S&P hits highest point since 2008 March 15, 2012 The S&P 500 closed above 1,400 for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis yesterday as stocks resumed the upward climb that has produced a steady stream of gains this year. The benchmark index is up for six of the past seven sessions and is on target for its best week since early February. [...]
Wall St sees end of 5-day winning run March 14, 2012 THE S&P 500 broke a five-day streak of gains yesterday as investors found little reason to extend a rally that took the benchmark index to four-year highs. Momentum continued in Apple, as its shares climbed 3.8 per cent to $589.58 following positive analyst comment. Morgan Stanley and Canaccord Genuity both lifted their price targets to [...]
Why patents for software are tricky March 14, 2012 YAHOO has recently gone to court. Its case: a software patent claim against Facebook, a distinctly profitable social network on the cusp of floatation and at the very centre of the social web. Yahoo was once the Internet’s most profitable search engine, an original dotcom boomer from a time when people said “cyberspace” and meant [...]
Ofcom gives approval for 4G March 14, 2012 THE NEXT generation of mobile connectivity could be in the UK this year after Ofcom yesterday issued approval for Everything Everywhere to update the airwaves it already owns for 4G use. This comes less than a week after Apple revealed its new iPad would offer a fourth generation (4G) connection, which will give a significantly faster [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 12, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES EARNINGS FORECASTS TAKE A BULLISH TURN Analysts last week upgraded more companies’ earnings forecasts globally than they downgraded for the first time since May last year. After 41 weeks of consecutive downgrades, net earnings per share revisions for next year turned positive powered by a surge in upgrades of Japanese companies and industrial [...]
APPLE RUNS OUT OF IPADS ORDERED ONLINE March 11, 2012 Demand for the new iPad shot through the roof after the tablet was revealed by Apple boss Tim Cook last Wednesday, causing Apple to run out of stock. While the iPad will be available to customers willing to queue for it from this Friday, those who pre-order the tablet online are being told to expect [...]
Murdoch probe intensifies March 8, 2012 OFCOM has stepped up its probe into the propriety of James Murdoch’s position as BSkyB chairman by creating a dedicated team to monitor evidence emerging from police investigations, parliamentary committees and the Leveson inquiry. The question of whether James Murdoch and News Corp are “fit and proper” persons to own a broadcast licence was discussed [...]
Greece helps US regain week’s loss March 8, 2012 US stocks rose yesterday, recovering most of the week’s losses, after Greece moved closer to a bond swap with private creditors to avoid a messy default. Earlier in the week, the S&P 500 posted its first big loss for the year on fears of a disorderly default in Greece. Now it is down just 0.3 [...]
FTSE buoyed by miners and banks March 8, 2012 The FTSE 100 pushed higher this morning as investors gained confidence in Greece’s chances of completing a lifesaving bond swap later today. Major banks and pension funds, representing about 40 per cent of Greece’s outstanding debt, threw their weight behind Athens’ bond swap offer to private creditors yesterday. That should be eno€130bn fund for Greece [...]
Apple: New iPad will crush PCs March 7, 2012 APPLE launched its latest bid to extend its dominance of the tablet computer market last night as it revealed a next-generation iPad – and delivered a rallying cry that the days of personal computers are over. “We think the iPad is the poster child of the post–PC world,” chief executive Tim Cook told the tech [...]