FTSE falls as England starts to reopen April 12, 2021 London’s main market fell 0.4 per cent this morning despite positive sentiment about England starting to open up following the coronavirus lockdown. The FTSE 100 was down 0.4 per cent while the FTSE 250 fared slightly better, down a more moderate 0.2 per cent. For most, today marks the first day of 2021 that non-essential [...]
Optimism over reopening of pubs and shops tempered by concerns over next month’s elections April 12, 2021 In a week that saw the FTSE100 close at its best levels in over a year, optimism over this week’s economic reopening of outdoor pubs, shops, gyms and hairdressers, appears to be being tempered by concerns over next month’s local and regional elections. There is particular focus on how well the SNP might do in [...]
China fines Alibaba a record £2bn after competition probe April 10, 2021 Chinese authorities have fined e-commerce giant Alibaba 18.2bn yuan (£2bn) over competition breaches, the largest penalty the country’s regulator has ever handed down. The fine, which amounts to about 4.0 per cent of the firm’s home country revenues, is the latest step in a crackdown on the tech firm after founder Jack Ma criticised China’s [...]
S&P 500 and Dow climb for third day and close at records April 9, 2021 The S&P 500 and the Dow rose to close at record highs, posting a third straight weekly rise partly on lift from growth stocks, with a late-day rally building gains ahead of quarterly earnings season next week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 299.21 points, or 0.89 per cent, to 33,802.78, the S&P 500 gained [...]
Why China’s electric vehicle market is at full throttle April 9, 2021 We get under the bonnet and look at what’s driving growth in China’s electric vehicle market After a dip in sales in 2019 and the impact of the pandemic in early 2020, the market for electric vehicles (EVs) in China is recovering strongly. Among the factors driving this acceleration in sales is the combination of [...]
Apple’s China dilemma: as the tech giant cracks down on privacy, Beijing finds a workaround April 9, 2021 China’s tech companies have long lived in a parallel universe to their western rivals. But the news that a number of them are testing a tool to bypass Apple’s new privacy rules raises a number of questions about the future of privacy – and perhaps the internet in general. In short, app developers have long [...]
Fighting Russian and Chinese disinformation requires a cohesive strategy from Western governments April 8, 2021 Given the world of the internet and multiple platforms, there is undoubtedly more content out there than at any other time in the history of man. Unfortunately, and predictably, along with this news explosion, the very unhealthy scourge of state-sponsored disinformation–with the West’s authoritarian foes trying to take advantage of this editorially unregulated Wild West [...]
Thiel warns on China as markets trade sideways April 8, 2021 The crypto markets took another hit yesterday, but continue to look strong and the total market cap remains over $1.9 trillion as Thiel warns on China.
UK tells G7 that it’s time to ‘get tough with China’ on trade March 31, 2021 The UK’s global partners need to “get tough with China” on its unfair trading practices, according to international trade secretary Liz Truss. Truss has called for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be reformed and for China to stop designating as a developing country within the body, which means it benefits from looser rules on [...]
China mulls new exchange for overseas-listed firms March 31, 2021 China is in early talks to establish a new stock exchange for overseas-listed firms as it looks to lure tech heavyweights. China has two main onshore exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen which have the same rules governing IPOs and non-initial listings. This is in contrast to other leading bourses including Hong Kong’s which offers waivers [...]