Station to Station - Train Tracks to Sound Tracks - Giorgio Moroder - Station to Station
How can you translate the memory of a train ride into a song? Giorgio Moroder intends to do just that.
(Bloomberg) -- Investors’ love affair with technology stocks has cooled off noticeably this year.And while the upcoming deluge of earnings from the group may offer an opportunity to rekindle the romance, tech faces an uphill battle in commanding the type of devotion it once enjoyed in the stock market.After trouncing all other sectors in 2020, tech stocks in the S&P 500 Index have drifted toward the back of the pack this year, out-performed by sectors like financials and industrials perceived to have better growth prospects. Bulls are betting that strong results and forecasts from companies like Apple Inc. will help catapult tech back to the forefront, yet lofty valuations pose a challenge.“If these companies want to return to share-price growth, they need to have a good story about where growth is going to come from and when,” said Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners.A rally in the past two weeks has returned the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index to a record this month after rising interest rates and concerns the stocks were too expensive sent the benchmark down 11% in early March. While tech is once again leading the market for the month of April, an advance of 9.9% for the group in the S&P 500 this year still trails seven of the 11 other main industries.As is usually the case, the tech group is expected to post strong growth in sales and earnings. What’s different this time is that growth in much of the rest of the market will be even better this year, flattered by comparisons to the same period in 2020 when broad swathes of the economy were shut down.Technology companies are expected to lead the S&P 500 with 16% revenue growth in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.Projections for the rest of the year, however, aren’t quite as bright. Growth is expected to be just 5.6% in the fourth quarter. In terms of profit expansion, tech looks even less appealing with estimates for 2021 at 22% — an impressive performance, to be sure, but one that would lag behind financials, industrials, consumer discretionary and materials.For the bears, even beating those growth projections isn’t enough to support valuations that are the highest in years. At 41 times trailing profits, the Nasdaq 100 is trading at the most-expensive valuation since 2004.Investors who are fretting about valuations are underestimating revenue growth potential for many technology companies like Microsoft Corp. and cybersecurity company Zscaler Inc. that are poised to capture even more spending from companies investing in digital services, according to Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities Inc.“What’s been lost in the noise is the massive underlying fundamental growth stories that are happening as part of the digital transformation,” said Ives. “Across the board, it’s going to be a domination quarter for the tech space.”Trailing the S&PAmazon.com Inc. is the only company among the top five projected to see its revenue growth shrink this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s hardly a surprise considering how much its core businesses like e-commerce and web services surged in 2020 as a result of U.S. lockdowns.Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc., Apple and Microsoft are all expected to see revenue growth accelerate in their current fiscal years.Amazon and Apple, the two best performing megacap stocks last year, have trailed the S&P 500 in 2021. Amazon has gained 4.4%, while Apple has advanced just 1.1%.Some of the most-expensive software companies, in particular, have taken a beating so far this year. Coupa Software Inc., a maker of expense management software that trades at nearly 30 times this year’s projected sales, has fallen more than 20%.For some investors, elevated valuations are not ignored so easily.“Tech stocks are extremely expensive historically,” said Michael O’Rourke, chief market strategist at Jonestrading. “Even if the optimistic earnings forecasts are met, the market would still be very expensive.”For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The three main Wall Street indexes ended Friday higher for the day and week, with the S&P 500 and the Dow breaking closing records, as investors took strong economic data and bank earnings as signs of momentum in the U.S. pandemic rebound. Most of the 11 S&P sub-sectors rose on Friday.
