Amazon, the pandemic’s biggest winner, has been accused by the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust of controlling a monopoly power that must be reined in.
Record IPO in 2020 to raise $34 billion for the Ant Group
The Chinese Fintech and payments group, controlled by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, will sell 3.34 million shares on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges. This exceeds Saudi Aramco’s record listing in 2019 – what does this mean for the IPO market and for the sector?
The Pandemic’s effect on European Markets and Employment Rates
Living in fear of a surge of covid-19 cases and lockdown restrictions has caused volatility for European markets, curbing rising share prices. Economists expect unemployment rates to continue rising for the rest of the year.
Global markets hit by coronavirus concern
The US markets have suffered their worst week since the 2008 global financial crisis.
Silicon Valley, Artificial Intelligence, and Vestager's Nonchalance in Battling Tech Giants... Again.
The European Union has been considering new legally binding requirements for developers of artificial intelligence to ensure modern technology is developed and used ethically. The draft of the new legislation will be announced on the 19th of February 2020, and Silicon Valley bosses Sundar Pichai (Google) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) have taken it upon themselves to head to Brussels and tout the importance of the freedom of innovation in AI.
Oil Prices and the Coronavirus Pandemic
As coronavirus takes the world by storm, the economic impacts are quite drastic. Entire industries are being affected - oil and gas in particular.
Uber promises profit for the first time ever
“We recognise that the era of growth at all costs is over” said Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber. This statement was accompanied by the disclosure of the company’s fourth-quarter financials, as well as the moving-forward of the company’s targets to achieve profitability by a year to the fourth quarter of 2020.
Facebook, Amazon and the Role They've Played in the Great Privacy Awakening
Recent scrutiny of tech giants’ business strategies has resulted in the revelation of illegal conduct or abuse of dominant power, meaning firms have been fined or asked to change the way they operate as a result. Facebook and Amazon, in particular, have been targeted recently for the way they handle consumer data, and investigations have been launched from NY’s AG, EU Commissioners and Italian Competition watchdogs who have been concerned about the way the companies are functioning.
Brexit projected to have cost the UK the same as entirety of EU budget payments combined
Recent data published by Bloomberg predicts the UK will have forfeited £200B in lost GDP by the end of 2020 as compared to the projections for if it had elected to stay in the EU, bordering on the £215B the country has contributed to the EU budget in its 47-year membership.
Third UK airline collapse in three years threatens as Flybe nears bankruptcy
Despite a recent takeover by Virgin, domestic air-travel staple Flybe has continued to struggle financially, prompting unions and politicians to petition the government to offer emergency financial aid.
Investors punish FedEx as it struggles to adapt to the rise of e-commerce
FedEx is struggling due to its lack of competence in the rise of e-commerce and is falling behind its competitors such as UPS and Amazon.
Tesco’s $9bn sale of ‘jewel’ Asian businesses
Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain said it’s thinking of selling its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia on Monday, in hopes of restructuring its business through UK-based shops.
France and the digital service tax: are US tariffs justified?
US imposes tariffs on French goods in response to Macron’s Digital Services Tax. The DST is, however, very justified and should set the context for European reform.
Election debate: the beginning of the end?
In 2010, Nick Clegg was able to force his way into government on the part basis of his debating mastery. Is it not time to widen our debating platform to see if there is anything better past the stale bickering of Conservative and Labour leaderships?
Rise in “trendy” beauty brand acquisitions as younger clientele becomes more desirable
Big beauty brands like Coty Inc. and Estee Lauder Co. have been acquiring parts or whole trendy brands in hopes of boosting sales through younger clientele.
Germany: is recession imminent for the European powerhouse?
With US-China trade tensions rising incrementally over time and uncertainty over Brexit rising, Germany finds itself in an uncomfortable position as its main industrial hub takes on a heavy blow. The question is: should Germany be willing to sacrifice tried-and-tested policy for a dive into the deep end by relegating their alignment to caps on government debt finance?
What could the General Election mean for the UK’s future?
In his campaign pledge today, Johnson, leading the Conservatives into his first general election as leader, looks to launch his campaign on the basis of seeing Brexit ‘over the line’, diametrically opposed to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of ‘more dither and delay’. This election seems to be the most important for quite some time, with commentators struggling to predict the result.
Germany’s strategy to phase out its use of coal-fired power stations by 2038
Germany promises big things with a move away from its coal industry entirely by 2038. A move towards renewables is great, but how will it be instituted? What happens to the lives dependent on the coal industry? How will Germany account for all of this?
Alphabet reports worse-than-expected quarterly profits
The world’s dominant provider of internet search, advertising, and video services, Alphabet, (Google’s parent company) seems to have lost its way. Its stock fell as much as 4% in after-hours trading this Monday after it reported it missed analyst expectations and posted a 23% decline in profit as it faces rising expenses.
Warren and the Presidential Primaries
With Trump seemingly the undisputed Republican nominee, the parameters for victory will be determined on a day-to-day basis, scandal by scandal. Warren’s vision of compassionate capitalism seems to be resonating with the electorate thus far – but whether she can overturn the dominate PACs is another, far larger problem.