ROUNDUP 2: No demerger of Bayer for the time being - Group wants to save billions

LEVERKUSEN/LONDON - Bayer is trying to master its difficult situation despite high debts without selling off divisions. The answer to the question of the future structure and a possible split-up is "not now", the pharmaceutical and agrochemical group announced on Tuesday at a capital markets day. The Leverkusen-based company also presented its figures for the past year. A new organizational model should now save money in the medium term. However, investors will need patience after the share price losses of recent years, as operating profit is likely to fall further in 2024. The price of the badly battered shares fell by almost three percent in response to the news, marking another low since 2005.

ROUNDUP: VW truck holding company Traton in good shape for 2024 - high investments

MUNICH/WOLFSBURG - The VW commercial vehicle subsidiary Traton is entering the new year with unexpectedly high targets after strong year-end business. CEO Christian Levin sees the still high order backlog as the basis, and the manager also expects further efficiency gains from the merging of the Group's brands, according to reports from Munich on Tuesday. Last week, arch-rival Daimler Truck also impressed investors with a confident forecast, surprising them in view of the gloomy economic outlook.

ROUNDUP: Stroer hopes for continued good business with digital outdoor advertising

COLOGNE - The outdoor advertising specialist Stroer wants to take the momentum from strong Christmas business into the new year. Group CEOs Udo Müller and Christian Schmalzl are relying above all on digital out-of-home advertising as their main source of hope. "In the past year, we observed that many customers increased the proportion of outdoor advertising," said Schmalzl in Koln, according to a press release on Tuesday. The Group's largest division is expected to grow over the course of the year. As a result, total sales should also grow more strongly under its own steam. The news was well received on the stock market.

ROUNDUP: Redcare expects slightly less growth momentum - share price rises

SEVENUM - After record sales last year, the online pharmacy Redcare is expecting somewhat slower growth. The MDax-listed company announced on Tuesday in Sevenum, the Netherlands, that consolidated net income should increase to between 2.3 billion and 2.5 billion euros. This would correspond to an increase of 30 to 40 percent and thus less than in 2023, and revenue from over-the-counter medicines is only expected to grow as strongly as recently in the best-case scenario. However, analysts surveyed by the Bloomberg news agency were not quite as optimistic so far and had expected the lower end of the range for Group sales.

ROUNDUP: Schaeffler profit collapses due to takeover and energy hedges

HERZOGENAURACH - The automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler made less profit last year due to the planned takeover of Vitesco. Hedging transactions for energy and currencies also cost the SDax group a lot of money this time. CEO Klaus Rosenfeld expects significant sales growth in the new year, but is already factoring in the completion of the Vitesco takeover in the fourth quarter. The manager is more cautious when it comes to profitability: it could go up or down significantly within a wide range. The disappointing results from the previous year caused the share price to slide.

ROUNDUP/Boeing: US aviation regulator finds problems with quality controls

WASHINGTON - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has found quality control problems in its investigation of Boeing's manufacturing operations following a near-miss. The FAA announced on Monday that there had been violations of specifications in the monitoring of production, the handling of components and product control, among other things.

Lufthansa expects massive downtime during ground strike

FRANKFURT - Lufthansa is expecting massive flight cancellations during the two-day warning strike by its ground staff, especially at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs. On Thursday and Friday, around 1,000 flights will be canceled and around 100,000 passengers will be affected, according to a company spokesperson in Frankfurt on Tuesday. The airline is endeavoring to present 10 to 20 percent of the original flight schedule. The cancellations have already been taken into account in the flight schedules. The Verdi union had called on all ground staff to take part in a two-day warning strike. This is already the fifth wave of warning strikes in the wage dispute and the third with a direct impact on passengers.

ROUNDUP 2: Tesla at a standstill after power failure - investigators are looking into the attack

GRÜNHEIDE - A power outage has paralyzed the only European Tesla factory - investigators are looking into indications of a possible arson attack. "We have received knowledge of a letter of confession, which we are currently examining," said a police spokeswoman on Tuesday. Its authenticity is being checked. In an email, the "Vulkan Group", which is classified as left-wing extremist, accuses Tesla of "extreme exploitation conditions" and demands the "complete destruction of the Gigafactory". Following the fire on a power pylon that triggered the power outage, the Brandenburg police are assuming arson. The State Office of Criminal Investigation has launched an investigation.

Renewed Huthi attacks in the Red Sea - container ship hit

ADEN - The Iran-backed Houthi militias have once again fired several anti-ship missiles in the Red Sea and hit a container ship. The ship, named "MSC SKY II", is in Swiss possession, the US military's regional command announced early Tuesday morning. It was sailing under the Liberian flag. The impact occurred on Monday afternoon in the Gulf of Aden. There was damage, but no injuries, it said. The ship was able to continue its journey.

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Further news

-Verdi calls on Postbank employees to go on warning strike again

-Google gives special search engines more space for DMA launch

-Proposal on rail tariffs provided for two-hour reduction in working hours

-Debeka insurance group with more customers and contracts

-Bavaria no longer expects takeover of Uniper hydropower plants

-Volkswagen wants to open up charging network for external companies

-Leasing specialist Grenke gets a Chief Financial Officer

-Lindt & Sprüngli: chocolate is likely to become more expensive

-Arms industry in the EU to become stronger and more independent

-ITB: Tui Germany expects strong travel season - increased demand

-OpenAI competitor: New AI software recognized when tested

-ROUNDUP: Ex-Twitter managers want to sue Musk for millions in compensation°

Customer reference:

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

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