December, 2018

• 29 December

  Digital ad market needs an antitrust review

  

  After several high-profile investigations into US-based tech companies that resulted in large fines but little meaningful change in the firms’ practices, the European Union’s antitrust authorities are being asked to open a wide-ranging inquiry into the digital advertising market. It’s long overdue. The request comes from Brave Software Inc., the company founded by Brendan Eich, one of the original creators ...

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• 29 December

  Toyota wants to put robots in every home

  

  Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. has sold enough cars to put one outside every Japanese home. Now it wants to put robots inside. Well-known for its automated assembly lines, Toyota sees a not-so-far-off future in which robots transcend the factory and become commonplace in homes, helping with chores — and even offering companionship — in an aging society where a quarter ...

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• 29 December

  Porsche Taycan is 2019’s most-anticipated launch

  

  Bloomberg The year 2018 was very good for the car industry. According to Cox Automotive, US auto sales are expected to total 17.2 million units in this year, which is more than last year and the fourth year in a row to beat 17 million, finishing above the firm’s forecasts. For starters, there’s the convertible version of the Bentley Continental ...

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• 29 December

  Sony boosts 3D camera output over demand

  

  Bloomberg Sony Corp., the biggest maker of camera chips used in smartphones, is boosting production of next-generation 3D sensors after getting interest from customers including Apple Inc. The chips will power front- and rear-facing 3D cameras of models from several smartphone makers in 2019, with Sony kicking off mass production in late summer to meet demand, according to Satoshi Yoshihara, ...

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• 29 December

  NYPD deploying drone to secure New Year’s party

  Bloomberg New York City police will deploy a camera-equipped drone above Times Square, along with new “counter-drone technology” blocking other devices from the area, where they expect as many as 2 million New Year’s Eve revelers. The drone technology is the newest innovation developed by the largest US police department as it prepares for an annual event that already features ...

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• 29 December

  Trump’s ‘economic damage’ could cause Fed rate pause

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump may get the Federal Reserve interest rate-hike pause he wants as his attacks on the Fed and the government shutdown roil stock markets and shave 2019 forecasts for economic growth. The S&P 500 fell 2.7 percent, bringing US stocks to the brink of a bear market after a drop of almost 20 percent from a September ...

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• 29 December

  Russia’s bad bank eyes $15 billion hole from rescued private lenders

  

  Bloomberg More than a year after Russia nationalised three leading private lenders, the magnitude of the losses is starting to take shape and criminal investigations are being opened against former owners and management. The bad bank that took on some 2 trillion rubles ($30 billion) in non-performing assets from Bank Otkritie FC, B&N Bank and Promsvyazbank still isn’t ready to ...

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• 29 December

  Wells Fargo to pay states $575mn over improper sales practices

  

  Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co will pay $575 million to settle state-level claims over sales practices, marking the latest cost in the fallout from a series of scandals that erupted at the bank more than two years ago. The settlement with 50 states and the District of Columbia announced resolves state investigations into Wells Fargo’s practices from 2002 to 2017. ...

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• 29 December

  JPMorgan settles securities case with $135mn payout

  Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co will pay $135 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that it mishandled US securities that represent sha-res of foreign companies, the latest bank fined in an industry crackdown on the practice. The bank improperly provided what’s known as American depository receipts (ADR) to brokers when neither the brokers nor their clients held shares ...

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• 29 December

  Goldman Sachs poised to lead M&A deals for 2018

  

  Bloomberg Boutique banks climbed the ranks of the world’s leading merger advisers, while Deutsche Bank AG dropped out of the top 10. But for all of the shuffling, familiar names remained at the head of the pack. Goldman Sachs Group Inc, for the second year in a row, is poised to be the top bank for takeover advice — pushed ...

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