Vivendi to return 5 billion euros to shareholders after asset sales
PARIS (Reuters) – French conglomerate Vivendi said it would pay out close to 5 billion euros in dividends and buy backs this year and next, rewarding shareholders after three major asset sales including that of its biggest unit, telecom operator SFR.
Facebook acquires fitness tracking mobile app Moves
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc has acquired the maker of a mobile app that can track the distance consumers walk or run and measure the calories burned, giving the social networking company an entree into the nascent market for fitness and heal…
Money manager Vilar’s gets new, longer 10-year prison term
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Money manager and arts patron Alberto Vilar was resentenced on Thursday to 10 years in prison, a year longer than previously, in connection with his 2008 conviction for fraud and money laundering.
Verizon profit misses expectations, shares fall
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Verizon Communications Inc’s reluctance to offer mass discounts in a near-saturated mobile market is costing it new subscribers, analysts said on Thursday as the largest U.S. wireless carrier missed Wall Street’s profit expectation…
Time Warner Cable cuts video subscriber losses, adds Internet clients
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Time Warner Cable Inc lost fewer subscribers than expected and posted healthier results for its residential business, a sign that the turnaround plan it unveiled early this year may be starting to work.
Gucci’s sales growth remains sluggish in Q1
PARIS (Reuters) – Gucci’s sales growth remained sluggish in the first three months of the year, hit in part by the brand’s upmarket repositioning and the clean-up of its wholesale distribution network.
Strong durable goods orders buoy growth outlook
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose more than expected in March and a measure of business capital spending plans surged, bolstering views of an acceleration in growth in the second quarter.
Apple’s sales boom in communist Vietnam
HANOI (Reuters) – Communist Vietnam is suddenly Apple Inc’s hottest market after sales there tripled in its fiscal first half, a growth rate five times faster than in India where it is spending heavily in a battle for market share.
ISS recommends votes for two Loeb nominees to Sotheby’s board
BOSTON (Reuters) – A prominent investor shareholder advisory firm recommended that Sotheby’s investors should vote for two of the three board candidates suggested by activist investor Daniel Loeb.
Apple’s China success sets stage for iPhone 6, new products
(Reuters) – Strong sales of iPhones in China and emerging markets sets the stage for Apple Inc to reap even higher profits after it launches the next iPhone and other new products, analysts said.
