What the other papers say this morning – 13 December 2013 December 12, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Bitcoin start-up fundraises $25m A Silicon Valley company that allows speculators and merchants to trade Bitcoin has raised $25m (£15.3m) in venture capital funding in the largest investment so far in a virtual currency business. As a result of the deal, San Francisco-based Coinbase will have two of the most prominent venture capitalists [...]
Ofcom to apply freephone rules to mobile calls December 12, 2013 MOBILE calls to businesses or services using freephone numbers will be free from 2015 as part of new rules unveiled by Ofcom yesterday. Freephone numbers 0800, 0808 and 116 will be made free from mobiles under the plans, and the pricing of 08, 09 or 118 numbers will be made clearer for callers. “These changes [...]
London Report: FTSE sheds points as taper fears return to haunt investors December 11, 2013 THE UK’S top share index ended slightly lower yesterday with a provisional budget deal in Washington raising concerns of a reduction in US stimulus as early as next week. The agreement, reached late on Tuesday, would end three years of impasse and fiscal instability in Washington that culminated in October with a partial government shutdown. [...]
BT Sport in exclusive NBA rights win causing another blow to Sky November 28, 2013 BT SCORED another blow to Sky Sports yesterday with the announcement that it signed an exclusive rights deal for the broadcast of top NBA games in the UK and Ireland. The deal will see up to 200 of the games broadcast during the season on BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and ESPN, with seven [...]
BT Sport bags multi-year NBA deal November 28, 2013 BT Sport and the NBA have signed an agreement for exclusive live television coverage of top NBA games in the UK and Ireland. The multi-year agreement begins on 1 December with the Indiana Pacers taking on West Coast rivals the LA Clippers on BT Sport 2. The deal will see up to 200 games shown [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 27 November 2013 November 26, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS faces possible criminal probe The Serious Fraud Office is considering a criminal investigation into allegations Royal Bank of Scotland defrauded companies by forcing them out of business, amid growing pressure on the bank over its treatment of SMEs. The SFO has conducted interviews with former executives of UK firms affected by RBS’s [...]
Severn Trent’s half-year profits fall November 26, 2013 SEVERN TRENT yesterday blamed rising costs for a 5.8 per cent fall in half-year profits, but raised its dividend and reiterated its promise to keep household bill rises below inflation. Pre-tax profits at the FTSE 100-listed water company fell to £141.4m from £150m the previous year, but the firm said that results were in line with [...]
Best of the Brokers for 27 November 2013 November 26, 2013 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com HALFORDS UBS has a “buy” recommendation on the bike and car parts retailer and has raised its price target to 530p from 435p. The broker said that Halfords is beginning to improve its specialist credentials but the majority of the turnaround plan is [...]
Severn Trent sees profits slide but keeps bill increases down November 26, 2013 Water company Severn Trent has reported a 5.8 per cent fall in underlying group profit before tax to £141.3m, but says it's on target to deliver its full year expectations. In the six months ended 30 September, reported group profit suffered a 4.2 per cent loss to £255.7m. When it came to the rise in [...]
Sport Comment: BT and Sky TV wars boost English sides in Euro competition November 21, 2013 Concerns that main effect will be to polarise Premier League are misguided, argues Soccernomics author in our exclusive article BT SPORT’S mammoth bid for Champions League and Europa League rights in Britain is more than double the amount paid in the previous round – Sky and ITV paid a combined sum of around £135m per [...]