Amazon strides past $2,000 a share in trillion-dollar race August 30, 2018 E-commerce behemoth Amazon has broken past the $2,000 (£1,538) per share mark, putting the online retailer well on its way to hitting a $1 trillion market valuation. Shares in Amazon reached an all-time high of $2,010 just an hour after markets opened in the US, powering the firm past the $980bn market capitalisation milestone. Amazon made [...]
Putin’s approval rating slumps as he urges Russians to accept older retirement age August 29, 2018 Vladimir Putin has softened controversial pensions reforms after a public outcry that has seen his approval rating tumble. The Russian President had proposed to raise the retirement age of men from 60 to 65 and from 55 to 63 for women. Read more: US to impose fresh sanctions on Russia on Monday following Novichok attack [...]
ITV is right to launch a new streaming service, but it needs to make good content as well August 29, 2018 ITV’s plans to join forces with its fellow public service broadcasters BBC and Channel 4 to combat the growing threat from Netflix, Amazon, and other US streaming service giants may have seemed like too little too late. However, given the success of ITV’s current video offering – the ITV Hub – which has had a bumper [...]
The subscription economy may be the future for businesses, as firms switch to selling outcomes rather than products August 29, 2018 When was the last time you actually bought a DVD or CD? Most likely, you subscribe to a digital streaming service, like Netflix or Spotify. Congratulations, you’re part of the burgeoning subscription economy. But this subscription-based economy isn’t just limited to entertainment media. Increasingly, both individual consumers and big businesses are finding it more convenient [...]
City law firm criticises HMRC’s use of informants to claw back receipts from tax evaders August 28, 2018 A city law firm has criticised HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for paying informants to provide details on possible tax evasion, saying there were "ethical risks" tied to the practice. RPC said the practice of paying informants opened up the risk of increased data theft as disgruntled employees with an axe to grind could be persuaded into [...]
Corbyn’s plan for the BBC would harm the press and prevent new media from thriving August 24, 2018 Taxing tech giants for the purpose of levelling the playing field is a monumentally bad idea. Unfortunately, it’s gaining traction. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen calls for an “Amazon Tax” from chancellor Philip Hammond to help save the high street. The immediate implications of increasing the tax burden on companies like Apple, Amazon, [...]
Tech titans bed down in London: Why Brexit won’t be bringing about a ‘techxodus’ any time soon August 24, 2018 Brexit has generated investment uncertainty for many companies, but not – it would seem – for the US tech giants opening the throttle and splashing out on multi-million long-term property deals in London and creating thousands of jobs. Facebook, Google, Snap and Apple have firmly quashed the notion that the UK’s exit from the EU [...]
Tips for travellers when shopping for a currency card August 23, 2018 Travellers cheques. Remember them? Cue confused expressions from anyone under 25. You may be surprised to hear that some banks still offer these cheques, which can be exchanged when you go abroad for hard currency (though you’re limited to just six of the major currencies). Fortunately, this outdated mode of currency exchange has now been [...]
Gartner Hype Cycle 2017: Artificial intelligence at peak hype, blockchain heads for disillusionment, but say hello to 5G August 17, 2018 The hype around artificial intelligence is at its peak, while those interested in blockchain might be heading for disillusionment. That’s according to Gartner’s annual Hype Cycle, which tracks the progress of emerging technology trends, from early innovation to becoming a household must-have. Deep learning and machine learning are at what it calls the “peak of [...]
Bad Apple: Erdogan threatens iPhone boycott after spat with US August 14, 2018 Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a boycott of iPhones and other American electronic products yesterday as tensions between the two countries escalated. Erdogan remained defiant amid what he called an “economic war” with the US after Washington imposed punitive sanctions on Ankara. “Whatever we buy from abroad we are going to produce here in [...]