Scandinavia

Statistics Norway (SSB), on Thursday, released data showing that the Norwegian economy's growth was faster than expected in the first quarter 2025. In the January-March timeframe, mainland GDP increased by 1.0% in comparison to October-December. The economists polled had predicted a growth of 0.6%. The Norwegian crown currency rose against the Euro to 11,62 at 0609 GMT, from 11,63 before the release of data. spring budget proposal The central bank of Norway had predicted that the economy on the Norwegian mainland would grow by 0.6% during the first quarter, compared to the last three months in 2024 when it contracted...

TotalEnergies announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Norwegian investment company HitecVision to sell 50% of Polish producer Polska Grupa Biogazowa. The French energy company stated that the agreement represents a value of 213.6 million euros (190 million Euros). Stephane Michel, TotalEnergies' President of Gas, Renewables & Power, said that the deal would help Polska Grupa Biogazowa continue its growth in Poland, where biogas development is booming. Erlend Elliottsen, CEO of HitecVision and Managing Director, said that the companies have complementary skills which they will use to "scale" PGB in the coming years, through greenfield projects, as...

Norway's sovereign fund, which is the largest in the world, sold all its shares to Israel's Paz Retail and Energy, because the company owns and runs infrastructure that supplies fuel to Israeli settlements on the West Bank. The Council on Ethics of the fund, which is responsible for overseeing the fund's ethical standards, had adopted a stricter interpretation in August, aimed at businesses that support Israel's activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories. In December, the first divestment took place from Israeli telecoms company Bezeq. The fund operates according to guidelines set forth by the Norwegian parliament. It is regarded as...

The world's largest sovereign wealth fund has sold its entire stake in Israel's Paz Retail and Energy, because the company owns and runs infrastructure to supply fuel to Israeli settlements on the West Bank occupied by Israel, the fund said. The Council on Ethics of the fund, which is responsible for overseeing the fund's ethical standards, had adopted a stricter interpretation in August, aimed at businesses that support Israel's activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories. In December, the first divestment took place from Israeli telecoms company Bezeq. The fund operates according to guidelines set forth by the Norwegian parliament. It...

Vestas, a manufacturer of wind turbines, reported an unexpected operating loss for the first three months, contrary to analyst predictions. Its outlook for the entire year remained unchanged, despite the geopolitical uncertainties. The Danish company posted an operating profit of 15 million euros, compared to a loss of 68 millions the previous year. Vestas surveyed analysts and the average forecast was a loss of 29 million euros. Henrik Andersen, CEO of Vestas, said that "Vestas continued to improve its performance despite new events contributing to geopolitical insecurity and regionalisation". The industry still faces many challenges. Onshore installations in Europe's key...

Over 50 business groups and companies from across Europe have called for Britain and the EU at a upcoming summit to begin talks on linking their carbon market, which will they claim help reduce costs for consumers. When leaders meet on the 19th of May, Britain will seek enhanced cooperation in security, law enforcement, and removing trade barriers between the EU. As part of a larger effort to reduce emissions and achieve climate targets, the EU and UK Emission Trading Systems charge power plants and industrial entities per ton of CO2 they emit. The letter, signed by Equinor Orsted RWE...

These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Headlines Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird evaluates takeover of UK’s Telegraph newspaper Trump administration stops Equinor’s $5 billion New York energy project British Steel's Chinese Owner says UK Government must "respect" its rights - Lyft buys European taxi app FreeNow in 175 mln euros deal View the full article RedBird Capital Partners, a company owned by Gerry Cardinale, is preparing plans to acquire The Telegraph to end the two-year-long sale of this British newspaper group. The U.S. has stopped a...

The European Commission projected that the European Union would install a record-breaking amount of renewable energy this year. However, some sectors warned that government funding could hinder this growth. According to projections from the Commission, EU countries will add 89 gigawatts in renewable energy capacity by 2025. This includes 70GW solar and 19GW wind. These projections are based upon industry data. This would be an annual record for both solar and wind. In 2024, the EU will have installed new wind and solar capacity of 12.9GW. The EU needs to accelerate the roll-out renewable energy to achieve its climate goals...

