Christine Lagarde and Mario Draghi call for German fiscal stimulus to avoid recession October 9, 2014 International Monetary Fund (IMF) boss Christine Lagarde took aim at German policy makers yesterday, suggesting that the Eurozone’s biggest economy must use fiscal stimulus to stave off recession. “We’re not suggesting that the Eurozone is heading toward recession, but we’re saying there is a serious risk that happens if nothing is done. But we are [...]
Eurozone inflation rate: Mario Draghi calls on governments to help fight deflation October 9, 2014 Mario Draghi is determined to tackle low inflation in the Eurozone, and has called upon governments to also play their part in the fight against possible deflation. The president of the European Central Bank (ECB) today announced a new package of credit easing measures, including targeted long-term refinancing operations and a bond-buying programme. [...]
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook has no plan to monetise WhatsApp October 9, 2014 Mark Zuckerberg has admitted Facebook does not have a plan to monetise WhatsApp, following its $22bn takeover which completed this week. The deal was initially agreed way back in February, yet Facebook has not yet worked out how to make money out of the instant messaging service which currently has 600m users. Currently [...]
Christopher Bailey tops OUTstanding list of LGBT business leaders as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan bosses make straight allies cut October 8, 2014 Two of the world’s best known names in banking have shattered any perceptions of stuffy conservatism by featuring in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) professional network OUTstanding’s top 10 straight allies’ list. Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein came in second with JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon not far behind in sixth, recognising the contribution the [...]
Martin Wheatley undermined China effort – Editor’s Letter October 8, 2014 As the advisers to the Jimmy Choo flotation announce they have enough support to proceed, there is much to be delighted with in the way the new issues market has gone this year. Up to the August break and then pausing until the uncertainty over the Scottish referendum lifted, there has been a constant stream [...]
Mike Ashley moves to oust Rangers chief Graham Wallace after taking £4.3m stake October 8, 2014 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has bought five per cent of Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers as part of a move to oust the chief executive and a director from the board. Ashley, who owns Newcastle United and has made a series of investments in recent weeks including buying shares in Tesco and Debenhams, took the [...]
George Osborne’s changed his unhealthy ways but most MPs indulge a tad too much October 6, 2014 They're in the public eye, up to their knees in advisers and not wanting for pocket money to spend in Holland & Barrett, but Britain’s MPs are an unhealthy bunch according to Nuffield Health. A poll of 100 MPs found almost half failed to meet the government’s recommended two-and-a-half hours of moderate activity a [...]
Facebook’s long-awaited WhatsApp deal completes – costing Zuckerberg another $3bn October 6, 2014 Facebook's share price opened broadly flat today after its long-awaited deal to take over WhatsApp completed. But the deal has ended up costing Facebook nearly $3bn more than was originally intended, because of the amount of time taken to get approval. The deal – in which WhatsApp shareholders received 177.7m Facebook Class A shares and [...]
Why Elon Musk is the world’s greatest chief exec October 3, 2014 Aside from having a name that sounds like an elongated cologne, Elon Musk is a true innovator. Having co-founded PayPal in 1999 before selling it to eBay for $180m, Musk went on to launch Tesla, a company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars. Founded in 2003 by a bunch of engineers who wanted to [...]
Bill Gates: Bitcoin is better than currency October 3, 2014 Bitcoin bugs will be pleased to hear that the world's richest man has had some kind words for the most popular cryptocurrency. In an interview with Bloomberg, Bill Gates said: Bitcoin is better than currency in that you don't have to be physically in the same place, and of course for large transactions currency can [...]