This bank says it’s time to go long robots, short human beings January 16, 2014 Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) have a new vision of the future. Their tech analysts favour "innovative hardware, the socially mobile consumer and cloud collaboration as their big 2014 themes" and see increasing use of robots. A BoAML note released today observes that as the use of robots accelerates, this technology is [...]
Gene therapy success could mean the end of blindness January 16, 2014 (deviantart) A new gene therapy pioneered by surgeons at Oxford has improved the quality of vision for six patients who would otherwise have fallen victim to blindness. Six patients suffering from choroideremia were treated with a virus that has been modified to carry a working copy of a gene that the patients lack. The procedure [...]
Holidays to the UK grew by a whopping 12pc in 3 months January 16, 2014 It turns out that more and more people are choosing the UK for a holiday. Numbers from the Office for National Statistics show that visits were up over 12 per cent in the third quarter of 2013 – that's 9.9m overseas visitors who have picked Britain as a travel destination. When compared to a year [...]
These festive victors have found a way of winning online and in store January 16, 2014 Argos, Primark, Halfords, Homebase, Dixons and Ocado: the raft companies who saw sales leap over the Christmas period, and present a stark contrast to the big names (M&S, Tesco and Morrisons) that reported gloomy – and sometimes grim – results last week. It's become something of a cliche to keep emphasising the need for transition [...]
Say goodbye to the Bank of England’s first governor as he disappears from the £50 note this April January 16, 2014 Sir John Houblon will be disappearing from the £50 note this April. From then on, you'll only be able to get £50 notes featuring Matthew Boulton and James Watt. The pair were responsible for accelerating the progress of manufacturing steam engines during the 18th and 19th centuries. Their famous Boulton & Watt engines were responsible [...]
Which came first, the wizard or the app? January 16, 2014 For four years, Harry Potter lived only in the pages of a book. Between The Philosopher’s Stone being published in 1997 and its film adaptation coming out in 2001, the face of the bespectacled wizard existed only in the imaginations of those who had read JK Rowling’s novels (or at least seen the cover art). [...]
Lagarde has been warning of deflationary ogres – this analyst thinks the monsters are misunderstood January 16, 2014 International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde warned of "deflationary ogres" at a speech in Washington yesterday, saying that the creatures "must be fought decisively". But Societe Generale's Kit Juckes says that he "can't help thinking there are a few people who think ogres are misunderstood creatures, not that awful really." This is why the Eurozone [...]
Holiday season sees bumper bike sales for Halfords January 16, 2014 Halfords Group has reported strong growth for the 15 and 41-week periods to 10 January. The company received a boost from bumper retail cycling sales, which grew 19 per cent over the 15 week period to 10 January. The group enjoyed a particularly strong performance in accessories and children's bikes. Online retail sales also boomed [...]
Here’s how Argos made a fierce comeback at the end of last year January 16, 2014 Argos has become the latest digital winner at Christmas, as more companies label their online offering the strand that brought them festive sales success. Internet and mobile technology sales buoyed the high street shop's Christmas performance, despite a "challenging consumer environment", owner Home Retail Group said this morning. In a separate statement, the parent company confirmed [...]
Ladbrokes says it’s on track – but will markets buy it? January 16, 2014 Gaming company Ladbrokes has said it expects operating profit for the year ended 31 December 2013 to be roughly in the middle of the current range of analysts' forecasts of £129.8m to £151m It also confirmed that the upgrading of the gaming machines estate will be completed in time for the World Cup in June [...]