Did Sony lose the plot when it cancelled The Interview release after pressure? December 21, 2014 A film about the assassination of the North Korean leader has led to a diplomatic crisis. Sony Pictures has been in the doghouse ever since it announced last week that it would not go ahead with the Christmas Day-release of new film The Interview, following a series of cyber attacks on the company and threats [...]
London house price boom loses steam as national prices pick up December 21, 2014 London house prices are moving at a rate more in line the rest of the UK, new data shows, while homeowners borrow more in the run up to Christmas.The average UK price was up 7.8 per cent year-on-year in November compared to 7.9 per cent in London, according to figures released today from Haart estate [...]
The 2014 Corporate Christmas Card Oscars December 21, 2014 It's Christmas week, which means most of us will be packing down our desks for the Christmas break today or tomorrow – heading home for some festive cheer. But which of your corporate Christmas card collection will you be taking home to join your mantelpiece and which ones will you be leaving behind? Welcome to [...]
Christmas week to kick off with crunch Rangers FC meeting – London week ahead December 21, 2014 WITHOUT any major company results reporting before Christmas, market attention could turn to the annual meeting of the crisis-hit Rangers International Football Club, part-owned by Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley. The team’s manager, legendary goal-scorer Ally McCoist, officially stood down last night. The Aim-listed company will vote on whether to inject £8m in funding to [...]
US hopes Santa rally pushes on – The week ahead on Wall St December 21, 2014 HOUSING, consumer spending and income data will fill the void in company results due in the US this week. Official statistics are due today on existing home sales. Tuesday will see the house price index along with the new homes sales data. Income and consumption data such as durable goods orders, GDP final figures, personal [...]
It’s been a positive year for the City – let’s hope 2015 will be the same December 21, 2014 The City can feel incredibly quiet at this time of year. We see nowhere near the usual number of daily commuters heading in and out of the Square Mile, as people set off early on their well-deserved Christmas break. But this provides us with an ideal opportunity to reflect on the year, and to consider [...]
Content isn’t just for Christmas: Reflections on 2014’s seasonal ads December 21, 2014 One of the wonders of Christmas is the gift of giving, and brand marketers have been wrapping up content in abundance this Christmas. For the major retailers, it’s no longer simply about occupying the most television airtime over the festive period. Content now starts with YouTube and Facebook, becomes amplified through Twitter and is spun [...]
Reach for the Isle of Skye for a bracing winter weekend away December 21, 2014 The island off the west coast of Scotland has a rugged charm during the colder months – and the food is first class. My heart is yearning to thee, O Skye! Dearest of Islands! There first the sunshine gladdened my eye, On the sea sparkling”. So wrote Scottish poet Alexander Nicolson about the largest [...]
Records tumble as Wasps enjoy home comforts December 21, 2014 WASPS fly-half Andy Goode hailed the perfect start to life in Coventry as records tumbled during his side’s bonus-point 48-16 victory over London Irish at yesterday’s Ricoh Arena curtain-raiser. Goode set a new Premiership record by scoring 33 points – the 34-year-old successfully kicked eight penalties and two conversions to add to a second-half touchdown [...]
Did North Korea hack into Sony Pictures? Obama considers putting Pyongyang back on terror list following release of private emails and film script December 21, 2014 In 2008, the White House took North Korea off its terrorism watch list when Pyongyang agreed to a full verification of its nuclear sites. Until that point, the country's covert attitude had led to suspicion in the West that the sites were being used to develop nuclear weapons. But now the US is considering reversing [...]