European venture capital closed € 3.3 billion ($3.59 billion) funding in the Q4 of 2015, a huge raise from the previous quarter. United Kingdom is still the top spot for venture capital funding and information technology companies are still the favorite sector.
Europe
WHO Warns Zika Virus To Spread Across The US, Scientists Require A Decade Making Vaccine Available For Public
Aedes mosquitoes are the bearer of Zika virus which is available across the US. WHO warns the US for a probable Zika virus induced epidemic. Brazil has appeared as the most Zika affected country. The US and other governments have issued a travel alert for the pregnant women forbidding to visit the Zika prone region. The travel alert has offbeat the organizers of the Rio de Janeiro olympic scheduled to be held in August.
Gold price retreats from 12-week high on US Fed statement
Gold soared to three-month high early this week as investors switched over to safe have following the concerns about the global economy. The US Federal Reserve indicated a challenging global economy and this may not prevent it from raising interest rate. Gold price reached to $1,127.80 on 27 January and this propelled investors to book profits.
Apple Rumor : Apple's New Special Edition 4-Inch iPhone To Be Called "iPhone 5se"
Apple is rumored to launch a new hybrid iPhone called iPhone 5se and new Apple Watch models. The rumor mill has churned out the latest on Apple: Apple will be releasing a new special edition phone based on one of its earlier iPhones, which is expected to be smaller and supports Apple Pay and for capturing Live Photos.
Deutsche Bank Reported €6.8 Billion Loss in 2015 Due to Poor Performance and Litigation Cost
Deutsche Bank AG reported €6.8 billion ($7.2 billion) losses in 2015. As a result, co-CEO John Cryan and Juergen Fitschen announced on Thursday that the management board will not receive bonus.
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Google is always pioneer in offering innovative promotional measures. In a similar, it has reduced Nexus 5X and certain color containing 6P model prices by $50 dollar. Combining this discount offer with previously declared $30 price cut has made the devices cheaper and within the capability of mid income group. However, buyers from Europe seem to be more beneficial since the discount amount remains higher there.
Association of British Insurance (ABI) will lead the newly created Automated Driving Insurance Group. The group is established to discuss issues regarding driverless car.
Russian ruble is decreasing and hits all-time record low against dollar last week. Starting this week, the currency started its way to recover and reach 10- day high.
HMRC has been conducting multiyear investigation to unearth Google’s tax dodging events. Though denied earlier, a Google spokesperson has narrated a deal with the Britain’s tax authority to pay taxes of £130 million due for over a decade. The deal is significant since many countries around the globe are conducting scrutiny to ascertain dodged tax amounts of Google and other multinationals. Investigations in accordance with OECD guidelines may also help France to establish its claim for $1 billion as unpaid taxes.
A bitcoin startup Digital Asset Holdings has received funding from major banks. It will work closely with investors on research and commercialization of bitcoin technology applications. Digital Asset said that it has raised over $50 million funding from 13 investors. The list of investors includes JPMorgan Chase & Com, Citigroup Inc, BNP Paribas SA, CME Group Inc and Accenture Plc.
The Federal Reserve Bank have found a new partner in its struggle to confirm interest rate increase screens through the US economy. The trend of Fed borrowing billions daily to set a base under its standard policy rate has been conquered by foreign monetary authorities, Bloomberg said.
Feeling the heat of competition in the global payments industry, American Express (AmEx) is in the process of reducing costs by $1billion by end of 2017. AmEx posted losses for the fourth quarter consecutively. The net income dropped from $1.44 billion to $873 million or 80 cents per share for the quarter. The forecast for this year disappointed investors and analysts.
The German sportswear and apparel giant ends sponsorship with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Adidas decided to terminate the contract because of continuous doping scandal and corruption.
Despite economy growth rate of over seven percent, the Indian stock markets are suffering from the selloff by foreign investors. The domestic stock markets may enter bear territory soon after the fall in Shanghai and Tokyo markets. The cash-strapped foreign investors are offloading in Indian stocks since November 2015. On the other hand, Asian stocks gaining momentum following the marginal rebound in oil price.
