Ackman needs sharper ideas guys on his ADP payroll 17 Aug 2017 Activists succeed by pursuing clear, deliverable goals, such as ditching non-core units or removing failing executives. Urging the employer-services firm to become an agile software company is nothing of the sort. Investors are giving the Pershing Square boss a deserved raspberry.
UK shows consumers the value of their data 11 Aug 2017 A new law will hand citizens greater powers over the use of their online information. For companies, compliance standards will get steeper – as will fines for breaches. Showing people what happens to their digital data also makes it more likely they will seek compensation for it.
Britain’s 5G auction puts customers before coffers 14 Jul 2017 Regulators capped incumbent BT’s participation in upcoming mobile-spectrum auctions. That may lead to less fevered bidding, and smaller takings with which to pay down the national debt. It’s a reasonable trade-off in order to ensure a competitive four-player telecoms market.
Post-truth data will come back to bite Uncle Sam 21 Feb 2017 Donald Trump's economic team may tweak trade figures to make deficits look bigger, helping his push for tariffs. Though politicians have always cherry-picked numbers, fiddling with actual statistics threatens confidence. It also raises expectations Trump will struggle to meet.
Hiding China’s ugly data will aggravate correction 16 Feb 2017 A popular independent index of China's red-hot house prices has gone quiet. China has been steadily deactivating private surveys that contradict official data, while ordering economists to stay chirpy. Increasing opacity could turn a healthy correction into a panic.
Verizon’s new data plans broadcast its ambitions 13 Feb 2017 Weeks ago, an executive said the $200 bln U.S. telco didn't want to offer unlimited data again. Now it's doing just that. Verizon has to match rivals like T-Mobile US. But users' appetite for streaming and shifting regulation may also mean it's joining AT&T on the media M&A hunt.
U.S. economic data in danger of taking Chinese turn 26 Jan 2017 Donald Trump and his aides often question figures like the jobless rate. Now he is in charge of agencies supplying data, like the 2016 GDP reading due on Friday. Such statistics are hard to fudge but the new regime's penchant for extreme spin puts their credibility at risk.
Silicon Valley storms into Washington data void 15 Oct 2013 Startup venture Premise is reporting a U.S. inflation gauge, helping to fill a gap left by the government shutdown. The firm uses the web and mobile photos to gather more food prices more often than official CPI. Once hooked on Big Data, economists may find there’s no going back.
Euro zone recovery isn’t real yet 14 Aug 2013 It’s cheering to see the euro zone exit recession after six quarters of falling GDP. The monthly momentum is encouraging too. But output is still 3 pct below its peak and increasing at about a 1 pct annual rate. It’s hard to believe in more than a feeble revival for now.