FTSE 100 tumbles to its lowest in six weeks as the pound rises sharply November 10, 2017 The FTSE 100 closed at its lowest point in six weeks as a sharp rise in the pound pushed it lower. The index finished the day 0.7 per cent lower, at 7,435 points, having fallen to its lowest point in weeks earlier in the day. The selloff came as sterling rose 0.45 per cent against [...]
Fund managers are more optimistic than pessimistic about economic conditions for the first time in six years October 17, 2017 The number of fund managers globally who are optimistic about macroeconomic conditions has reached a record high of 48 per cent, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML)’s monthly fund manager survey. For the first time since 2011, expectations for a “Goldilocks” environment – where growth is above trend and inflation is below trend, [...]
Bitcoin market cap smashes through $14bn barrier: Equivalent to the average market cap of a FTSE 100 firm December 22, 2016 Bitcoin prices today leapt by five per cent, breaking records for the overall value of the digital currency in existence and taking its price to the highest level for three years. Around 12.5 new Bitcoins come into circulation every 10 minutes. And this meant today the today market capitalisation of bitcoins broke through the $14bn [...]
Tech predictions for 2018: Drones, crypto, and the rise of the robots January 15, 2018 The pace of technological change can seem exciting and daunting in equal measure. 2017, while seeing continued financial growth in the tech sector, brought even more sharply into focus the challenges inherent with the inexorable march of progress. From Amazon to Uber, tech giants saw their practices and business models scrutinised more deeply than ever [...]
Bitcoin still “currency of choice” for cybercriminals… for now September 28, 2016 Bitcoin remains the "currency of choice" for cyber criminals, but they may soon turn to newer digital currencies, Europe's top police agency has said, and even start targeting blockchain, the technology beneath it. The most well-known cryptocurrency is being used across a range of cybercrimes, including as payment on the darknet, and in DDos, phising and ransomware attacks, extorting money [...]
Blockchain chief executive Peter Smith talks smart contracts, homelessness and starting the world’s largest bitcoin wallet December 12, 2016 When I speak to Peter Smith, he is mid-juggling three events in as many days: a board meeting, moving his entire London team to new offices, and the office Christmas party. “We haven’t even had the office opening yet, but it’s all been fine,” he reflects. The first of these requires a day trip to [...]
Estonia’s Estcoin cryptocurrency plans are moving forward with global initial coin offering (ICO) hub ambitions December 19, 2017 An eastern European country which made history by introducing the first ever virtual residency has revealed that it will move forward with plans for creating its own version of bitcoin. Estonia was the first country to seriously float the idea of its own cryptocurreny or digital token, called Estcoin, in what’s known as an initial [...]
Credit Suisse’s ex-digital chief Marco Abele launches ICO (initial coin offering) for blockchain-based investment co-sharing platform Tend November 1, 2017 The former digital chief of Credit Suisse is launching a blockchain-based investment platform that lets people share ownership of “experiential” assets such as artwork or a classic car, and is seeking to raise funding for the startup via an initial coin offering (ICO). Marco Abele, who left the investment bank this summer, is offering investments [...]
What really caused the FTSE 100 “wobble” February 15, 2018 Investment commentators clearly dusted off their thesauruses before they spoke to the media to describe the behaviour of financial markets over the last week. "Tumble", "pullback", "pause for breath"? "Shake-out", "setback", "wobble", "plunge"? "Breather", "sell-off", "rout", "correction"? Or perhaps you would prefer a good, old-fashioned "opportunity"? The explanations for the 'sell-off' have been equally as [...]
Investing in disruption: Is the US tech boom a bubble? November 28, 2017 It has been a fantastic year so far to be a technology investor. The Fang (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google) stocks are leading again and are now up 33.6 per cent on average year to date. Add Tesla and Nvidia into the mix, and we have a group of businesses that capture the imagination of both [...]