Watson's Daily

Friday 18/09/20

In TECH-RELATED NEWS, Oracle and Walmart aim for chunky TikTok stakes, the Nvidia/Arm deal continues to have China niggles, Sony readies itself for console wars, a Tesla co-founder gets Amazon funding for batteries and Cornish lithium is looking good. In…

Thursday 17/09/20

In RETAIL NEWS, Inditex returns to profit and The Hut Group has a smokin' IPO. In FINANCIALS NEWS, the FCA targets Klarna while Handelsbanken shuts a ton of branches. In TECH NEWS, Beijing expresses concerns over the Arm deal, Snowflake's…

Wednesday 16/09/20

In SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH NEWS, we look at the TikTok deal, how the FTC is gearing up for an antitrust suit with Facebook, Spotify's plans for livestreaming concerts, Nvidia/Arm shockwaves and Apple's new stuff. In RETAIL NEWS, China sales…

Tuesday 15/09/20

In TECH NEWS, Nvidia/Arm and Oracle/TikTok face more scrutiny while Huawei tries to appeal to developers. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, London renters move to the 'burbs, shopper numbers fall and retailers call for continued VAT relief for overseas shoppers, Aldi does…

Monday 14/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, we see what's next following the UK-Japan trade deal and BP's "alternatives" future. In TECH NEWS, Trump boosts Triller, TikTok hits 100m European users and Oracle beats Microsoft. Apple aims to unveil and Nvidia aims…

Friday 11/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, the ECB keeps rates unchanged and BP buys into wind. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, Oracle benefits from cloud-computing, LVMH takes the fight to Tiffany, Nikola faces friction, AstraZeneca "stays on track" and British Airways launches…

Thursday 10/09/20

In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, LVMH tries to back out of its purchase of Tiffany, Tesla has valuation problems, AstraZeneca's pause gives cause for thought and airlines cut schedules. In TECH NEWS, TikTok options are mooted and Epic Games pits its…

Wednesday 09/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, Global trade boosts Germany and France but fears of a wobble hit oil prices. Blue collar jobs in the UK surge but warnings are made over furlough extension. In TECH NEWS, Apple countersues Fortnite maker,…

Tuesday 08/09/20

In CONSUMER/RETAIL/HIGH ST NEWS, US shoppers will see an early Christmas, UK consumer spending strengthens and house prices rise while out-of-town retail benefits, Morrisons employs and Pizza Express announces a rescue. In TECH & TELCO NEWS, Samsung signs a big…

Monday 07/09/20

In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, the end of furlough looms for Sunak, the Asda bidding war is set to end shortly, Lidl talks expansion and we take another look at Amazon's drones. In TECH NEWS, Apple is now bigger than the Russell…

Friday 04/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, Macron pledges €100bn, UK business slashes investment and US stocks fall. In RETAIL & HIGH STREET-RELATED NEWS, European retail sales drop and in the UK, vacant shop numbers rise, Costa makes cuts, Pret does dinner,…

Thursday 03/09/20

In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, we take a look at what consumers are and aren't spending their money on as Macy's in the US has a bumpy recovery. In CAR NEWS, investors scramble to find the next Tesla, electric cars sales stall…

Wednesday 02/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, China exports rise, the Eurozone dips into deflation and Brazil enters recession. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, UK mortgage approvals rise, Dunelm benefits, Ocado has a rough first day with M&S, Debenhams edges towards oblivion, Morrisons champions flower power,…

Tuesday 01/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, India has a GDP shocker, global markets have a stellar August and oil prospects improve. In CONSUMER-RELATED NEWS, white-collar jobs lag, landlords suffer, Swissport and Addison Lee turn to job cuts while car finance…

Friday 21/08/20

In RETAIL/HIGH ST/CONSUMER NEWS, Alibaba sees stellar online sales, House of Fraser hustles, Asda has suitors and car sales rise. In LEISURE NEWS, Genting Hong Kong signals more cruise operator woes, nightclubs face ruin and 'EOTHO' gives a seaside boost.…

Thursday 20/08/20

In NEWS ON ECONOMIC INDICATORS & TRENDS, Maersk turns a corner while UK inflation rises, traffic returns, suburbs see spending and cosmetics experience changes. In TECH NEWS, Apple breaks $2tn, Huawei phones users could be about to suffer badly and…

Wednesday 19/08/20

In MARKETS & MACROECONOMIC NEWS,new highs divide opinion while Germany extends furlough. In HIGH STREET/RETAILER NEWS, Pizza Express closes 73 sites, Asda unveils stellar online performance, Walmart powers through, M&S announces drastic changes and Amazon offers Morrisons' full range. In…

Tuesday 18/08/20

In MACRO & MARKETS NEWS, Japan's economy suffers and London IPOs are down. In TECH NEWS, rHuawei faces more US pressure, Apple turns it up with Epic, Tencent buys into Voodoo and Robinhood gets a chunky valuation. In PHARMACEUTICAL NEWS,…

