Global trade shrinks in final quarter of 2018 as trade wars drag on global economy April 2, 2019 Global trade shrank at the end of 2018 as trade tensions and increased economic uncertainty took their toll, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) revealed today. The WTO also said that these problems will stick around, predicting in its annual forecast that world merchandise trade is likely to grow by 2.6 per cent in 2019, much [...]
DEBATE: Is Apple’s move into finance with the launch of a credit card a good idea for the tech giant? April 2, 2019 Is Apple’s move into finance with the launch of a credit card a good idea for the tech giant? YES, says Andrew Mitchell, vice president at JCB. Despite the steady growth of Apple Pay, it’s relatively early for Apple in the payments sphere. However, this product could be a catalyst, strengthening Apple’s position in financial services [...]
Emmanuel Macron: EU will not be held hostage by Brexit crisis April 2, 2019 French president Emmanuel Macron has warned the UK the EU will not be held “hostage” over the continuing Brexit stalemate. Speaking in Paris, Macron repeated the conclusions of the last EU summit that if the UK cannot present an alternative Brexit strategy by April 12, it will leave the bloc without a deal. Standing alongside [...]
IMF director says majority of countries will see growth slow in 2019 April 2, 2019 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said today that 70 per cent of countries can expect a slowdown in growth in 2019 in the latest gloomy prediction about the global economy. Read more: Escalating trade tensions to harm global growth, IMF warns Speaking in New York, Christine Lagarde suggested that the IMF would [...]
Ford’s British operations hang in the balance as no-deal Brexit looms large April 2, 2019 Ford has delivered the latest warning for the UK car industry after Brexit, saying it has yet to decide on its longer-term plans in Britain. The second-biggest US car maker said this morning it was already spending tens of millions of euros preparing for a possible no-deal scenario, in which case it would have to [...]
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg considers possible presidential run as Joe Biden hit by misconduct claims April 2, 2019 Michael Bloomberg is reportedly poised to launch a 2020 presidential campaign, despite previously ruling out a run for the White House. Read more: Mueller just gave Democrats the key to taking down Trump The billionaire said he was not in the running for the 2020 Democratic nominations a month ago, but could be poised to throw his [...]
Hostelworld profits and revenue dip during heatwave and World Cup April 2, 2019 Hostelworld’s profits and revenue dipped last year as the budget accommodation platform struggled to boost bookings due to the summer heatwave and the timing of the World Cup. Bookings through Hostelworld’s supporting brands saw 47 per cent drop, due to the company’s planned “managed decline” of the brands which offset a four per cent rise [...]
Nouriel Roubini interview (Part I): Expect a ‘synchronised slowdown’ in 2019 April 2, 2019 | City Talk When Nouriel Roubini talks, it’s worth a listen. Not known for his optimism, the well-known American economist bears the moniker ‘Dr Doom’. CFA Institute spoke to him to get his take on topics including the prospects for global growth and technologies. CFA Institute: When you spoke to us in 2015, roughly six years after the [...]
Cinema websites crash amid rush for Avengers: Endgame tickets April 2, 2019 Cinema websites have ground to a halt after a rush of customers hoping to buy tickets for the new Avengers film brought servers to their knees. Odeon, Cineworld and Imax all suffered website outages due to the surge in demand, while Vue established a virtual queueing system that cited wait times of more than an [...]
Pop stars Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande placed on Singapore’s ‘offensive lyrics’ list April 2, 2019 Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande were included on a list of "offensive" lyrics circulated among Singapore's members of parliament this week. Read more: Music industry revenue grows 10 per cent The list is part of the home minister's aim to crack down on hate speech efforts to "maintain racial and religious harmony" in the conservative city-state. [...]