LONDON (AFX) - Here are the top stories on AFX News UK Q4 GDP quarterly GDP growth at 0.8 pct, fastest growth since Q2 2004
LONDON (AFX) - Household spending helped the UK economy grow by its fastest rate in two and a half years during the final quarter of 2006, the office of National Statistics confirmed today.
In its second estimate for the fourth quarter, the statistics office said the UK economy grew by 0.8 pct from the previous quarter, its best quarterly performance since the second quarter of 2004. The growth rate was left unrevised from the pervious quarter. DaimlerChrysler in talks with private equity groups over Chrysler sale - report
FRANKFURT (AFX) - DaimlerChrysler AG has held preliminary talks with at least four private equity groups over the sale of its Chrysler unit, The Financial Times reported in its online edition citing sources familiar with the matter.
The newspaper said Apollo Management, Blackstone, Carlyle and Cerberus Capital Management were contacted by the German automaker last week. Merkel, Chirac urge 'fair division' of Airbus restructuring burden
MESEBERG, Germany (AFX) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac called for a 'fair division' of the burden in restructuring European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co (EADS) unit Airbus.
Chirac said after informal talks here that he and Merkel were confident that the management of Airbus would take equitable decisions on job cuts and plant closures in France and Germany and cushion the blow to affected communities. Nymex registers to sell more stock
NEW YORK (AP) - Commodities exchange Nymex Holdings Inc., which has seen shares surge since going public in November, on Friday registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell more stock to the public.
While the shelf registration statement didn't detail how many shares Nymex Holdings plans to sell, the Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday the sale could exceed $1 billion. Lowe's 4Q profit declines 11.5 pct
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Lowe's Cos., the nation's No. 2 home improvement chain, said Friday that its fourth-quarter profit fell 11.5 percent due to a slowing home improvement market amid a continued slump in the housing sector.
The Mooresville, N.C.-based retailer said it earned $613 million, or 40 cents a share, for the three months ended Feb. 2, down from $693 mllion, or 43 cents a share, a year earlier. RWE fy opg rises 13.7 pct on strong power prices; above consensus
ESSEN, Germany - RWE AG said its full year operating profit rose 13.7 pct to 6.106 bln eur from 5.371 bln a year earlier thanks to strong electricity prices in its core German market.
The figure was slightly above the 6.091 bln eur consensus of analysts estimates. Lloyds TSB FY profit up 8 pct
LONDON (AFX) - Lloyds TSB Group PLC met market expectations with an 8 pct increase in full-year profit, helped by tight cost controls, but shares in the bank fell as investors fretted over its future growth prospects.
Lloyds said underlying pretax profit for the year to Dec 31 2006 came in at 3.713 bln stg, an 8 pct increase compared with the previous year, and in line with a company-collected consensus analyst forecast of 3.7 bln stg. WPP 2006 results beat expectations
LONDON (AFX) - WPP Group PLC shares rose after the UK advertising and marketing group reported stronger than expected full-year profits and revenues.
The world's second-largest advertising and marketing group, home to Young & Rubicam and J Walter Thompson agencies, said revenue for the year to December 31 climbed 10 pct to 5.90 bln stg, ahead of the 5.87 bln stg consensus forecast, while like-for-like revenue growth was 5.4 pct, towards the upper end of market expectations. Lafarge posts strong FY profit rise; to exceed EPS, ROCE targets through 2008
PARIS (AFX) - Lafarge reported a jump in full-year profits, within the range of analyst forecasts, citing positive market trends and the impact of restructuring, and said it expects to exceed its own targets for earnings per share and ROCE through 2008.
The company posted full-year net profit of 1.372 bln eur, up 25 pct from the 2005 reported figure of 1.096 bln, while earnings per share reached 7.86 eur, a 23 pct rise on the previous year. BBVA, Compass agree 385 mln usd compensation if merger fails
MADRID (AFX) - Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA's acquisition of Compass Bancshares Inc includes a clause whereby either company may be required to pay the other a termination fee of 385 mln usd, according to a filing lodged by Compass Banchares with the US Securities and Exchanges Commission.
'The Transaction Agreement... provides that, upon termination of the Transaction Agreement under specified circumstances, Compass or BBVA may be required to pay the other party a termination fee of 385 mln usd,' the filing states. Eni Q4 adj net slips as oil, gas output falls
MILAN (AFX) - Eni SpA said that its adjusted net profit fell to 2.355 bln eur in the fourth quarter from 2.396 bln a year earlier, as oil and gas daily production fell to 1.796 mln barrels of oil equivalent (boe) from 1.806 mln.
Production suffered from the nationalisation of the Dacion oilfield in Venezuela, which knocked 61,000 barrels a day off Eni's production. COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited