starts with a '5' is likely to turn at least a few heads, particularly among those worried about the prospect of further cash rate hikes," financial expert Sally Tindall stated.

Everton's potential sale to the Friedkin Group will not go ahead after the Premier League club failed to reach an agreement with the American investors.

The court found that Amex breached the DDO as a credit card issuer as it distributed two of its credit cards at the stores of the luxury brand between May 25 and July 5, 2022, without determining the target market.

The European Central Bank is keeping options "wide open" for September, president Christine Lagarde said, after holding interest rates steady Thursday in the wait for more evidence that inflation was on the right track.

The uptick has made economists expect a rise in interest rate by the Reserve Bank Of Australia (RBA), when it meets in August.

HSBC on Wednesday said its chief financial officer Georges Elhedery would step up to the role of chief executive as the Asia-focused banking giant looks to drive growth.

From forest fires to hurricanes and other natural disasters: climate change risk is increasingly influencing oil prices, just as the world is struggling to shift away from high-polluting fossil fuels.

Addressing the 16,000 staff on Wednesday, executive chairman Andrew Forrest said 700 persons from Fortescue's global operations will be offered redundancies, which was expected to be finalized by July end.

Stock markets fluctuated Tuesday as rising expectations that Donald Trump will return to the White House played up against expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut US interest rates at least once this year.

Retail sales in the United States slipped less than analysts anticipated in June on a weaker performance in the auto and gas segments, government data showed Tuesday.

Equity markets and the dollar wavered Monday as investors mulled the impact of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, while the luxury goods sector was slammed by plunging profits at both British fashion label Burberry and Swiss watch group Swatch.

Swiss watch group Swatch saw its first half profits plunge due to the luxury market crisis in China and warned Monday the key market was likely to remain difficult throughout the rest of the year.

Baden Bower, a leading global PR agency, has announced that Australia has become one of its top client countries, highlighting the nation's significant role in the company's growth and success.

With creative strategies and deep industry knowledge, Spynn Publicity has established itself as a standout player in public relations.

Global stock markets mostly advanced on Friday as traders increasingly expect the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.

Production has yet to begin, but TotalEnergies' controversial East African oil project is already taking a dire environmental toll in Uganda's largest national parks, a leading conservationist group said Friday.

German airline giant Lufthansa slashed its 2024 profit forecast Friday after a weak second quarter and launched a "turnaround" plan for its flagship carrier, which it warned might not break even.

"Weak income growth for people born in the 1990s reflects the poor economic outcomes experienced by younger people following the global financial crisis (GFC)," the report said.

Australia and the U.S. are co-hosting the two-day Pacific Banking Forum, which will have 300 participants, including representatives from Pacific countries, commercial banks and officials from the International Monetary Fund.

The pound advanced Friday after Britain's centre-left Labour Party clinched an expected landslide election victory to end 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule.

The resurgence of hybrids has taken the automobile industry by surprise as automakers were inclined to phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles. But, with the demand for hybrids rising, automakers Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are delaying EV plans.

Eurozone stock markets rallied Wednesday and the euro rose on hopes France could avoid a far-right majority in looming polls, while London also gained ground on the eve of its general election.

The US trade gap grew slightly less than expected in May, to the widest level since late 2022, government data showed on Wednesday, as exports and imports both slipped.

Eurozone inflation cooled in June, official data showed Tuesday but experts say it will not be enough to convince the European Central Bank to accelerate its rate-cutting cycle despite sluggish economic growth.

The first quarter of 2024 had seen a noticeable decline of 3.0% reduction in job ads, and the advertisements decreased by 7.1% in the second quarter of the year.

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Monday it had reached a "definitive deal" to buy its subcontractor Spirit, which has faced scrutiny over production quality control in recent months.

The euro and global equity markets rose Monday amid signs France's far right would not win enough seats for an overall majority in legislative elections.

Stock markets mostly climbed and the dollar diverged Friday awaiting key US inflation data and with focus on upcoming global elections and yen weakness.