Equinor, a Norwegian company, announced on Thursday that it is merging its renewables division with its gas to power plants and energy storage assets in order to increase its electricity business. Equinor said that the move was a response to a surge in demand for energy, fuelled by artificial intelligence, the growth of data centres and the green shift. The vast majority of Equinor's income still comes from oil and natural gas. In a press release, CEO Anders Opedal stated that by combining renewable energy with flexible power offerings we could strengthen our competitiveness in the market and create value....

These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Headlines Volvo Cars brings former boss back to provide a'steady' hand Trump threatens to impose secondary tariffs on Russian Oil if there is no agreement on Ukraine Isar declares launch of rocket a success, despite first-time failure to reach orbit Task force urges to eliminate oil and gas windfall taxes before 2030 View the full article Volvo Cars has appointed Hakan Samuelsson as its new chief executive after warning last month of a potentially challenging 2025. Donald Trump,...

Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies announced on Thursday that they would invest 7.5 billion Norwegian crowns (713.66 million dollars) in expanding their flagship project for carbon storage in western Norway. This follows a recent customer agreement. They said that the decision was made after the partners signed an agreement for a 15-year period with Stockholm Exergi, to store and transport 900,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually at the Northern Lights facility. Shell stated in a press release that the expansion will more than triple CO2 injection capability at the site to 5 million tonnes annually, which is equivalent to 10% of...

At a Beijing business forum on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for countries to expand their markets in order to combat the "rising uncertainty and instability" as China prepares to face further U.S. trade tariffs. State media reported that Li said, "In an increasingly fragmented and uncertain world, with rising instabilities and uncertainties, it's more important for countries to open their markets and enterprise... to resist challenges and risks." He was speaking to dozens of visiting U.S. Republican senator Steve Daines and dozens other foreign CEOs at the China Development Forum. Sources previously said that foreign CEOs, including Tim...

Rosatom, a Russian company, has filed a suit in Moscow against Finland’s Fortum and Outokumpu. The lawsuit demands 227,8 billion roubles (2.8 billion dollars) as compensation for losses resulting from the termination of the contract for the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant in Finland. The dispute between Rosatom and the former Finnish partners over the cancelled contract dates back to May 2022. This was when the Finnish partner terminated the contract shortly after the conflict in Ukraine 2022 began. They cited significant delays, risks of political nature, and doubts regarding the feasibility of the project. Rosatom, which announced its intention to...

The court in Sweden granted permission to Heidelberg Materials Cement on Wednesday for it to continue mining the limestone at its quarry located on the island Gotland. This secures the future of this plant, which supplies 75% of all the cement produced in the country. A court in 2021 rejected an extension of the quarrying on the Slite site. This led to warnings about cement rationing, and the loss of jobs across the construction industry. Slite's future was still in doubt, but the government reversed the court decision. The company received a four-year concession for 2022. The firm has been...

Volvo Cars announced on Monday a 11% decline in April sales, to 58.881 vehicles, compared with a year ago, which sent its shares lower. Volvo Cars, owned by China's Geely and majority-owned, reported in a press release that sales of electric vehicles fell 32%, accounting for only 20% of the total volume of sales. The sales of all electrified vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and electric cars, fell by 16%, accounting for 45%. Volvo Cars under pressure from Donald Trump's new administration Tariffs Juggling is the task Working with Geely, to reduce costs and continue to sell cars to American consumers...

A U.S. delegation led by an ex-official of the Trump administration is scheduled to visit Greenland next week to explore potential investment opportunities within the vast natural resources on this Arctic island. Since Donald Trump's inauguration in January, the U.S. has become more interested in Greenland. This self-governing territory is a Danish territory. The increased interest has caused tensions between Washington and Copenhagen. Trump has refused to exclude the possibility of taking Greenland militarily if Denmark refuses to sell it. This is the first visit by a delegation from the private sector to the Arctic Island since Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the...

