FTSE 100 and 250 quarterly review takes effect as Hikma, Tullow Oil and Afren shuffle March 23, 2015 The shake-up revealed as a result of the quarterly review of the FTSE 100 and 250 takes effect this morning. Hikma Pharmaceuticals entered the blue-chip benchmark index, and its shares were down 2 per cent at £21.40. The pharmaceutical products manufacturer, which floated around ten years ago, has a market cap of £4.22bn. Hikma knocked out Tullow Oil [...]
Why you’ll need to abandon your privacy to embrace the driverless car revolution March 19, 2015 Driverless cars have hit Britain’s roads. The BAE Wildcat, a modified military jeep developed by the aerospace company, has been seen out and about in Bristol, while autonomous Lutz pods have been driving around public areas in Milton Keynes and Coventry. By 2030, autonomous vehicles are expected to reach a level of safety and sophistication [...]
Budget 2015: Here are George Osborne’s best quotes plus his Budget speech in full March 18, 2015 George Osborne's final Budget during this parliament had few surprises but plenty of great quips, including – to the dismay of bookies everywhere – a quip about Ed Miliband's now-infamous second kitchen. Here's a selection of our favourites from today's big speech. (Source: Getty/City A.M.) (Source: Getty/City A.M) (Source: Getty/City A.M.) [...]
Budget 2015: We need a second wave of the consumer revolution to restore faith in capitalism March 17, 2015 Today, the chancellor presents his last Budget before the General Election. With limited room for tax giveaways, and a need to show that the Tories are on the side of the “little guy”, it’s time for the second wave of the British competition revolution – to arm consumers to take on big business. Ed Miliband’s [...]
Super Bowl XLIX 2015 adverts: Watch Budweiser’s Lost Dog, NoMore.org’s domestic violence PSA, Bud Light’s Pac Man and T-Mobile’s Kim Kardashian videos February 1, 2015 Some 184m Americans are expected to tune into the Super Bowl this year to watch the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks showdown. While American football is nowhere near that popular here in the UK (although it is growing), chances are many more of us have seen a Super Bowl advert shared on our screens [...]
You can now sleep in a Tesla Model S on Airbnb January 27, 2015 Airbnb has some pretty funky spots – from a footballer's family vineyard to, er, Ikea. But this spot will be rather less roomy: for the bargain price of £58 per night, you can now stay the night in a Tesla Model S, courtesy of the room rental site. The listing dubs it "the world's first [...]
AA warns motor insurers face uphill battle to raise premiums January 19, 2015 CAR INSURANCE prices edged up slightly in the last quarter of 2014, while home insurance costs have been flat for the past three months. According to the AA’s British insurance premium index, average quoted insurance premiums went up by 0.2 per cent in the three months to 31 December, compared with a rise of 1.2 [...]
Uber’s Travis Kalanick wants to create 50,000 jobs in Europe January 18, 2015 Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick has delivered a major speech on the company's future in Europe. Kalanick announced 2015 would the year that Uber worked with city authorities across Europe to introduce "progressive regulation" and work to update analogue rules. This follows the approach Uber has taken in the US. Uber's top boss struck a [...]
Here’s what could happen to the 1,400 luxury Jaguars, Minis and JCBs aboard the grounded Höegh Osaka January 6, 2015 As most people tucked into their roasts on Sunday, the Hampshire Constabulary reported a strange phenomenon: car parks around Calshot, a peninsula down the coast from Southampton, were filling up as tourists flocked to the area to take a look at a stricken car carrier, which had been deliberately run aground. The 51,000-tonne Höegh Osaka [...]
Why smart people make bad decisions December 14, 2014 A company’s corporate culture can sometimes encourage dangerous herd behaviour. When asked recently to deliver a keynote speech at the ACORD Forum in Fort Lauderdale, I instantly knew my topic – it’s something that has been puzzling me for years – “Why do smart people make bad decisions?” I’m not referring to just hiring [...]