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Fang

It’s on you now, Facebook – don’t screw it up!

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The Instagram founders are out… from the business they started eight long years ago in San Francisco. CEO Kevin Systrom and CTO Mike Krieger went from a small photo-sharing app created in a co-working space to a world-wide app used by 1 billion people today. The app quickly attracted millions of users and was sold to Facebook in 2012 $1 billion.

 

With Facebook’s help… IG took over even further and added additional features like videos, stories, and even television. But the co-founders announced, “We’re planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again.” Systrom and Krieger will go from leaders of the app to two of the billion everyday users.

 

It seems like an amicable separation… however, Bloomberg News reported that Systrom and Krieger are leaving because of tensions with Zuckerberg. The resignation comes six months after the founder of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, announced he was going. The other WhatsApp founder also left in 2017 and supported people deleting their Facebook accounts because of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Will Systrom and Krieger be the next to ‘spill tea’ on Facebook?

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Mid caps

The restaurant formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts

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Apparently, the shorter the name… the cooler you are. Starting in January, Dunkin’ Donuts will be known only as “Dunkin’.” So the word “Donuts” will be missing from advertisements, boxes, and signage at new and remodeled stores and on the company’s official social media accounts.

 

You know the drill… Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t want people to think that they only specialize in making donuts. The company specializes in coffees, teas, speedy service, and fast food – and they have donuts, of course. Beverages, mainly coffee, make up about 60% of the company’s sales. The rebranding is supposed to modernize the brand and the experience for customers.

 

This has been a long time coming… because the company announced last year it was thinking about such a move. Dunkin’ even tested dropping the ‘Donuts’ at stores in California and Massachusetts. The name-change is just-in-time for the company to open 1,000 new US stores by the end of 2020. But call it what you want – we call it delicious.

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Start-up

Tinder just got harder for men

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Indian women are in control… on Tinder, at least. As if getting matches on Tinder weren’t hard enough, now the app is introducing ‘My Move’ which allows women the option to prevent men from talking altogether – even if the two have “matched.” However, luckily for most of us, the feature is currently only available for Apple’s iOS operating system in India.

 

Based on feedback… women would prefer to make the first move. Those women that aren’t so pushy can opt-out of the feature and let the men do the talking. Tinder is testing the feature now, and it will be available in other countries in the coming months. Which ones? We don’t know.

 

It’s all about fun… and Tinder wants to give users a low-pressure environment to make connections. In India, this feature could be especially helpful as crimes against women in the country have been making headlines lately. There are around 100 instances of sexual assault reported to Indian police every day. So please, swipe safely, everyone. Unless you’re ugly – then swipe right on everything and hope for the best.

….I’m kidding.

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Mid caps

Arby’s – we have the…..

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Arby’s has “the meats”… and now they’ve got “the Sonic” because the company just announced that they will be purchasing Sonic for $2.3 billion. Inspire Brands is a private equity-backed firm that owns Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings – and now they have Sonic by paying 20% over market value.

 

We all know Sonic… the company is famous for weird advertisements and a retro outdoor dining set up. The company also has been known to launch strange new menu items, such as pickle juice slushies (okay, maybe there’s a reason these guys are struggling). Sonic has been getting crushed by the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s and company sales have been declining.

 

But don’t worry Sonic-lovers… because nothing will change the establishment that you have grown to love. The restaurant chain, with over 3,600 locations, will continue to operate independently. This deal represents another major-merger in the fast-food industry as struggling companies look to remain competitive.

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Mid caps

Pandora is getting ‘Sirius’ help with this deal

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We have another major deal… with SiriusXM buying Pandora for $3.5 billion! The combination of SiriusXM and Pandora will create the largest audio entertainment company in the industry. And Spotify, Apple, and Amazon streaming services should be worried about what’s to come…

 

They were already huge… because SiriusXM has 36 million subscribers in North America. However, the company was formed by combining Sirius and XM Satellite radio services back in 2008, so they are no stranger to transactions like this. To add to the fun, Pandora, the streaming music service, has over 70 million active users.

 

It’s already working for Pandora… and SiriusXM put $480 million to purchase 19% of Pandora’s shares in 2017. The Pandora’s stock was down 35% before the investment; but now, the company is doing better than ever with a share price that has nearly doubled since. Shares of Pandora were up 9% in premarket trading.

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International

Versace, Versace, Versace!

