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Markets

Voice activated shopping partnership between Amazon and Ocado

Voice activated shopping partnership between Amazon and Ocado Hot on the heels of Google and Walmart voice activated shopping partnership, Amazon and Ocado also announce their partnership. Ocado has launched an app using the artificial-intelligent Alexa voice assistant. Ocado is the first UK supermarket to partner with Amazon to offer …

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Markets

Trumps tax reform agenda

Donald Trumps tax reform agenda is back in the limelight. He wants to reform the US tax system by reducing its complexity. The headline catcher is his renewed pledge to cut the US business tax (corporate rate) from 35% to 15%. Apparently no new tax plan was offered. His ‘America …

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Markets

Wall Street lifts on GDP uplift

Wall Street lifts on GDP uplift Wall Street got a surprise boost yesterday (30/08/17) when Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures were revised up. US annual growth rate for the second quarter was revised to 3% citing higher consumer spending and strong business investment as the reasons. The Dow Jones Industrial …

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Finance

Warren Buffett bargain hunt

Warren Buffett bargain hunt The billionaire investor said that he is finding it harder now to get a stock market bargain. The share price rally has made stocks less attractive. Is this comment from Warren Buffett a significant sign that prices are now too high? As the worlds greatest investor …

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Finance

UK consumer credit

UK consumer credit Latest figures from the Bank of England (BoE) show UK consumer credit rose by 9.8% and is now at £201.5 billion. This figure excludes mortgage lending. That’s high, even though it was the lowest since April 2016. Debt in the UK and globally is unsustainably high! Is …

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News

Cyber attack at CeX

Cyber attack at CeX The high street and online business is advising customers to amend their passwords. They say that they were recently hacked. The company also runs the ‘webuy.com’ website. They are advising two million customers to change their passwords. I am not aware of the type of attack …

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News

More on the electric Mini

More on the electric Mini The first electric mini is expected to be unveiled by BMW at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Production version of the Mini scheduled for 2019 We’ll keep you updated. Visit BMW website here The electric Mini will be built in the UK  

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Finance

Pound vs Euro

Pound vs Euro. This week (Tuesday) we saw the pound fall to an eleven month low. Could the pound hit parity against the Euro? BREXIT indecision, slow growth, sluggish GDP, low interest rates and party political naval gazing are adding to UK woes! Will £1.00 = 1.00 euro ?? If …

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Finance

Asian stocks recover as markets appear oblivious to risk

Asian Markets. Asian stocks recover as markets appear oblivious to risk. Underlying tensions remain but markets seem unaffected by the North Korean missile launch over Japan.  After falls on Tuesday, we saw a rebound on Wednesday. Japan’s NIKKEI index recovered from a four month low. South Korea KOSPI index headed …

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Markets

Markets react to North Korean actions

Markets under pressure. Markets react to North Korean actions today (29/08/17) European markets go red after North Korea fires a long range missile over Japan in defiance of the joint US and South Korean military exercises. UK – The FTSE 100 closed down at: 7337 Germany – The DAX fell …

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Markets
FTSE 100 companies going ex dividend this week

FTSE 100 companies going ex dividend this week on 28th September 2017… Worldpay Group PLC (WPG) Intertek Group PLC (ITRK) Smurfit Kappa Group PLC (SKG) Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC Hargreaves Lansdown PLC  

Markets
Federal Reserve meeting update

Federal Reserve meeting update. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday (20/09/17) announced it will start reducing the size of its balance sheet. At something like $4.5 trillion it will now, after nine years finally start reducing the balance in October 2017 on a monthly basis. US interest rates were held at …

Markets
Dow Jones Industrial Average up again

Dow Jones Industrial Average up again I don’t know how many more times I will report on the rise of the Dow but it did it yet again yesterday (19/09/17). A new high was reached and at close the DJIA was: 22370 The outcome of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting …

Markets
Record breakers

Record breakers. The record breaking highs just keep on coming as the Dow Jones Industrial Average yet again sets another record high on 18/09/17. The Dow Jones closed up at: 22331 The S&P 500 closed up at: 2503 The NASDAQ closed up at: 6454 For how much longer can these …

Markets
Dow Jones flying high again

Dow Jones flying high again New record high set by the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The DJIA closed up at: 22268 – yet another new record high!

Markets
FTSE 100 companies going ex dividend this week

FTSE 100 companies going ex dividend this week on Thursday 21st September 2017 Old Mutual PLC (OML) Taylor Wimpey PLC (TW.    

Markets
Sterling continues upward march

Sterling continues upward march. The pound bashed through $1.36 against the dollar on Friday (am 15/09/17) as the FTSE 100 falls back. Will it hold on to these gains?  

Investing
J D Wetherspoon reports

J D Wetherspoon reports. End of year accounts from J D Wetherspoon report sales and profits up! Profit before tax is reported at: £102.8 million (up from £80.60 million in 2016). Sales up by: 4% (like-for-like). Where else can you get such good value? J D Wetherspoon PLC (JDW) is …

Markets
Asian stock markets end the week subdued

Asian stock markets end the week subdued Investors appear to largely shrug off the latest provocation from North Korea as another missile is fired over Japan. Japan’s NIKKEI index closed up to end the week at: 19909 and South Korea’s KOSPI index closed up at: 2386. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng …