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TalkTalk scraps separate line rental for ultrafast broadband: TalkTalk has scrapped line rental for its own broadband network in York, offering an ultrafast connection at a single “all-in” price

BG-Shell takes first step towards Brazilian blessing: Shell’s £47 billion plan to become the world’s biggest gas producer has moved a step closer to reality after the oil giant officially filed its takeover of BG Group with Brazilian competition regulators.

A matter of form: Pedigree is a question of crucial importance to students of horseflesh. They will hotly debate whether l’Escargot out of Tree Sloth has a marginally better chance in the 3.30 at Doncaster because it was sired by Slow Poke. The progeny of a potential merger between Ladbrokes and Gala Coral should be subjected to the same analysis. Cost synergies and greater scale could improve its chances in the punishing race among U.K. bookies. Combined net debt would look steep for a quoted group at more than £1 billion. A placing equivalent of just under 10% of Ladbrokes shares would reduce this by more than £100 million. Private equity backers of Gala Coral, such as Apollo and Cerberus, would doubtless prefer a clean cash exit at the right price. They still have the option of a float this autumn. A dual track process that includes merger talks with Ladbrokes represents an each-way bet

Ladbrokes and Coral: les jeux sont faits: Ladbrokes shareholders have finally come up trumps. The stock rose 16% on Tuesday after merger talks with rival bookmaker Coral were announced. Before this jackpot, the shares had fallen 14% in a year, trailing rivals William Hill and Paddy Power. The slide reflects the weak hand Ladbrokes has been playing: earnings forecasts for 2015 are a third lower than they were a year ago, partly because of unfortunate sports results. The deal is no nailed-on certainty. The odds are against competition authorities allowing a single company to control half of the high street market without concessions. But folding on some of the shops would not be all bad; the high street is growing at just 1% a year. And the deal, if done all in shares, would leave Ladbrokes gambling with more borrowed money. Net debt would rise from two times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to three — although that bet could be hedged with an equity issue. An all-share deal would bring some new players to the table. Ladbrokes’ shareholders, mostly long-only institutions, would be joined by the private equity groups that own Coral

WPP joins forces with Snapchat to launch ad content agency: Advertising group WPP has teamed up with news publisher Daily Mail and messaging app Snapchat to launch a new content marketing agency called Truffle Pig.

U.S. oil industry launches 2016 offensive: The U.S. oil industry has launched a campaign to win support in the 2016 elections for what it calls “pro-energy” policies, setting out an agenda that is likely to put it at odds with Hillary Clinton as she campaigns to become the Democratic nominee for the presidency

Bank of England hawk says prepare for U.K. rate rise: The Bank of England should be ready to raise borrowing costs as early as August, a member of its Monetary Policy Committee said, in a sign that the body may soon face a split over the timing of the first rate rise since the financial crisis.

West End property is the jewel in Crown Estate: Soaring retail and office rents in London’s West End have helped the business established to manage Crown property to another record year.

Banks target over-55s with cheaper loans on buy-to-let: Banks are looking to cash in on new pension freedoms by flooding the mortgage market with cheap buy-to-let loans. The number available has jumped almost 15% in two months since George Osborne’s reforms came into effect, according to Moneyfacts, the data analyst.

UK balance of firms reporting total order book above normal eased unexpectedly in June The balance of firms reporting total order book above normal registered an unexpected drop to -7.00 in June, in the UK, compared to market expectations of a rise to 2.00. In the previous month, the balance of firms reporting total order book above normal had recorded a level of -5.00. UK CBI trends selling prices registered a drop in June In June, CBI trends selling prices fell to a level of -7.00 in the UK. In the prior month, CBI trends selling prices had recorded a reading of 2.00.

At 0330GMT today, Brent crude oil one month futures contract is trading 0.06% or $0.04 higher at $64.49 per barrel, ahead of the Energy Information Administration weekly oil inventory data, scheduled to be released later today. Yesterday, the contract climbed 1.75% or $1.11, to settle at $64.45 per barrel, extending its gains from the previous session. Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute announced that crude oil stockpiles in the US declined 3.2 million barrels last week

Russia now top oil supplier to China Country jumped above Saudi Arabia in May, sending 930,000 b/

Empiric buys in Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent: Empiric Student Property said it has bought the freeholds of a portfolio of seven properties in Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent for £22.8 million as the company continues its buying spree.

Heavyweight backing for ex-Cairn duo’s new India goal: The oil industry veteran credited with Cairn Energy’s bumper drilling success in India has secured heavyweight private equity backing for his latest venture, which aims to build a portfolio of assets in the Indian subcontinent

GSK and Unilever among 17 companies fined £126 million for fixing prices in Belgium: Some of Britain’s biggest firms – including consumer goods giant Unilever and drugs major GlaxoSmithKline – are among 17 companies fined a total of £126 million for fixing prices in Belgium

Aggreko still has to answer growing problem: Aggreko’s corporate split and management reshuffle does little to solve the pressing issue of sluggish growth, as the temporary power company dropped out of the FTSE 100. The faster-growing and more profitable part of Aggreko’s operations has been providing power to developing countries. In emerging markets, populations are growing faster than the infrastructure can handle, and this demand on the electricity grid offers opportunities for Aggreko. Aggreko is fundamentally an asset hire business. It makes money from owning a fleet of large diesel generators and charging a fee when clients use them. These generators are most profitable when they are hired for long periods of time, as Aggreko incurs costs when it transports them to its clients. The shares reached a peak of £25.21 in September 2012, after the steady growth in Aggreko’s international business since 2003 led investors to believe this would continue in the future. Questor still doesn’t think that represents good value because Mr Weston hasn’t solved the problem of rejuvenating growth in the power solutions business. Without that growth it is difficult to justify a rating on the shares of 20 times forecast earnings. Aggreko’s first-half results on August 6 will give Mr Weston a better platform to outline his plans. But the forecast dividend of 28p, which offers a prospective yield on the shares of 1.7%, doesn’t look worth hanging around for. Aggreko at £14.88 +22p. Questor Says “Sell”.

Falling ruby prices hit Gemfields: A disappointing ruby auction at gemstone miner Gemfields sent the company’s shares sharply lower , but we think the long-term investment story remains intact. The market was disappointed, as it had been expecting about $40 million, in line with a ruby auction last year that raised $43.3 million at an average price of $689 per carat. The weaker demand and lower prices for gemstones are a setback, but the company has made good progress this year. The Montepuez and Kagem mines are still in the early stages of development and will steadily increase production in the future. The shares in Aim-listed Gemfields are clearly high risk, and are highly rated, with earnings per share expected to slump to 0.5p to June 2015. However, the company is expected to bounce back next year, with market consensus for pretax profits of $50.8 million, giving 3p in earnings per share, to June 2016. Gemfields at 59.75p -4p. Questor Says “Buy”.

GSK sells two meningitis drugs to Pfizer for £82 million: GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to sell two meningitis vaccines to U.S. drug rival Pfizer for £82 million to gain clearance from Brussels for its three-way deal with Novartis.

Oil investors betting on crude hitting $82 per barrel: Investors are beginning to bet on a sharp rebound in the oil price by the end of the year, on the back of rising demand and a slowdown in U.S. production.

Strong demand pushes home sales closer to asking prices: Discounts on property sales have fallen to a five-year low, as high demand for homes is boosting prices again, according to new data from property website Zoopla.