(Bloomberg) -- Bitcoin plunged the most in more than seven weeks, just days after reaching a record.The biggest crypto coin was down 9% to $55,323 at around 9:30 a.m. in New York on Sunday, after declining as much as 15% to $51,707 in the Asian day.Other cryptocurrencies suffered as well. Ether, the second-biggest, dropped as much as 18% to below $2,000 before paring losses. The total market cap of crypto, which recently surpassed $2 trillion, fell back to about $1.96 trillion, according to data from CoinGecko.com. And Dogecoin, the coin started as a joke in 2013, was recently trading around 29 cents after hitting 40 cents on Friday.Several online reports attributed the plunge to speculation the U.S. Treasury may crack down on money laundering that’s carried out through digital assets.Bitcoin hit a record high of $64,869 last week ahead of the debut trade for the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. on the Nasdaq exchange Wednesday. Coinbase ended its first trading week on a high note after bullish reviews from Wall Street analysts.Dogecoin, which has been boosted by the likes of Elon Musk and Mark Cuban, rallied more than 110% Friday before dropping the next day. Demand was so brisk for the token that investors trying to trade it on Robinhood crashed the site, the online exchange said in a blog post Friday.“The crypto world is waking up with a bit of a sore head today,” said Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of crypto lender Nexo. “Dogecoin’s 100% Friday rally was ‘peak party,’ after the Bitcoin record and Coinbase listing earlier in the week. Euphoria was in the air. And usually in the crypto world, there’s a price to pay when that happens.”Besides the “unsubstantiated” report of a U.S. Treasury crackdown, Trenchev said factors for the declines may have included “excess leverage, Coinbase insiders dumping equity after the direct listing and a mass outage in China’s Xinjiang province hitting Bitcoin miners.”Growing mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies has spurred Bitcoin’s rally, as well as lifting other tokens to record highs. Interest in crypto went on the rise again after companies from PayPal to Square started enabling transactions in Bitcoin on their systems, and Wall Street firms like Morgan Stanley began providing access to the tokens to some of the wealthiest clients. That’s despite lingering concerns over their volatility and usefulness as a method of payment.Governments are inspecting risks around the sector more closely as the investor base widens.Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell last week said Bitcoin “is a little bit like gold” in that it’s more a vehicle for speculation than making payments. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde in January took aim at Bitcoin’s role in facilitating criminal activity, saying the cryptocurrency has been enabling “funny business.”Turkey’s central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment from April 30, saying the level of anonymity behind the digital tokens brings the risk of “non-recoverable” losses. India will propose a law that bans cryptocurrencies and fines anyone trading or holding such assets, Reuters reported in March, citing an unidentified senior government official with direct knowledge of the plan.Crypto firms are beefing up their top ranks to shape the emerging regulatory environment and tackle lingering skepticism about digital tokens. Bitcoin’s most ardent proponents see it as a modern-day store of value and inflation hedge, while others fear a speculative bubble is building.(Updates prices and context on other cryptocurrencies from 2nd paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The amount represents roughly 1.5% of his holdings.
Back in December, Ripple (CCC:XRP-USD) was caught in the crosshairs of securities regulators. The price of its XRP token fell below 25 cents. It remained weak, as major exchanges like Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) took it off their platforms. After that, it seemed things would get only worse for this popular altcoin. Source: Shutterstock But now, things have changed dramatically. Instead of getting destroyed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it’s beating them in court. The case may still be hanging over its head. Yet, as seen the crypto’s parabolic move from around 45 cents, to around $1.68, in the past month, if confidence continues to run high it’ll soon be out of the woods. With this triple-digit percentage price move, is it too late to get in? Not necessarily. Assuming it continues to win in court, the price of Ripple’s token should continue to trend higher. In addition, with major cryptos like Bitcoin (CCC:BTC-USD) still making new highs, and even “memecoins” like Dogecoin (CCC:DOGE-USD) proving skeptics (like myself) wrong, overall short-term crypto mania may be sufficient to support additional upward price moves.