What you need to know before the US open April 25, 2014 US stocks futures suggest a lower open for markets, following Amazon and Ford falling in pre-market trading, on the back of their quarterly earnings reports. More optimistic numbers from Microsoft failed to outweigh the slightly more negative sentiment, which has been reinforced by escalating tensions in Ukraine. Corporate news Nokia has confirmed its delayed deal [...]
Bottom Line: Not much can really change in two years May 19, 2014 IF INVESTORS were in any doubt that gaming is big business, they only need to scan rumour boards yesterday for their fear to be allayed. As Game announced its return to market after just two years, the tech world was rife with talk that Google is preparing a $1bn bid for Twitch – an online gaming community [...]
Zoopla’s debut safe as houses after stock rises June 18, 2014 PROPERTY portal Zoopla yesterday attracted a host of blue-chip investors to its £900m London stock market debut, helping net its founder £30m. The company, which priced shares at 220p, saw 38.3 per cent sold to new investors after existing shareholders such as Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) – its biggest owner – and founder [...]
Race heats up as Google swoops on drone maker April 14, 2014 TECHNOLOGY giant Google has snapped up Titan Aerospace, a start-up that develops drones, for an undisclosed sum. The purchase, announced by Google yesterday, is the latest in a series of high-profile acquisitions of drone makers. Facebook bought UK-based Ascenta for $20m last month, while Amazon is already testing drones to be used for deliveries. Titan [...]
Bottom Line: Murdoch is a force to be reckoned with May 12, 2014 LAST FRIDAY I sat down and watched a TV programme, on a terrestrial channel, at the scheduled time. It felt like an occasion. Like much of the population, such is the choice of media offered now that conventional TV viewing feels like the last resort; attractive only once the Netflix sub, iPlayer catch-up and YouTube [...]
Lessons from the German 2014 World Cup winners July 14, 2014 You don’t need everyone to be a star player for your business team to be successful. Businesses can learn a lot from successful sports teams. After all, the balance between group and individual, consistency and novelty, and working under a common goal are things both must do well. An estimated 1bn people [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 14 March 2014 March 13, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Zuckerberg attacks US surveillance Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and chief executive, has strongly criticised the US government for dragging its heels on plans to reform its mass surveillance programme. In a post on the social network, Zuckerberg said he had called President Barack Obama to express his “frustration” over the damage the government [...]
Alibaba heads towards $200bn New York float April 16, 2014 CHINESE e-commerce titan Alibaba could reach a market valuation of over $196bn (£116.7bn) on its stock market debut, according to IG’s grey market trading leading up to the float. Alibaba, which offers a mix of commerce services somewhere between Amazon and eBay with a transaction volume larger than both combined, is expected to file its [...]
Meet the Co-op traditionalists’ top dog March 11, 2014 Ben Reid, the chief executive of the Midcounties Co-operative, is seen as the likely flag-bearer for the traditionalists in a battle for control of the Co-operative Group. The traditionalists have been opposed to many of the measures the departed chief executive Euan Sutherland has been trying to impose, such as restructuring, the selling off of [...]
The stiff competition facing Royal Mail May 21, 2014 Ahead of its first set of full-year results as a listed company tomorrow, Royal Mail’s announced it’s going to trial delivering parcels on Sundays. Later this summer, it’ll open about 100 offices on Sunday afternoons for customers to pick up parcels. It’ll also pilot delivering parcels within the M25; and from June, Parcelforce Worldwide, its [...]