The weak market and lower prices in North America have impacted the operating profit of Swedish steelmaker SSAB by 57%. The operating profit fell to 1,35 billion Swedish crowns (140.29 millions) from 3,16 billion crowns in the quarter January-March, compared with 3.16 billion crowns one year ago. The European steel industry is now facing increased import duties from the United States, in addition to being under pressure by cheap Chinese steel and rising energy costs. SSAB which has steel businesses in both Europe and America, stated in a press release that the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on the...

Volvo Cars, a Swedish automaker, announced cost reductions of 18 billion Swedish crowns (1.8 billion dollars) on Tuesday after its operating profit dropped sharply amid the difficult automotive market conditions. The operating profit of the company, owned by China's Geely in majority, was 1.9 billion Swedish Crowns from January to March, compared with 4.7 billion crowns the previous year. The company announced that the cost reductions, which are part of its new "cost-and-cash action plan", include layoffs, and a greater decrease in investment than previously expected. It also said it had withdrawn the financial guidance for the following two years....

After talks in Copenhagen, Greenland's and Denmark's leaders agreed to intensify their relationship in response to the desire of U.S. president Donald Trump to take control of a strategically located Arctic Island. Greenland’s new prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielson landed in Copenhagen on Saturday, for a 3-day visit. The trip was a show of unity between Denmark and the island rich in minerals, which is a semiautonomous Danish territory. Nielsen, at a press conference held with Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen, said: "We're in a foreign-policy situation that means we need to work together." Nielsen's visit comes after months of tension...

Trelleborg, a Swedish industrial group, said that it sees only a small direct impact of the U.S. tariffs. It expects to manage this through production adjustments and increased prices. Trelleborg will tackle tariff challenges by optimising and localising production, managing prices and ensuring flexibility in global operations. In a recent earnings report, the company said that indirect effects, such as disruptions in supply chains and higher costs of raw materials, could still have a negative impact on business. According to LSEG, the adjusted operating profit before amortization rose to 1,62 billion Swedish Crowns ($169 millions) in the third quarter, which...

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, held a conference call on Monday with representatives from the metals sector. She then spoke to the automotive industry to discuss ways to respond to U.S. Tariffs. The calls were to gather data to inform future countermeasures, beyond Brussels' response to Washington's tariffs on steel. This will be voted upon later this week. On Tuesday, a call will be held with the European Pharmaceuticals Industry. On Monday, European and Asian stocks and oil prices plunged on fears that U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs could increase prices, weaken the demand and even...

Sources and a letter indicated that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, spoke with representatives from the metals sector on Monday. She then addressed the automotive industry to discuss ways to respond to U.S. Tariffs. The calls were held to gather more information to strategise future trade countermeasures, beyond Brussels' forthcoming response to Washington's steel duties that have been announced previously and which will be voted upon later this week. Tuesday is set for a third call with representatives of the European pharmaceuticals sector. Investors feared that the tariffs Trump announced last weekend could lead to higher...

Danish jeweller Pandora estimated on Thursday that the total impact of U.S. Tariffs on its company would be around 1.2 billion Danish Crowns ($178.34 millions) per year. This is before any mitigation actions taken by the company. Pandora's shares fell 12% to a low of 15 months on Thursday after U.S. president Donald Trump raised duties on imports of goods from many countries. This included a 37% duty on Thailand where the company has two factories that produce most of its charms bracelets and other jewelry. Pandora's biggest market, the U.S.A., which accounted for 31% in revenue last year, estimated...

These are the most popular stories from the New York Times' business pages. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. If he believes that Moscow is blocking the efforts of President Donald Trump to end the conflict in Ukraine, he will impose secondary duties of 25 to 50 percent on Russian oil buyers. Nearly 40 countries, including China and Russia, have voiced their opposition to the plan of The Metals Company, a Canadian miner, to begin seabed mining on the Pacific Ocean. The company applied for exploration permits and permits to the U.S. Department of...