Monday, 06 February 2017 13:09
Amazon to invest $1.5bn in first air freight hub to strengthen distribution
Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon says it will invest nearly $1.5 billion to build its first air freight hub in the United States, which it hopes will strengthen its distribution muscle and also create more US jobs. Amazon has been eager to decrease its reliance upon shipping companies such as UPS and FedEx. The air freight hub for Amazon’s growing Prime Air cargo fleet will reportedly be built at an airport in Kentucky, adding more than 2,000 workers to the approximately…
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Monday, 06 February 2017 11:34
Snap Inc. (Snapchat) files public documents for share offering
Snap Inc. the parent company of the popular social networking app Snapchat filed public documents for a share offering on February 2, ending speculation that the company would seek an IPO. Snap Inc. reportedly hopes to raise up to $3 billion in its highly anticipated Wall Street debut. California-based Snap Inc. had earlier filed confidential documents for an initial public offering last year. The Wall Street Journal reported in October that Snap Inc. was preparing for a 2017 share offering,…
Monday, 06 February 2017 07:35
Nokia’s profits fall short; blames Alcatel-Lucent acquisition costs
Finnish telecoms vendor Nokia recently reported its financial earnings for 2016 which showed a net loss of 766 million euros ($826 million). Nokia blames the sales and costs from acquiring and integrating Alcatel-Lucent for the “disappointing” loss in 2016. Nokia chief executive Rajeev Suri described 2016 as a “year of transition”. Nokia’s financial results were “disappointing” according to Suri in a press statement, but he said the company is expected to perform better financially in 2017 “as market conditions improve.”…
Sunday, 05 February 2017 06:16
Facebook’s profit more than doubled in final three months of 2016
Social media giant Facebook reported its financial earnings on February 1, which showed that its profit more than doubled in the final three months of 2016 as revenues continued to rise and its user base grew. The company said it made a net profit of $3.7 billion on revenue of $8.6 billion in the fourth quarter, compared to profit of $1.6 billion on $5.6 billion in revenue in the same period the previous year. Facebook’s earnings pushed past many analyst…
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Thursday, 02 February 2017 12:55
Facebook’s VR unit ordered to pay $500m to gaming software firm
Facebook has been ordered by a US court to pay a whopping $500m to a gaming software company in a lawsuit which claimed virtual reality technology was stolen. In documents shown to the court, Facebook’s virtual reality arm Oculus Rift stood accused of basing its Rift headset products on technology stolen from ZeniMax’s VR software The court heard how it was alleged that Oculus founder Palmer Luckey had developed its Rift headsets courtesy of source code which was illegally obtained…
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Wednesday, 01 February 2017 08:12
Apple sold ‘more iPhones than ever before’ in Q4, says CEO Tim Cook
Apple Inc. reported strong Q4 results on Tuesday, 31 January, ending a streak of previous unfavorable financial reports in 2016. A rebound in iPhone sales saw Apple’s profits lifted to record revenue in the past quarter which has eased concerns of slowing growth for the company. Apple launched its new iPhone 7 model last September which proved to be a strong money-maker for the company, even as profits dipped 2.6 percent to $17.9 billion. Apple’s revenue reached an all-time record…
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Wednesday, 01 February 2017 08:10
Microsoft acquisition of LinkedIn and cloud computing boosts revenue
The combination of cloud computing and the shrewd acquisition of LinkedIn by Microsoft has seen growth in the tech giants profits. In a financial statement Microsoft disclosed that profits rose by 3.6% in the second fiscal quarter to $5.2 billion- while revenues edged up by 1% to $24 billion. Microsoft have changed strategy in recent years, and moved away from its dependence on solely developing software to providing a broader array of services. That positioning has been proved to be…
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Wednesday, 01 February 2017 08:09
Canadian robo-advisory start-up receives investment in bid to enter US market
A Canadian robo-adviser start-up has received a significant investment in a bid to boost its chances of successfully penetrating the already saturated U.S. market. Wealthsimple announced the investment of $20 million from Power Financial Corp and formally launched its operations in the US. The robo-adviser market is dominated by large investments firms, and it was established that in order for the Wealthsimple to become a success, it required a large investment – which was provided by fellow Canadian company Power…
Wednesday, 01 February 2017 08:02
Japanese telco considers investment of $1 billion in office-space start-up
A leading Japanese telecommunications company is believed to be weighing up an investment of more than $1 billion in office-space start-up ‘WeWork’ – according to speculation circulating from the region. The Wall Street Journal has reported that SoftBank Group Corp, which is headquartered in Tokyo, is keen on the investment which would represent the first deal from its $100 billion technology fund. Both organizations declined to comment on the speculation which simply added fuel that negotiations in relation to the…
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Tuesday, 31 January 2017 07:00
Mobile search and YouTube behind Alphabet Google’s strong profits
California-based Alphabet, parent company of Google, reported strong profit growth on Thursday, 26 January, for the final three months of 2016. The company saw its profits rise on growth in mobile search and its video-sharing service YouTube. Google remains as Alphabet’s majority operating unit and advertising is still the company’s main source of profit. According to Alphabet its net income increased eight percent to $5.3 billion, which wasn’t as high as industry predictions on Wall Street, despite better-than-expected revenue. For…
Wednesday, 25 January 2017 13:40
BT shares drop following accounting irregularities reported in Italy
British telecom and TV group BT saw its shares drop on Tuesday, 24 January, after accounting regularities were reported in Italy. BT shares sank 20.06 percent to 305.90 pence in late afternoon on London’s rising stock market. The accounting errors were first revealed in October, estimating BT would take a hit of £145 million. That figure was raised to £530 million on Tuesday. An independent review of BT’s Italian business found accounting irregularities and a “complex set of improper sales,…
Wednesday, 25 January 2017 08:20
Alibaba reports strong revenue growth due to e-commerce demand in China
Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba reported strong revenue growth on Tuesday, 24 January, as demand for online shopping in China grows. The company said its revenues leapt 54 percent year-on-year for the quarter ended in December last year. Alibaba’s revenue reached 53.25 billion yuan ($7.7 billion) in the quarter, the company said in a statement. Alibaba’s revenue is seen as a benchmark for China’s increasingly important consumer sector. The company’s net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was 17.9 billion yuan ($2.57…
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