WhatsApp wants businesses to ask users what’s up as the walls between Facebook begin to fall August 25, 2016 Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp is moving to reestablish its revenue stream by allowing businesses to message users. A change to its privacy policy – announced on the company's blog – means businesses will be able to message WhatsApp's over one billion users in the same way they do with SMS messages. Whatsapp used examples of a users bank notifying them about a potentially [...]
Jeweller Tiffany & Co polishes up a sparkling rise in quarterly profit as sales continue to slide August 25, 2016 Dollar strength and weak tourism are still putting pressure on New York jeweller Tiffany & Co. Profit inched up however to $105.7m, sending its stock higher. Shares were up by six per cent in New York following the results announcement. A run of falling sales has sparked a change in strategy at Tiffany, which is now focusing its efforts on growing [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open August 25, 2016 Jackson Hole – the annual US economic symposium – is now underway with market watchers keenly awaiting clues on a September Fed rate hike. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. US markets are not looking perky ahead in the pre-market. The S&P is off by 0.24 [...]
Thorpe Park tempts pensioners with special offers to hop on rides August 25, 2016 Thorpe Park has introduced a discounted pass for pensioners after the theme park saw a four per cent year-on-year increase from visitors aged 65 and over. However, a survey by Thorpe Park found that 26 per cent of pensioners said they felt discriminated against due to their age when taking part in leisure activities in [...]
Oil major debt climbs to record high as crude prices continue to wallow August 24, 2016 Some of the biggest global oil majors are being weighed down by record levels of debt. Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Chevron hold a combined net debt of $184bn (£138bn) — more than double their debt levels in 2014, according to analysis by the Wall Street Journal. The drop in the oil price [...]
EU wades in to Greek statistician row with bailout threats August 24, 2016 Never far from the headlines, the Greek debt crisis rumbles on. Now, a row in the country over data supplied by its official statistics agency Elstat could risk Athens' current bailout programme. Earlier this month Greece’s Supreme Court ruled the former head of Elstat, Andreas Georgiou, should face trial on charges of artificially inflating Greece’s deficit in 2009 to help foreign creditors secure [...]
Olympics on the move: Mobile traffic made up half of the BBC’s record online Olympics viewing August 24, 2016 It may have been Team GB's best Olympic medal haul in 100 years, but the Rio Olympic Games smashed mobile viewing records as well. The BBC has said just under half of the 29.3m users of its BBC Sport live online coverage tuned in via a mobile platform, while the dedicated BBC Sport app accounted for 10 per cent of its Olympics coverage – 2.9m [...]
Italy earthquake leaves at least 120 dead August 24, 2016 A deadly earthquake rocked central Italy overnight leaving an unknown number of people trapped beneath rubble. The 6.2 magnitude quake – which struck at 3:36am local time 65 miles north-east of Rome – has left at least 120 people dead and many more missing, as rescuers search for survivors. The army was mobilised to help with special heavy equipment and the [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open August 24, 2016 It's another scorcher in London and the FTSE 100 is feeling the heat, though European markets are broadly mixed as they digest the Bank of England's latest bond-buying spree. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 2:30pm London time. The S&P is up by 0.8 per cent in the pre-market, while the Nasdaq [...]
Statoil brought in to North Sea venture by Jersey Oil & Gas August 23, 2016 Norwegian oil major Statoil has picked up a 70 per cent stake in one of Jersey Oil & Gas and CEICO's North Sea licences. Statoil will pay a $2m (£1.5m) up-front cash payment and spend up to $25m to drill a well in the area as part of the deal. The licenced area contains two medium-risk oil prospects with an estimated 300m and 212m oil barrel equivalent resources respectively. [...]
