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London has never been bigger

Written By limadu on Senin, 02 Februari 2015 | 19.33

LONDON (CNNMoney)

The population of the city has passed its previous record of 8.6 million, which dates back to 1939.

London went into decline for 50 years following the outbreak of World War II but has bounced back over the past quarter of a century to become what mayor Boris Johnson calls "the best big city in the world."

Here are seven amazing statistics about the fastest growing city in the West:

1. Talent influx: As the financial capital of Europe, London attracts thousands of high-skilled migrants every year. It was named the talent capital of the world in 2013 by Deloitte.

2. Booming economy: Robust growth in the technology and creative industries, a recovery in financial services, and booming housing market are powering London forward. Its economy was recently crowned the fastest growing in the western world.

3. Big money: London has more billionaires than any other city in the world -- 72. It beats Moscow with 48 billionaires, while New York has 43.

4. Pricey homes: The influx of rich has left its mark on London's property market, which is now worth as much as Brazil's annual economic output.

5. Moving around: More Londoners means more pressure on transport. 24 million journeys are made every day across the capital, many in overcrowded subways.

6. Still growing: The UK capital is expected to continue growing -- its population is forecast to reach 9 million by 2021 and 11 million by 2050.

7. Not big enough: In 1939, London was the biggest city in the world. Despite its growth, it doesn't even make the top 10 world cities today.

Related: London is fastest growing western city

First Published: February 2, 2015: 7:18 AM ET

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Stocks: 5 things to know before the open

Click chart for in-depth premarket data.

LONDON (CNNMoney)

Here are the five things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:

1. New month, new direction?: U.S. stock futures are edging higher ahead of February's first trading day, but the moves are modest and the mood cautious.

Investors will be hoping for a change in direction after what could be described as a joyless January. The Dow Jones industrial average shed 3.7% last month, while the S&P 500 lost 3.1% and the Nasdaq 2.1%. On Friday alone, the Dow dropped 251 points.

"February starts with a feeling of apprehension," said Angus Campbell, a senior market analyst at FxPro. When the S&P 500 tumbles in January, that's "historically considered to be a bad sign for equities, leading to a negative year for the stock market."

Related: Fear & Greed Index

2. More auto recalls: Trading in auto stocks could be higher than normal Monday after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall of over 2 million vehicles to fix faulty crash sensors. Saturday's news may hit shares in TRW (TRW), which made the faulty sensors.

Separately, General Motors (GM) is facing more than 3,350 claims alleging that GM vehicles with faulty ignition switches caused deaths and injuries. GM recalled millions of cars last year, with the ignition switch problem seriously tarnishing its image.

3. Greek drama: Greek stock markets are bouncing back after a week of steep losses. Bank stocks are leading the rebound, but are still nursing losses of between 30% and 40% for the year so far on fears that a clash between Greece's new government and its creditors will cut them off from vital ECB support.

European markets were creeping higher in early trade, but uncertainty about Greece and weak economic data from China kept a lid on gains.

China's official manufacturing index dipped below 50 for the first time since 2012, more evidence that activity in the country's all-important factories is slowing. The slowdown raises the likelihood that China will cut interest rates again, or launch other stimulus measures.

Asian markets ended mostly weaker. The Shanghai Composite index led the way with a decline of 2.6% Monday. That was the fifth consecutive daily decline.

Related: CNNMoney's Tech30

4. Earnings: Exxon Mobil (XOM)and Sysco (SYY) are among the main companies reporting earnings Monday. They will both report before the opening bell.

5. Economics: The U.S. Census Bureau will report December construction spending at 10 a.m. ET.

First Published: February 2, 2015: 5:30 AM ET

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Los Angeles director wins $1 million in Super Bowl Doritos ad contest

Alex Pepper, who directed "What Could Go Wrong?" for $80 on the roof of his apartment building in Queens, NY, is one of the top two finalists in the annual Doritos Super Bowl contest. The winner gets $1 million.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

PepsiCo's "Crash the Super Bowl" contest is over and the grand prize winner is ... Scott Zabielski, a director and producer from Los Angeles.

