HMD launches new Nokia smartphone for the Chinese market January 8, 2017 The launch of the first Nokia smartphone produced by HMD Global was announced yesterday. Aimed at Chinese users, the new Nokia 6 will retail at 1,699 yuan (£200). It will be the first new smartphone to carry the Nokia name since 2014. In a statement, HMD said the decision to launch into China was “a [...]
Holiday Homes: We travel to one of Spain’s most exclusive sports and leisure resorts to see how it’s been transformed to appeal to modern investors January 6, 2017 When La Manga Club opened in 1972, it was at the forefront of sports and leisure destinations across Europe. It took only two years to build the ground-breaking project in Murcia, south-east Spain, but it quickly became a celebrity hangout for sports and showbiz stars alike. Guests included Kenny Dalglish, Gordon Strachan, Juliet Binoche, Salma [...]
Opinion: Agents are turning into party planners to entice buyers and investors to buy new homes in London January 6, 2017 Last year marked a shift in the central London market. The buyers are still out there – only now they have a broader choice of new homes to buy. This poses a challenge for developers: how do you target a particular group of buyers with precision and make them remember your homes above all the [...]
Bitcoin is still falling after yesterday’s three-year high January 6, 2017 What a difference a day makes. This time yesterday, bitcoin was on course to hit a three-year high. Today, it's hovering well below $1,000. Yesterday the cryptocurrency peaked at $1,151.03 before promptly falling almost 20 per cent, wiping $180-odd off its value. Today it extended those losses, falling 11 per cent to $895.19. Yikes. Read more: Buyer, [...]
This is how much UK and global deal activity dropped in 2016 after a record-breaking 2015 January 3, 2017 The UK, hit by uncertainty around Brexit, led a decline in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity last year. New figures released yesterday show that M&A deal values totalled $3.84 trillion (£3.13 trilion) in 2016, down 18 per cent from a record $4.66 trillion in 2015. Read more: After subdued 2016, these bankers are calling a 2017 [...]
China’s manufacturers’ confidence sends PMI to almost four-year high, boosting Asian shares January 3, 2017 Confidence in China’s manufacturing sector rose sharply above expectations in December, with the widely followed purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reaching an almost four-year high. Stocks across Asia gained in response to the surprise increase. The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index rose by 1.04 per cent on Tuesday, while the Hang Seng – a measure of [...]
The UK tourism industry is set to gain £24.1bn next year as more overseas visitors flock to Britain December 30, 2016 The weak pound has wreaked all kinds of havoc on British industries, but there's at least one that's celebrating as predictions are made for 2017. More inbound visitors than ever before, 38.1m, are set to crowd the UK's streets next year. That's up four per cent from this year, which is set to reach around 36.7m, according [...]
Investment trust winners of 2016 December 29, 2016 Investment trusts focused on Asia are on course to deliver some of the best returns in 2016, according to data for trust sectors. Investment trusts are an alternative to more commonly held open-ended funds or unit trusts, offering some advantages. This is explained here: investment trust v open-ended funds Here, we look at the performance [...]
Bitcoin price surges past $900 mark for first time since December 2013 December 23, 2016 The Bitcoin price has been given a boost of Christmas cheer today after blasting through the $900 barrier after rising more than $100 in the last two days. The price of a single Bitcoin has risen more than 14 per cent in the last three days and only surged past $800 on Wednesday. Yesterday, its market capitalisation smashed [...]
Bitcoin market cap smashes through $14bn barrier: Equivalent to the average market cap of a FTSE 100 firm December 22, 2016 Bitcoin prices today leapt by five per cent, breaking records for the overall value of the digital currency in existence and taking its price to the highest level for three years. Around 12.5 new Bitcoins come into circulation every 10 minutes. And this meant today the today market capitalisation of bitcoins broke through the $14bn [...]