London Report: Draghi decision helps FTSE rise but BP tanks September 4, 2014 BRITAIN’S top shares rose yesterday after the European Central Bank cut interest rates and announced plans to buy assets in a bid to shore up Eurozone inflation. However, steep falls in BP capped gains. BP shares fell 5.9 per cent to 455p, suffering their biggest one-day percentage drop since June 2010, after a judge in [...]
New York Report: Wall St closes lower after initial gains September 4, 2014 US STOCKS lost early gains yesterday and turned negative to close modestly lower, dropping from earlier highs that saw the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average hit new intraday record highs. Gains were initially fuelled by moves the European Central Bank took to stimulate the struggling Eurozone economy and continued signs of improvements [...]
Trust in people and businesses is at its lowest in 30 years, say researchers September 4, 2014 Public trust in people and businesses has dropped to its lowest point in three decades, according to researchers at the University of Georgia. By examining data from two national surveys of people in the US – the General Social Survey of adults (1972-2012) and the Monitoring the Future survey of 12th graders (1976-2012), they [...]
Apple share price soars after refuting iBrute celebrity photo hack, then plummets in biggest fall since January September 4, 2014 Apple is having a rollercoaster week. It experienced its biggest fall in share price since January yesterday, after hitting a record high the day before. Shares opened nearly one per cent higher hitting $103.74 when markets opened on Tuesday after the company said there was no "ibrute" security breach when celebrity's iCloud accounts were hacked and [...]
Goldman Sachs to issue $500m Islamic bond September 4, 2014 Goldman Sachs is planning to issue its first Islamic bond, or sukuk, and intends to meet potential investors in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. According to the FT, the issuance is expected to consist of five-year bonds with a combined value of $500m. The US bank will be the second financial institution [...]
The biggest animal to ever walk the Earth: Meet the Dreadnoughtus schrani September 4, 2014 Weighing 59.3 metric tonnes and stretching 26 metres from head to tail, the Dreadnoughtus schrani would have dwarfed the terrifying T. Rex. It may have been a harmless herbivore, but the enormous dinosaur was given its name because the excavation team that found it believed it had naught to dread. "With a body [...]
Four charts showing how Lego became the biggest toymaker in the world September 4, 2014 Lego has snatched the "world's biggest toymaker" crown from atop Mattel's blonde, Barbie-shaped head, after The Lego Movie helped propel revenues to DK 11.5bn (£1.2bn). Operating profit rose 12 per cent to DK 3.6bn in the six months to the end of June, while China became its most significant market, with sales up more than [...]
Scottish independence is “not about SNP” – so who are the other political players in Scotland? September 4, 2014 Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has said that the independence referendum is not about the SNP, but about giving Scottish people the right to have the government of their choice. At an event in Glasgow marking his 10th year as leader of the pro-independence party, he told the BBC: "This isn't about the SNP, [...]
BP share price plummets as judge raises Deepwater Horizon fine to $18bn September 4, 2014 BP's share price dived more than five per cent in late afternoon trading, after a US district court ruling made it liable for a fine of up to $18bn (£11bn) in relation to the Gulf of Mexico disaster in 2010. The court found BP acted with "gross negligence" and "wilful misconduct" when the Deepwater Horizon [...]
ECB rates, growth and stimulus: Four charts that tell you what you need to know September 4, 2014 Today has been a busy day for central bank watchers. The Bank of England's monetary policy committee voted to keep rates at a record low of 0.5 per cent – but the European Central Bank (ECB) was where today's action really was. The ECB, against expectations, cut interest rates to 0.05 per cent and later [...]