BusinessReuters•10 minutes agoBHP to quit U.S. shale business as annual profit surges
BHP Billiton, the world's largest miner, reported a surge in underlying full-year profits on Tuesday and said it would exit its underperforming U.S. shale oil and gas business, pleasing disgruntled shareholders who had called for a sale. The Anglo-Australian mining giant, which is under pressure from U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management to rethink its investment in oil and boost shareholder returns, was buoyed by a recovery in industrial commodities markets. Underlying profit of $6.7 billion was below expectations for $7.4 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, but the market focused on the lower debt and the company's determination to exit U.S. shale, pushing its shares up 1.2 percent.
- BusinessBloomberg•22 hours ago
Your Credit Score Could Make or Break Your Love Life
One study, released two years ago, looked at consumer credit data over 15 years and found that the higher the year-end credit score, the likelier the person was to form a romantic relationship over the next year. Now comes a survey from Discover Financial Services and Match Media Group, parent of Tinder and other dating sites, that shows just how appealing a good credit score can be. Financial responsibility was ranked as a very or extremely important quality in a potential mate by 69 percent of the 2,000 online daters surveyed.
FinanceReuters•14 hours agoMcDonald's to shut 169 outlets in India amid dispute with local partner
Fast food chain McDonald's said on Monday it planned to shut all 169 of its restaurants in India's northern and eastern regions, escalating a dispute with its local partner and potentially putting thousands of workers out of jobs. The U.S. company said it was "compelled" to take the action because its partner Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd (CPRL) had breached the terms of their franchise agreements. Vikram Bakshi, managing director of CPRL, told Reuters the decision came as a "big shock" and the company was studying all its legal options.
