Shell posts $21bn profit haul for 2018

Royal Dutch Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden (PA)

Holly Williams

Royal Dutch Shell has notched up a 36pc hike in annual earnings thanks to higher oil prices.

The blue chip giant posted underlying earnings of $21.4bn (€18.7bn) for 2018, with its fourth-quarter profits up by 32pc to $5.7bn (€5bn) despite more recent falls in the cost of crude.