January, 2015 | Furthr

Deal of the day: Hutchison Whampoa owner of Three mobile network looks to buy O2 for £10bn

January 23, 2015

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The richest man in Asia is in talks to buy Britain’s second-largest mobile provider O2 for up to £10.25bn ($15.4bn) from Spain’s Telefonica. Li Ka-shing’s (geddit?) firm Hutchison Whampoa already owns the Three mobile network, and combining it with O2 would create the UK’s biggest mobile group. Competition regulators are bound to scrutinise the bid, which has been rumoured for weeks.

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What they earn: Apple’s Tim Cook now makes £2m a year

January 23, 2015

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Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook’s salary was increased by nearly 43% in February last year, says the BBC. The tech giant announced that Cook’s salary rose to $2m (£1.3m) from $1.4m. His total remuneration more than doubled to $9.2m in 2014. It was his first salary increase since November 2011. In November, Apple was worth more than $700bn after its stock hit an all-time high of $119.75.

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Quantitative easing: how it works

January 23, 2015

Yesterday the direction of the future of the EU was signposted. Paul Krugman (who was at MIT with Euro chief central banker Mario Dragbi in the mid-70s) has called it a “political triumph.” “The goal was to jolt expectations, to convince markets that there has been a fundamental shift toward aggressiveness,” he said.

Here’s a great graphic from the BBC that nicely explains how Mario Dragbi’s QE is supposed to work.

And here’s a table from the FT giving a sense of the scale of the operation compared to other countries QE programmes.

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China humiliates deadbeats with a widescreen “wall of shame” and eight more must-read stories

January 23, 2015

Climate change denial should disqualify politicians from holding office. There is simply no reason to trust them with power.
Ukraine is a bigger problem than Russia. The West should resolve the crisis in Ukraine before addressing relations with Russia.
Gentrification isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t actually hurt long-term residents when rents rise.
Germany isn’t turning back to xenophobia. Anti-foreigner sentiment is at historic lows (paywall).
Schools have a right to know students’ Facebook passwords. At least according to one US judge’s ruling in a bullying case.
Squids use their camouflage to socialize. The giant humboldt squid quickly changes color to communicatewith fellow cephalopods.
Not every Indian outfit is a sari. It’s just a much easier word to master than “lehenga” or “salwar kameez.”
A measles outbreak began in Disneyland. And it’s thanks to people who don’t believe in vaccinations.
Chinese towns are creating walls of shame. If you fail to pay your fines in Changsha, your face be displayed on a huge public screen.

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Map of the day: Rental costs in UK

January 21, 2015

The big variations between towns came amid an overall 6.6 per cent rise in rents across the country last year, which left the UK average monthly rent at £867. Rents in London sufferd a seasonal dip in December, but still finished the year 12 per cent higher at £1,244 a month, says Mail Online.

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Disruptive technology is killing the American dream and seven more must-read stories

January 21, 2015

Obama’s State of the Union was one for the ladies. New policies could help many women re-enter the workforce.
It’s great to see men worry about balding. It’s a rare display of male insecurity.
Disruptive technology is killing the American dream. The next round of workplace automation will hollow out the middle class.
China needs to stop harassing foreign companies. Premier Li Keqiang could use his visit to Davos to offer some reassurance.
Facebook knows when you break your resolutions. This is the week it tends to detect people giving up on the gym.
India’s tigers are multiplying. The population rose by 30% between 2010 and 2014.
In the Central African Republic, a grenade is cheaper than a can of Coke. The weapons sell for a dollar or less.
Buying a patent can spring you from prison in China. There’s a legal loophole that reduces inventors’ sentences.

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The US does less than most rich countries to reduce income inequality

January 21, 2015

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Eighty rich people now have the wealth of half of the rest of the world

January 20, 2015

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Why UK lowflation is different from Eurozone lowflation

January 15, 2015

Oil is the reason UK lowflation is different to the Eurozone’s lowflation, say experts.

The halving in the price of oil accounts for the UK inflation rate dropping to 0.5% this week. Supermarket price wars have also contributed to lowering prices. However, not all UK prices have dropped.

In Europe, however, the situation is more grave. According to Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney “I would characterise the situation in the eurozone as being one of persistently low inflation, inconsistent with their mandate, that necessitates additional stimulus, and [the ECB] will take those decisions as appropriate.”

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Chart of the day: Bitcoin bloodbath!

January 14, 2015

Bitcoin has lost 30% of its value in the last 48 hours. One possible explanation is that Russia is beginning to ban bitcoin-related websites, “Fast Money” trader Brian Kelly pointed out in a blog post.

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