Zabielski, who directed the 30-second Doritos spot "Middle Seat," just won $1 million and a one-year job at Universal Pictures providing creative input for movies like "Pitch Perfect 2."

He captured an audience of about 100 million for his winning commercial, which PepsiCo (PEP), owner of the Doritos brand, aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday evening. Zabielski's ad was created on a $2,000 budget.

This year's Super Bowl commercials ran with the theme of babies and attractive women, and "Middle Seat" was no exception. It did not, however, feature a puppy or any other cozy pet, like many of the other ads.

Zabielski is a director and executive producer of Tosh.O on Comedy Central.

Canadian Graham Talbot won the second place prize of $50,000 for his spot, "When Pigs Fly," which also aired during the big game.

Nearly 4,900 contestants participated in this year's Doritos contest, submitting 30-second Super Bowl spots to vie for the $1 million grand prize.

Related: Doritos contestant wins $25,000 from spot with $80 budget

Elizabeth Banks, director of "Pitch Perfect 2," was one of the judges in narrowing down the pool of contestants for "Crash the Super Bowl." She was also in the private suite with the 10 finalists at the University of Phoenix Stadium watching the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks.

"There's going to be a lot of nerves, I think, to know that at any moment someone could win $1 million and a job at Universal," said finalist Alex Pepper, in an interview with CNNMoney last month. "I mean, that's incredible. So I don't think I'm going to be paying attention to the football at all."

The eight finalists who didn't make it to the two top are still getting the base prize of $25,000 each, and were flown to the Super Bowl and hosted by PepsiCo.

Pepper, a dancer and actor from Queens, NY, directed a spot called "What Could Go Wrong?" So even though he didn't get one of the top prizes, he does take home $25,000 for a spot that cost him $80 to shoot.

PepsiCo said that fans voted on the grand prize winner, while the company selected the second place winner.

Related: Ax-wielding Danny Trejo plays Marcia Brady in Snickers spot

Related: Super Bowl ads from 2015

First Published: February 2, 2015: 7:24 AM ET

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2.1 million cars recalled for crash sensors

Written By limadu on Minggu, 01 Februari 2015 | 21.29

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

All the vehicles had previously been recalled for this issue but the manufacturers' repairs have not stopped the problem. The sensors, which are designed to sense a serious impact, were made by auto parts supplier TRW (TRW).

The earlier fix, which involved installing devices to protect the airbag sensor module from electrical surges, was very effective, reducing inadvertent airbag deployments by about 85%, according to NHTSA. But some unwarranted deployments were still occurring.

Manufacturers will now entirely replace the impact sensors with new units. It will take some time to have the new sensors ready. Meanwhile, NHTSA is instructing vehicle owners who have had not had the initial recall fix done to contact their dealers and have it done.

Related: Cars with the best resale value

"Even though it's a temporary solution until the new remedy is available, they and their families will be safer if they take the time to learn if their vehicle is covered and follow their manufacturers' instructions," NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in an announcement. "A hassle is much better than a family tragedy."

About 1 million Honda and Toyota vehicles in this recall were previously recalled for faulty Takata airbags. Those airbags have faulty inflators that can explode, shooting out sharp metal fragments.

Related: Ford recalls police cars

That makes attention to this recall especially important, NHTSA said, since occupants in those cars can be badly injured by their airbags.

The vehicles involved are Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Liberty, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Avalon.

Related: Honda hit with $70 million in fines for failing to report accidents over 11 years

The vehicles involved are all from model years 2002 through 2004. The age of the vehicles can make it difficult to track down current owners since many of these cars and trucks will be with their second or third owners. For that reason, NHTSA as taking extraordinary steps to get out word of this recall.

For more information car owners should go to http://www.safercar.gov/.

