Business
FTSE 100 index hits 10,000 milestone in new year rally
The FTSE 100 index has climbed above 10,000 points for the first time, passing a significant stock market milestone, on the first trading day of the year.
Shares included in the index performed strongly in 2025, leaving the benchmark more than 21% higher than a year ago, when it stood at just over 8,260.
Rising share prices are good news for investors, including anyone with a pension or other savings that are invested in the stock market.
But the London index is dominated by large international companies, so is not a direct reflection of the UK economy’s performance.
The FTSE 100 tracks the performance of the the 100 largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. That includes mining firms Antofagasta, Rio Tinto and Peers Endeavour which have been boosted by surging metals prices.
Defence firms also performed strongly, with Bae Systems, Babcock and Rolls-Royce all saw their value increase, as did large banks, including Lloyds, Barclays, Standard Chartered and HSBC.
Business
Payment lags can help curb digital fraud: RBI – The Times of India
MUMBAI: Some friction, long viewed as a flaw in digital payments, is now being seen as a feature. An RBI discussion paper proposes to introduce a short delay, or “lag”, for high-value transfers above Rs 10,000. This gives customers time to rethink a transaction and cancel it if they suspect fraud. Customers may also be allowed to whitelist trusted payees so that genuine payments are not delayed.Another proposal is to provide stronger protection to vulnerable users such as senior citizens by requiring an additional confirmation from a “trusted person” for large transactions above Rs 50,000. The paper also suggests a “kill switch” to instantly block all digital transactions in case of suspected fraud.Banks are expected to identify suspicious transactions in real time and seek reconfirmation from customers before processing them. They will need to build systems to implement delays, allow cancellations, and generate risk alerts. Banks are also expected to tighten due diligence by linking the level of activity in an account to the customer’s profile. For instance, accounts with low verified income may face limits on how much money they can receive unless additional checks are completed. A key finding is that most frauds now are the result of human vulnerability. The growth of digital payments has amplified this risk.
Business
OpenAI pauses UK investment deal over energy costs and regulation
The project was part of a package of tech investment promising the UK could become an AI superpower.
Source link
Business
Disney plans layoffs of as many as 1,000 employees
People gather at the Magic Kingdom theme park before the “Festival of Fantasy” parade at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022.
Octavio Jones | Reuters
Disney is planning to begin its next phase of cost cutting, which will include as many as 1,000 layoffs, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The cost-cutting initiative comes shortly after Josh D’Amaro took the helm as CEO in mid-March.
The layoffs are expected to mostly affect Disney’s marketing department, according to the person, who requested to speak anonymously because the moves had not yet been made public. That department was recently consolidated under Asad Ayaz, who was named chief marketing and brand officer in January.
Ayaz, who reports directly to D’Amaro and Dana Walden, Disney’s president and chief creative officer, oversees marketing for all of Disney’s divisions — entertainment, experiences and sports — in the newly created role. It’s the first time that Disney brought all of its units under one marketing chief.
Disney’s stock was slightly down in afternoon trading on Thursday. The layoffs were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The changes to the marketing department structure occurred in January, when Bob Iger was still CEO of the company. Disney announced shortly after that that D’Amaro would take take over the top job — a long-awaited decision for the company.
D’Amaro, who previously was chairman of Disney Experiences, succeeded Iger after a period of uncertainty for the media and theme park giant — which had included a succession race and recent reorganization and turnaround of the business.
Iger reclaimed the Disney CEO role in late 2022, about two years after his initial departure. He was immediately tasked with a turnaround of the business as its stock price had fallen and earnings began to miss expectations.
By February 2023, Disney had announced sweeping plans that reorganized the structure of the company, cut $5.5 billion in costs and eliminated 7,000 jobs from its workforce.
On D’Amaro’s first official day as CEO in March, he noted the work Iger had done to get the company past one of its most difficult periods.
“When Bob returned to the company a few years ago, his goal was to fortify our business and lay the groundwork for long-term growth, by reigniting creativity and improving performance at our studios, building a robust and profitable streaming business, transforming ESPN for a digital future, and turbocharging our parks and experiences,” D’Amaro said on stage at the company’s investor day.
“We’ve accomplished all of those things, and we’re operating from a place of strength, with ample opportunity for growth.”
-
Business1 week agoJaguar Land Rover sees sales recover after cyber attack
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
[CinePlex360] Please moderate: “Trump signals p
-
Entertainment6 days agoJoe Jonas shares candid glimpse into parenthood with Sophie Turner
-
Tech6 days agoOur Favorite iPad Is $50 Off
-
Sports6 days agoUConn Final Four run could trigger a $50M furniture giveaway for Massachusetts-based Jordan’s Furniture
-
Entertainment6 days agoBlake Lively reacts to harassment claims dismissal against Justin Baldoni
-
Fashion1 week agoChina’s Anta Sports posts record $11.62 bn revenue in 2025
-
Business6 days agoVideo: Why Is the Labor Market Stuck?
