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Factorial raises $16M to take on the HR world with a platform for SMBs

A startup that’s hoping to be a contender in the very large and fragmented market of human resources software has captured the eye of a big investor out of the US and become its first investment in Spain. Barcelona-based Factorial, which is building an all-in-one HR automation platform aimed at small and medium businesses that manages […]




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SkyCell raises $62M for smart containers and analytics to transport pharmaceuticals

While human travel has become severely restricted in recent months, the movement of goods has remained a constant priority — and in some cases, has become even more urgent. Today, a startup out of Switzerland that builds hardware and operates a logistics network designed to transport one item in particular — pharmaceuticals — is announcing […]




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Amid stock market turbulence, investing app Stash raises $112M led by LendingTree

As coronavirus-hit financial markets continue to flip-flop in the wake of bad news followed by pockets of hope, a startup that aims to introduce ordinary consumers to investing has raised a big round of funding. New York-based Stash, which provides a mobile-first route to managing money through investment — as well as retirement, custodial and […]




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eBay Q1 reports sales of $2.374B, active buyers up to 174M in wake of COVID-19

After a quarter in which eBay, tussling with an activist investor, completed the sell-off of its ticketing business StubHub for $4 billion and saw appointed a new CEO after its previous one departed, while also weathering waves of surging demand and dodgy supply resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, today the e-commerce company reported its Q1 […]




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Dribbble, a bootstrapped ‘LinkedIn’ for designers, acquires Creative Market, grows to 12M users

Traditionally dominated by big players like Adobe and Autodesk, the world of design has been flush with a newer wave of startups that are creating collaboration spaces and new cloud-based tools designed to address the needs of creatives. Today, two of those players are combining. Dribbble, an online community for designers that lets them post […]




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Liberty’s Virgin Media and Telefonica’s O2 to merge in the UK in $39B deal

The regulators said “NO” when Telefonica tried to combine its O2 operations in the UK with rival carrier, Hutchison-owned Three, back in 2015. But Telefonica didn’t let go of the idea of divestment, and five years later, in the middle of a health pandemic with related threats of a global economic depression looming over us, […]




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Symend raises $52M to help mediate when customers are at risk of defaulting on payments

With unemployment growing at a worrying rate, we’re seeing a lot more people finding themselves in hot water when it comes to their finances. Today a startup that’s built a platform to help identify and help those users when they find themselves unable to make payments is announcing a very large growth round of funding […]




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Carmakers hit by lack of state support in emerging markets 

Suppliers that exploited cheaper labour hit by big wage bills for shuttered plants




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General Motors: buckle up

Carmaker puts brakes on dividends and buybacks in order to preserve liquidity




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Elon Musk the insurer

How to save on costs, and pay premiums to your dear leader.




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Musk steps in to provide insurance for Tesla board

Chief executive criticised over move to offer liability cover following premium increase




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Tesla ekes out profit despite coronavirus disruptions

Shares soar in after-hours trading following better than expected figures




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Tesla: Elon Musk unplugged

The plan may be to keep the ‘pedal to the metal’ but self-funding is still out of range




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Tesla: taking a step back

On the impossibility of future earnings.




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Why the coronavirus crisis won’t mark a peak in oil demand

Transport demand will rebound while the pandemic will reboot the use of plastics




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Elon, u ok hun?

“I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.”




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Musk tweet knocks $14bn off Tesla market value

‘Stock price is too high’, writes outspoken chief executive




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Knowde could make billions building the digital marketplace for the $5 trillion chemicals industry

Ali Amin-Javaheri grew up in the chemicals business. His father had worked for Iran’s state-owned chemical company and when the family fled the country in the nineteen eighties during the Iran-Iraq war, they first settled in Houston where employers welcomed the senior Amin-Jahaveri’s experience. Houston in the 80s was dominated by the petrochemicals industry and […]




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Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3 are official

The days of the big product event are on hold for the foreseeable future. Until then, a big blog post will have to do. A day after announcing that Microsoft would be shifting focus away from dual-screen devices, Chief Product Officer Panos Panay took to the company’s Devices blog to show off a slew of […]




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Wall St ekes out gain after day of US-China trade worry

Renewed friction between Washington and Beijing adds to coronavirus concerns




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S&P 500 resilience: weakened by coronavirus

A series of big bankruptcies is unlikely but debt workouts will slow economic recovery




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China’s Kingsoft Cloud tests US market with biggest IPO in months

First New York listing by a Chinese company since Luckin Coffee debacle




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Markets Now - Tuesday 5th May 2020

Last updated 3:00pm BST. Featuring Royal Mail, Flutter, Stagecoach, Hiscox, Capital & Counties, Hammerson, Aston Martin, deep thoughts, kraftliner and Samhällsbyggnadsbolaget.




