Wall St soars as Fed dampens fears over hike – New York Report October 8, 2014 US STOCKS soared yesterday, with major indexes posting their biggest one-day jumps of 2014 after the Federal Reserve reassured investors that its first interest rate hike would not come until it deemed the economy could withstand it. The Fed’s less aggressive posture lit a fire under US stocks, which had struggled in recent days, and [...]
God Only Knows Vs Perfect Day: With One Direction, Pharrell and Chris Martin on board, which BBC Children in Need song has more star power? October 8, 2014 Throw together an all star cast of singers and musicians, from the newly famous to musical legends, sprinkle in a boyband and a rock star or two, and you have the latest song created by the BBC to raise money for Children in Need. The new version of the Beach Boys song, God Only Knows, [...]
Sainsburys, Asda, House of Fraser, Shop Direct and 15 more businesses will let customers pay via mobile with Zapp October 8, 2014 Sainsbury’s, Asda and House of Fraser are just some of the country’s biggest shops that will soon let customers pay for items using just a mobile phone via Zapp. The mobile technology, already supported in the apps of UK banks such as HSBC, Nationwide and Santander, will be supported by more than 15 high street [...]
Amazon says it “received no special tax treatment” after EU begins Luxembourg tax arrangement investigation October 7, 2014 Amazon has said it “received no special tax treatment” in response to the European Commission opening an investigation into its tax affairs in Luxembourg. Brussels is examining the online retail giant's arrangements with the Luxembourg government claiming it amounted to illegal state aid in the latest crackdown on companies and countries believed to be negotiating [...]
Samsung share price up despite profits at three-year low October 7, 2014 Samsung has warned that its quarterly profit for the three months to September was at a three-year low, resulting in the electronics giant's first annual fall since 2011. Ahead of the release of its full financial results later this month, the South Korean company said its operating profit during the period declined by 60 [...]
Wall St slips as traders look to earnings’ data – New York Report October 6, 2014 US SHARES yesterday fell in choppy trading, with traders nervously eyeing the start of earnings season, while the S&P 500 failed to remain above a key technical level. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 17.78 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 16,991.91, the S&P 500 lost 3.08 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 1,964.82 and [...]
London’s thriving tech sector is under threat – from bonkers EU VAT reforms October 6, 2014 LONDON’S technology sector is thriving, with the capital’s tech firms attracting a record $1bn in venture capital investment in the first nine months of 2014. And as the general election approaches, there’s been no shortage of ideas for policy changes that could accelerate London’s tech growth further. Take the recent Coadec manifesto, which proposed a [...]
Forget the Galaxy S5 and smartwatches, this is why Samsung is betting £10bn on the chips inside mobile devices October 6, 2014 Samsung is making its biggest bet yet on the chip making side of its business with plans to spend £9.7bn on a new factory to increase production of semiconductors. The Korean giant is investing in the tech behind the tech, rather than its more well known mobile hardware business which makes the flagship Galaxy devices, [...]
Hewlett-Packard to be split in two to battle younger rivals October 5, 2014 Computer giant Hewlett-Packard plans to split into two companies as it looks to put more focus on the faster-growing corporate services market, according to a Wall Street Journal report yesterday. Under the plan, HP will separate its computer and printer businesses from its corporate hardware and services operations, and spin off the unit through a [...]
Grant Thornton boasts its fifth strong year but CEO Scott Barnes isn’t bragging October 5, 2014 Grant Thornton’s chief executive Scott Barnes is not a man given to extravagant outbursts. Today, the financial adviser’s yearly report boasts of “a fifth successive year of strong results”, with revenue breaking through the £500m mark it had targeted for next year. As Barnes took over as boss six years ago, that consecutive [...]