Larry Page has the top spot at Mountain View April 4, 2011 WHEN Google announced in January that Larry Page would take up the role of chief executive from 4 April, the company’s current head Eric Schmidt tweeted: “Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!” For some, worries will remain about Google’s co-founder. Wired Magazine calls him “perhaps the quirkiest person to ever run a $30bn company”. He [...]
Google beats Apple in smartphone wars April 4, 2011 THE iPhone has been dethroned by a narrow margin as the favourite smartphone in Britain by mobiles running Google’s Android, a survey has revealed. Over 4m Britons over 18 years old own an Android, accounting for 28 per cent of smartphone owners in the UK, compared with 26 per cent who chose an iPhone and [...]
Construction springs back in quarter one April 4, 2011 BRITISH construction grew strongly through the first quarter of the year, data revealed yesterday. However, the sector, which accounts for around 6.3 per cent of GDP, is increasingly under pressure from rising prices. Input prices for construction accelerated to a 31-month high, according to the closely-watched purchasing managers’ index (PMI) published yesterday by Markit. Costs [...]
Price pressures add to business worries April 4, 2011 EIGHT out of 10 manufacturers say that rising material costs are placing pressure on them to hike prices, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) announced today. Positive balances of 40 per cent in the factory sector and 33 per cent of firms in the service sector want to raise prices, the BCC’s quarterly economic survey [...]
Factory gate inflation still rising across the Eurozone April 4, 2011 FACTORY gate prices across the Eurozone rose at a slightly higher rate than expected in February, yet the data was tempered by a downward revision to January’s rate of inflation. Industrial producer prices were up 0.8 per cent in February, yet January’s rise was reduced from 1.5 per cent to 1.3 per cent, the Eurostat [...]
Twice as many private equity deals this year April 4, 2011 PRIVATE?equity deals doubled in number in the first three months of 2011, research from consultants KPMG revealed yesterday. In the first quarter of 2011, 38 larger UK management buyout deals were recorded by the group, with total funding of more than £10m. However, the average size of deals has dropped sharply from £268m in the [...]
Labour market troubles in Spain April 4, 2011 Unemployment benefit claims in Spain jumped by 34,400 in March, an increase of 0.8 per cent compared to the previous month. Jobless claims now total 4.33m, the Labour Ministry revealed yesterday. “Unemployment has resumed its rising path, after temporary signs of stabilisation in the second-half of 2010,” said Citigroup’s Giada Giani. The number of claims [...]
Fed eyes inflation expectations April 4, 2011 The American Federal Reserve is “very, very focused” on inflation expectations, a top Fed official said yesterday. While Dennis Lockhart expects only a “moderate pace of inflation” in the US, policymakers will keep a close eye on potentially self-fulfilling consumer expectations for higher prices, he said. However, Lockhart expects consumer spending to remain subdued. “A [...]
Entrepreneurs face pay delay April 4, 2011 Entrepreneurs are struggling to collect client payments, according to RSM Tenon. While 19 per cent of businesses wait less than 30 days, 35 per cent of businesses wait 30 to 45 days and 26 per cent wait between 45 to 60 days to be paid after invoicing.
Aggreko bags deal to supply Japan’s power April 4, 2011 TEMPORARY power supplier Aggreko saw its shares surge yesterday after it was given a contract to provide emergency power to quake-hit Japan. The Glasgow-based company has been awarded a contract to start delivering power to Japan’s grid by June and has already started to send equipment over to the country. Shares in the company closed [...]
