Sanebull


Blue Chip

Why isn’t this the ‘Best Buy’ on Wall Street!?

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Best Buy has… sales that increased by 6% from a year ago, online sales up 10.1%, and a share price up 32% over the past year – pretty sweet, right? Furthermore, the company has not become Circuit City or Radio Shack…or even Sears (die already, won’t you?). And business is booming in spite of the recent-ish shift from brick-and-mortar to online sales.

 

They have made a smooth transition… into the “digital shopping era” by closing underperforming stores, offering free shipping on orders over $35, and allowing customers to buy online and pick-up in store. Additionally, Best Buy offers in-store customer support and provides customers the ability to preview their next several thousand dollar purchases, such as a television or speakers, before buying. Best Buy’s hands-on experience and in-store expertise are things you just can’t get on the internet.

 

But none of that is enough… for Wall Street, and Best Buy shares were down 7% on Tuesday. Investors wanted to see more online sales growth and were disappointed with the company’s profit outlook for next quarter. Many are also skeptical of the retailer’s results because people are blowing money everywhere right now and ballooning retail sales. So maybe they’re not the ‘Best Buy’ right now, but we’ll see, Wall Street – ya big babies.

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Blue Chip

Want a Toyota mini-van? Yeah, me neither…

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But we do want autonomous vehicles… and we just got closer with Toyota announcing a $500 million investment in Uber to accelerate the process of getting these things on the road. Uber will outfit the Toyota Sienna minivan with autonomous driving tech and start testing in 2021 (we’re not that close, okay). However, Toyota now has a partner for autonomous vehicles – although who will want a self-driving minivan remains to be seen.

 

Why this partnership is good… because the $500 million will help Toyota move into the “mobility market.” There are many people out there that see cars as a service, rather than an asset you buy, in the future. Ride-share companies need partners that can build cars and automotive companies need partners that are well versed in transportation services – that is what we have here.

 

And there you have it… Toyota really wants to bring you autonomous technology..In 2015, the car-maker also announced a $1 billion investment in the Toyota Research Institute artificial intelligence lab. Also, in January, Toyota and Uber announced e-Palette, an autonomous vehicle service that does everything from delivering pizza to transporting you to your destination. So mark it on your calendars – you will have self-driving cars minivans by 2021.

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Fang

Now you CAN’T feed the Insta-trolls…

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We have even more new features for IG… and these features are more functional than they are entertaining. However, the company has decided to get ahead of the problems that plague Facebook and Twitter, among other platforms, with updated security features. The goal? To keep you and your information safe – because you won’t do it on your own.

 

Don’t feed the trolls… IG is trying to keep the trolls away from you and under their bridges where they belong. Keeping trolls at bay means ensuring that the person behind the account is who they claim to be. Insta’s “About This Account” feature will allow users to see the date the account was started, country of origin, other accounts with shared followers, and usernames changes in the past year.

 

Other features include… the option to use third-party authenticator apps to log into Instagram more securely. Also, public figures can apply to verify their accounts with their username, full name, and a copy of identification. These celebs, public figures, and other famous accounts will be verified, similarly to Twitter, with a badge. God, I want a badge…

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Miscellaneous

Barnes & Noble (which IS still a thing) sued by former CEO

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Barnes & Noble is being sued… by their CEO of all people. Actually, it is the former CEO (important detail there) and therein lies the problem. So, former Barnes & Noble CEO Demos Parneros is suing his old company for firing him without cause and “irrevocably damaging” his reputation. The suit alleges breach of contract and defamation and is asking for severance pay, lost wages, and various other damages.

 

The company doesn’t see it that way… and the bookstore doubled down on its initial claims that Parneros was fired for multiple violations of company policies. In the company’s view, the former CEO is trying to extort money after being canned for sexual harassment, bullying behavior, and other violations.

 

The last thing they need… is a lawsuit. In case you haven’t noticed, Barnes & Noble is not exactly the go-to shopping destination anymore (if it ever was). However, with competition from Amazon, it seems like a tough road lies ahead for the one-time ruler of books. The company has seen sales decline steadily over the last five years and has lost money in three of those years. At any rate, figuring out whether the reason for firing was fact or fiction should be pretty entertaining for us.

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Start-up

Uber is sabotaging…themselves?

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Lower sales now… for higher profits later? That may be true as Uber begins encouraging customers to book bicycles and scooters instead of cars to get around. Lately, the ride-share company has been focusing heavily on offering means of transportation outside of automobiles. Crazy? Not necessarily because with a $6 trillion mobility market, there are far more to transportation options than just cars.

 

It’s for the long run… and lowered sales are okay if it means a better company in the future. The users win, the cities win, and Uber eventually wins – so a win-win-win by offering various modes of transportation. These “wins” include less traffic and more ways to get around.

