Chinese stadium company to buy stake in Southampton but current Saints owner indicates she’ll stay on January 26, 2017 Southampton are set to become the latest English football club to be snapped up by Chinese investors after they agreed a deal with stadium construction company Lander Sports Development. Lander announced to the Shenzhen stock exchange on Thursday that it had signed an agreement with Southampton owner Katarina Liebherr to buy a stake in the [...]
Back to life, back to virtual reality: Xiaomi’s international boss Hugo Barra joins Facebook’s VR unit Oculus January 26, 2017 Hugo Barra announced he was leaving Xiaomi to make a Silicon Valley return a few days ago and now we know where he was headed: Facebook. The ex-Google executive who led international expansion at Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has left the company to take up a role as vice president of virtual reality at Facebook's VR [...]
Now is the time for new coalitions in the Brexit debate January 25, 2017 We live in topsy-turvy times. Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping recently emerged as the world’s unlikely flag-bearer for global capitalism, telling dignitaries in Davos: “Pursuing protectionism is just like locking oneself in a dark room: wind and rain might be kept outside but so are light and air.” Xi’s pleasingly poetic and [...]
Cinema chain Odeon’s owner AMC reels in Nordic Cinemas Group in $929m deal January 23, 2017 The company which admits millions of popcorn-crunching cinema attendees at Odeon across the UK has snapped up Nordic Cinemas Group for close to $1bn. AMC Entertainment, which owns the UK movie theatre chain Odeon, paid $929m (£743m) in an all-cash deal to gain control of Nordic Cinemas Group, which has stakes in picture houses in seven [...]
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have fired the opening salvoes of the coming trade war January 23, 2017 It's only the first week of Donald Trump’s presidency, but the contrast between Trump’s “America First” protectionist rhetoric and other world leaders’ hopes of globalisation working for the many could not be starker. The Trump rally had already stalled before the 45th President began his inauguration speech, as investors sought more detail on his plans. Despite [...]
China’s growth boom could be threatened by debt levels says Fitch Ratings January 23, 2017 China’s massive levels of debt will cause an economic slowdown over the next two years, according to an influential ratings agency. The pursuit of “policy settings that prioritise short-term growth targets” could leave the world’s second-largest economy vulnerable to a slowdown next year, according to Fitch. The agency predicts growth will slow to 6.4 per cent [...]
China reports slowest year of economic growth since 1990 January 20, 2017 China today reported its slowest year of economic growth in more than 25 years. The nation’s economy grew by 6.7 per cent in 2016, down from 6.9 per cent in 2015, according to official data. The figure represents the nation's slowest reported growth since 1990. Read more: China's crude oil output is falling “Perhaps inevitably, [...]
Theresa May says she’s had positive talks with banks over Brexit January 19, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has claimed positive talks with some of the world's top bankers in Davos, despite news that lenders are preparing to shift jobs from London. UBS, Goldman Sachs and HSBC have all suggested that roles in the capital could be under threat in the aftermath of Brexit. However, speaking to the BBC today, [...]
The French Touch Abounds in Tech January 18, 2017 The French tech scene has the most active sovereign wealth funds in the world, according to research firm, CB Insights. Two French funds make the top half of the top-ten, which also includes state funds from Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and China. France’s Banque Publique d’Investissement (Bpifrance) sits atop the list as the [...]
From Michelin-starred restaurants to an exciting calendar of events, Macao has it all January 18, 2017 Travelling on business or for pleasure, Macao makes a perfect addition to a trip to Asia. Just 40 miles from Hong Kong, Macao’s potent mixture of Portuguese and Chinese heritage, refined over more than 500 years – it’s been a Special Administrative region of China since 1999 – makes for an exceptional getaway, where the [...]