Here are the business stories making headlines in Scotland and across the UK this morning.
HSBC: Bank's pre-tax profits soar fuelled by high interest rates
Europe's biggest bank, HSBC, has posted an almost 80% jump in its pre-tax profit which rose to $30.3bn (£24bn) in 2023, fuelled by high interest rates.
It comes after central banks around the world raised interest rates in last 18 months to help curb rising prices.
Last week, rival lender NatWest revealed its highest yearly profit since the financial crisis in 2007.
But a slowdown in China's economy has meant that HSBC's profit was not as high as expected.
Its bottom line was also affected by a hefty $3bn charge from its stake in China's Bank of Communications.
Inverurie traders say plan to axe free parking will ‘kill off the high street’
Inverurie business owners have branded Aberdeenshire Council’s plan to axe free parking from the Burn Lane car park a “kick in the teeth”.
The proposal is part of a massive savings plan aimed at filling a £35.45 million financial gap for the year ahead.
Cutting free spaces at pay and display car parks would save £151,000 across the next year.
The move would not only impact Burn Lane in Inverurie, but also Hanover Street in Fraserburgh, High Street in Turriff and St Mary’s at Banff.
Officials say action is needed because prices were last set in 2019, and lower usage since Covid means the council isn’t taking in as much money as before.
Tesco overhauls Clubcard price displays amid fears shoppers being misled
Tesco is changing how it displays Clubcard prices after consumer groups claimed promotions made it harder for shoppers to spot the best deals.
Britain’s biggest supermarket said it will be updating the prices on its shelves within the coming weeks to allow customers to see the price per unit of products being sold under its Clubcard scheme.
Previously, it had only given the unit price for products being sold on its shelves without Clubcard promotions. This meant that if customers were buying items such as Heinz ketchup or Hellmann’s mayonnaise, they could see the standard price per 100g not the Clubcard price per 100g.
Consumer rights group Which? had claimed that this was “at best confusing for shoppers struggling with soaring food inflation and at worst, could be breaking the law”.
Lyle's Golden Syrup unveils change to 'biblical' dead lion design for new branding after 140 years
Lyle's Golden Syrup is replacing the image of a dead lion swarmed by bees on its logo with a new design on many of its products after more than 140 years.
The famous green and gold tin holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest unchanged brand packaging and hasn't been altered since 1883.
Scotsman Abraham Lyle, who founded the product, was inspired by a Bible story in which Samson kills a lion and returns to find bees have built a hive in its carcass.
The product's tagline - 'Out of the strong came forth sweetness' - alludes to Samson's riddle to his wedding guests about the source of the honey.