Supermarket wars hot up: Poundland launches online shopping trial September 1, 2015 Poundland is dipping a toe in the waters of online retailing, with the bargain chain launching a trial online shopping service today. The discount retailer’s website, will initially offer 2,000 products ranging from Poundland’s £1 Make Up Gallery cosmetics range to Toblerone bars and three-for-£1 cans of Coke. Poundland said the service will have no [...]
Oil prices plunge on disappointing economic data from China September 1, 2015 Oil's upward streak has come to an abrupt end, after the commodity was hit by disappointing manufacturing data released by China this morning. Read more: Oil prices jump more than 10 per cent in biggest one-day rally since 2009 In August, the world's second-largest economy experienced a contraction in its factory activity to 49.7 [...]
Eurozone unemployment drops to three-year low September 1, 2015 Eurozone unemployment has fallen to a three-year low, surprising economists by dropping as low as 10.9 per cent in July. Unemployment figures were forecast to remain static at 11.1 per cent, but Eurozone recovery has given job growth a bigger push than expected, according to new figures released by statistics agency Eurostat today. Some 213,000 [...]
UK manufacturing PMI falls in August as strong pound and uncertainty in China take their toll September 1, 2015 Manufacturing activity in the UK dipped unexpectedly last month, figures published today showed – suggesting uncertainty about China may have spread. Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the sector fell to 51.1 in August, down from 51.9 in July – and considerably below the 52 expected. Any figure above 50 denotes a contraction in the [...]
Jailbroken iPhone accounts stolen in what could be biggest-ever Apple hack September 1, 2015 Details of more than 225,000 Apple accounts were stolen without users’ knowledge – but only on phones that were "jailbroken". Using malware spread through popular jailbreak tool Cydia, hackers managed to steal account information from users in 18 different countries, according to research from Weiptech and Palo Alto networks: We believe this to be the [...]
Apple said to be exploring original film and TV production for Apple TV, going up against Netflix and Amazon Prime September 1, 2015 Netflix, look out – it looks like Apple might finally be making the leap from tech to entertainment, as rumours grow that the Cupertino tech giant is looking to produce original movies and TV shows. The company is holding meetings with Hollywood execs to discuss producing original programming for Apple TV, reports Variety. The push [...]
UBS teams up with Annie Leibovitz for multimillion pound global rebrand as bank seeks to become more “human” September 1, 2015 The banking group UBS partnered with the world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz for its multimillion pound rebranding project, which will span TV, digital and print media. The project will also run at high-footfall airports. Leibovitz, who was behind Marks & Spencer's recent high profile campaign, has created a series of photographs for the group's new campaign. [...]
888 steps up the fight for Bwin.party as GVC talks continue September 1, 2015 It must be nice to feel wanted. Bwin.party, the gambling software company which is currently the subject of a tug-of-war between 888 Holdings and Irish rival GVC, said today that 888 had revised its proposal for a takeover. The company had been in relatively straightforward takeover talks with 888 since May – until GVC waded [...]
China’s economic woes continue as factory activity contracts at fastest pace in three years September 1, 2015 Here we go again? Shares closed lower in China this morning, after manufacturing figures showed the sector in the world's second largest economy contracted last month at its fastest pace in three years. Read more: China warned: You don’t know what you’re doing The official purchasing manager's index (PMI) was 49.7 in August [...]
China stock market crackdown: Chinese government arrests nearly 200 over ‘illegal rumour-mongering’ August 31, 2015 City figures launched a broadside against China’s government last night, after authorities spent the weekend rounding up nearly 200 people deemed guilty of “illegal rumour-mongering”. Beijing appears to have lost faith in its ability to stem a decline in China’s shares through large-scale purchases. Instead, it has turned on traders, social media users and [...]