Turbulence and tailwinds: how savers can seek returns and save the planet February 14, 2019 Isa season is upon us. With just a few weeks left to go before the end of the 2018/19 tax year, canny savers are scrambling to use up their tax-free allowance before the 6 April deadline. The task became more of a challenge this year after the government, in a bid to bolster Britain’s savings culture, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Google’s GDPR fine may cost it more than just €50m – it will impact the tech industry too January 31, 2019 Back in December, I wrote an article asking why, six months after the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had come into force, we had not yet seen any major fines or punishments for firms that had misused or mishandled personal data. The lack of sanctions, I argued, made the new regulatory powers toothless. [...]
Microsoft taps London data science hub Pivigo to give UK businesses access to data on demand January 30, 2019 Microsoft has today unveiled a partnership with London data science hub Pivigo, giving its customers access to a global network of data scientists on demand. Enabled alongside its Azure suite of machine-learning tools, Microsoft users will be able to tap into Pivigo's 6,000-strong community of data scientists to help with projects such as optimising pricing structures, [...]
Apple sales come to the fore as big tech firms brace for crunch results January 29, 2019 Silicon Valley will be preparing for market instability this week as several members of the so-called Faang grouping gear up to report quarterly results for the recent festive period. Three members of the big tech club – which includes Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google – will publish figures amid rising speculation that their time [...]
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella calls for facial recognition regulation as Bing gets switched back on in China January 24, 2019 The boss of software giant Microsoft has said facial recognition technology needs to be regulated, as the company weathers another storm in China. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, chief executive Satya Nadella said that self-regulation when it comes to facial recognition may not be enough as the technology grows more popular. [...]
Big tech firms like Google, Amazon and Facebook spent a record amount on political lobbying last year January 24, 2019 Google, Amazon and Facebook's bill for lobbying the US government hit record highs last year, as life under the Trump administration put big tech firms in the spotlight. Google parent firm Alphabet said it spent $21.2m (£16.3m) on political lobbying costs in the US last year, topping its previous all-time high of $18.2m achieved in 2012. It [...]
Top 10 CEOs: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos tops index of chief executives, but who else makes the list? January 14, 2019 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos today took the top spot in a new index that rates bosses on the star power they bring to their companies. Billionaire Bezos, who has run Amazon for the past 25 years, has come first in a ranking out today that measures the brand value the world’s most rich-and-famous chief executives [...]