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips 10 Stocks to Buy for Your $5K Robinhood Portfolio Now, as is the case with this asset class in general, risk runs high. And, in the case of this crypto, not only is there risk of an overall market crash hanging over it. If its current success in court runs out, that could result in a drastic downward move in prices. XRP is Back With a Vengeance A few months back, the SEC seemingly had caught Ripple red-handed. Unlike other popular cryptos, the centralized nature of XRP made it vulnerable to allegations that it was an “unregistered security,” rather than a cryptocurrency. Yet, so far, the SEC doesn’t seem to have much of a case. How so? Namely, as InvestorPlace’s Dana Blakenhorn broke down on April 8, it all comes down to what comes out during the “discovery” process. If Ripple can prove that at one point the SEC regarded Ripple as a currency rather than a security, there may be grounds for dismissing the case. Yet, that’s not the only way in which Ripple is beating regulators. Other decisions from Judge Sarah Netburn have also been in the defendant’s favor. Again, its not guaranteed that XRP will soon be in the clear. But, as more information comes out, more of it indicates the prosecution is in over its head. With things moving in its favor, XRP will likely continue to rebound with a vengeance. But, that’s not all. Besides its apparent victory in the courts, it has the overall bullishness for crypto working in its favor. Together, both factors could mean higher prices ahead. Crypto Mania Could Give XRP an Additional Boost As I said above, cryptos large and small are still flying high. With speculators diving into Bitcoin, Ethereum (CCC:ETH-USD), and yes, even into meme cryptos like Dogecoin, this asset class overall could continue to move higher. So, what does that mean for XRP? Market bullishness could help it continue its climb. Now, that doesn’t mean we’ll see Ripple go on a tear similar to Dogecoin’s recent stunning surge. Why not? Remember, following its Coinbase suspension XRP isn’t as widely available for trading. Yet, it may be enough to sustain its momentum, once markets fully absorb its recent success in court. That being said, don’t bet the ranch on this becoming a major winner in the long-term. Near-term, I wouldn’t bet against. But, there’s little to indicate that XRP is going to supplant ETH as the number two crypto by market capitalization. This is mainly due to the fact that Ripple hasn’t been a major crypto held by the “smart money,” or institutional investors. It has been, and continues to be, primarily a crypto held by retail investors. This likely won’t change, even if it manages to get out of current legal troubles, and begin refurbishing its tarnished reputation. Exercise Some Caution, But Ripple Has Runway from Here The “another day, another all-time high” environment we’re now seeing with cryptos makes it seem like dabbling in this space is easy money. But, the risk of an overall “crypto crash,” like the one seen a few years back, remains high. Tread carefully with any play in this asset class. In addition, while as of late it’s beaten the SEC in the courts, things could go south at any moment. But, even with risks in mind, a small, speculative position in Ripple may be worth it at today’s prices. On the date of publication, Thomas Niel held a long position in Bitcoin. He did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any other positions in the securities mentioned in this article. Thomas Niel, a contributor to InvestorPlace, has written single stock analysis since 2016. More From InvestorPlace Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next Potential 500% Winner Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS Now The post Ripple Could Climb Even Further After Stunning Comeback appeared first on InvestorPlace.
The IRS chief tells Congress the child tax credit payments will arrive on time after all.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday said Vietnam, Switzerland and Taiwan tripped its thresholds for possible currency manipulation under a 2015 U.S. trade law, but refrained from formally branding them as manipulators. In the first semi-annual foreign exchange report issued by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the Treasury said it will commence "enhanced engagement" with Taiwan and continue such talks with Vietnam and Switzerland after the Trump administration labeled the latter two as currency manipulators in December.
The car company said it and LG Chem are building a production facility in Tennessee. Think of a Tesla Giga factory, GM style.
The IRS commissioner now says the monthly payments will indeed start in July.