First Published: January 31, 2015: 11:59 AM ET

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What Super Bowl? The Ad Bowl has already begun

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Some Super Bowl advertisers have been previewing their ads for days, trying to maximize their multimillion dollar investments. Others are keeping their ads under wraps until game time, believing that's the best way to stand out.

At an average cost of $4.5 million per 30-second ad, the stakes are obviously high.

NBC said ad time during the four quarters of the game officially sold out earlier this week. Almost as valuable is the commercial time during the network's six-hour pre-show -- and after the game, when NBC will show its popular drama "The Blacklist."

Watch: Super Bowl's strangest prop bets

More than ever, Super Bowl advertisers are supplementing their 15-, 30- and 60-second spots with viral online videos and what marketers call "social media war rooms."

But the spots are undoubtedly the most important part. On top of what's paid to NBC, companies pay advertising firms huge amounts of money to distill brand messages into funny, timely, celeb-filled, sex-soaked ads.

The game will feature 15 first-time Super Bowl advertisers.

"If you would have told me 10 years ago that Chevy wouldn't be in the Super Bowl, but that Wix.com or Dove products for men would be, I'd be very surprised," Richard Kirshenbaum, the CEO of ad agency NSG/SWAT, said on CNN's "New Day."

"But there's a new lineup. There's a new America," he added.

Wix, a website-building company, is one of the first-timers. Chief marketing officer Omer Shai told CNNMoney that it prepared almost a dozen "teaser" ads ahead of Sunday.

"We are updating and changing the campaign on a daily basis according to performance," Shai said. "This is the year that we're comfortable [taking] the brand to the next level."

Other newbies include the online insurance company Esurance, the glue brand Loctite, the toenail fungus treatment Jublia, and the mobile game maker UCool.

Related: Preview 17 Super Bowl ads

Household names like McDonald's (MCD), Coca-Cola (KO), Budweiser, and BMW will be present, too.

Coca Cola has a 60-second ad rebuking Internet "haters" that won't be seen until the game. But the company has already released clips with stars like Danica Patrick, Michael Sam and Robby Novak, better known as Kid President.

A Coke representative said the ad is "intended to disrupt the complacency that's set in around online negativity" -- something that anyone who's spent time on Facebook or Twitter knows about.

Perhaps the most thought-provoking ad of the game will be the one commissioned by the NFL for its "No More" initiative, intended to stop domestic violence and sexual assault.

"The spot, which features a woman calling 911 and pretending to order a pizza because her husband is in the room, is based on a real 911 call," said the ad blog Spot Bowl, which called it a "game-changer."

It said the NFL was giving over "some of the airtime it normally reserves for light-hearted self promos" for the PSA.

Marketers come to the Super Bowl with a wide variety of missions.

For Victoria's Secret, its ad is part of a weeks-long campaign leading up to Valentine's Day.

For TurboTax, the timing is right, too, because it's tax season.

Weight Watchers is using the stage to introduce a rebooted brand.

NBC will be promoting several of its forthcoming shows, like "Odyssey" and a variety show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

Most of the ads will, in one form or another, strive to make 110 million viewers laugh -- and, most importantly, remember the advertisers.

First Published: January 31, 2015: 3:58 PM ET

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Here are the drivers of future economic growth

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Gone are the days of excessive leverage and the dominance of Wall Street. Gone are the days when the stock market --and U.S. economy -- had to be led by banks.

"The U.S. economy is transitioning from a financial services economy into something much more real," said Meredith Whitney, the former star Wall Street analyst who now helps run a hedge fund.

As the stock market turns the page on its worst month in a year, the ongoing economic transformation leaves investors wondering: If not banking, where are these "real" drivers of future economic growth?

Related: January was a terrible month for stocks

Biotech boom: Health care certainly seems to be one driver. The industry, a big winner in the stock market over the past year, has benefited from the shifting demographics of the U.S. population.

