THE DAILY BRIEFING

LOSSES SHRINK

Taxi app company Uber has narrowed its second quarter losses to £702m, down from £870m a year earlier. Under boss Dara Khosrowshahi, the firm has retreated from some markets and expanded services such as food delivery to bolster sales.

ETHICAL ADVICE

Robo-adviser Wealthify has launched a range of ‘ethical’ investment portfolios, comprised of funds which avoid ‘sin stocks’ such as tobacco and gambling companies.

CONGO CONNECTED

Mobile phone tower operator Helios Towers is building mobile phone infrastructure across 1.8km of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

REVVED UP

Car parts maker TI Fluid Systems has hired Elaine Sarsynski to the board. She is on the board of French multinational insurance firm AXA.

POWER PUSH

A quarter of UK businesses have invested in on-site

power generation such as solar panels, according to a poll of 1,000 businesses by Centrica. It found that nearly 80pc of businesses believe a quarter of their energy needs will be generated onsite by 2025.

HEALTH PUNT

Google’s parent company Alphabet has ploughed nearly £300m into a health insurance company co-founded by the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law. Oscar Health lets customers manage prescriptions or contact a doctor at any time of the day using an app.

CYBER FLAW

Chip maker Intel has revealed more flaws in its processors that could be exploited by hackers to steal users’ personal information. It said the vulnerabilities, which potentially hit all digital devices using certain processors, were not thought to have been exploited yet. It is due to release a software update to fix the problem.

BANKS BEATEN

Lender Hitachi Capital is standing its ground against the banks, as it announced profits were up 7.1pc to £116.4m. Profit before tax at the firm, which provides loans for both individuals and businesses, is now 8.4pc higher than at the average FTSE 250 company.

STALLING SALES

A slowdown in second-hand car sales hit Lookers. The group saw profit fall 14pc to £43.1m in the six months to June 30, while turnover rose 5pc to £2.58 billion. It said it was hit by the decline in the new car market from April 2017.