“If Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were alive today they would be appalled”
29 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 42 views]
Secretly, executives at Dell must have been hoping for more. Dell is suffering from continuing price pressure on its products, while HP has seen something of a renaissance. For example, Dell’s profits in the third quarter were just half the level recorded a year earlier. But then, just as the runes seemed to be with [...]
Irrational exuberance hits US
29 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 59 views]
More economists are talking about the dangers of the US hitting recession, and yet the latest news was shrugged off by market analysis that could have come straight from the Mickey Mouse School of Economics. There’s no sign that the slowdown in US house prices has effected the rest of the economy, say exuberant traders. [...]
Does Britain’s retail king need rose tinted glasses?
29 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 67 views]
When Philip Green was trying to buy Marks and Spencer, his critics said he was nothing more than a cost cutter. Those doubters said Stuart Rose was the real class act. After all, he ran Bhs before Green took it over, and the reforms that saw such a dramatic change in the retailer’s standing were [...]
New York plans to strike back at London
28 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 66 views]
If only Ken had kept quiet. When London Mayor Ken Livingstone visited New York recently he was asked his plans for London’s economy, to which he replied “Sarbanes-Oxley”. But alas New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, was listening. According to an article in today’s Independent, business leaders in the US are becoming more frustrated over the [...]
Dow approaches all time high
28 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 51 views]
The Dow Jones Industrial 500 went within 27 points of its all time high yesterday, before ending the day on 11689, 30 points off the record. Some analysts are predicting the index could pass its all time high mark this week. It was good news on the US property market that helped yesterday’s rise. The [...]
UK game publisher sees big jump in profits
28 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 59 views]
There was a time when Eidos was one of the giants of the video games industry and SCi a minnow. But despite boasting the talismanic Lara Croft titles in its line up, Eidos hit hard times. Even so, when SCi first expressed interest in buying it, the mighty Eidos looked down its nose, from its [...]
Four pay is here
28 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 73 views]
Four services, forty pounds, NTL has launched its quadruple play service, or as Sir Richard Branson once referred to it, Four Pay. For forty pounds a month, customers can have 2 megabits per second broadband, 30 channels of TV, fixed line telephony and a Virgin mobile SIM. Neil Berkett, chief operating officer of NTL Telewest, [...]
Dow closes on record
27 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 68 views]
January 14 2000: that was the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 11,722.98, an all time high. Then markets crashed. By May this year, the index was creeping up, with many talking about it passing a new high. But, once again the ‘crash’ word came out again, as markets fell. The adage says: “Sell [...]
Brits put it on the plastic
27 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 37 views]
Those Anglo Saxons. In the US they are borrowed up to the hilt, and in the UK, we are not far behind. According to a report from Datamonitor, the UK takes up more than a third of consumer debt across Europe. Apparently, the average Brit owes £3,175. As for the last year, British consumers borrowed [...]
US and UK slide down competitive rankings
27 Sep 2006 [0 Comments | 54 views]
The UK needs more scientists, better government procurement, and more corporate spending on RD. As for the US, its privileged position in the global economy could be under threat. Its government spends too much, especially on defence, and its current trade deficit poses a major threat, says a new report from the World Economic Forum. [...]