Monday 17/08/20

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, the UK government moots offering loans to PE-backed companies and gold continues to rise. In RETAIL NEWS, retailers push for biz rates review, Tesco takes on Amazon, Debenhams continues to flounder, Mike Ashley eyes DW Sport…

Friday 14/08/20

In TECH NEWS, US companies worry about the China tech backlash, Reliance talks to ByteDance about TikTok, Apple and Google ban Fortnite and Lenovo's sales stay strong. In M&A NEWS, Thermo Fisher/Qiagen gets dropped while the British M&A market hits…

Thursday 13/08/20

In NEWS ON REAL ESTATE TRENDS, we look at high-rise-to-low-rise, UK estate agents fearing boom-bust, potential first-timer difficulties and the surge in warehouse demand. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, we see that WFH increases work time, benefits cybersecurity providers and cloud computing…

Wednesday 12/08/20

In CORONATRENDS NEWS, we look at jobs, what's happening in the office market and what we've been eating at home. In RETAIL NEWS, Debenhams makes deeper cuts and Brooks Brothers finds buyers. In FINANCIALS NEWS, Prudential spins off its US…

Tuesday 11/08/20

In AUTOMOTIVE-RELATED NEWS, China car sales were up again, Hyundai reveals new electric cars, Nikola gets an order and Uber/Lyft get another kick in the teeth. In HIGH STREET & CONSUMER NEWS, retail sales and footfall recover, Superdry gets a…

Monday 10/08/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, the UK has the worst GDP drop of the G7 and Saudi Aramco keeps its dividend despite conditions. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, megadeals revive M&A while UK's trad banks trounce the challengers. In TECH NEWS, TikTok…

Friday 07/08/20

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, Donald Trump makes some big announcements, Chinese firms face de-listing in the US and the BoE is surprisingly chirpy. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft broadens its TikTok ambitions and Nintendo sees a massive rise in profits. In…

Thursday 06/08/20

In TECH NEWS, Twitter cuts Trump, TikTok rivals lure creators and the Microsoft deal gets closer. In HIGH STREET & CONSUMER NEWS, WH Smith, River Island and William Hill announce cuts while consumers spend on cars and Sunak's meal deal.…

Wednesday 05/08/20

In COMMODITIES NEWS, BP tries to go green, oilfield services companies continue to suffer and gold breaks $2,000. In TECH NEWS, the TikTok drama continues, Twitter gets a big fine, Sony benefits from lockdown and Google/Fitbit gets the full EU…

Tuesday 04/08/20

In TECH NEWS, the Trump/Microsoft/TikTok thing moves on, Apple faces a $1.4bn lawsuit in China and Amazon drones on. In FINANCIALS NEWS, HSBC accelerates job cuts as profits plunge, SocGen has a surprise loss, Hiscox ups its coronavirus claims estimate…

Monday 03/08/20

In TECH NEWS, the US broadens action against Chinese tech and a Microsoft/TikTok deal is still in play. In CONSUMER & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Britons shun foreign travel, Hobbycraft sees a massive uptick, face masks worsen the plastics problem while…

Friday 31/07/20

In MACRO, MARKETS & COMMODITIES NEWS, US GDP crashes and Trump moots an election delay while the German economy shrivels and markets tumble. Shell reports a massive loss and Anglo American suffers with coal and diamonds. In BANKS NEWS, Credit…

Thursday 30/07/20

In TECH NEWS, Big Tech is roasted, Spotify strengthens podcasts, TikTok gets a chunky valuation and Qualcomm signs with Huawei. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, NEWS, UPS and FedEx get pricing power, Shopify overtakes eBay, UK consumers pay down debt and landlords…

Wednesday 29/07/20

In TECH NEWS, the Biggies go to Congress, we look at why Silicon Valley is interested in India and Facebook wants TikTok creators. In RETAIL/HIGH STREET-RELATED NEWS, UK retail sales surge, Games Workshop and B&M are sitting pretty while Travis…

Tuesday 28/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & COMMODITIES NEWS, the dollar falls on virus fears, Chinese manufacturers profit again, an extension on Help To Buy is on the cards and gold hits record highs. In LEISURE/TRAVEL NEWS, the whole industry gets a massive kicking.…

Monday 27/07/20

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, European infections cause travel chaos, junk food ads get canned and businesses consider their future. In RETAIL NEWS, Debenhams is up for sale again, Ben Sherman's owner plans store closures and Boohoo is to set up…

Friday 24/07/20

In CONSUMER & CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, UK spending stalls but some are trading and bidding at auctions. We also look at Unilever's triumph and BoJo's war on fast food. In TECH NEWS, the EU gets tough on Google/Fitbit, Intel's profits…