"The only way to support the influx of aging and newly-insured participants is to medicate," said Whitney, speaking at ETF.com's Inside ETFs Conference last week.

That's a big positive for companies like biotech rock star Gilead Sciences (GILD). The maker of hepatitis C drugs is expected to reveal an eye-popping 300% surge in earnings per share when it reports results on Tuesday.

More traditional pharmaceutical companies like Merck (MRK) should also benefit from the demographic shift. Merck is expected to post annual sales of $42 billion when it reports on Friday, a slight decrease from 2013.

Related: US economy misses the market at the end of 2014

Cheap oil = more manufacturing jobs: Whitney, who back in 2007 presciently predicted Citigroup (C) was in serious financial trouble, believes the labor market will get a shot in the arm from the manufacturing sector. Her thinking is that relatively cheap energy costs in the U.S. will prompt manufacturers to bring more jobs back to America.

A fresh look at the overall labor market is due out on Friday when the government releases the first read on 2015. The January report comes on the heels of the best year of employment growth for the U.S. since 1999.

Increased job creation and cheaper energy costs are expected to unleash consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of the U.S. economy.

While lackluster holiday sales are worrying some investors, Whitney is confident that consumers are going to prove willing to spend, not just save. The average American driver is expected to save $750 this year on gas.

Related: America is the place to put your money

Cashing in on consumers: That would be music to the ears of consumer-focused companies like Chipotle (CMG). The Mexican casual dining chain -- whose shares popped nearly 30% last year -- is expected to log annual sales of $4.1 billion on Tuesday. That's up by 28% from a year ago.

The same can be said about Walt Disney (DIS), which cashes in when consumers shell out big bucks to go see Mickey Mouse (and, lately, all things Frozen and Elsa).

Other big winners from stronger consumer include sports clothing retailer Under Armour (UA), another top 2014 stock. The apparel maker is expected to sport a 24% bump in fourth-quarter sales when it reports on Wednesday.

Related: Stocks getting a Super Bowl bump

And don't forget about coffee giant Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR) and Taco Bell owner Yum! Brands (YUM), each of which are also reporting results this week.

Auto makers should benefit from the shifting economic dynamics in two ways. Not only would increased consumer spending drive sales, but cheaper U.S. energy costs drive sales for gas-guzzling SUVs.

Investors will get a fresh look at the health of the auto market on Tuesday when Chrysler (FCAM), General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) post January sales.

Related: Nissan back in the Super Bowl after 18 years

$1 trillion present: Another key road to future economic growth could be just that: roads.

America's aging infrastructure badly needs a face lift. Whitney said well over $1 trillion of spending on roads, bridges and tunnels is needed and politicians in Washington are slowly realizing it would be good for the economy, too.

"Infrastructure has been the gift-wrapped package on the desk of politicians for a decade. It looks like this will be the year" politicians finally open it, Whitney said.

First Published: February 1, 2015: 8:44 AM ET

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In football they trust: Polynesians' pipeline to the American dream

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

"As Polynesian kids, we were much bigger than the other kids in high school so it was natural for us to excel and do well in football, said Tongan Tony Vainuku.

Vainuku is the director of the documentary, "In Football We Trust," which debuted at the Sundance Film festival this past week.

The film chronicles the lives of four young NFL hopefuls in the Salt Lake City area, which boasts one of the largest Polynesian communities outside of Samoa and Tonga.

"The Polynesian football phenomenon is a big thing but not many people including our own community in Salt Lake City and Utah know anything besides that," said co-director and producer Erika Cohn.

Related: NFL gets billions in subsidies from taxpayers

For many Polynesian families, playing football is the road to a good education and way to support the entire family.

But that journey to the top isn't all glitz and glamor.

Recruited and groomed for the NFL

Al Lolotai. Manu Tuiasospo. Haloti Ngata. Troy Polamalu.

Their names have filled college and NFL rosters in the last several decades. There have been more than 200 Polynesians who have played professionally in NFL and CFL.

