News

Google and Walmart go shopping

Google and Walmart go shopping. Walmart and Google are joining forces using voice enabled shopping technology to take on Amazon’s dominance in voice activated shopping. From next month US shoppers will be able to buy Walmart goods using Google Assistant. Amazon dominate online retail and now use their voice technology …

News

Artificial intelligence based voice shopping

Artificial intelligence based voice shopping. Voice activated and voice recognition software has moved on at a remarkable speed. I remember my first introduction to this technology when I used a product called, ‘Dragon NaturallySpeaking’. Back then it consisted of a headset, microphone, training CD and software.  It was designed to …

Markets

Hong Kong stock markets closed

Hong Kong stock markets closed As a powerful Typhoon category 10 storm Hato hit Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Markets

Stock market movements

Stock market movements – today 22/08/17 The DOW Jones Industrial Average closed at 21899 after gaining nearly 200 points today. S&P 500 closed up at 2452 gaining 24 points. The NASAQ closed at 6297. The DAX index was up 1.4% to 12229 – adding 163 points The FTSE 100 closed …

Markets

German business confidence falls

German business confidence falls. A survey taken of German investors suggests confidence has fallen –  from a score of 17.5 to 10 in July. Looking at the performance of the DAX today you wouldn’t have thought so. The DAX closed up today at 12229 a 1.4% increase.  

News

Provident Financial PLC shares down

Provident Financial PLC shares down. Provident Financial PLC (PFG) shares are taking a hammering again today. They have been falling all day again and at 15:00 on 21/08/17 they were down 68% at £5.51  and falling! In May this year the shares were trading at a high of £32.50 and …

Money

Is UK state pension system broken?

Is the UK state pension system broken? It started in 1909 when approximately 500,000 people aged 70 and over, who qualified,  were given an old age pension of five shillings a week. That’s 25 pence – equivalent to £20 in today’s money. The pension we have now by comparison is …

Markets

FTSE 100 companies going ex dividend this week

FTSE 100 companies going ex dividend this week on: 24th August 2017 Prudential PLC (PRU) London Stock Exchange Group PLC (LSE) Mondi PLC (MNDI) Carnival PLC (CCL) Paddy Power Betfair PLC (PPB)

News

Just how much bigger can these corporations get?

Just how much bigger can these corporations get? I have been looking through some big US company results recently?  It led me to wonder just how BIG can these corporations get? Are they too big? Are they providing a subjective and unbiased service to the customer? As these businesses become …

Markets

Markets subdued this morning

The FTSE 100 and European markets seem stuck this morning – generally moving lower.  The FTSE 100 has been trading in the range between 7300 to 7325 I don’t know but I’m guessing the markets are waiting for Trump and his Whitehouse entourage to settle back down again. The background …