Browse by Tags
-
Posted
Oct 08 2009, 10:46 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Glenn Curtis
Shares of General Electric (GE) are trading at a fraction of what they were just a few short years ago. However, they're well off their lows, and there are those that say the good times will soon roll again.
So what’s the skinny? And does it make sense to belly up before the earnings?
Here are some of my thoughts: For more on today's earnings, see Upgrades & Downgrades. 1. Here's the aerial view: If someone is bullish on the future opportunities this great country has, General Electric is a clear and logical pick. Sure -- that's simplistic, but at the same, it's true. More people with coin in their pocket equals more want for appliances, engines, light bulbs, demand for entertainment, and all those good things GE offers up.
2. Now, is the road going to be full of potholes? I think so. I think we're going to see fits and starts and I’m skeptical about the near-term outlook for the macro economy, which I’ve said numerous times in recent months. But this economy will be righted, and things will turn around, make no mistake. And when they do, my gut tells me that GE’s shares will soar like Sputnik and there will be legions of people out there kicking themselves and wondering why they didn’t belly up to it when they had the opportunity.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 03 2009, 03:47 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Google’s (GOOG) YouTube may finally come up with a way to raise revenue. It streamed nine billion videos last month, but, by some estimates loses $300 million a year.
The quality of the video on YouTube is usually so low that advertisers don’t want to put their high-quality TV messages on the service. That leaves YouTube with limited options to make money. Bing: The best movies of all time
The video-sharing service is in the final stage of a process to set up a movie rental business with most of the largest studios, including Lions Gate and MGM. Many other companies in the industry will probably join if the program works well. YouTube would offer films for streaming at a price of $3.99. Its audience is large enough that the program could actually work.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 06 2009, 03:59 PM
by
Tobin Smith
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Back in the '70s and '80s, baby boomers were at the forefront of a new wave of consumer demand. They were also the early adopters of new media technologies. Their TV viewing habits, purchasing habits, likes and dislikes were tracked intensely by the corporate world to help them determine which products, services and technologies were wanted most.
But fast forward a few decades to the 21st century -- are baby boomers still at the forefront of today's media technology?
Given the radical changes in media, particularly over the last decade, including the ubiquitous use of the Internet, social networking services and now even video content delivery over the Web, you wouldn't think baby boomers would be leading the charge forward.
Well, think again. A recent ChangeWave Alliance survey points to a powerful shift occurring among baby boomers from traditional TV to new types of online entertainment.
But what, if anything, are media companies doing to keep up with changing demand? As it turns out, they're doing plenty. And it could mean a boom for the biggest media firms out there.
Read More...
-
Posted
Apr 30 2009, 11:40 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
People may be cutting back on concerts and fancy restaurants in this recession, but they're still holding on to cable and their Internet service. That's the takeaway from Comcast's (CMCSA) quarter, which surprised analysts Thursday with a higher profit and more new subscribers than expected. Comcast could have been forgiven for flailing in tough times. The depressed real estate market is dragging on new signups, and the economic downturn is pressuring current subscribers. Rivals like AT&T's (T) U-verse and Verizon's (VZ) FiOS are making a strong push as well. So what's keeping Comcast afloat?
Read More...
-
Posted
Feb 18 2009, 09:21 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
People aren't rushing to dump their cable service, even in this recession. But they aren't really clamoring for new service, either.
That's the takeaway from a solid fourth quarter for Comcast (CMCSA). The company had nice gains in sales and profit, easily surpassing analyst expectations. It was able to contain costs, and even boosted its dividend by 8% on strong cash flow. But the good news was overshadowed by negative subscriber trends. Comcast lost 233,000 basic cable subscribers, far more than some analysts had expected. It added nearly 250,000 digital video and 185,000 high-speed Internet subscribers, but that was less than expected. Several factors are weighing on Comcast here.
Read More...
-
Posted
Dec 19 2008, 08:57 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The music industry finally gets it: suing people for illegally sharing music is a bad idea. In its effort to stop piracy, the industry became a nasty bully flanked by an army of attorneys. It filed lawsuits against suspected song-sharers and trumpeted the news to the media. It tried to send a clear message: If you download music, you're going to get busted. But the message came across a little differently. People grew to hate the industry's strong-arm tactics. It sued a 13-year-old girl. And a dead person. And grandfathers who had no idea what downloading even was. In all, 35,000 people have been sued in the last five years. In business terms, the results were even worse.
Read More...
-
Posted
Nov 05 2008, 08:03 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The Internet and limits go together like, well, kittens and the guillotine.
Limits on the amount of data subscribers can use each month may soon be a standard feature of Internet usage. In an effort to combat "bandwidth hogs" who use a lot of network capacity, Internet service providers (ISPs) around the country are exploring new restrictions.
AT&T plans to test them in Reno, Nevada; if successful, may extend the practice to other cities. In some cases, about 5% of an ISP's subscribers use about 50% of the network's capacity. Adding bandwidth would be expensive, and most users don't require it
Read More...
-
Posted
Oct 29 2008, 11:04 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Cable stocks are a good place to hide until the economy settles, said Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett today after taking a look at Comcast's results. "Where else do you expect to have a more stable set of cash flows?" he asked. And that's exactly the message Comcast tried to convey today. Its results were solid, with profit up 38% as cable rates rose and spending was cut back. And Comcast said free cash flow would grow at least 20% this year. Comcast has the money to sustain itself through the economic crisis, CEO Brian Roberts said. But not all of Comcast's news was good, which is probably why shares are down 5% today to $16.08.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 29 2008, 02:15 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Comcast is rolling out a new policy to keep people from hogging the Internet. And while the new restrictions seem pretty generous, I'm on high alert for what I call the Comcast gotcha. That's the sticker shock that happens when the cheapo trial period ends, and suddenly the bill comes and I'm paying how much for cable and Internet? The new policy goes like this: Starting next month, customers will be limited to 250 gigabytes of downloaded content per month. If someone goes above that limit, their account could be suspended. The good news? It's very tough to hit that limit. Comcast says that people can still download 50 high-definition movies, 250 standard-definition movies or 6,000 songs every month. So most people won't be affected by the new rules. The bad news?
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 10 2008, 10:40 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Comcast has long been suspected of no-good hijinks when it comes to carrying the services of rival companies over its networks. Vonage customers, for example, have complained about the voice quality of their calls on Comcast's broadband for years. The issue has grown large enough that the Federal Communications Commission began looking at it. Clearly uncomfortable with the growing scrutiny, Comcast said it would start working with Vonage to ensure Vonage's Internet phone service runs smoothly. Comcast also sells Internet phone capability, and finds itself in the unusual position of helping a competitor provide better service.
Read More...
More Posts Next page »
|
