Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Budget in 14 years, announcing £40bn of tax rises, Central London Alliance comments
Last minute Christmas gifts: Now you can easily give bitcoin thanks to two British entrepreneurs December 21, 2017 Who isn’t running around looking for last minute stocking fillers at this time of year? That was the situation one entrepreneurial couple found themselves in when they decided upon bitcoin as the perfect present. But one problem Laurence Kemball-Cook and Louise Doherty stumbled upon was how difficult it is to buy for someone not entrenched [...]
Doubts about ‘value investing’ have returned to their pre-dotcom crash high December 18, 2017 Is legendary investor Warren Buffett losing his golden touch? On our Value Perspective investment blog, we would never dream of suggesting such a thing but type “Buffett losing touch” into Google and you will find plenty of financial commentators have, from time to time, had no such qualms. What is really interesting, however, is not [...]
Amazon Prime could face an advertising probe over delayed Christmas present deliveries December 17, 2017 Amazon has been accused of Grinch-like behaviour in the weeks preceding Christmas, as it faces claims it has not lived up to advertised delivery promises. Amazon’s Prime service could be investigated by the UK’s advertising watchdog over complaints that packages have been delayed or not arrived. The service offers free two-day shipping to customers who [...]
Disney’s decision to buy 21st Century Fox is good news for viewers, honest December 15, 2017 Yesterday’s decision by Disney to buy 21st Century Fox for $52bn coincided with a data release from the UK’s Office for National Statistics showing the strength of the UK’s film industry. The figures suggested the sector added £7.7bn to the economy last year, up from £5.6bn in 2015 and just £1.8bn in 2008. The release [...]
The investment lesson from Nike’s humble start – and the ‘$35’ swoosh logo December 13, 2017 Most books about successful businesses or entrepreneur’s autobiographies follow a pattern. There will be stumbles along the way but there is almost always a sense of inevitability, the feeling that everything is going to turn out fine. Read Shoe Dog, however, and you will be continually amazed that, most days, entrepreneur Phil Knight was able [...]
ePrivacy: a fatal blow to the diversity of information in Europe? December 8, 2017 “There’s what you see and what you don’t.” This line by French economist Frédéric Bastiat illustrates perfectly the controversy surrounding the EU’s planned “ePrivacy” regulatory package. Expected to come into force in May 2018, the draft is currently being discussed by the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. “What you see” are [...]
Just Eat has created a magic wand for ordering takeaway food December 8, 2017 The new must-have gadget to show off to friends is here. Forget the Alexa or the Apple Watch, because Just Eat has today launched a trial of a magic wand for ordering takeaways. The suspiciously elongated gadget is the latest addition to the crowded British mantlepiece, and will enable users to order Chinese with the [...]
London Stansted’s owner has just launched a startup to improve its tech credentials using Amazon and Asos for inspiration December 7, 2017 London Stansted’s owner has today announced plans to improve customer experience and fight off competition from a rising wave of travel startups – by launching what will effectively serve as its own startup. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has launched its own technology and e-commerce arm, which it said will enable the airport group to respond [...]
British Airways chief executive Alex Cruz says it always will be “a premium airline” as he plots tech push to fight off competition December 6, 2017 The chief executive of British Airways said today the carrier “always will be a premium airline”, though added the airline remained unapologetic about cost-cutting in order to face off against rising competition. Speaking at the Aviation Club lunch, Alex Cruz said: “Let me make our position clear: we are, and always will be, a premium [...]
Aetna agrees $69bn takeover by US pharmacy giant CVS Health December 3, 2017 US pharmacy giant CVS Health has agreed to pay $69bn (£51bn) for health insurer Aetna in the year’s biggest corporate transaction, it was confirmed late tonight. Aetna shareholders will receive $207 per share through a combination of cash and CVS Health shares after the company’s board gave the deal the thumbs up on Sunday. Aetna [...]