BMW keeps luxury sales crown, beats rivals in December
BERLIN (Reuters) – BMW outsold Audi and Mercedes-Benz in December to round off a 10th year as global luxury car-sales champion but its two German rivals have reduced its advantage.
Tycoon Li Ka-shing to revamp empire to address valuation discount
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, is restructuring his business empire to create two listed companies, one focusing on property and the other on telecoms, retail and energy, in a bid to boost their value and attract more investors….
VW brand sales down 2.4 percent in December on ‘challenging’ conditions
BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen said on Friday sales of its core passenger-car brand fell 2.4 percent in December to 529,500 vehicles.
Big banks park beat-up energy sector bonds in U.S. money funds
BOSTON (Reuters) – Big European and American banks have found a productive place to park the energy sector’s most distressed debt: the $2.7 trillion U.S. money market industry.
China central bank to maintain ‘prudent’ monetary policy in 2015
BEIJING (Reuters) – The People’s Bank of China will continue to maintain “prudent” monetary policy in 2015, keeping credit growth stable while having its hands free to fine-tune policy when necessary, the regulator said in an online statement on Friday…
Mercedes-Benz Cars 2014 sales up 11.4 percent to 1.74 million vehicles
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Daimler , maker of Mercedes-Benz and Smart-branded cars, said deliveries rose 11.4 percent in 2014, to a record 1,739,854 cars, thanks to a 30 percent sales jump in China and 25 percent higher registrations of Mercedes compact car…
European shares, dollar dip ahead of payrolls
LONDON (Reuters) – More weak data from Europe ensured shares worldwide were set to end their first full week of 2015 in the red on Friday, while both the dollar and oil prices dipped as investors waited for monthly U.S. jobs data.
Starbucks’ COO Alstead taking ‘extended unpaid leave’
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Starbucks Corp on Thursday said Chief Operating Officer Troy Alstead, who as finance chief helped lead the coffee chain’s extensive restructuring a few years ago, is taking an extended unpaid leave to spend more time with his fa…
Epic divorce of U.S. oil baron may end after ex-wife deposits check
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sue Ann Arnall, the ex-wife of Oklahoma oil magnate Harold Hamm, has deposited a handwritten $975 million divorce check, Hamm’s lawyer said on Thursday, in a move that may end an epic divorce battle over a fortune worth billions.
For Sony Pictures CEO, cyberattack won’t set studio back
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Over the past seven weeks, Sony Pictures’ chief executive has dealt with the fallout from a cyberattack he likens to having your house robbed and burned to the ground.
