Bad news, sky watchers: It’s going to take another 1,500 years for humanity to encounter aliens June 16, 2016 If you're worried about an alien invasion, you can calm down: a new study by astronomers at Cornell University has suggested humans won't make contact with extraterrestrials for another 1,500 years. Even Solomonides and Yervant Terzian combined the Fermi Paradox, which says billions of Earth-like planets exist in our galaxy, with Copernicus' mediocrity principle, which postulates that the [...]
European banking shares take a hammering as Deutsche Bank falls to its lowest ever June 16, 2016 European banking shares dropped today – with Deutsche Bank's share price falling to its lowest-ever in early trading. Deutsche shares fell as low as €12.94 , 2.5 per cent lower, while the UK's big four lenders were also hit, with HSBC dipping 1.1 per cent to 420.95p, Barclays falling 2.5 per cent to 157p, Royal [...]
City A.M. Unregulated: What made Metro Bank’s Craig Donaldson the UK’s best chief executive? June 16, 2016 What makes employees respect their bosses? Metro Bank's Craig Donaldson was voted the UK's best chief executive by workers, according to figures published by Glassdoor. Here, he explains to presenters Emma Haslett and Zak Mir what he's learned about leadership, discusses the rise of challenger banks, and heralds the end of banker-bashing. And as England enter their crucial [...]
Poundland shares have jumped after Bensons for Beds owner Steinhoff made a surprise takeover offer June 15, 2016 Poundland shares jumped more than seven per cent this morning after South African giant Steinhoff made an uninvited takeover offer. Shares in the discount retailer hit 210.20p in early trading, after the Bensons for Beds and Harveys owner confirmed it was considering a possible offer for Poundland. It added the announcement had been made "without the consent [...]
How the ONS single-handedly knocked £100,000 off the average UK house price in April June 15, 2016 Eagle-eyed house price watchers may have spotted something fishy about the official house price figures for April. Yep: in the figures, published yesterday, the average UK house price was almost £100,000 lower than last month – dropping from £292,000 in March to just £209,000 in April. Are those jitters over the EU referendum really having that bad an [...]
Aveva share price plunges as it ends takeover talks with Schneider Electric – after two days June 15, 2016 Shares in Cambridge-based engineering software developer Aveva plunged 14.3 per cent this morning, after it admitted it had ended takeover talks after just two days. Shares were suspended on Monday after it said it had rekindled merger discussions with French industrial group Schneider Electric, after the pair abandoned talks back in December. But its share price fell [...]
European Court of Justice: UK should not have to pay EU migrants family benefits June 14, 2016 One of Europe's highest courts has backed the UK in a case brought against it over welfare benefits for EU migrants. In a judgment today, the European Court of Justice said the UK's "right to reside" test for certain family benefits was legitimate, after the European Commission brought a case against it arguing that it [...]
EU referendum betting odds: A Brexit vote has just reached its highest probability since March June 14, 2016 If you're planning on betting on a Brexit, now's the time to do it, after bookie Betfair put the chances of a Leave vote at 40 per cent, with odds of 6/4. Meanwhile, the probability of a Remain vote fell to 60 per cent, giving it odds of 4/6. That figure is the highest since it [...]
The Smithsonian museum is heading to East London thanks to a collaboration with the V&A June 14, 2016 Move over, National History Museum: the US' largest museum has just unveiled plans to come to London – and it's doing so in collaboration with the Victoria & Albert (V&A) museum. In a statement the pair said they've agreed to work on a permanent gallery space at the V&A's East London museum at the Queen Elizabeth [...]
Microsoft megadeals: As Microsoft shells out $26.2bn on LinkedIn, what has become of its other $1bn plus acquisitions? June 13, 2016 Microsoft has announced plans to buy LinkedIn for $26.2bn (£18.5bn) – news so unexpected, it left most of the world's tech industry speechless. And while Microsoft's shares fell 3.1 per cent to $49.88 in pre-market trading in New York, it had quite the opposite effect on LinkedIn shares, which rocketed 48.4 per cent, to $63.42. Microsoft [...]
