FTSE off its record high as Pearson’s shares are knocked – London Report April 16, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index slipped off record highs on Thursday, with media group Pearson underperforming after a newspaper report of a glitch in a lucrative contract. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index initially rose to an all-time high of 7,119.35 points but then edged back and closed down 0.5 per cent at 7,060.45 points. Pearson fell [...]
Earnings fears hit US stocks – New York Report April 16, 2015 US STOCKS ended marginally lower yesterday as lingering worries about upcoming corporate earnings reports offset enthusiasm about a trio of soaring Wall Street debuts. Weighing on the S&P 500 were Apple and General Electric, which is expected to report its first-quarter results today before trading begins. Netflix closed 18.21 per cent higher after the video [...]
London Marathon 2015: How does it compare to New York, Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago and Boston? April 16, 2015 For the 35th year running, thousands of professional athletes, competitive amateurs and fundraisers in fancy dress will fill the capital's streets for the London Marathon. The race is the most popular of its kind in the UK as each year hundreds of thousands of budding Mo Farahs apply to take part, while millions watch on TV. [...]
General Election 2015: The boozy way to cast your vote – coalition cocktails April 16, 2015 If the many insults and photo-ops of the election campaign are already enough to drive you to drink, at least there's now an altogether more civilised way to cast your vote: an upmarket London hotel has come up with range of five cocktails which "capture the personalities of the main parties". Yep – it's the [...]
Park life: Portable speaker systems to see you through summer April 15, 2015 Make the most of those lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer with these excellent portable speaker systems. Bang & Olufsen A2, £299 Built from a rock-solid combination of extruded aluminium and a tough plastic polymer, this speaker is the perfect outdoor companion. As you’d expect from Bang & Olufsen, the sound is silky smooth and designed [...]
Europe vs Google: EU accuses search giant of market dominance abuse in EU antitrust case and launches Android probe April 15, 2015 Five years after the European Commission first began investigating Google's dominance of internet search, formal charges against the search giant have finally been filed, accusing Google of anti-competitive behaviour. The EC's competition commissioner claims Google favours its own comparison of shopping products in search result pages over those of other shopping sites and has taken the [...]
Strong results provide Wall Street a boost – New York Report April 14, 2015 US STOCKS were buoyed yesterday, aided by the energy sector and March quarterly earnings reports topping modest expectations following worries about a strong dollar. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 59.66 points, or 0.33 per cent, to close at 18,036.7. The S&P 500 gained 3.41 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 2,095.84 and the Nasdaq [...]
IBM is creating a huge health data cloud with Apple, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic April 14, 2015 IBM, Apple and Johnson & Johnson have formed an unlikely alliance to create a giant health data cloud in an attempt to drastically improve medical data analysis. The companies will contribute information gathered from millions of personal health monitoring technologies such as fitness trackers, implants and smartphones to the newly-formed Watson Health Unit. IBM, [...]
Wall St dips as fears build over earnings – New York Report April 13, 2015 US STOCKS dipped yesterday as fears increased that the strong dollar and lower oil prices will hurt US first-quarter earnings. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 80.61 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 17,977.04, the S&P 500 lost 9.63 points, or 0.46 per cent, falling to 2,092.43 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 7.73 points, or [...]
Apple Watch: Is it a threat to Rolex? – CNBC Comment April 13, 2015 Hey you fancy people who love shiny expensive watches. There is a new player in the market. Meet the Apple Watch, the tech firm’s first push into the luxury market. The wearable device starts at $349 in the US or £299 in the UK for the entry-level Apple Watch Sport. And if you want a [...]