Markets in US and Asia fall on AI jitters; Revolut finally wins UK banking licence – business live

Anglo American has taken a further $1.6bn write-down on its UK fertiliser mine, as the FTSE 100 miner announced a $672m loss in the first six months.

The company, which is looking to cut costs and boost returns after fighting off a £39bn takeover attempt from rival BHP, took a $1.7bn impairment charge on the Woodmsith mine in North Yorkshire last year.

Anglo American, which reported a 3% drop in underlying profits of $4.9bn, has slowed the development of the mine which it had aimed to get into production by 2027.

Our decision to temporarily slowdown the Woodsmith crop nutrients project and thereby push out its production timing has resulted in a $1.6 billion impairment of the project,” said Duncan Wanblad, chief executive of Anglo American. “As we progress our portfolio transformation, we expect to substantially reduce our overhead and other non-operational costs in phases, but weighted towards the end of the process to minimise business risk.

In May, Wanblad announced a plan to reshape the company to refocus on copper and iron ore, including selling off the famous diamond business De Beers.

ITV has reported a 17% surge in ad revenue in the second quarter fuelled by the Euro 2024 tournament, as the broadcaster announced it has taken a majority stake in the TV producer behind shows including Sherlock, The Devil’s Hour and Douglas is Cancelled.

The broadcaster, which said that overall first half ad revenues increased by 10%, beat its forecasts of a 12% rise in the second quarter and 8% over the first six months.

However production arm ITV Studios reported a 13% fall in revenues for the first half, impacted by the writers’ and actors’ strike in the US and the timing of the deliveries of shows to broadcasters.

The broadcaster also announced that its production arm has taken a majority stake in Hartswood Films, the production company behind the Emmy-winning series “Sherlock”, for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 1979, Hartswood, which is based in London and Cardiff, is the UK’s longest-established scripted TV producer.

Overall, ITV reported adjusted profit before tax up 51% year-on-year to £178m in the first half, and a 3% dip in total revenues to £1.9bn.

Good morning, and welcome to our live, rolling coverage of business, economics and financial markets.

Markets in the US and Asia fell sharply as investors sold off shares in tech companies, with artificial intelligence (AI) stocks taking the biggest hit.

In New York the Nasdaq, favoured by tech companies, fell 3.6% and the S&P 500 lost 2.3% on Wednesday making for the biggest one day falls since 2002.

The losses were driven by firms including Nvidia (-7%), Google-owner Alphabet (-5%), Microsoft (-3.5%), Apple (-3%) and Tesla (-12%).

On Thursday, Japan’s Nikkei index fell 3%, as markets in Asia also suffered declines.

In the UK, Revolut has finally secured a banking licence, albeit with “restrictions”, more than three years after Britain’s most valuable fintech firm lodged its application with regulators.

Revolut waited years for approval, having first lodged its application for a UK banking licence in 2021. The challenge, in part, had been convincing regulators that Revolut has addressed a number of accounting and reputational concerns in recent years, after EU regulatory breaches, questions over its corporate culture and the late filing of its accounts.

A UK banking licence is a key step in accelerating Revolut’s growth, as it moves the company on from its current status as an e-money firm that operates as intermediary between consumers and licensed banks.

A UK licence will allow it to hold and customer deposits, opening the door to new income streams, since it can start funding its own-branded loans and mortgages.

In other news, British Gas has reported an operating profit of £159m in the first half, down from the record £1bn reported in the same months last year.

Profit levels are now “normalising” after the energy crisis which saw the watchdog, Ofgem, allow British Gas to claw back more money from household bills to recoup the costs of supplying its 10m customers.

Ofgem’s decision handed British Gas a £500m boost but following the one-off windfall the supplier’s profits have fallen back in line with more typical earnings.

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