Why HSBC’s feeling excited about UK house building March 26, 2014 HSBC has issued a bullish note today on housebuilders explaining why – despite the sector having already trebled in value since 2011 and despite fears overs the impact of future interest rate hikes and the 2015 general election – it still remains upbeat on the sector. The bank has an overweight rating on eight of [...]
Trade deal must safeguard consumers, says Obama March 26, 2014 Barack Obama has been speaking this afternoon about the prospective trade deal between the US and EU, which would make it easier for the US to export gas to Europe. Having met with EU leaders in Brussels, the US president’s been addressing a news conference, trying to quell concerns he may support a transatlantic trade [...]
How Facebook built a $1bn business in 16 months March 26, 2014 Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg yesterday described his purchase of Oculus VR as key in jumping onto virtual reality which he says will become a part of everyday life and be the “next major computing platform that will come after mobile.” To find out just how quickly Facebook can capitalise on a new business, it’s [...]
Could these Kickstarter campaigns be the next Oculus VR? March 26, 2014 Zuck’s been waving his wallet around again. This time on his shopping list was Oculus VR, maker of Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset. Tech-heads have been praising it as the next generation of gaming and a big step towards realism in virtual reality (if you can get your head round that). It’s been [...]
Are you a secret sexist? Take this test and find out March 26, 2014 At this morning’s launch of the latest Cranfield FTSE Women report, unconscious bias was a hot topic. Put very simply unconscious bias controls that bit of our brain that – like it or not – sorts people into categories. Man = manager. Women = secretary. And so on. Neurologists claims that not only are our [...]
These numbers show why commuting in London isn’t as bad as you think March 26, 2014 Some comforting news for those of us who live in the Big Smoke. Londoners have the shortest commute to work in the country – travelling an average of just 11km to get to work. According to new data from the Office for National Statistics, which compares 2001 census numbers against those from 2011, when the [...]
Loan brokers to beat government to SME referrals site March 26, 2014 Business loan brokers are setting up a new site to let small businesses compare and apply for credit, beating the government’s new referral scheme. Chancellor George Osborne fears small firms are not getting the credit they need to grow. So in the budget he announced big banks will have to refer any rejected customers to [...]
Centrica shares drop after SSE price freeze receives warm welcome March 26, 2014 SSE’s business plan and price freeze until 2016 has proved popular across the board today. Unless you’re in the renewable energy camp, who are pretty peeved that the energy firm is cutting its offshore wind portfolio to offset said price freeze. Politicians were battling to take credit for the consumer-friendly move at PMQs, with Labour [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 26, 2014 US markets are expected to open up today, with stock futures up and eyes on Facebook shares, following its announcement that its acquired Oculus for $2bn in cash and stock. There’s also some recent economic data to chew over. Figures out on durable goods orders show orders rose 2.2 per cent in February – lifted [...]
Boeing orders see US durable goods swell in February March 26, 2014 The latest macro data from the US sees headline durable goods orders rise by 2.2 per cent in February. Analysts had expected growth of just one per cent this month. But ignore the Boeing effects from strong orders, and the numbers are far less attractive. Excluding transportation, orders growth is a tepid 0.2 per cent, [...]