Getting to play at a top college and eventually the NFL like their peers before them has inspired many Polynesian youth to start young and play football in high school.

"If I keep making the right choices and keep my head straight, things start falling in place you know, I'll get my degree. I'll go on and get a good paying job in the league. If I'm in the league you know, the first couple checks go to the family," said Harvey Langi, one of Utah's top high school running backs interviewed in the film.

The average salary range for a NFL player ranges from $750,000 to $22 million for top players, according to Spotrac.com.

Related: Who is the richest NFL team owner?

During his senior year in high school, Langi received football scholarships offers from almost every top Division I school. But a trespassing incident that involved suspected marijuana use limited those choices as schools withdrew their scholarship offers.

"It's just so much pressure on your shoulders. It's like I could hardly carry it sometimes," Langi said in the film.

"If you fail this Harvey, all of your scholarships will be gone. That's when it hit me. If it's in my system and I test positive, I'd get just a regular job and be a normal person and if it comes out negative, I tell myself I'm going to make it today in the field," he said.

Langi tested negative for marijuana and was suspended but allowed to stay on the football team at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah.

"The thing that's difficult for the kids that are growing up is that their parents expect them to play in the NFL at the cost of everything else. It's hard to get in there. It's even harder to stay. And if kids grow up thinking well that's what I'm going to do and nothing else, they're a long shot to success in life period," said former Green Bay Packer and Philadelphia Eagle player Vai Sikahema, the first Tongan to play in the NFL.

Langi ended up committing to the University of Utah but after a year he decided to go on a mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for two years.

"A lot of people think I'm just doing my mission because maybe I'm scared of football -- scared of not playing because I didn't do good my first year. I'm not scared. I can still play ball. I want to be a running back. I want to show that Polynesians can be a running back in the league. And I know I have the ability to do it," Langi said in the film.

After returning from his mission, Langi is now playing football at Brigham Young University.

A vehicle to stay out of trouble

For other families, football was a means to stay out of bad situations and finance an education.

"It does take a toll on your family. Sacrifice is something huge for us where we feel we're going to do whatever we need to do with whatever means we have," said Kauta Bloomfield, mother of Leva and Vita -- brothers who were profiled in the film as they struggled to disassociate their ties from gangs while playing football. Leva was sent to juvenile detention after he brought a gun to school.

Their father Fua was a former Brigham Young University running back who founded one of Utah's first Polynesian gangs.

"When I look back we did invest a lot in Leva and Vita because they were the oldest of the nine (children). We always figured that we invest all of this time and money into them it's all going to pay off -- which it did, they got full ride scholarships, however it did take a lot of time from our younger kids," Bloomfield told CNNMoney by phone Friday. "So when they did make bad choices it did make me question myself as far as parenting -- where was it worth all of that, because they still ended up making other choices."

Leva and Vita completed their high school coursework and Leva is now playing football at Snow College and Vita is a football coach at the University of Utah.

A means to something greater

For Fihi Kaufusi, football was never the end game.

"Football is not always going to be there for me. I may have a good body -- body type for speed and stuff but that's going to only last so long. I got to figure it out...school job and a career," Kaufusi said.

As the oldest in his family, Kaufusi's mother pushed him to set an example for his other brothers and sisters.

After returning from his mission with the LDS church, Kaufusi is now playing football at Weber State University.

"I used football as a means of transportation to get where I needed to go. I knew in my heart, football was going to be done soon for me and I wouldn't be able to continue on after college," Kaufusi said by phone Friday. "But I can use it to get me to college and to get my degree and that would do a lot for my family."

First Published: January 31, 2015: 10:34 AM ET

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2.1 million cars recalled for crash sensors

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Related: Cars with the best resale value

About half of the vehicles were also involved in recalls for faulty Takata airbags. Those airbags have faulty inflators that can explode, shooting out sharp metal fragments.