ii view: Microsoft results put shares in the clouds July 19, 2019 | City Talk By Keith Bowman from interactive investor. Technology behemoth Microsoft is now far more than Windows and Word, evidenced by latest results. Fourth-quarter results ending 30 June 2019 Revenue up 12 per cent to $33.7 billion Operating income up 20 per cent to $12.4 billion Returned $7.7 billion to shareholders Chief executive Satya Nadella said: “It was a record [...]
UK ploughs ahead with digital services tax despite US backlash July 11, 2019 The UK has vowed to plough ahead with a digital services tax on large tech companies, just hours after the US launched a probe into France for a similar levy. The government today published draft legislation for its next finance bill, which includes a new tax aimed tech giants such as Facebook, Amazon and Google. [...]
France passes digital services tax despite US investigation July 11, 2019 France has given final approval to a new digital services tax on tech giants, despite protests from the US that the move unfairly targets American companies. The three per cent levy will apply to digital revenue earned in France by multinational tech giants such as Facebook, Google and Amazon. Read more: France will tax Amazon [...]
Morrisons and Amazon: Retail’s newest BFFs June 14, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Extending its relationship with the world’s biggest retailer is shrewd business by Morrisons’ CEO. The quiet revolution at Morrisons (LSE:MRW) under chief executive David Potts continues to impress after the supermarket chain extended its partnership with online giant Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). Whereas its rivals have looked to grow through consolidation – with Tesco (LSE:TSCO) buying Booker and Sainsbury’s (LSE:SBRY) trying to [...]
Can Amazon really be a climate change champion? June 12, 2019 | City Talk Amazon is not a company normally associated with meaningful strides towards a low carbon future. Although e-commerce is typically better for the environment than heavily air-conditioned, high street stores, speedy deliveries carry a high carbon cost. Any Amazon shopper may feel a pang of guilt – as I have – at using the one day delivery [...]
Amazon overtakes Apple and Google as world’s most valuable brand June 11, 2019 Amazon has surged past tech rivals Apple and Google to be crowned the world’s most valuable brand. The e-commerce giant jumped in brand value by 52 per cent over the last year to reach $315.5bn (£405.9bn), according to the latest figures from WPP and Kantar. Read more: Amazon to deliver packages by drone ‘within months’ [...]
Amazon to deliver packages by drone ‘within months’ June 6, 2019 Amazon will begin delivering packages by drone within months, fulfilling a goal that has eluded the world’s biggest online retailer for years. The new fully-electric drones take off and land vertically like a helicopter. They use visual, thermal and ultrasonic sensors to fly themselves and can avoid objects in the air and on the ground. [...]
Microsoft and Oracle team up to take on Amazon Web Services June 5, 2019 Microsoft and Oracle will connect their cloud services in an effort to woo big businesses and take on market leader Amazon Web Services (AWS). The combined service will enable users to connect Oracle’s autonomous databases with Microsoft services, such as Azure analytics and artificial intelligence. The new high-speed link between the two company’s data centres [...]
Global video-on-demand subscriptions set to near 1bn by 2024 June 3, 2019 Global subscriptions of on-demand video platforms are set to surge towards 1bn over the next five years, new figures have revealed. The total number of subscriptions will soar 86 per cent from 439m last year to 947m in 2024, according to London-based firm Digital TV Research. Read more: Live TV still holds top spot despite [...]
Amazon hits back at Hammond’s digital tax with high street venture June 2, 2019 Amazon is launching a programme to help digital businesses find success on the high street, with a series of pop-up stores across the UK. The move follows comments from chancellor Philip Hammond that the tech giant and other online behemoths hold a “near-monopoly” over physical stores, contributing to retail's economic downturn. The e-commerce giant will open [...]