Israel rockets into first place in race to complete first ever private mission to the moon October 7, 2015 A team of Israeli scientists has accelerated into first place in the race to send a privately-funded space mission to the moon. Calling themselves SpaceIL, they have just signed an official launch contract with the organisers of Google's Lunar X Prize competition to send a rocket to the moon before the end of 2017. The [...]
Superforecasting: How seemingly ordinary people can predict everything from world events to election results May 27, 2016 The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was having a stressful time in 2013. A rebel militia had just taken control of Goma, a large province with a population of about a million people, and regional powers were putting pressure on him to wrest it back by force. Little did he know that [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK vs Cyber Monday: Shoppers on high street decline as they turn online November 29, 2015 The number of shoppers hitting the high street fell on Black Friday as they turned to buying online and as retailers spread their discount deals throughout the week. Footfall on high street pavements was down more than four per cent on Black Friday, compared to the same time last year the earliest figures reveal, according to retail [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Customer returns will cost retailers as much as £180m November 23, 2015 The cost to retailers of returned goods bought on Black Friday will come with a price tag of up to £180m and create an "out of stock" Saturday which could leave shoppers empty handed at the tills during the crucial Christmas shopping period. As much as 50 per cent of promotional purchases will be returned and 12 December is predicted to [...]
Think you’re not being tracked online? Our browsing habits are captured and leaked by nine out of 10 major websites November 11, 2015 Chances are, your internet browsing habits are well known among many companies – some of which you probably haven't even heard of. New research published today in the International Journal of Communication shows 88 per cent of mainstream websites track your data and pass it on to third parties. While the information they leak is [...]
Fed rate hike: Index sharply lower after Janet Yellen remarks – New York Report December 2, 2015 Hawkish comments from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen yesterday which boosted expectations of an interest rate hike pulled US stocks sharply lower. Investors also attributed late-day selling to news coverage of a shooting in southern California, in which 12 people are said to have been killed . The Dow Jones industrial average fell 158.67 points, [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Fewer fights – but also fewer deals reported by shoppers as Tesco turns away non-Black Friday bargain hunters November 27, 2015 Bargain hunters are experiencing a less stressful Black Friday so far – but they are also reporting fewer must-have deals on sale, as retailers attempt to keep better control on things than last year. Last year stores including Tesco opened their doors at midnight – this year those participating in Black Friday today opened at [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Police in Scotland and Manchester warn over deal scams and bargain hunter violence November 27, 2015 Police have warned bargain hunters to be vigilant on Black Friday, claiming they could become victims of online scams – or in-store violence – on what is set to be the biggest shopping day of the year. Police in Greater Manchester have told shoppers that they must check they are not being ripped off before [...]
Home Retail Group’s share price rises despite disappointing figures as break up of Homebase and Argos looms January 14, 2016 Home Retail Group has warned that profits will be at the lower end of expectations, after a "mixed" performance from Argos. The figures Argos like-for-like sales decreased 2.2 per cent in the 18 weeks to 2 January to £1.84bn, although new digital concessions added in the past year contributed 3.1 per cent to growth. At Homebase, like-for-like sales grew by five [...]
Good health cheers Dow at month’s start – New York Report December 1, 2015 Health and consumer shares bounced back yesterday while car sales suggested upbeat growth in November, giving the markets a positive start to December. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 168.43 points, or 0.95 per cent, to 17,888.35, the S&P 500 gained 22.22 points, or 1.07 per cent, to 2,102.63 and the Nasdaq Composite added 47.64 [...]