A WEEK IN BUSINESS
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Top of the form
Insurance broker Sedgwick climbed 14.2 per cent to end the week at 137p despite revealing profits of pounds 91.2m, pounds 3.1m down on the previous year. The shares rose as observers predicted an end to the five-year slump that halved the company's price.
Tail-ender
Lloyds TSB slipped 5.7 per cent to 322p after admitting it was back on the acquisition trail, two months after the pounds 16.8bn merger.
Greasy pole (down)
Henk Westerlaken, chairman of Center Parcs, a subsidiary of brewer Scottish & Newcastle, abruptly resigned to "pursue other business interests", clearing the helm for leisure director John Dalgety.
Nice little earner
James Ross, former Cable & Wireless chief executive, will pocket pounds 1.3m after he and chairman Lord Young got into a boardroom row and were forced to resign. C&W is thought to have offered pounds 2.4m to Lord Young.
Clinched
NatWest used some of the pounds 2.3bn it got from the sale of its US retail banking operation to buy Gartmore, one of the UK's top-rated fund managers, in an agreed deal worth pounds 466m.
Sound bite
"I can say emphatically and vehemently that we have expressed no interest to the UK Government" - a spokesman for Duke Power after Energy Minister Tim Eggar said it may buy nuclear generator British Energy.
Banana skin
Ford paid pounds 1,500 each to four black assembly workers at its Dagenham plant after its ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, used a photograph in which their faces had been replaced by images of whites.
U-turn
After lining up a pounds 2bn war chest, Michael Green's media group Carlton was forced to retreat from its planned assault on Lord Hollick's MAI, which is now free to pursue its reverse takeover of United News & Media, publisher of the Express newspapers
M'learned friends
SmithKline Beecham, Brtitain's second largest drugs group, made a pounds 250m provision against two legal disputes in the US regarding alleged overcharging of pharmacies and government health schemes for the poor and old.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments