Is former No 10 tech guru Rohan Silva right that competition authorities should investigate Amazon’s book market dominance? February 23, 2016 Alex Krasodomski-Jones, digital researcher at Demos, says Yes. Amazon’s continuing dominance of the book market is problematic for both industry standards and for anybody who believes in the power of books to challenge and educate us. First, its dominance ensures that its working conditions and management style remain unchallenged. But its dominance costs us too. You [...]
US inflation rate continues to climb easing Fed fears over interest rate hike February 19, 2016 US inflation continued to climb in January to a rate of 1.4 per cent, beating analysts' expectations. The rise will abate fears that the Federal Reserve increased rates prematurely in December ahead of a period of market volatility and weak economic data. Read more: US inflation rate climbs to highest since 2014 Consumer prices increased [...]
US recession risks are rising, so where does that leave the Federal Reserve? February 17, 2016 Since the Federal Reserve in the United States raised interest rates in December (albeit by a very modest 0.25 per cent), concerns have been mounting that the momentum of the US economy is fading, and that the US is in fact facing recession in 2016. What is clear from recent data releases is that the [...]
FTSE 100 index trades higher ahead of Federal Reserve minutes and UK employment and wage data as Glencore, Anglo American, Rolls-Royce and tourism companies share prices rise February 17, 2016 The FTSE 100 index traded higher this morning as all eyes turn to UK employment and wage data, as well as the latest Federal Reserve minutes. The UK's blue-chip index rose 1.27 per cent to 5,936 points in mid-morning trade, led higher by Glencore, Anglo American and Rolls-Royce despite the price of oil falling back slightly. "Despite yesterday’s slide [...]
Pakistan’s parliament has become the world’s first to run entirely on solar power February 17, 2016 Pakistan has become the world's first parliament to be powered entirely by solar, according to media reports. Most of the energy generated will be used to power parliament, with anything that's left over being fed into the national grid. Parliamentary speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, said: "The solar panels in the house generate 80 mega-watts of electricity, [...]
Gold price starts falling again after seeing a turnaround in early trading today February 16, 2016 The gold price has plunged by 2.85 per cent to $1,203.97 per ounce, its biggest single-session point drop in almost a year, after rallying earlier in the day to $1,213.95. Investors had thought the commodity's two-day losing streak was at an end given the 0.38 per cent gain in early trading but the turnaround has not [...]
Gold price rally returns as it snaps two-day losing streak February 16, 2016 The gold price rally returned today, ending a two-day losing streak, as ongoing concerns over the global economy returned a sparkle to its safe-haven status. Spot gold rose 0.38 per cent to $1,213.95 an ounce in mid-afternoon trade. Earlier, it had fallen as low as $1,190.40, having shed 2.3 per cent yesterday, its biggest one-day loss [...]
What happens when you talk markets on Facebook February 16, 2016 What do you do when everyone is active on Facebook except you? You get with the programme. How do you do that? You (naively) say yes to going live for your company on Facebook to “do a little Q&A session on the markets”. What happens then? First you freak out as you discover how “personal” [...]
What a week: Over $1 trillion wiped off global stock markets including the FTSE 100 and Dow Jones since Monday February 12, 2016 Trading floors throughout the world were overwhelmed by fear yesterday, as investors pulled cash out of risky assets and sent stock markets plunging further into the red. Around $1.2 trillion has been wiped off the value of global equities since the start of the week, with banks bearing the brunt of widespread concern that another [...]
US stocks end lower as banks including Bank of America, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are walloped February 11, 2016 Despite their best efforts, US stocks followed the rest of the world's stock markets lower. The Dow Jones finished the day 1.6 per cent lower, at 15,660 points, while the S&P 500 finished 1.23 per cent lower, at 1,829 points. And while the Nasdaq had a late rally, jumping into the green for a few [...]