UK M&A deal values more than halve as global tensions take their toll August 6, 2019 The value of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in Europe slumped during the first six months of 2019, as geopolitical concerns took their toll on the continent’s financial services industry. In the UK investors completed 97 deals totalling £6.3bn over the first half of 2019, plunging by more than half from £13.5bn when 103 deals [...]
Watchdog says ‘bad apples’ still able to find new jobs in financial services August 5, 2019 Financial services employees with poor conduct records are still able to move to new companies, despite efforts by the regulator to improve conduct in the sector. A review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that “rolling bad apples” continued to be an issue in the sector, despite the introduction of new tougher regulations. The [...]
US threatens ‘no free trade deal’ unless UK scrap digital tax plans August 3, 2019 The US is set to demand that the UK drop a new digital services tax if a free trade deal is to be agreed between the countries The measure, introduced by former chancellor Philip Hammond in 2018, is due to come into effect in April next year. Read more: Global markets recoil and China wants [...]
Global markets recoil and China warns of retaliation after Trump trade war threat August 2, 2019 Stock markets around the world have fallen after a sharp escalation in the United States’ trade war with China. Indices in the US fell after the open, amid fears of an economic slowdown if President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose a further 10 per cent tariff on $300bn worth of Chinese [...]
Trump tariff talk spooks Wall Street August 1, 2019 US president Donald Trump sent shockwaves through Wall Street tonight after revealing plans to slap more tariffs on Chinese goods in the latest trade battle between Washington and Beijing. In a string of tweets, Trump spooked investors after announcing 10 per cent tariffs on another $300bn (£247bn) of goods following this week’s talks between the [...]
Qualcomm shares tank as China weakness chips away at revenue August 1, 2019 Qualcomm has warned of a sharp drop in revenue for the fourth quarter as it battles against a slowdown in the smartphone market and difficulties in China. The chipmaker warned of “continued weakness” in China demand, and blamed the growing market share of tech giant Huawei. Read more: EU fines Qualcomm €242m for ‘crushing’ 3G [...]
‘Techlash’ risks making us less secure, as we swipe right for the Wild West of apps August 1, 2019 It’s fair to say there’s been a lot in the news across the world recently. Between a new British Prime Minister, protests in Hong Kong and Russia, foreboding temperatures, and Marks & Spencer scrapping its free biscuit offering, things have been uncharacteristically busy for this usually sleepy time of year. As a result, I wouldn’t [...]
Spotify fails to hit the right note as subscriber numbers miss expectations July 31, 2019 Spotify’s subscriber growth hit the lower end of its guidance in the second quarter, sending shares down in pre-market trading. The music streaming platform said it now has 108m premium subscribers, up 30 per cent on the year before. Read more: Music streaming firm Roxi plans London float as it looks to take on Spotify [...]
Co-op follows in footsteps of Amazon Go with ‘pay-in-aisle’ service July 31, 2019 The Co-op is trialling a new ‘pay-in-aisle’ plan that will allow customers to scan and buy for their products as they shop. The supermarket chain has teamed up with payment software firm ACI Worldwide to bring in the new system across 30 Co-op food stores in England, Scotland and Wales by early next month. Customers [...]
Apple shares turn green as services rise July 30, 2019 Apple’s booming revenue in its services division provided a boon to investors tonight, as shares bounced more than four per cent in after-hours trading. The Californian tech giant topped expectations for quarterly profit and revenue for the three months to the end of June, as performance improvement in China helped its results. Read more: Apple [...]