US consumer confidence jumps to January 2008 high March 25, 2014 Good economic spirits returning in the US. Consumer confidence has surged to 82.3, from 78.3 prior. Last month's figure was itself revised up, from 78.1. Analysts had predicted a smaller rise, to just 78.6 this month. Simultaneously housing data revealed that new home sales fell by 3.3 per cent in February, less than the 4.9 [...]
Kim Dotcom set for £109m Mega listing March 25, 2014 Billionaire internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom is hoping to list his online storage service Mega on the New Zealand stock exchange for £109m. Dotcom who is is wanted by US authorities for copyright infringement started the site in January 2013. In 2012, Dotcom's house was raided by police and items were seized. The US Justice department [...]
This is how people will look at you when you wear Google Glass March 25, 2014 Bryan Foster likes wearing Google Glass. He lives in LA and is the kind of guy that calls himself a technology evangelist. On Twitter. And we’d wager on his business card. He also calls himself a Google Glass Explorer, he’s not the only one of course – there are plenty of these people out there [...]
Britain has learned nothing from the credit crunch says top economist March 25, 2014 Britain could be mired in another crash in five years’ time if heavily indebted households and firms are crushed by higher rates, a top economist warned this morning. Interest rates stand at 0.5 per cent, and the Bank of England does not expect to increase this for another year or so. That will mean rock-bottom [...]
Gatwick states the obvious in the fight for a new runway March 25, 2014 Gatwick Airport has made its latest pitch for permission to build a second runway, claiming it will regenerate South London and offer better links for the city than expansion at Heathrow. Sir Terry Farrell, the architect planning the new runway for the airport, said a larger Gatwick could produce the same sort of economic boost [...]
Fortnum’s opens new store in Dubai March 25, 2014 Fortnum & Mason has confirmed that its first overseas store has opened in Dubai. The desert city will be able to buy all the usual Fortnum’s treats – from tea and sweetmeats, to condiments and hampers. Known for being traditional and luxurious, it hopes its offer of a "taste of England" will appeal to locals, businessmen [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 25, 2014 US markets are expected slightly higher today, although concerns remain when it comes to ongoing geopolitical issues. Indices fell yesterday, although the selloff was concentrated in the Nasdaq. G7 leaders have threatened Russia with further sanctions if Vladimir Putin continues to destabilise Ukraine, following the seizure of Crimea. That said, Russian markets have steadied today, [...]
Meet the computer than can make a million billion calculations a second March 25, 2014 A new £43m supercomputer that is capable of over one million billion calculations a second, is to be unveiled at the National Museum of Scotland on Tuesday. The Academic Research Computing High End Resource (Archer) is intended to provide high performance computing support for research and industry projects in the UK. The government said Archer [...]
Russian markets are jumping as fears of sanctions fade March 25, 2014 Russia’s rouble has gained 1.4 per cent against the dollar today – its second-largest gain this year and the most among emerging markets today. That, in the midst of the ongoing Ukraine crisis, and the threat of more sanctions from the West. The currency's now risen 2.7 per cent versus the dollar since its lowest [...]
How the big three central banks are dealing with falling inflation March 25, 2014 The last few months have seen inflation trend downwards in the Eurozone, US, and UK. Today's news that UK inflation has fallen to a 52-month low has stirred concerns among some quarters that central banks aren't reacting to falling price pressures. The latest Office for National Statistics data shows inflation falling to 1.7 per cent [...]