On Friday, Keith Gill exercised his 500 GameStop call options to get 50,000 more shares at a strike price of $12, which is less than a tenth of the current stock price. What Happened: Keith Gill, the Reddit WallStreetBets trader, also bought 50,000 more GameStop Corp (NYSE: GME) shares, bringing his total investment to 200,000 shares worth more than $30 million. Gill — who goes by DeepF------Value on Reddit and Roaring Kitty on YouTube — is the man who helped inspire the GameStop short squeeze in January. On Friday, he shared a screenshot of his portfolio marked "final update" on the WallStreetBets subreddit. The screenshot showed nearly $34.5 million in his assets with $30.9 million of GameStop shares and $3.5 million in cash. The Wall Street Journal also reported Gill held more than $30 million in assets. Gill uploaded a video on YouTube entitled "Cheers everyone!" According to Gill's latest update on Reddit's r/WallStreetBets forum, his average price paid for GameStop shares is $55.17. Keith Gill gained fame amid Reddit's WallStreetBets craze. He has been posting about GameStop for a year and also making videos on YouTube. Gill found himself in the middle of the GameStop story after posting about large gains made from buying the stock before its 1,000% increase. Gill was registered as an agent with MML Investors Services LLC, a broker-dealer arm for Mass Mutual. Last month, the company filed a termination request with FINRA to remove Gill's broker license. In February, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Gill after the GameStop short squeeze. He appeared at a Congressional hearing in February regarding Reddit's influence on the market. The CEOs of Robinhood, Citadel and Melvin Capital also spoke at the hearing. Price action: GameStop closed Friday at $154.69. Image: Screenshot of Keith Gill's video See more from BenzingaClick here for options trades from BenzingaKorean EV Battery Suppliers To Ford, VW Reportedly Reach Agreement To Avoid Import DisruptionWhy Alibaba Just Got Hit With A Record .87 Billion Fine In China© 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
'Sell in May and go away,' advises the trading maxim. But with stocks at record highs, one trader at the New York Stock Exchange is recommending a related but different strategy.
All manner of weird things keep happening in financial markets, from bond yields that go down when they should go up, to near-daily swings between big-picture convictions. It's hard to manage money when everything feels so fragile.
Dogecoin, dogecoin, dogecoin! That must be what bitcoin holders are saying lately. Owners of the world's No. 1 crypto, like Jan from the 1970s-era sitcom, The Brady Bunch, must feel as if they have been living in the shadow of a more intriguing sister crypto.
See some strategies to reduce your payments by cutting the interest on your debt.
Ant Group is exploring options for founder Jack Ma to divest his stake in the financial technology giant and give up control, as meetings with Chinese regulators signaled to the company that the move could help draw a line under Beijing's scrutiny of its business, according to a source familiar with regulators' thinking and two people with close ties to the company. Reuters is for the first time reporting details of the latest round of meetings and the discussions about the future of Ma's control of Ant, exercised through a complicated structure of investment vehicles. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Ma had offered in a November meeting with regulators to hand over parts of Ant to the Chinese government.
As dogecoin's gains top 9,392%, CoinDesk’s Adam B. Levine finds some surprising parallels between the top meme token and bitcoin.
Dogecoin was worth as much as $55 billion on Friday, nearly tripling on the day. At current levels, it’s worth about as much as Ford and Marriott.
You could do a cash-out refi to take care of your college debt, but beware of risks.
The direction of the market into the close on Friday will be determined by trader reaction to $63.37.
(Bloomberg) -- GameStop Corp. Chief Executive Officer George Sherman, who is expected to leave the struggling video-game retailer, disposed of almost $12 million in shares, with the proceeds earmarked by the company to pay compensation-related taxes.The 76,097 shares were withheld by GameStop upon vesting to cover taxes related to the 2019 inducement award, according to a regulatory filing Friday. The shares were valued at $156.44 each, or about $11.9 million.Representatives of GameStop didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.Activist investor Ryan Cohen, the company’s incoming chairman, is spearheading a turnaround effort at GameStop, which is seeking a new CEO to replace Sherman, people with knowledge of the matter have said. Sherman earlier this week forfeited about $98 million in compensation after failing to meet performance targets.Shares of GameStop have become a favorite of Reddit-reading day traders this year, sending the stock soaring, despite shrinking sales and losses in the latest fiscal year.(Corrects details of transaction starting in first paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.