Monday 02/10/23
In BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, China puts hopes on Golden Week, eastern Europe benefits from the China exodus, UK exporters pay the price of Sunak’s retreat and the construction industry suffers while we see bankers calling for more deals and VCs calling for fewer IPOs. In CONSUMER & RETAIL NEWS, more people go for longer mortgages, John Lewis has a sales rebound and retailers call for more protection. In TECH & GAMING NEWS, publishers warn of AI fake news and Candy Crush hits a revenue milestone. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, the West weans itself off Russian nuclear materials, BAE Systems gets a massive nuke submarine order and Cybertruck deliveries get delayed again. AND FINALLY, I bring you some yo-yo trickery…
Friday 29/09/23
In MACRO & COMMODITIES NEWS, Germany struggles, the oil price won’t get a shale reprieve and olive oil stocks are running out. In M&A AND BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, TAP goes up for sale, Arcelik/Whirlpool faces scrutiny, dealmaking hits a decade low and UK business confidence takes a blow. In TECH NEWS, OpenAI, Jony Ive and SoftBank are cooking something up, Zuck gambles on AI, Apple’s new phones get hot and Fortnite’s maker cuts 16% of its workforce. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, Evergrande’s shares are suspended, the average UK fixed rate mortgage dips below 6%, new housing starts boom, John Lewis does the sale/leaseback thang, Northvolt goes to Canada and Sunak keeps EV sales percentages in place. AND FINALLY, I bring you the impressive sport of pole vaulting…
Thursday 28/09/23
In CURRENCY & OIL NEWS, we look at why sterling is weakening and the consequences of China nearing “peak oil”. In FINANCIALS NEWS, private valuations come under scrutiny, Binance withdraws from Russia and space insurance becomes increasingly necessary. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, Evergrande faces another clampdown, UK commercial real estate landlords take a hit, Zoopla confirms the house price trend and mortgage payers make tough choices. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, Meta launches AI chatbots, McKinsey makes another opioid payout, Ford and GM come to a major crossroads, Lululemon and Peloton play nice and H&M sees profits rise. AND FINALLY, I bring you something quite pointless but impressive…
Wednesday 27/09/23
In MACRO & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, the pound has a torrid time, the business environment in China deteriorates and Meta pays big money to break its London office lease. In CONSUMER & RETAIL TRENDS, US consumer confidence falters, UK first-time buyers dwindle rapidly and Asos cuts profits forecasts. In TECH NEWS, the FTC goes after Amazon and OpenAI chases a $90bn valuation. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, Tesla could come under the scope of the EU investigation, the EU is in talks with Moderna and Smiths Group reports. AND FINALLY, I bring you some very impressive basketball training moves…
Tuesday 26/09/23
In BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS NEWS, global trade slows, western companies adapt to the China situation, China property woes risk contagion, UK manufacturing responds to Sunak’s retreat, London offices plummet in value, the outlook for retail sales improves, Aldi moves up in the pecking order and Entain bemoans the lack of online gambling. In TECH NEWS, Amazon invests in Anthropic and Huawei impresses with new gadgetry. In CARS & TRANSPORT NEWS, Ford holds back on a controversial battery plant, Nissan commits to all-electric and HS2 faces a reckoning. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, the Germany economy remains stuck in a rut, DWS pays the price for greenwashing and staff absences rise. AND FINALLY, I bring you a wild pull-up variation…
Monday 25/09/23
In MACRO & COMMODITY NEWS, the UK economy looks set to slow, Russians dodge oil sanctions while Greek shipping magnates benefit and healthy gas stocks bode well for the winter. In AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, carmakers call for an EU tariff delay while Ford makes progress in Canada. In EMPLOYMENT NEWS, there’s progress in Hollywood and we look at AI-proof futures. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, there’s bad news about Lego’s eco-bricks. AND FINALLY, I bring you the ultimate cheese toastie…
Friday 22/09/23
