FTSE 100 falls on last day of 2015 December 31, 2015 Britain's blue-chip index was down 0.13 per cent at 6,266.14 points in the final half day trading session of 2015. Elsewhere, the French Cac was 4,663.42 points lower while the German Dax was closed for a public holiday. The FTSE 100 has failed to reach a record high hit in April, partly due to the market turmoil bought about by concerns over [...]
John Lewis sets the bar for Christmas trading with healthy 2.3 per cent growth in festive week December 31, 2015 The high street can breathe a sigh of relief if bellwether John Lewis is anything to go by: sales at the department store during Christmas week were up a healthy 2.3 per cent on 2014. The retailer, which last year celebrated its 150th anniversary, posted sales of £129.2m in the week to 26 December. The shopping [...]
New Year’s Eve London fireworks: Met to deploy huge numbers of armed police amid heightened security fears December 31, 2015 London's streets will see a "heightened police presence" tonight during New Year's Eve celebrations, including what is thought to be a huge number of armed officers. Some 3,000 Met officers will be on duty in central London as hundreds of thousands of the city's residents and tourists make their way to the river to watch the annual [...]
Uber just had its billionth ride.. and it was in London December 30, 2015 Uber has passed another milestone in its short history. Not only is it the most highly valued startup in the world, but its one billionth ride was taken on Christmas Eve – and it happened right here in London. That one billionth ride was a £5 UberX from London Fields to Hoxton and comes just five [...]
New Year’s Eve 2015/16 tickets for London fireworks on sale from midday – here’s where to buy them December 30, 2015 If you're feeling uncomfortable about the fact retailers have already started promoting Christmas (including putting out advent calendars…), look away now. Tickets for New Year's Eve fireworks in the centre of London are going on sale at midday today (2 October). And you might want to get your skates on because the 100,000 available [...]
The payment buzzwords to expect in 2016: Wearables, biometrics and banking APIs December 30, 2015 As the new year approaches and the retro reviews for 2015 and predictions for next year start to fill my Twitter feed. I take a look back at the year and put out my early calls on what 2016 will have on the books (or is that on your device, or is that in your Virtual Reality [...]
Focus@Will, Wunderlist and RescueTime: Four apps to help you focus at work after the festive period December 30, 2015 It's time to swap lazy days, mulled wine and Christmas dinners for early starts, coffees and deadlines. Given this somewhat sour exchange, it's hardly surprising that the post-festive period can send even the diligent employees into a tailspin. If you're one of the many who are feeling lost in a post-Crimbo wasteland, unsure which day of the [...]
Ocado share price tumbles and Amazon’s Pantry grocery delivery is to blame December 30, 2015 Shares in upmarket online grocery delivery company Ocado took a hammering in morning trading after news Amazon is expanding its fresh produce service, Pantry, pegging the retail giant as a serious contender in the already highly competitive food delivery market. Shares were down as much as 7.9 per cent on Wednesday, touching a 12 month intraday low of 299p per share, making a [...]
FTSE 100 index opens down on miners and oil companies December 30, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened lower this morning, led by mining and oil companies which extended losses made yesterday. The UK's top blue-chip index opened 0.51 per cent lower at 6,280 points, with BHP Billiton and Glencore leading the pack lower. The pair fell 1.47 per cent to 764.8p per share and 1.57 per cent to [...]
Amazon share price touches record high after adding three million Prime members over Christmas December 29, 2015 Shares in Amazon have touched a record high after a stellar performance over the Christmas period. In morning trading, Nasdaq-listed shares in the online retailer and increasingly jack-of-all-trades touched $694.55, an intraday all-time high, after reporting record sales of devices and Prime membership over the festive season. More than three million members joined Amazon Prime in the third [...]