US GDP - Stimulus v Austerity

Neville Prior  27 January 2012 13:51:35

Whilst Europe has been struggling recently with austerity and negative growth, the US has announced a pick-up in growth during Q4 to an annualised rate of 2.8%. Who do you think has the right policies in place???

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The Ultimate Toy for Profane Chemists

Neville Prior  26 January 2012 21:08:34

Read about it here => Interactive Periodic Table of Swearing

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Apple - Something for Every Business to Aspire to

Neville Prior  25 January 2012 13:38:30

Apple‘s blowout first quarter was notable for many reasons, not least of which was the company’s record revenues of $46.3 billion.  !!!!!!!

But the quarter was remarkable for several other reasons as well. Apple, which is known for keeping its affairs close to the vest, released a raft of information on Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights:

• Apple sold 37 million iPhones in the quarter, a 128% jump over the comparable quarter in 2010.
• iPad sales hit 15.4 million, a rise of 111%.
• Mac sales were 5.2 million, an increase of 26%.
• Apple sold 15.4 million iPods, a number which is down 21% as the iPhone cannibalizes sales of more limited-function devices.
• Apple now has $97.6 billion in cash on hand.
• Revenues from iTunes hit $1.7 billion. More than 140 million apps and pieces of content were downloaded on Dec. 25.
• There are 1.5 million iPads being used by educational institutions.
• iCloud has 85 million users. There are now 550,000 apps available. Developers of such apps have earned more than $4 billion, $700 million in Q1.
• Apple Stores produced $6.1 billion in revenues for the quarter. The average revenue per store was $17.1 million vs. $12 million last year. There are about 22,000 visitors per store per week.
• Apple’s revenues for the quarter were higher than the company’s revenues for its entire fiscal 2009.

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UK GDP Falls 0.2% in Q4 2011

Neville Prior  25 January 2012 10:05:03

Not a huge surprise to most, but the UK economy shrank by 0.2% in the last three months of 2011. It marks a sharp drop in economic activity from the third quarter of 2011, when gross domestic product (gdp) expanded by 0.6%. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are a preliminary estimate, which could be revised either up or down by 0.2%. The ONS figures also show that the economy grew by 0.9% during 2011. The gain for the year is in line with official targets.

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An Olympic Curiosity

Neville Prior  24 January 2012 15:06:37

The Government has bought 410 Olympic tickets for the Beach Volleyball, against 265 for the Athletics. Apparently the schedules are more convenient!

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Cornelius Launches its New ERP System

Neville Prior  24 January 2012 11:56:43

I am pleased to report that Cornelius has successfully launched its new ERP system across all of its operating sites in the UK and internationally. Well done to all involved in what has been a very smooth process.

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UK Government Debt

Neville Prior  24 January 2012 11:52:54

Bit of a landmark really............UK net debt has passed £1tn for the first time ever! A mind boggling sum, which is equivalent to 62.4% of GDP, or £16,700 for each UK citizen.

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GM Returns to No. 1

Neville Prior  20 January 2012 16:05:31

General Motors has returned to the Number 1 spot for global automotive manufacturers. GM has replaced Toyota who pushed them off the top position last year. However VW claim they are the biggest!!! Statistics...............

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Enjoy Life to the Full

Neville Prior  20 January 2012 14:12:06

I went to a woodland burial today, of a truly kind and gentle man. He was surrounded by family and friends as they lowered him into the ground on a bitter and wet day. He was due to retire in 2 months time, and will never get to enjoy any of the recreation time that he had earned over a lifetime of work. Don't leave everything until retirement, have some fun now!

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UK Sees December Retail Boost

Neville Prior  20 January 2012 14:09:33

UK retail sales volumes rose by 0.6% between November and December. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said that sales were 2.6% higher than December 2010.

The increase in the volume of sales removes the effect of inflation. The figures are also seasonally adjusted to try to counter the annual upwards bounce caused by the Christmas spending spree.

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