Wall St The Week Ahead: Federal Reserve chair Yellen in investors’ focus March 24, 2014 FOR US stock investors, the main event will be Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s return trip this week to Capitol Hill. Wall Street will hang on her every word about the weather, of all things, when she goes before the Senate Banking Committee to complete her semi-annual testimony about monetary policy. Yellen will speak to [...]
Hyperlocal advertising: Technology is a game-changer for small firms March 23, 2014 @LiamWardProud THINK of an iconic advert – Coca-Cola, Guinness, Lynx? The brand is almost certain to be a giant global player with a massive marketing budget to match. It’s been this way for years. Media agencies have typically worked on high-profile campaigns delivered through TV and other wide-reaching platforms, while much smaller companies have been [...]
4 reasons now is the right time to get excited about gold March 21, 2014 With last year's 28 per cent price crash – suffering its sharpest fall in 30 years – it wasn’t just gold bugs and mining companies who have had to endure gold’s bumpy road, as its crashing popularity signalled a shift in economic confidence, upping the favour of paperless assets. This year, things have started to [...]
Royal Mail gets thumbs up from HSBC with “overweight” rating March 21, 2014 Royal Mail has laid strong foundations through its modernisation programme and can still deliver growth, according to a research note released by HSBC Global Research. The bank is initiating the company at "overweight" with DCF-driven target price of 710p. Since the Royal Mail's IPO it has significantly more flexibility to head off volume decline. the [...]
Prezzo, Wagamama and GBK bring mobile payments to the high street March 21, 2014 RESTAURANT group Prezzo is introducing mobile payments to its 200 UK stores in a move that allows customers to pay directly from their smartphones without bringing a debit or credit card with them. The new payment technology, rolled out in partnership with PayPal, lets customer split a bill between friends and pay for their meal at [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 21, 2014 US stock futures have climbed higher, putting Wall Street on track for a good week, despite ongoing geopolitical worries and an interest rate-related fright from the Fed. Things have been escalating between Russia and the West. Obama’s targeted some of Putin’s nearest political and business allies, and the EU’s imposed sanctions on more individuals, in [...]
Introducing Yummy: The rise of HSBC’s metrosexual shopper March 21, 2014 It hasn’t been an easy ride recently for luxury brands operating in emerging markets. This week, Mulberry lost its chief executive, following a shock profit warning in January, and brands Hermes, Kering and LVMH have seen their stocks slide over ten per cent since the autumn. The continued worries about the slowdown in the Chinese [...]
This week’s 3 must-see charts March 21, 2014 How global tightening will affect emerging market stocks, the Federal Reserve's fuzzy guidance, and Italy's flailing growth rates. We bring you some of our favourite analysts’ picks of the most important graphs this week. Julian Jessop, chief global economist at Capital Economics Fears that US monetary tightening will prompt a collapse in emerging market (EM) [...]
Tesco to invest £85m in joint Indian venture March 21, 2014 Super market chain Tesco has confirmed an agreement with Trent Limited, part of Tata group, to form a 50:50 joint venture In Trent Hypermarket. Trent Hypermarket operates the Star Bazaar. Tesco's investment will be in the region of £85m. Tesco has received the approval from the Indian Foreign Investment Promotion Board but is awaiting other [...]
Why this new game is the best 2048 clone yet March 21, 2014 Finally, we've reached peak 2048. In its latest form, the hit puzzling game has been redesigned by Lou Huang, a San Francisco based web developer. Borrowing from the satirical gameshow Numberwang, the rules of the game make absolutely no sense. But, Huang says on Twitter, "your confusion is intended". He says that "Numberwang is supposed [...]