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Michael Kors is buying Versace… not the other way around in another deal with two HUGE names in play. Michael Kors is getting close to purchasing Versace for $2 billion. The two sides are so close that the deal could be announced this week (but you heard it here first!).

 

The famous ‘MK’… already owns 20% of Versace and the Versace family owners the other 80%. This move is right in line with Michael Kors strategy of improving its luxury brand offerings. The company bought Jimmy Choo last year for $1.2 billion. However, investors are less impressed by these deals and shares of MK dropped by 7% on Monday.

 

Ordinary people don’t buy Versace… because most people aren’t famous, rich, or cool enough to pull it off. For that reason, some even think that the MK should give the Versace brand a more modern appeal. And while the new brand won’t add much to the Michael Kors brand, it could give the company a boost in parts of the market it doesn’t already reach. We wonder what the Migos think about all of this? Versace, Versace, Versace…

Mid caps

Weight Watchers is losing more than weight

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It’s not about watching weight… it is about watching [your] health and wellbeing! The company still aspires to be the “vest weight management program on the planet” but also wants you to focus on eating healthier, exercising, and being more positive. Now, instead of Weight Watchers, the company will be known as ‘WW.’

 

Well, it is a start… to making programs more exciting and also more appealing to men (but they will still probably get made fun of for joining). The company now aspires to get you eating well, connecting with others, and enjoying life. So it’s more of a lifestyle than a diet program now.

 

Some of the new programs… include the Freestyle program which gives you more food options. WW has also teamed up with meditation company Headspace for some added wellbeing built into the company’s app. Shares of the company were up over 4% on Monday. Here is to hoping WW members remain small, but its profits grow large.

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Miscellaneous

Tiger Woods finally wins…we’re not kidding

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Tiger Woods first victory… in five years came on Sunday, but he was not the only winner. That’s right, NBC did pretty well itself by seeing a rating boost of 206% compared to last year. The final round of the tournament was the highest-rated telecast in the history of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

 

It was also… the highest-rated PGA Tour telecast so far in 2018. Oh, well, excluding the four major championships, which include The Masters, the US Open, the British Open, and PGA Championship. To quantify the ratings, NBC’s coverage earned a 5.2 overnight rating. According to Nielson, this means 5.2% of households in the US were watching Tiger Woods’ win.

 

Despite his lack of recent success… Tiger Woods remains one of the most popular and most watched golfers in the world. Woods’ received 580 minutes of exposure during tournaments by mid-March which is more than double the average of the next ten golfers. So don’t worry – we haven’t forgotten about you, Tiger.

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Blue Chip

Comcast just paid $40B for the ‘Sky’

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The bids are in… and Comcast is FINALLY the winner. The cable giant put up a winning bid of $40 billion for Sky in an uncommon, three round action held by the UK’s Takeover Panel. Both companies were bidding for 61% control of Sky. 21st Century Fox already owns 39% of the company. But it’s not over yet, because Sky shareholders have until October 1st to accept the offer.

 

Here is the rationale… for Comcast paying so much frickin’ money for 61% of another company. Sky has 23 million subscribers, primarily in Europe. Sky sells broadband and mobile services and owns top original shows and premium sports content. To sum it up, Comcast wants more European customers and better offerings to compete with Amazon and Netflix.

 

It’s finally over… assuming the deal is accepted. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has defeated bitter rival Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney. And the two CEOs have been feuding for over ten years, dating back to when Comcast attempted a hostile takeover of Disney. Disney and Iger may accept total defeat and sell their 39% to Comcast, but we’ll have to wait and see if that happens.

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Blue Chip

Amazon: Screw your $60 Alexa microwave

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Amazon doesn’t care if they make money… off Alexa, at least. In fact, the $60 the company gets from you for your “Alexa microwave” is entirely beside the point. Sounds weird, right? But it’s Amazon – what do you expect? There is a much bigger purpose for the Alexa voice assistant.

 

Amazon will cash in… when Alexa users buy things off their website, use Amazon Prime content, and use Amazon Web Services. The data that Amazon gets from Alexa is also invaluable to the company. For Alexa to do her job correctly, she needs to know the dirty details about your life. For example, the Alexa microwave can report back to its boss (Amazon) what you eat and when you eat.

 

And lastly… Amazon wants Alexa to take over your LIFE. Soon Alexa will be used in home and out-of-home. On Thursday, the company announced Echo Auto, which allows Alexa to come along on your daily commute. It is 2018 after all and about time we have robots that can answer all of our questions and keep us company, right?

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