Apple and Samsung scale back global smartphone patent war August 6, 2014 Global tech titans Samsung and Apple have agreed a truce to drop all litigation between the two smartphone giants outside the US. The deal means that legal battles between the two companies, over the rights to the technology used in their rival iPhone and Galaxy smartphones, will end in nine countries, including the UK, Germany [...]
Chinese services PMI at its lowest since records began August 5, 2014 The Chinese services purchasing managers' index came in at 50.0 for July, its lowest reading since data collation began in November 2005. According to research by HSBC and Markit, the sector was stagnant as a result of slowing market conditions in the property sector. Any reading above 50.0 indicates growth, and this is the first [...]
Lend Lease to build homes at dockyards site August 4, 2014 AUSTRALIAN property and industrials giant Lend Lease is to build 905 new homes in east London after agreeing to buy the former dockyards site in Deptford from City & Provincial Properties. Lend Lease has been ramping up its exposure to London’s housing market and began work last year on its £1.5bn regeneration of Elephant & [...]
UK bank credit lags G7 as BRIC credit explodes August 3, 2014 UK BANK lending to the private sector is still well behind the average for G7 countries, while that in developing economies has surged, according to research published this morning. Data compiled by UHY Hacker Young shows that, taking inflation into account, British bank lending to private sector companies dropped by another 2.24 per cent in [...]
That’s the spirit as Diageo chief stands by China July 31, 2014 DIAGEO boss Ivan Menezes said he did not regret its foray into China’s white spirits market after anti-extravagance measures forced the group to write-down the value of its stake in baiju-maker Shui Jing Fang. “Did we make the right decision? Yes we did; it’s the right category to be in and it took seven years [...]
Peugeot shares soar as its auto division roars back into profit July 30, 2014 SHARES in French carmaker Peugeot-Citroën zoomed up over six per cent yesterday, after the company revealed strong improvement in operating income. In addition, its auto division was back in profit for the first time in three years, as its four year turnaround strategy began to bear fruit. Consolidated operating income before one time items and [...]
Smartphones soar at Huawei July 29, 2014 HUAWEI, the world’s third largest smartphone maker, saw its smartphone shipments in the first half of 2014 soar 62 per cent year-on-year, as it targeted the more expensive sector dominated by Samsung and Apple. The Chinese company said it had shipped 34.27m smartphones during the period, boosted by the success of its flagship Ascend models [...]
Huawei smartphone sales up 62pc on success of flagship Ascend and global growth July 29, 2014 Huawei shipped 64.21 million devices in the first half of 2014, 34.27 million of which were smartphones, up 62 per cent on the same time last year. The Chinese smartphone-maker credited the rise to the success of its flagship Ascend models aimed at the mid- to high-end market. It’s biggest launch to date, the Ascend [...]
GSK says separate consumer business is possible July 27, 2014 The chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline has said that he is open to the idea of creating a breakaway consumer healthcare business, the FT reports. Sir Andrew Witty said that a breakup of the group would be reasonable if a time came when a standalone consumer business offered more value. He said that his [...]
IMF upgrades UK growth expectations again but trims global growth forecast for 2014 to 3.4pc July 24, 2014 The International Monetary fund has slashed its global growth forecast to 3.4 per cent, down 0.3 per cent on its April estimates, following weak economic data from the United States and emerging economies. The surprise fall in US gross domestic product for the first three months of the year, which plunged 2.9 per cent year [...]