US Federal Reserve June minutes show labour market and Brexit fears July 6, 2016 The latest US Federal Reserve minutes have shown members agreed they should wait for further data on the labour market and the impact of the UK's European Union membership vote before raising rates. Most were in agreement rates should be raised if economic conditions improved, though officials said May jobs payrolls raised uncertainty. The meeting was held a week [...]
Amazon is going on a pre-Christmas hiring spree as it gears up for another bumper festive period July 6, 2016 Amazon, the US online retailer that has been ruffling feathers with its aggressive expansion plans, is upping its UK staff head count by a further 1,000 this year. It today announced plans to add 1,000 permanent jobs across the UK, on top of 2,500 permanent roles previously announced in January. The latest increase means it will [...]
Walgreens Boots Alliance posts a 15 per cent slide in net earnings, sending its share price lower despite beating expectations July 6, 2016 Walgreens Boots Alliance, the company that has controlled UK high street pharmacy chain Boots since 2014, has reported analyst estimate beating results but has failed to stop a share sell off. Shares were down by over three per cent in New York following the results announcement. For the third quarter the company reported earnings per share [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open July 6, 2016 Sterling and bond yields continue to slide, though gold has been labelled as the go-to investment for the rest of the year. Here's what you need to know before the US market opens at 2:30pm London time. US stock futures are not looking good ahead of the open. The S&P is down by 0.62 per cent, the Nasdaq is [...]
Ding Dong! Hostess to IPO under a new owner July 5, 2016 The US maker of cream-filled cakes Twinkies is set to be sold to private equity firm Gores Group, who will then take it public. The $725m (£555m) deal for Hostess Brands will leave current owners Apollo Global Management and consumer industry investor C Dean Metropoulos as major share holders in Gores. Hostess generated sales of about [...]
Pay-TV providers could be charged by ITV and Channel 4 as government proposes scrapping law July 5, 2016 The government has published a bill that proposes scrapping a law that stops pubic broadcasters from charging pay-TV platforms. In the digital economy bill, published by the department for culture, media and sport, it said it intends to repeal the law protecting cable platforms from having to pay copyright or retransmission fees to pubic broadcasters. [...]
European Commission approves new cyber security initiative and funding July 5, 2016 The European Commission wants EU member states to work together on cyber security. The European Union's executive body has signed an agreement that'll have member states funding and working together with private groups to prevent cyber attacks. There have been repeated warnings over the vulnerability of both private and public institutions in recent months. And it seems we're [...]
iPhone builder plans float for cloud unit that could raise $1bn as demand for data transfer products soars July 5, 2016 The builder of Apple's iPhone has filed to float its cable and connector unit in Hong Kong in a deal that's thought could raise as much as $1bn (£765m). Taiwanese firm Hon Hai Precision Industry – known as Foxconn Technology Group – assembles most of Apple's iPhones and many of the other smartphones in use around the world. The planned initial public offering [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open July 5, 2016 The Bank of England has slashed its capital requirements for UK banks, the pound is at a new 31 year low, and Australia's central bank has held interest rates unchanged at 1.75 per cent. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 2.30pm London time. US futures are pointing south after coming back from [...]
Oil slips below $50 per barrel as global economic storm clouds gather July 5, 2016 The oil price has dipped below $50 per barrel as investors fret over a potential slowdown in global economic growth. It's feared that a global slowdown could result in a slackening in demand and recent supply outages in Nigeria and other exporting nations have not been enough to offset fears. At pixel time Brent crude was [...]