Thursday 23/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we see reaction to the EU bailout deal. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft's revenues rise but it's facing a lawsuit with Slack. US investors try to buy TikTok. In AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, Tesla announces its 4th consecutive quarter of…

Wednesday 22/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, we take a look at how the European bailout plan will work, TfL looks at funding and markets rise on vaccine hopes and EU agreement. In SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS, Facebook looks at racial bias, LinkedIn…

Tuesday 21/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & COMMODITIES NEWS, the EU has a breakthrough on the bailout package, Chevron buys Noble Energy, Halliburton cuts costs and some say gold could hit $2,000. In VACCINE NEWS, the UK buys shed loads while GSK and AstraZeneca…

Monday 20/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, the EU summit proves to be tricky and Network Rail could be in the driving seat. In HIGH STREET AND CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, Ted Baker announces job cuts, Ask and Zizzi get sold and Levi Strauss warns…

Friday 17/07/20

In SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS, Europe rejects US data sharing and Twitter has a nightmare. In CORONAVIRUS "WINNERS" & LOSERS, we see how AstraZeneca, Morgan Stanley, Zoom and Netflix have benefited from and how Pizza Express, Genting and Hays have struggled…

Thursday 16/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, Q2 China GDP grows, Europe has some dramas, UK inflation rises and markets perk up on vaccine hopes while Russia and Opec are set to end production cuts. In RETAIL/HIGH STREET NEWS, Walmart and…

Wednesday 15/07/20

In MACRO & POLITICAL NEWS, Macron promises more money for recovery, the UK's economic output rises and Johnson announces a Huawei ban. In CONSUMER TRENDS & RETAIL NEWS, the stamp duty holiday raises interest in the 'burbs, VAT cuts might…

Tuesday 14/07/20

In POLITICAL NEWS, Putin postpones his spending plan, Duda is re-elected as Polish president and HK-to-UK immigration numbers are expected to hit 200,000. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, Nationwide starts offering 90% mortgages again, UK retail sales edge higher while Boohoo and…

Monday 13/07/20

In NEWS ON OPENINGS & CLOSURES, offices open for work, Disney World reopens with masks, shoppers return to the UK high street and Halfords closes stores. In FINANCE NEWS, US banks are expected to report strong trading revenues and BDO…

Friday 10/07/20

In CONSUMER/HIGH STREET NEWS, UK consumer spending falls, Boots, John Lewis and Burger King announce cuts and Boohoo bounces back. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, City landlords worry about empty trains and first-time buyers get competition. In NEWS ON "WINNERS" &…

Thursday 09/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we see reactions to Sunak's announcement and Indian companies look to Chinese alternatives. In RETAIL & CONSUMER NEWS, Boohoo's woes persist, Brooks Brothers files for Chapter 11 and Klarna warns of overspend. In NEWS ON "WINNERS" &…

Wednesday 08/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, Brussels cuts EU growth forecasts, Sunak is to unveil a £2bn scheme and the Hong Kong market benefits from home-comings. In RETAIL NEWS, Boohoo gets the cold shoulder, JD Sports grumbles and Halfords is a…

Tuesday 07/07/20

In MARKETS & MACROECONOMIC NEWS, bullish China chat lifts markets and the ONS makes a massive mistake. In ENERGY-RELATED NEWS, oil refiners suffer, Iberdrola outlines a clean energy push and Tesla supplies a Dorset plant. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, high street…

Monday 06/07/20

In "BIG PICTURE" NEWS, central banks have a savings problem, US Big Tech faces EU scrutiny and the UK plans a Huawei phase-out. In NEWS ON "WINNERS" & LOSERS, online car dealership Cazoo grows and the outbreak electrifies possibilities while…

Friday 03/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we look at the state of US, European and UK jobs, quarantine dismantling and Sunak managing expectations. In HIGH STREET NEWS & CONSUMER TRENDS, the Casual Dining Group goes into administration, Pret a Manger has a new…

Thursday 02/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, Hong Kongers seek the exit and Putin gets closer to his goal. In MAIN STREET/HIGH STREET NEWS, Macy's reopens while Apple, McDonald's and Pizza Hut close. In the UK, there's more jobs carnage on the high street,…

Wednesday 01/07/20

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Hong Kong takes its Chinese medicine, the UK's GDP craters but there's talk of a V-shaped recovery while BoJo talks relaunch and Shell cuts asset valuations. In TRAVEL INDUSTRY NEWS, Airbus and Easyjet announce cuts…

Tuesday 30/06/20

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Beijing imposes a new security law on Hong Kong, India blocks Chinese apps, Merkel appeals to the "frugal four", Ireland gets a new PM and BP sells its petrochemicals to Ineos. In CONSUMER/RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, we…

Monday 29/06/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, UK inflation may be higher than originally thought and shale producer Chesapeake Energy files for bankruptcy. In FINANCIALS NEWS, Wirecard continues to have repercussions and Lloyds Bank searches for new areas. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Intu…