UK ploughs ahead with digital services tax despite US backlash July 11, 2019 The UK has vowed to plough ahead with a digital services tax on large tech companies, just hours after the US launched a probe into France for a similar levy. The government today published draft legislation for its next finance bill, which includes a new tax aimed tech giants such as Facebook, Amazon and Google. [...]
Talktalk holds guidance as full-fibre demand boosts revenue July 17, 2019 Broadband provider Talktalk today said its first quarter trading was in line with expectations, as growing demand for high-speed internet boosted sales. The telecoms firm posted a 1.3 per cent rise in revenue to £387m in the three months to the end of June, and said its full-year guidance remains unchanged. Read more: Talktalk narrows [...]
Uncertain future for retailers as businesses fail to invest in digital August 21, 2019 In an already turbulent time for the high street, swathes of the retail sector are ignoring the need to focus on digital technology, despite consumers increasingly shopping online, according to research. A survey of 100 top retailers found more than one-third of businesses have no strategy in place to address developments such as a rapid [...]
S&P 500 hits all-time high on trade and Fed optimism October 28, 2019 The US’s benchmark S&P 500 stock index hit an all-time high today as investors were cheered by a possible breakthrough in the US-China trade negotiations and with the Federal Reserve likely to cut interest rates on Wednesday. Read more: Microsoft beats Amazon to Pentagon’s $10bn cloud computing contract The index was also lifted by Microsoft [...]
Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos in record-breaking divorce settlement work $35bn April 4, 2019 Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife of 25 years Mackenzie Bezos have agreed the most lucrative divorce ever, worth at least $35bn (£27bn). The split of the former richest couple in the world will leave Mackenzie the third most wealthy woman on the planet, despite her giving up 75 per cent of their stake [...]
Top US business bosses abandon shareholder-first principle August 19, 2019 The age-old principle that shareholders come first has been ditched by an influential lobbying group representing some of the world’s most senior business bosses. Maximising profits for investors should no longer be the main priority for firms, an organisation called The Business Roundtable concluded today, as it signalled a major corporate shift towards achieving wider [...]
Ofcom gives green light to BBC’s Britbox push September 19, 2019 Regulator Ofcom has given the thumbs up for the BBC’s investment in Britbox – a new streaming service to rival the likes of Netflix. The regulator said that there is no “significant risk” that Britbox, a collaboration with ITV, will distort the market and create an unfair advantage. Read more: Britbox: BBC and ITV reveal [...]
How might stocks react to a Biden win? September 1, 2020 Our analysis suggests such an assumption would be premature. It’s not just Covid-19 and the economic slump it has caused that are on investors’ minds. They’re also beginning to worry about the risks surrounding the 2020 US presidential election. The latest polls show that the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, is poised to win and the [...]
UK coronavirus: Brighton GP practice closes after positive test February 10, 2020 A GP practice in Brighton has closed after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus, it is reported. The County Oak medical centre in Brighton closed this afternoon, urging patients to contact the NHS 111 phone service with any health concerns. It came as the government upgraded coronavirus to a “serious and imminent” threat [...]
Move over, US: time for a new stock market leader? July 1, 2020 The US has dominated stock market returns globally ever since the Global Financial Crisis. But nothing lasts forever… Dominance in almost any walk of life goes in cycles. Just ask Manchester United fans or MySpace users… Well, the same can be said of markets. They also go through periods when certain regions (or companies) seem [...]