Royal Mail share price rises as it reports progress in cost-cutting programme – but the second half will depend on the Christmas period November 19, 2015 Shares in Royal Mail jumped four per cent to 472.4p after its first-half results showed it's making headway as it accelerated its cost cutting programme and says the outlook for letters and parcels markets remains unchanged. The figures Royal Mail reported revenue of £4.4bn for the half year ended 27 September, two per cent down from the £4.5bn for [...]
There’s no business like e-business: Amazon Local takes on Ticketmaster with West End ticket offers March 23, 2015 Amazon has moved into ticketing after launching offers to West End shows on its daily deals website today, putting it head-to-head with established players such as Ticketmaster and See Tickets. As part of its latest Amazon Local expansion, the internet retailer will now also offer tickets to all 48 shows in the West End including [...]
Fintech revolution? Banks will survive disruption from new technology January 19, 2016 Last week, yet another report was published suggesting banking has reached its digital tipping point. Figures from Javelin Strategy & Research suggest that for the first time ever, US consumers banked on their mobiles more than in branches last year. We’re seeing a similar picture in the UK, as the large banks increase their technology spend [...]
Vladimir Putin tops Forbes’ list of the most powerful people in the world again, beating the Pope, Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, David Cameron and Bill Gates November 4, 2015 Russia's president Vladimr Putin has done it again, and topped Forbes' Most Powerful People List for 2015. It's his third year at the top of the table. He's ahead of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor who's second (and one of only nine women on the list), having jumped three places, while Obama has fallen from number two to [...]
YouTube gives Twitch a run for its money with a new live gaming service August 26, 2015 After months of development, YouTube Gaming has officially been launched. Read more: Twitch – what is it and why has Amazon just spent nearly $1bn on it? The live-streaming video gaming service, which comes as an app and a website, will take on rivals such as Daily Motion and Amazon-owned Twitch. Google, which [...]
Youtube launches “family-friendly” Youtube Kids service in the UK November 18, 2015 Youtube’s standalone app for family-friendly content lands in the UK today, ten months after its US launch. A welcome addition to the family for concerned parents, Youtube Kids blocks out the plethora of less child-friendly content available on the video platform. “We built the Youtube Kids app to be a safer version of Youtube, a [...]
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway heading for worst year relative to rest of the US stock market since 2009 December 30, 2015 The Oracle of Omaha is set for his worst investment year since 2009. Shares in revered investment guru Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway are down 11 per cent, in the same year Buffett celebrates his golden anniversary running the company. Berkshire Hathaway has suffered as a number of investments were hit by falling oil and gas prices. While the company doesn't [...]
Thanksgiving, Black Friday 2015 and GDP in US – New York Report November 22, 2015 US markets will be closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday and Friday will be a half-session day, so expect a relatively quiet week. That said, there is still plenty going on with the yearly Black Friday shopping tradition set to blow the doors off most retailers on Friday. Online retail giant Amazon will be [...]
Google’s wearables push “Project Aura” could mean Google Glass is making a comeback September 17, 2015 Poor, embattled Google Glass. Google tried everything, even teaming up with couture designer Diane von Furstenburg, but despite its best efforts nothing seemed able to shake customers’ feeling that the headgear made you look, well, like a bit of an idiot. A far cry from the massive hype surrounding its unveiling in 2012, a hefty [...]
Poor earnings leave equity bulls adrift – eToro Tips & Picks October 19, 2015 The markets have struggled for direction when it comes to the euro, and recent jumps higher have been met with periods of extended selling. With this week’s ECB meeting, and the continued pressure to put back the deadline for the end of QE (or to even add more QE), we could see some much-needed interest [...]