Anglo American also rejects increased takeover offer from BHP

LONDON - The mining group Anglo American has also rejected an improved offer from its industry colleague BHP. BHP had increased its offer in a pure share swap deal to a good 0.81 treasury shares per Anglo American share, as the Australian mining group announced on Monday. This would value Anglo American at 34 billion British pounds (around 39.5 billion euros). However, even this was apparently too little for the Londoners, who once again rejected the offer at the beginning of the week.

Hochtief starts the new year with profit growth - profit target confirmed

ESSEN - The construction group Hochtief earned slightly more in the first quarter of 2024 than in the previous year. This was mainly due to the US subsidiary Turner and the business of the Spanish highway operator Abertis, in which Hochtief holds a stake of around 20 percent. The company announced in Essen on Monday that consolidated net profit adjusted for special effects rose by 3.4 percent year-on-year to EUR 142.2 million in the first quarter. Adjusted for the earnings contribution from the investment in Ventia, which was sold in 2023, the adjusted profit increased by 16 percent.

ROUNDUP: Adesso slips into the red at the start of the year - share price drops

DORTMUND - IT service provider Adesso has posted a loss at the start of the year despite a significant increase in sales. However, earnings are expected to pick up again over the course of the year and Adesso has confirmed its forecast. Demand for the further digitization of companies is good despite the subdued economy. Nevertheless, the shares fell on Monday.

ROUNDUP: Ceconomy expects operating profit to exceed analysts' expectations

DÜSSELDORF - The electronics retailer Ceconomy has specified its profit forecast thanks to good business in Western and Southern Europe. The operator of the Media Markt and Saturn consumer electronics stores is aiming for more operating profit (adjusted EBIT) for the current 2023/24 financial year than experts have pencilled in. In the second quarter of the financial year, the Group returned to profit following a loss in the same period of the previous year. The reaction on the financial markets was extremely positive. The shares rose by more than five percent.

ROUNDUP: K+S continues to wait for important price signals from China

KASSEL - The fertilizer group K+S is still waiting for the conclusion of groundbreaking potash supply contracts between major competitors and China. When presenting its final business figures for the first quarter on Monday, the MDax group also emphasized that the lower end of the annual profit forecast had become less likely, but that there were still uncertainties. The company had already commented on operating profit and free cash flow at the end of April when it published its preliminary quarterly figures. Both were surprisingly high at the time and have now been confirmed.

Rheinmetall targets 30 to 40 billion euros from special Bundeswehr assets

MUNICH - The armaments group Rheinmetall wants to take a particularly large slice of the German government's 100-billion-euro special fund. "You can assume that in the end between 30 and 40 billion euros will come to us from the special fund," company boss Armin Papperger told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Saturday edition). "For air defence, trucks, ammunition, our share of the F35 program, and much more."

Mercedes: No exclusively all-electric generation from 2028

STUTTGART - The car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has rejected the plan for an exclusively all-electric generation of model series from 2028. The company announced this on Monday in response to an inquiry. Accordingly, production is to be flexibly set up for combustion and electric drives. Handelsblatt had previously reported on the development stop of a new platform for electric models such as the S-Class. The car manufacturer did not initially comment specifically on the platform.

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Further news

-WSJ: Intel brings financial investor on board for chip factory

-The authorities want to oblige cell phone network operators to provide coverage

-Stricter CO2 rules for trucks and buses finalized in the EU

-Thousands of Telekom employees demand higher pay in wage dispute

-EU Commission: Stricter rules for booking portal Booking

-The first construction strike in 17 years has begun

-Lufthansa boss emphasizes importance of Swiss and wants to improve satisfaction

-Scholz calls for more building land to be designated for more apartments

-Germany tourism posts record overnight stays

-Incidents with Boeing aircraft - safety landing in Frankfurt

-Habeck: Demand for heat pumps is increasingly accepted

-Munich Re expects above-average number of hurricanes

-Data usage of German cell phone customers abroad rises sharply

-Terzic after BVB defeat in Mainz: 'Not happy with me'

-ROUNDUP: Number of bank branches in Germany falls below 20,000

-Wind and solar park builder Energiekontor expands park portfolio

-Six-year prison sentence for ex-manager of the Steinhoff Group

-Germans are sending fewer and fewer text messages

-DIHK survey: Numerous companies affected by brief power outages

-British berry industry expects excellent harvest - and warns

-More cases of illness among nursing staff - patient protectors

-ROUNDUP: Number of bank branches in Germany falls below 20,000

-Study: Traffic turnaround will be significantly more expensive with further growth

-ROUNDUP: Final decision on EU easing measures for farmers

-Almost 80 criminal charges filed in Tesla protest - further actions planned

-Despite repeated strikes: City Bahn Chemnitz defies the GDL

-ROUNDUP: Municipal council decides Thursday on Tesla expansion

-ROUNDUP/Bitkom: More cyber attacks from China and Russia

-ROUNDUP: Threats from cyber attacks will continue to grow in 2023

-ROUNDUP: 'Permanent patient' forest still under climate stress

-AMS Osram to invest over half a billion in new generation of microchips

-UN treaty on the use of genetic resources from other countries

-British government: Gazprom feels consequences of Russian war of aggression

-Doctors want to reduce unnecessary visits to the doctor with a patient bonus

-Container ships can now use shore power in Hamburg°

Customer tip:

ROUNDUP: You can read a summary in the company overview. There are several reports on this topic on the dpa-AFX news service.

/jha