 

What about the drivers… because believe it or not, this is good news for Uber drivers. Bicycles and scooters allow drivers to avoid the low-cost short trips and take on longer better-paying ones (or so they say). Regardless, Uber is showing us why the big picture trumps any short-term outlook – and remember this when the company goes public in 2019…

Blue Chip

Disney is now an even “happier” place than it already was

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Disney World Resort workers… got a little richer as the company announced starting pay of $15 per hour for amusement park workers. The pay increase is the result of negotiations between Disney and union members. The $15 per hour wage marks a 50% increase in minimum pay.

 

Not a done deal… but really, it is a done deal. The pay increase still needs to be voted on by the union, but really, that is just a formality, and the answer will be a resounding ‘yes.’  Workers will also get $1,000 bonuses that they were promised earlier in the year and retroactive pay of .50 cents per hour for all hours worked since September 2017.

 

So who gets this money… mostly food service, custodial, hotel, and park employees. This deal has been in the works for quite some time; however, the details still had to be ironed out. Some of the details included scheduling and paid time off which are rather important, as well. However, it seems that everything was figured out and Disney just got a little happier (if that was even possible).

Miscellaneous

Here’s why you shouldn’t wager on casino stocks

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More Americans will be betting… but that doesn’t mean that casino stocks will be on the winning end of such bets. MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn have all seen their share prices fall since sports gambling has been made possible nationwide. However, with Americans betting over $150 billion per year on sports, there is money to be had – right?

 

This probably isn’t where the money is… for casinos, at least. And sportsbooks are typically one of the least profitable operations for casinos. Many casinos rely on sports betting to reel in gamblers and get them to try their hand in blackjack or slots – the real money makers for the house. With that, you can see casinos weren’t cashing in on sports betting even where it was legal to do so.

 

There will be plenty of competition… because everyone wants in on legal sports betting. The new competition could even include Buffalo Wild Wings who is looking to work with an established sportsbook and enter the market. There will be international sportsbooks that want in on the US market. Who will come out on top? That remains to be seen, but just like gambling – there is no easy money to be had in the market.

Start-up

You look like you could use a ‘Handy’

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It took a $900 phone bill for ‘Handy’ to be born. Although many of us have smartphones, using these devices overseas can cost an arm and a leg. However, Handy is out to change that. Handy is a cell phone used by guests traveling abroad that allows hotel guests to use 3G internet and make unlimited phone calls (and your limbs will remain intact).

 

Born in Hong Kong… this is where Handy began, and this is also one of the world’s top travel destinations. The device was initially available to rent at airports – now it is exclusively for hotel guests. Other features of the device include local travel guides, lighting and curtain control, and coupons. Sound helpful?

 

It proved helpful… because what was once a one-person show turned into 400 employees in 52 countries. The company is also looking to add more features to Handy, such as keyless room entry and express check-out. So maybe one man’s ridiculous $900 roaming charge is another man’s treasure? Something like that…

Fang

Instagram is going back to school

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In an attempt to… get more college students on the app, Instagram has created a new feature that will make it easier for classmates to connect with one another. The tool will enable students to join a virtual community where they can exchange direct messages.

 

Here’s how it works… to join, you must opt-in. From there, you can accept or reject messages from people that don’t follow you, or you can block people entirely. Coincidentally, IG came out with this feature days after Tinder announced Tinder U, a feature that allows users to filter for other college students. Both of these features can be used for romance, friends, or even finding a study buddy (just kidding, who is going to use it for that?).

 

All of this makes sense… because over half of Tinder users are between 18 and 24. Instagram also wants to attract younger users, so this will undoubtedly appeal to them. The new feature should be good news for Facebook (who owns IG) because it looks like Instagram will be able to continue to carry the team and FB certainly won’t do that…

Miscellaneous

‘Robo-dogs’ will take over the planet

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Brought to you by Sony… and Thursday the company announced that the popular robot dog Aibo will be coming back state-side in September for the first time in twelve years. As you can imagine, the new dog will be about a thousand times smarter than its older 2006 counterpart. The new features include facial recognition and the ability to develop a personality with the help of artificial intelligence (is that a good idea?).

 

And for a mere… $2,899 you can have your very own Aibo. So, it’s cool – but is it three-thousand dollars cool? That’s for you to decide if you are in the market for a companion robot. However, you better act fast because Aibo is only available for a limited time in the United States.

 

More importantly… the robo-dog demonstrates that Sony is capable of AI and robotics. That’s right – Sony goes far beyond televisions and speakers. Aibo is a reflection of the company’s broader investment in artificial intelligence and robotics. In the meantime, let’s all hope these things develop “nice” personalities and not vengeful ones.