Author: Lucas

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Oil & Gas industry myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.ExxonMobil plans to close a chemicals plant in Scotland and lay off 200 workers, citing difficult market conditions and a policy environment in the UK it claims is “accelerating the exit of vital industries”.The company said it had been unsuccessful in attempts to find a buyer for the Mossmorran plant, which is situated near Cowdenbeath in Fife and has been a significant employer in the area for 40 years. A further 250 contractors working for other companies at the facility,…

Bond markets may force Rachel Reeves to deliver a second budget if investors react negatively to next week’s fiscal plans, a senior City investor has warned, underscoring the fragile backdrop the chancellor faces ahead of 26 November. David Zahn, head of European fixed income at the $1.69 trillion asset manager Franklin Templeton, said the biggest risk to Reeves was that markets “disappoint” rather than celebrate the Budget — a scenario that could push up gilt yields sharply. “If the bond market reacts very badly, the government will have to react if bond yields start to go up too much,” Zahn…

“Today’s reliance on digital and online services has led to a new threat for businesses: the risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches. A cyber-attack can instantly bring your operations to a halt, leaving systems locked and inaccessible. The consequences? Lost time, lost revenue, missed contracts and dissatisfied customers. You also face risks if you store customer, employee or supplier data, or handle online payments. Recent government figures reveal that 43 per cent of businesses reported experiencing a cyber breach or attack in the past year. The 2025 Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 35 per cent of micro businesses and…

Retail traders are becoming increasingly sophisticated and willing to explore more advanced trading strategies, and the rising popularity of options trading emphasizes this shift, according to Stephen Callahan, Trading Behavior Analyst, Firstrade. “Coverage of options activity, including contract volume, call-to-put ratios, and strike dynamics, is now a staple of financial media reporting, especially for high-profile stocks,” he told Traders Magazine. Stephen Callahan On Wednesday, November 19, Firstrade launched Options Builder, a new tool designed to make options trading more accessible, intuitive, and educational. “Options Builder is designed to meet traders where they are, whether they’re experienced options traders or just…

Following what feels like an eternity of speculation, chancellor Rachel Reeves will reveal her cunning plan to fix the nation’s finances next Wednesday. Property will, as always, play a prominent role. Below, we run through some of the potential changes to tax and spending for the sector, and contemplate the potential winners and losers. The homeownerThe government has seemingly decided against income tax hikes, but at the very least, threshold freezes that hit nearly all taxpayers are likely to be one notable feature of the Budget. That means the chancellor will want to portray other measures as progressive, in keeping…

Gold has moved back into focus for central banks. Prices hit record highs in early 2025, and the buying wave that started years ago has not slowed. New figures from BullionVault, which tracks official central bank holdings, show how concentrated global reserves remain across a few regions.The US and Europe still dominateThe United States continues to sit far ahead of the pack. Its official reserves stand at 8,133.5 tonnes, unchanged for decades.Most of it is kept at Fort Knox and the New York Federal Reserve. At current valuations, that stockpile is worth well over $1 trillion, according to the Visual…

IBERIA PARISH — Cajun Industries marked the grand opening of its new world-class assembly yard at the Port of Iberia on Wednesday, a development local officials say will significantly expand job opportunities in Acadiana.Port Executive Director Craig Romero said the partnership represents a major workforce expansion at the port.“Cajun Industries has established a work site here at the Port of Iberia, and they plan to employ more than 650 people,” Romero said. “They’ll be building components and modules for petrochemical plants, LNG facilities — they do a myriad of different things. We’re just so excited that they’ve chosen the Port…

Daniel Rich, senior equity research analyst at CFRA, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss his Hot Picks in utilities: Eversource Energy, Duke Energy and Sempra. Utilities stocks are drawing renewed attention as investors look for value in names positioned for rising power demand, infrastructure expansion and long-term rate-base growth. Analyst Daniel Rich says several major utilities remain undervalued even as electricity needs climb with AI and data-centre development.BNN Bloomberg spoke with Daniel Rich, senior equity research analyst at CFRA, who pointed to opportunities in Eversource Energy, Duke Energy and Sempra, noting that each is navigating regulatory challenges while maintaining competitive long-term…

Image source: Getty Images Who doesn’t love a bargain? Well, despite the UK market being in fairly fine fettle, I can still see a few potential opportunities out there. Let’s look at two value stocks from the FTSE 250. In the gutters Shares in Hollywood Bowl (LSE: BOWL) are down around 15% year to date, massively underperforming the mid-cap index. Quite a lot of this fall came at the end of May and following the release of some pretty underwhelming half-year numbers. Pre-tax profit for the six months to the end of March fell by 9.4% to £28m, for example.…

Labor shortages aren’t just an HR problem — they’re a strategic threat that can derail production schedules, inflate costs, and compromise compliance.  For food manufacturing executives navigating an increasingly complex workforce landscape, the traditional playbook of working with one or two staffing agencies and managing labor on spreadsheets is no longer sufficient. In this Q&A with Jason Oswald, President of Simple, we break down the labor realities reshaping food manufacturing and offer a roadmap for building more resilient workforce strategies. With deep expertise at the intersection of staffing, technology, and operations, Oswald explains why the gig economy has fundamentally changed…