Here are the stories making the business headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Inverurie trains to be cut by the dozen to boost links between Aberdeen and Glasgow
Trains to Inverurie could soon be sacrificed for the sake of boosting journeys between Aberdeen and Glasgow.
And services from Stonehaven, Laurencekirk and Portlethen to the Granite City are also facing the chop as rail bosses focus on intercity links with the central belt.
The drastic changes are being proposed as part of Scotrail’s new timetable, which will come into force in December.
A “significant decline” in customers buying season tickets – and people travelling less frequently in the north-east as a whole – have been blamed.
It comes as council chiefs try to encourage more residents to get out of their cars and commute by public transport.
Read more in today's Press and Journal.
Petrol retailers should cut price by 5p a litre, RAC says
Petrol prices should be cut by 5p a litre by the biggest fuel retailers to reflect their lower wholesale costs, the RAC has said.
The motoring body also says that drivers have not yet felt the benefits of the government's 5p duty cut brought in last year.
The price of oil spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, which led to higher prices at the pumps for drivers.
But wholesale oil prices are now lower, down nearly $20 a barrel.
The RAC said the big four supermarkets were making the most profits from petrol - an average of 16p for every litre of unleaded fuel sold in October, and 12p for every litre of diesel.
Credit crunch concerns hit highest level since 2008
The proportion of businesses blaming profit warnings on tighter credit conditions has risen to the highest level since the financial crisis.
As inflation and rising interest rates squeezed balance sheets, 33pc of profit warnings in the third quarter of 2023 cited challenges securing credit, according to new data from EY.
That is the highest percentage recorded since 2008 by the Big Four accountant’s quarterly profit warnings report.
A fifth of profit warnings referenced a slowing housing market, the research also found.
HSBC frets on UK outlook but banks 240% rise in profits
Europe's biggest bank has credited rising interest rates for a 240% lift to its latest quarterly profits but expressed worries about the UK's economic outlook.
HSBC, which is London based and listed but largely Asia-focused, said that pre-tax profits for its July to September third quarter came in at $7.7billion (£6.4billion).
Higher interest rates, on the back of central bank hikes to tackle stubborn inflation, boosted the bank's profitability and helped it fund a fresh $3billion share buyback.
HSBC also revealed a third interim dividend payout this year of 10 cents per share, bringing the total to 30 cents per share in the year to date.