The new British Airways boss says the business is ready for take-off March 20, 2011 IT is time for a fresh start. That was the message from Keith Williams, the new boss of British Airways, as he gave City A.M. his first ever interview since becoming chief executive of Britain’s 37-year-old flag-carrier. One can forgive Williams for wanting to turn a page: his predecessor Willie Walsh, who has moved upstairs [...]
Angry Birds creator mulls IPO March 18, 2011 Angry Birds creator Rovio is set for a stock market listing, according to reports from Finland today. The maker of the popular videogame mobile app could be listed on the New York Stock Exchange as early as next year, its chairman Kaj Hed said. Hed first broke the news to Finnish magazine, Talouselama (Economy), where [...]
Disaster fears batter markets March 16, 2011 Fears of another nuclear explosion in Japan have been compounded by a revival in eurozone debt worries and an upscaling in violence against pro-democracy protesters in the Middle East to leave markets lower again. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.7 per cent at 5,598.23 after a plunge in mid-afternoon caused by EU energy minister Gunther [...]
Japan quake hits product supply chain March 15, 2011 FEARS over a significant shortage of components needed by manufacturers worldwide due to Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami saw prices for key technology parts surge higher yesterday. Japan is a dominant chip industry player, with around one-fifth of the world’s semiconductor production. Spot prices of NAND flash memory chips used in the fast-growing mobile devices [...]
They stand united, but they will fall divided March 15, 2011 SUCCESS was declared at the weekend, as European politicians came to an early agreement on increasing the size and scope of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). In response, the euro rose 0.7 per cent against the dollar on Monday to $1.40, while yields have fallen in the peripheral bond markets of Greece and Ireland. [...]
Owners of British technology company Edwards plot stock market offering March 14, 2011 BRITISH vacuum technology producer Edwards Group is plotting a London listing to raise at least £375m. The firm provides chipmakers with vacuum technology needed to make microprocessors, used in products such as Apple’s iPad. Its private equity backers own a combined 90 per cent stake of the firm, which was valued at £1.5bn last year. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 13, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES GREEK BANK SCUPPERS HOPES OVER DEAL Alpha Bank, Greece’s third-largest lender, has killed hopes of a merger deal with larger rival National Bank of Greece, scotching the push by regulators and the government for the country’s troubled banking sector to strengthen itself through consolidation. RETAILERS RUN OUT OF IPAD 2 WITHIN HOURS Many [...]
ARM falls on fears of tablet PC supply glut March 10, 2011 ARM Holdings shares nose dived 8.97 per cent yesterday amid fears non-iPad tablets are vastly over supplied. The UK chip designer supplies around 95 per cent of chips for smartphones and has already cornered the nascent tablet market. A JP Morgan analyst this week forecast the glut of tablets – an estimated 81m this year [...]
IBM stocks hit a lifetime high March 9, 2011 SHARES of International Business Machines (IBM) hit a lifetime high yesterday as analysts welcomed the tech giant’s commitment to double its profit by 2015. IBM shares rose as much as 3.3 per cent to $167.72 (£103.50), their highest level on record adjusted for stock splits, as analysts raised their target price on the company, the [...]
Gizmos that can make the commute a bit more fun March 9, 2011 Shouting into your mobile on the train during the morning commute may be frowned upon, but there’s nothing to say you can’t watch telly. AverMedia.com’s Hybrid Volar dongle will turn your laptop into a digital TV recorder, so you can watch 50 digital Freeview channels. Or listen to the cricket commentary on the radio. The [...]