What’s the point of economists? Look to America’s tech giants to find out February 6, 2019 Despite the dire predictions from the economics profession about Brexit, the UK economy is doing well. Growth continues at a steady pace. An all-time record 32.4m people are in work. Unemployment has fallen to levels not seen since the mid-1970s. In contrast, the Eurozone is on the brink of recession – and Italy is already [...]
A Marie Kondo divorce: Lessons from Netflix’s new TV star February 6, 2019 A new year means a new selection of TV series to help us through the deep dark winter months. This year is no exception, and Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo resonates with what are no doubt nationwide resolutions for self, home, and life improvement. It might be surprising to learn that many of the [...]
Apple reclaims its title as the world’s most valuable public company February 5, 2019 Apple has taken back its crown at the top of the tech heap, becoming the world's most valuable public company for a second time after losing the title last year. Boosted by a small 1.7 per cent share price rise as markets opened this afternoon, Apple's market capitalisation rose to $820.8bn (£633.1bn), up from hitting [...]
St Modwen cashes in on fast-growing logistics sector as asset values rise February 5, 2019 Property group St Modwen posted a full-year rise in the value of its assets this morning, amid efforts to dispose of struggling retail sites and focus instead on Britain’s fast-growing logistics sector. The Birmingham-based developer said that it sold over half of its retail portfolio for £177m in the 12 months to 30 November last [...]
More than a quarter of Brits believe Facebook will launch a banking service by 2023 February 4, 2019 More than a quarter of Brits believe that Facebook will offer a banking service within the next five years. The research, published on the 15th anniversary of the social media giant’s launch, revealed that 29 per cent of UK consumers believe technology companies such as Facebook and Amazon will offer high street banking services by [...]
Which advert won the 2019 Super Bowl? February 4, 2019 Microsoft has been named Super Bowl advertising champion with a campaign for an adaptive controller that allows children with disabilities to play video games. The technology giant’s advert was the most popular aired during the New England Patriots’s victory in the iconic American football fixture last night, according to a survey by marketing research firm [...]
FTSE 100 roundup: Today’s winners and losers February 1, 2019 The FTSE 100 finished 0.74 per cent up today, nudging just above 7,000 points to finish on 7,020.22. The index was bolstered by weakness in the pound after the release of further disappointing manufacturing statistics this morning. Sterling has had a tough end to an already difficult week, falling 0.3 per cent against the dollar, striking a [...]
MPs launch inquiry into impact of business rates on high street retailers February 1, 2019 An influential committee of MPs is launching an inquiry into the government's policy towards business rates, amid mounting pleas for tax relief from embattled retailers on the high street. Parliament’s Treasury committee has revealed today that it is set to scrutinise the impact of Downing Street’s business rates tax, which has been at the centre [...]
Amazon presents a mixed bag to investors after record holiday sales January 31, 2019 E-commerce behemoth Amazon predicted lower-than-expected revenue for the current quarter tonight, despite reporting record sales for its busiest period of the year. Revenue for the three months to 31 December rose 19.7 per cent year-on-year to hit $72.4bn (£55.1bn), boosted by events such as Black Friday and Christmas and topping consensus estimates of $71.9bn as polled [...]
Britain’s trade bodies must confront challenges of their own January 31, 2019 What does the future hold for Britain's trade bodies? We hear a great deal about the disruption that poses huge challenges to their members but what of the disruption facing membership groups themselves? Many are struggling with declining membership rates, or the competing interests of the members who do remain. Take the British Retail Consortium [...]