Plans for West End revamp unveiled as Crossrail expected to bring in extra 250m visitors January 20, 2014 Trying to move down Oxford Street at the weekend or any day for that matter is getting rather like trying to move down a busy tube carriage during rush hour. No wonder then that with the imminent launch of Crossrail expected to bring 250m extra visitors West End leaders are thinking about how to improve [...]
Mothercare jumps on Tesco takeover talk January 20, 2014 Talk of renewed interest from Tesco in languishing Mothercare have seen stocks in the baby care and clothes retailer jump over five per cent. Reports that the supermarket has rekindled its interest in launching a takeover bid follow an announcement by Mothercare earlier this month that its full-year profits would be half what analysts were [...]
Data storage firm Dropbox gets $10bn valuation in funding round January 20, 2014 DROPBOX, the online storage service, has secured $250m (£152.4m) from a fund managed by BlackRock and other investors in a funding round that has valued the business at almost $10bn. The firm’s valuation has climbed alongside demand for online storage. It was last valued at about $4bn after a 2011 funding round. Previous investors in [...]
Two steps forward for Iranian nuclear deal January 20, 2014 In November, an historic deal between Iran and the US, Russia, China and European powers was struck. Today, two significant things regarding the deal are happening. Part of the agreement was that Iran begin curbing its uranium enrichment. That curbing has started today, according to state TV. And today is also the day the UN [...]
The three technologies that are set to win 2014 January 20, 2014 Markets should prepare themselves for an "upgrade wave" due to the huge potential of wearable technology, Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV and the acceleration of innovative automobiles, according to investment banking firm Numis. In the wake of the annual Consumer Electronics Show a host of new technologies are preparing to burst onto the scene innovating [...]
Turkey’s lira is hitting new lows. Here’s what you need to know January 20, 2014 Another morning, another massacre for the Turkish lira. It hit new all-time lows against the dollar this morning, falling below $2.25. That's despite Turkey's fairly fresh faced economy minister Nihat Zeybekci saying on Saturday that "we couldn't couldn’t create an economic crisis in Turkey even if we wanted to, it’s that strong," according to BloombergHT. [...]
Deutsche Bank tumbles on €1.2bn loss January 20, 2014 Shares in Deutsche Bank have fallen five per cent this morning after the bank’s shock announcement last night that it was hit by a pre-tax loss of €1.153bn in the last quarter of 2013. Litigation expenses and one-off restructuring costs weighed heavily on the lender. Market consensus had been for profits of around €700m. The [...]
Why China’s slowing growth isn’t too much of a worry January 20, 2014 Chinese economic growth is slowing, but numbers last night weren’t quite as disappointing as anticipated and still point to steady growth. Fourth quarter GDP slowed from 7.8 per cent to 7.7. per cent – the lowest it's been for 14 years, but above market forecasts of a fall to 7.6 per cent. Industrial production in [...]
What you need to know before the open – 20/01 January 20, 2014 European bourses are set to open lower this morning after a weak finish to last week and disappointing GDP numbers from China. It's set to be a quiet day when it comes to economic data, too: Morning all. #FTSE called flat to small off today. US Holiday so could be a quiet one. — [...]
The 10 biggest challenges facing small businesses in 2014 January 20, 2014 Business confidence blossomed at the end of 2013, and things have got off to a good start for firms this year too. Figures from the British Chambers of Commerce showed that confidence in a broad-based UK recovery is growing, and net optimism flew to 71 per cent at the end of the year. When it [...]