MasterCard beats expectations as customers seek priceless memories abroad October 29, 2015 Mastercard customers spent more abroad during the third quarter, helping the payment processing company beat expectations with a small rise in profit. The NYSE-listed firm posted a 16 per cent rise in cross-border volumes – the amount people spend in transactions in other countries – which helped the total volume of transactions rise by 13 [...]
Overseas real estate investment into UK regions to hit £14bn this year October 29, 2015 Foreign buyers are splashing out on real estate outside of London, with investment levels expected to hit a record £14bn by the end of the year. Record high prices in the capital have forced investors to look further afield at other cities including Manchester and Birmingham for comparatively higher yields and better returns. Around £10.5bn [...]
Lord Davies review: Female directors aren’t enough for boardroom diversity, we need female executives too October 29, 2015 This morning, Lord Davies launched the final instalment of his five-year plan to address the issue of gender inequality in British boardrooms.Proudly proclaiming the end of all-male FTSE boards, with firms all meeting the voluntary target of 25 per cent female board members, Lord Davies now argues that the original target should be replaced. The [...]
Equities remain the best-selling asset for fifth month in a row, finds the Investment Association October 29, 2015 Equities remained the best-selling asset type for the fifth month in a row, with net retail sales of £1.1bn in September 2015, figures from the Investment Association revealed today. The September sales results for equities are up from August, when net retail sales for equities were £526m, significantly down from net retail sales in July [...]
In a 24/7 digital world, information is power: Businesses who can’t harness it will fall behind October 29, 2015 From the paper on your desk, to customer records, legal documents, transactional data, product information and even social media, whether digitally archived or stored physically, information is the lifeblood of an organisation. This vital information is an asset that simply isn’t being utilised, the impact of which is felt right up to the board room. [...]
Blythe Masters’ Digital Asset Holdings just bought blockchain start-up Blockstack.io October 29, 2015 Blythe Masters’ Digital Asset Holdings just bought a blockchain start-up. The company announced it would be buying Blockstack.io, a cloud-based blockchain system that offers "blockchain-as-a-service" for financial players. Masters, the former JPMorgan Chase executive, confirmed the takeover today: Blockstack’s solutions will enhance the existing Digital Asset technology stack and Miron, a renowned pioneer in the [...]
Sony shares tumble despite second quarter profit from PlayStation 4 sales surge October 29, 2015 Sony's restructuring is starting to pay off as the company reported it was back in black, but shares have tumbled by as much as five per cent. The figures Profit for the three months to the end of September came in at 33.6bn yen (£182m) compared to a loss of 136bn yen in the same quarter last [...]
GoPro share price tumbles to lowest point since IPO October 29, 2015 GoPro shares have plummeted over 17 per cent since revealing sales falling short of expectations yesterday. The camera company’s share price was down to $25 in early Wall Street trading. This is just a dollar above the initial offering of $24 – and the lowest point since listing in 2014. The sell-off follows yesterday’s disappointing [...]
VW emissions scandal: Extra diesel fumes caused by Volkswagen cheat will cause early deaths, study finds October 29, 2015 The knock-on impacts of the Volkswagen emissions scandal are potentially fatal, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. In the US alone, an estimated 60 people will die up to 20 years prematurely because of the extra toxic pollution that has already been released by the German carmaker's cheat engines. In [...]
Company prospects pick up as insolvencies fall in third quarter October 29, 2015 Prospects for business are looking brighter after industry statistics revealed a drop in the number of companies collapsing into administration in the third quarter of the year. An estimated 363 companies entered administration in the last three months, a decrease of 2.4 per cent compared with the previous quarter and 5.5 per cent lower than [...]