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Wall Street closes higher after oil rally takes Brent over $30

Investors anticipate boost in energy demand as economies start to reopen




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Opening up economies drives risk sentiment

Mike Mackenzie’s daily analysis of what’s moving global markets




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Markets Now - Wednesday 6th May 2020

Last updated 2:00pm BST. Featuring ITV, National Express, Hiscox, Hammerson, LondonMetric, Metro Bank and OneSavings.




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US stocks fall as investors weigh push towards reopening

Brent crude slips back below $30 a barrel after a six-day run of gains




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Markets Now - Thursday 7th May 2020

Last updated 1:00pm BST. Featuring BT, Vodafone, IAG, Hyve, Tui, Aston Martin and Burberry.




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Tech stock rally turns Nasdaq positive for the year

Equities rise but some Treasury yields hit record lows as investors weigh economic outlook




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Risk sentiment whistles past an appalling jobs report

Mike Mackenzie’s daily analysis of what’s moving global markets




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US on track for worst corporate quarter since financial crisis

Impact of lockdown weighs on company earnings but stock markets look for optimism




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Shopify’s swift ascent stirs talk of Canadian ‘curse’

Online retailer hopes to avoid fate of non-banks whose value surpassed country’s biggest lender




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Facebook now allows users in the US & Canada to export photos and videos to Google Photos

Facebook is today rolling out a tool that will allow users in the U.S. and Canada to export their Facebook photos and videos to Google Photos. This data portability tool was first introduced in Ireland in December, and has since been made available to other international markets. To use the feature, Facebook users will need […]




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COVID-19 quarantine boosts smart speaker usage among U.S. adults, particularly younger users

The coronavirus outbreak has driven more consumers to turn to their smart speakers for news, information, music and entertainment, according to new data released today by NPR and Edison Research. Around three-quarters of U.S. adults 18 and up said their routines have been impacted due to COVID-19 and their media habits have changed as a […]





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Facebook to add gift cards, jobs and donation tools to its COVID-19 Community Help hub

Facebook is expanding its Community Help hub to better serve local communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The hub has already seen significant usage by those requesting food, supplies and information about local resources, as well as use by volunteers and groups willing to lend a hand. Now, Facebook is adding more features to the hub […]




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TiVo enters the streaming market with a $50 Android TV-powered device, TiVo Stream 4K

TiVo today is launching a new device, its would-be Fire TV Stick competitor known as the TiVo Stream 4K. First announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, this $50 Android TV-powered HDMI dongle is TiVo’s attempt to insert itself into the streaming media device market. The new dongle arrives at a time when TiVo […]




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Trader: More euro falls likely

The eurozone’s problems run far deeper than anything that can be solved by a splurge of foreign cash




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German Bund looking more appealing

Investors seek better-quality government bonds




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Retail sector to remain weak

Risk of further bad news from the high street




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Silver can offer more bang for your buck

Metal offers protection from sledgehammer approach to quantitative easing




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Fund managers back equities for 2012

What the experts are forecasting for next year




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What happens if my broker fails?

I use an online stock broker to purchase shares in quoted companies 




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Should I make my wife a director of my company?

I would like to pay her but am worried the IR35 tax changes in April could complicate matters




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I’ve been asked to take a pay cut, should I agree?

My employer has said that if we don’t cut salaries redundancies will be on the cards




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Getting divorced under lockdown

What are the alternatives to court for a divorcing couple?




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An already struggling smartphone market takes a big hit from COVID-19

Quarter after quarter, familiar stories have appeared. The smartphone market, once seemingly bulletproof, has suffered. The list of factors is long, and I’ve written about them ad nauseam here, but the CliffsNotes version is: costs are too high, innovation is too incremental and most people already own a device that will be plenty good for […]





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The 13-inch MacBook Pro gets Apple’s much-improved keyboard

Following in the footsteps of the MacBook Air and 16-inch Pro, Apple’s 13-inch Pro model is finally getting the company’s much improved keyboard. It’s probably not enough reason for recent MacBook buyers to upgrade, but could well be the thing that pushes the indecisive over the edge. To sweeten the pot, the new laptop gets […]




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Daily Crunch: Apple upgrades the keyboard on the 13-inch MacBook Pro

Apple announces a new MacBook Pro, tech stocks take a dip and Uber Eats shuts down in seven markets. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 4, 2020. 1. The 13-inch MacBook Pro gets Apple’s much-improved keyboard Following in the footsteps of the MacBook Air and 16-inch Pro, Apple’s 13-inch Pro model is finally getting the […]