A profit boost for Lloyds, working mums and a trade deal with India
Darren is also joined by Lloyds banking boss Charlie Nunn to discuss a rise in the company's profits.
And Sophie Maunder, from maternity coaching provider Matri, talks about why some women aren't going back to work after having children.
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TechCrunch
28 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Lina Khan points to Figma IPO as vindication for M&A scrutiny
A surprising figure is celebrating Figma's successful IPO: Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission. In a Friday afternoon post on X, Khan linked to an article about Figma's impressive first day of trading and argued the IPO is 'a great reminder that letting startups grow into independently successful businesses, rather than be bought up by existing giants, can generate enormous value.' Khan was alluding to a $20 billion deal for Adobe to acquire Figma that fell through back in 2023. While Adobe cited the lack of a 'clear path' to approval from the European Commission and the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, the acquisition also faced regulatory scrutiny in the United States over concerns that it could prevent Figma from being an 'effective competitor' to Adobe. Khan was FTC chair at the time, leading the agency to challenge Big Tech on fronts including startup acquisitions — to the point that companies tried to avoid this scrutiny with 'reverse acqui-hires' in which they hired key team members and licensed technology rather than acquiring startups outright. (The practice seems to be continuing despite Khan's departure from the FTC.) While her aggressive stance led to intense criticism from corners of the tech industry, she defended her approach by saying that only a tiny percentage of deals received 'a second look' and arguing that founders would ultimately benefit from 'a world in which you have six or seven or eight potential suitors' rather than 'just one or two.' And although Khan — who'd been appointed by President Joe Biden — resigned at the start of the second Trump administration, her comments Friday paint the Figma IPO as a vindication for her approach, calling the IPO 'a win for employees, investors, innovation, and the public.' Of course, Khan's critics are more likely to see Figma's success as coming despite regulatory scrutiny, not because of it. For example, Wedbush Security analyst Dan Ives told Business Insider, 'Figma is a massive success, but it's because of the company's innovative growth and not due to the FTC and Kahn.'
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Exxon, Chevron turn page on legal fight as profits slip
Lower crude prices dented profits at ExxonMobil and Chevron as the companies signaled Friday they are moving past a legal fight over an acquisition ultimately won by the latter firm. In similar earnings reports, both companies reported second-quarter profit declines despite increased production, with both US giants pumping more from the Permian Basin, a shale-rich region in the states of Texas and New Mexico. But the two companies still garnered enough extra cash to sustain rich shareholder payouts. "The second quarter, once again, proved the value of our strategy and competitive advantages, which continue to deliver for our shareholders no matter the market conditions or geopolitical developments," ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said in an earnings statement that touted $9.2 billion in shareholder distributions in the three-month period. ExxonMobil's profits came in at $7.1 billion, down 23.4 percent from the year-ago period. Crude prices were under $65 a barrel, more than $10 less than the level in the 2024 quarter. Revenues fell 12.4 percent to $81.5 billion. The company said it brought online three more of 10 "key" projects due to start in 2025 that will lead to growth. The projects included upgrades to existing facilities in Singapore and Britain to produce more high-value products from low-quality petroleum feedstocks, as well as a renewable diesel venture in Canada. Chevron, meanwhile, reported profits of $2.5 billion, down 43.4 percent from the year-ago level. Revenues dropped 12.4 percent to $44.8 billion. Chevron pumped 3.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day during the quarter, well below the 4.4 million of oil equivalent produced by ExxonMobil. - Closing the gap - But Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said the company expects to end 2025 close to four million barrels per day following the completion of its $53 billion acquisition of US company Hess, which was delayed for more than a year following a legal spat with ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil had contested Chevron's right to take over Hess' interest in an offshore field in Guyana in which ExxonMobil holds the largest stake. But on July 18, Chevron announced that it completed the transaction following a "favorable" outcome in the arbitration dispute with ExxonMobil. Wirth said the legal dispute had given it more time to plan out integration, enabling it to speed up $1 billion in annual efficiency gains six months faster than the original plan. The extra time also means that Chevron has already repurchased more than 50 percent of company shares it had planned to issue for the Hess transaction, officials said on a conference call. Chevron spent $5.5 billion in shareholder distributions in the second quarter. In an interview with CNBC, Woods said he was surprised at the outcome of the Hess arbitration, but had called Wirth and John Hess of Hess to congratulate them. "We're moving on from that," Woods told the network. "It's time to move forward and continue on the business." Such frictions typify comportment in the oil industry, where huge capital outlays require rivals to work together on individual projects even when they compete. "You have to learn to walk and balance between, on the one hand, being partners and working closely together, and on the other hand, fiercely competing," Woods said. "I have no doubt we'll continue to have a constructive partnership." Shares of ExxonMobil fell 1.7 percent in afternoon trading, while Chevron slipped 0.5 percent. jmb/wd
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US official says differences with India cannot be resolved overnight for deal
By Kanishka Singh and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Differences between the U.S. and India cannot be resolved overnight to arrive at a trade deal, a senior U.S. official told reporters late on Thursday, citing geopolitical disagreements. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Washington was still negotiating with India on trade after announcing earlier that day the U.S. would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from the country starting on Friday. The 25% figure would single out India more severely than other major trading partners, and threaten to unravel months of talks between the two countries, undermining a strategic partner of Washington's and a counterbalance to China. KEY QUOTES "Our challenges with India, they've always been a pretty closed market... there are a host of other kind of geopolitical issues," the U.S. official said. "You've seen the president express concern about, you know, membership in BRICS, purchases of Russian oil and that kind of thing." While saying there were constructive discussions with India, the official added: "These are complex relationships and complex issues, and so I don't think things can be resolved overnight with India." CONTEXT India has faced pressure from the West, including the U.S., to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi resisted that pressure, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs. Trump has cast the BRICS group of developing nations - of which India is a key part - as hostile to the U.S. Those nations have dismissed that accusation and the group says it promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. Trump has also drawn India's frustration by repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media on May 10. The ceasefire halted days of hostilities between the nuclear armed Asian neighbors. India's position has been that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their issues directly without outside involvement. Trump has reached a trade deal with India's rival Pakistan. Solve the daily Crossword