Bitcoin mining could take up 0.5pc of global energy consumption in 2018 May 20, 2018 A study has found that by the end of this year, bitcoin mining could be using as much as half a per cent of the world’s global energy usage, making it a significant threat to renewable energy efforts and potentially making it an inefficient investment. Bitcoin mining, which has received increased interest from both the [...]
Anyone for England? The World Cup and business stardom are both games of luck June 13, 2018 The 2018 World Cup in Russia kicks off tomorrow. This time, at least, there is little feeling that our boys will emerge victorious. And yet. There is a great deal more randomness in the outcome of soccer games than is generally appreciated. Read more: Allez le Bleus! Lloyd’s of London tips France for world cup [...]
Spotify (SPOT) has finally filed for an IPO, and it’s aiming to raise $1bn February 28, 2018 Spotify, one of the most well-known music streaming services, has finally filed for its initial public offering (IPO). The Sweden-based company is aiming to raise up to $1bn (£726m) through its much-anticipated float on the New York Stock Exchange. According to Spotify, its shares have been trading at up to $132.50 apiece on private markets [...]
Amazon Prime revenues reach £5.2bn February 15, 2017 Amazon has published the figures for its Amazon Prime service for the first time, revealing that revenues for the subscription service have hit $6.4bn (£5.2bn). This means the service, which allows customers to access premium video content and faster product deliveries, lags behind Amazon's retail and web divisions. In 2016, Amazon Retail brought in $91.4bn [...]
Facebook, Apple, Alphabet, earnings preview: The “big tech” backlash has yet to reach Wall Street January 28, 2018 A flurry of earnings from the world’s biggest tech companies are this week expected to show consumer and investor appetite has not yet been dampened by a growing backlash. Apple, Facebook, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft are worth almost three trillion dollars between them and make up half of the top 10 most highly [...]
Could the office be staffed by chatbots? May 29, 2018 Whether checking insurance quotes, ordering concert tickets, or seeing if your favourite trainers are back in stock, almost all of us will have encountered a chatbot in our daily lives. Capable of providing fast access to information and offering pre- programmed responses to minimise misunderstanding in communication, businesses have found that chatbots have cut customer [...]
Artemis US equities: Late-cycle investing … December 6, 2018 Cormac Weldon, manager of the Artemis US Select Fund and the Artemis US Smaller Companies Fund, analyses the reasons for increased volatility in the US market and explains why he is currently favouring companies with stable, predictable earnings. Context is everything. Two of the factors behind the recent increase in market volatility and the significant [...]
Spotify float still set to top Snap and Twitter amid tech sell-off March 28, 2018 Spotify is expected to be worth $26bn (£17bn) at the end of its first day of trade next week, more than social media platforms Snap and Twitter, according to IG client accounts. IG’s grey market, which allows traders to speculate on the music streaming giant’s market capitalisation at the end of its first day of [...]
Facebook’s Icarus needs to come down to earth before it’s too late April 9, 2018 Mark Zuckerberg is facing his Icarus moment. The tale of the boy who flew too close to the sun would make uncomfortable reading for the Facebook founder. “Move fast and break things” was the mantra that made Zuckerberg such a totem of sky-high success. But lax privacy controls and the leaking of the information of [...]
Store wars: Sainsbury’s and Asda mega-merger heats up race to become Britain’s ultimate supermarket superpower April 30, 2018 The race to become Britain’s ultimate supermarket superpower grew suddenly more interesting over the weekend as Sainsbury’s and Walmart-owned Asda revealed they are in merger talks to become Britain’s largest grocer. The two supermarkets, which have both lost market share, are seeking to join forces in a bid to topple Tesco, the current market leader [...]