In BIG PICTURE NEWS, the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, Sunak enjoys an interesting week, a VC firm splits out its China business and Russia imposes a diesel export ban. In CONSUMER, RETAIL & LEISURE NEWS, UK consumer confidence rises, UK retail gets a lift, Next booms, JD Sports braces itself, Ocado has a downgrade, DFS sees its profits halve, SSP has a bounce and the City Pub Group toasts a decent performance. In IPO AND M&A NEWS, Kokusai Electric gears up to be Japan’s biggest IPO in five years, Arm falters, Cisco buys Splunk for $28bn in cash and Toshiba is to be taken private. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, Rupert Murdoch steps down, Deezer ups prices and Warner Bros invests in Leavesden. AND FINALLY, I bring you some epic pit stops…
Thursday 21/09/23
In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, the Fed held rates, Sunak reins in climate commitments and inflation could hit 5% by year end. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, US warehouses hold up, Dubai property prices spike on Russian buyers, UK property price inflation drops, house sizes get smaller and lenders cut mortgage rates while rents surge. In CAR-RELATED NEWS, BYD targets Japan while Cazoo fails miserably. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, WhatsApp launches in-app payments in India, Huawei makes a breakthrough, Disney needs to do more, FedEx’s earnings rise and tenpin bowling stays popular. AND FINALLY, I bring you the world’s deepest pool…
Wednesday 20/09/23
In BIG PICTURE NEWS, we see how EVs could hit the US election, the OECD is down on the UK, UK inflation weakens, Sunak is about to backpedal whilst also facing an oil headache and EU companies continue to rail against China. In CONSUMER, RETAIL & LEISURE NEWS, homelessness is on the rise as rents get exorbitant, mortgage bills for many look set to rise, Instacart’s IPO goes well, H&M charges for returns, B&Q’s owner takes a hit, Ocado’s venture with M&S rebounds, Naked Wines looks iffy and Tui extends the holiday season. In REAL ESTATE & FINANCIALS NEWS, British Land bucks the gloom, Revolut gets more time and Hargreaves Lansdown benefits from rising rates. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, Disney moves forwards, YouTube rises above, Google DeepMind helps drugmakers and Philip Morris thinks about a reshuffle in its pharma business. AND FINALLY, I bring you a Terry’s Chocolate Orange faux pas…
Tuesday 19/09/23
In BIG PICTURE NEWS, Hungary drags its feet on Sweden’s NATO bid, we look at how far interest rates could fall, the WEF predicts AI’s impact on jobs, S4 Capital takes a hammering, UK businesses see a fall in orders and shoppers get deeper into debt. In TECH NEWS, Apple gets higher sales and SoftBank buys into AI while Instacart and Klaviyo test investor appetite for IPOs. In CAR-RELATED NEWS, Tesla scouts out Saudi Arabia, UK carmakers want concessions and Pendragon looks to sell to Lithia. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, HS2 appears to be slipping away and Shein takes a look at Missguided. AND FINALLY, AND FINALLY, I bring you an amazing surfing challenge…
Monday 18/09/23
In MACRO & OIL NEWS,China has issues, the Fed could defy investors, the Bank of England is expected to raise interest rates, UK manufacturing hunkers down and oil prices head to $100 a barrel. In TECH NEWS, the China/Apple thing could be a warning, Arm’s advisors get big fees, SoftBank plans a deal spree with the flotation proceeds and another UK chip designer heads stateside. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, the supply of UK homes looks like it’ll get worse, sellers cut prices and renters pay more. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, China Evergrande has more problems and worries about Zhongrong deepen. AND FINALLY, AND FINALLY, I bring you ways to fail successfully…
Friday 15/09/23
In BIG PICTURE NEWS, the ECB hikes rates, higher fuel prices bite, Maersk dabbles with green methanol and China attacks the EU’s move on EVs. In CONSUMER, RETAIL & LEISURE NEWS, US consumer prices rise, the wage differential between London and the rest of the UK widens, Carrefour gets punchy on shrinkflation, Lidl suffers, John Lewis delays turnaround, THG’s shares tank and Chick-fil-A ponders a return to the UK. In TECH NEWS, Apple’s problems in France could spread and Arm has a strong debut. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, we look at gathering momentum in IPOs, Spire benefits from NHS strife and Hipgnosis sells assets. AND FINALLY, AND FINALLY, I bring you an amusing dog trick…