U.S. inflation

U.S. inflation climbed in line with expectations in January 2024, according to the preferred measure the Federal Reserve uses to make decisions on cutting interest rates. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, excluding food and energy costs, increased 0.4% for the month and 2.8% from a year ago, asRead More →

Water scarcity

Water scarcity is a pressing global issue and has far-reaching consequences across various industries. One sector significantly affected is semiconductor manufacturing. How does water scarcity pose a threat to the production of essential microchips. Water in Semiconductor Manufacturing Ultra-pure water is a critical resource in semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs). It is usedRead More →

Wearable tech

See-through screens, phones that wrap around your wrist, expandable displays and smart rings – just some of the products on display at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Samsung ring Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, its latest wearable, is launching with health-tracking features including heart rate and sleep monitoring. These are allRead More →

Chatbot learning

Google’s ‘Woke’ AI Problem needs attention In recent days, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Gemini, has faced intense criticism online. As the tech giant’s answer to the OpenAI/Microsoft chatbot ChatGPT, Gemini can respond to text queries and even generate images based on prompts. However, its journey has been far from smooth.Read More →

EV concept

Apple has reportedly cancelled its plans to build an electric car, bringing an end to a secretive project known as Project Titan The EV project consumed immense resources over the past 10 years, with executives from the company making an unexpected announcement. The decision to halt the program marks a significant retreat from Apple’sRead More →

Bitcoin up

Bitcoin’s price leapt 10% in just two days and on Monday 26th February 2024, surpassed $54,000 for the first time since December 2021 The gains came on the back of MicroStrategy disclosing another large purchase of about 3000 Bitcoins for $155 million. Analysts see a flow of funds into BitcoinRead More →

Moon

Intuitive Machines initially reported Odysseus was standing upright. But in an update on Friday 23rd February 2024, the company reported they believe the spacecraft caught its landing gear sideways in the moon’s surface while touching down and tipped over. Intuitive Machines’ cargo lander, Odysseus, returned its first images from the moon’sRead More →

Jet engine

Rolls-Royce, a prominent jet engine manufacturer for commercial aircraft along with power systems for ships and submarines and other major projects posted an underlying operating profit of £1.6 billion in 2023, compared to £652 million in 2022. Rolls-Royce was the top performer in the UK’s FTSE 100 in 2023, climbingRead More →

Gemini chatbot illustration

Google on Thursday 22nd February 2024 said it is pausing its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) image generation feature after saying it offers ‘inaccuracies’ in historical pictures Users had been reporting that the AI tool generated images of historical figures, like the U.S. Founding Fathers as people of colour, calling thisRead More →

S&P 500 new high

The S&P 500 surged to a new all-time high on Thursday 22nd February 2024 Microchip maker Nvidia reported much stronger-than-expected quarterly results, lifting tech sector and markets higher. S&P 500 The S&P 500 gained just over 2% to close at 5087, notching its best day since January 2023. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 2.96% forRead More →

AI chip

The excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) technology appears to show few signs of abating The technology company at the heart of the AI chip boom reported its Q4 earnings after the stock market’s close on Wednesday 21st February 2024, beating expectations for both earnings and sales. The company’s total revenue is up 265% fromRead More →

Nikkei 225 index

Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit a record high of: 39098 on Thursday 22nd February 2024. The rally was propelled by electronics, banking and consumer stocks as robust earnings and investor-friendly measures fuel a blistering rally in Japanese equities. The Nikkei 225 jumped 2%, surpassing the previous record high of 38,915.87 reached in 1989.Read More →

Failed missile test

MOD missile test flops as £17 million weapon plops into sea The Trident missile test is a routine exercise of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which involves firing an unarmed missile from a submarine into the Atlantic Ocean However, the latest test failed when the missile’s booster rockets didn’t function correctlyRead More →

Iconic BT Tower

British telecoms group BT said Wednesday 21st February 2024 that it had agreed to sell London’s iconic BT Tower – once an important piece of network infrastructure It has been sold to developer MCR Hotels for £275 million ($346.6 million). The 189-meter structure has loomed over the capital city’s central Fitzrovia sinceRead More →

Stubborn inflation

Is progress on U.S. inflation stalling? That’s the fear spreading through Wall Street as another inflation reading on Friday 16th February 2024 came in hotter-than-expected.   The producer price index rose 0.3% in January 2024. The largest increase since August 2024 and higher than the 0.1% forecast. Excluding food andRead More →

Magnificent Seven market cap at $15 trillion

The Magnificent Seven, or MAMA ANT, is a term coined by Bank of America to describe the seven most dominant tech companies in the world The Seven are: Microsoft, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, and Alphabet. These companies have not only led the tech sector in terms of innovation,Read More →

Fake AI news

Most of the world’s largest tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and Google have agreed to tackle what they are calling deceptive artificial intelligence (AI) in elections The tech accord The twenty companies have signed an accord committing them to fighting voter-deceiving content. They say they will deploy technology to detectRead More →

AI data centre

The use of nuclear reactors for data centres is a controversial and complex topic that has both advantages and disadvantages Nuclear reactors can provide a reliable, stable, and carbon-free source of electricity for power-hungry data centres, which are essential for the operation of various applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI).Read More →

UK shoppers

Retail sales rebounded in January as shoppers went on a determined spending spree, latest figures show. ONS figures revealed a 3.4% jump in sales following a drop in December 2023. Food sales at supermarkets rose strongly while department stores reported a good impact from January sales. The Office for NationalRead More →

Crypto platform

Shares of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase soared 12% Friday 16th February 2024 after the company reported its first profit in two years. Coinbase, the largest U.S. venue for buying and selling cryptocurrencies, said that net income totalled $273 million in Q4. This is the first time that the company has reported positive netRead More →