The Internet has changed countless industries, and many people think real estate agents are about to become obsolete as consumers have more information at their disposal.�Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Zillow (NASDAQ: Z ) , disagrees.
In the following video,�Motley Fool analyst Brendan Byrnes sits down with Rascoff to discuss the changing real estate landscape. Unlike the travel agent model which was drastically changed because of the Internet, Rascoff believes most Americans will always use a real estate agent to�assist�them when purchasing a�home. Rascoff highlights how a�real estate transaction is complicated, emotional, expensive, and infrequent -- all characteristics that�lend themselves to an intermediary.
What Rascoff does believe is changing is the type of real estate agent that is going to succeed in this new information-era. He says�a good agent in today's market has to be an expert negotiator and a great marketer. He also highlights the importance of having a deep, local expertise because agents and consumers�all have the same information due mobile devices and the Internet.
Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)
Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Hill]
Yahoo's (NASDAQ: YHOO ) �second-quarter earnings rose 46%, but the company missed on revenue, as advertising took a hit. Despite the expectations miss, the stock continues to rally. In this video, Matt and Jason discuss why CEO Marissa Mayer continues to drive so much investor confidence, and what we can expect from her and the company as she enters her second year as Yahoo's first in command.
- [By Kevin Chen]
Just after acquiring two startups, Yahoo!� (NASDAQ: YHOO ) has picked up another one. This time, Loki Studios is Yahoo!'s choice for further building out its mobile team.
Best Internet Stocks To Own Right Now: Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)
Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brian Stoffel]
Some people believe it's important to never let any stock position grow too large. While I understand that reasoning, I have no problem letting Amazon.com� (NASDAQ: AMZN ) stock continue to grow as a part of my portfolio. Currently, it's my largest personal position, accounting for 9% of all my real-life holdings.
- [By Jayson Derrick]
According to BGR, Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN) rumored smartphone will have a 4.7 inch display with a 720p resolution and will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 13 megapixel rear camera. Additionally, the phone will have a 3D display which will support 3D viewing ��n as many areas as possible.��Shares gained 0.05 percent, closing at $316.08.
Best Internet Stocks To Own Right Now: Google Inc.(GOOG)
Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Achmad Ibrahim/APBlackBerry CEO John Chen speaks at the launch of the new Blackberry Z3 smartphone in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday. BlackBerry (BBRY) launched a low-cost touchscreen device in Jakarta, the Z3, as the embattled smartphone maker looks to revive sales in emerging markets like Indonesia where its once-fervent following has shriveled. The handset, unveiled at a glitzy launch event in the Indonesian capital Tuesday, is the first in a line of devices being made with FIH Mobile, a unit of the giant Taiwanese Foxconn Technology Group best known for assembling gadgets like iPhones and iPads for Apple (AAPL). The success of the handset retailing for less than $200 could well decide the outcome of both BlackBerry's tie-up with the contract manufacturing giant and its own future in smartphones. The Z3 Jakarta Edition will hit store shelves on May 15. "If this device allows them to grow again, even if it's just small, steady growth, that's a success in itself. That says there is still room for BlackBerry in Indonesia," said Ryan Lai, market analyst at consultancy IDC. The Z3 is the first phone to be launched by BlackBerry since new Chief Executive Officer John Chen took the helm late last year. After Indonesia it will be gradually introduced in six other countries including the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Malaysia. Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry hopes that the device and others to follow will help it claw back some of the collapse in its market share, ceded to Apple's iPhone and Samsung Electronics' line of Galaxy devices powered by Googles (GOOG) Android operating system. "If the market doesn't receive this product well, then we definitely have some negative issues to deal with," Chen said at the launch at Jakarta's Ritz-Carlton hotel. BlackBerry said it doesn't have an official sales target for the device, but Chen said he expects to sell millions of Z3 handsets around the world, without disclosing further details. Market-Share Slide
- [By Doug Ehrman]
Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) recently announced that it plans to roll out a new functionality dubbed Chat Heads that would make integrating messaging even more seamless. Not only will Chat Heads be part of the company's new meta app FB Home on Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android, but it will be available as part of the Facebook app in Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) iOS. The functionality may be critical to Apple, depending on what level of traction FB Home is able to achieve.
- [By Sam Mattera]
Last year, analysts at Gartner predicted that, by 2017, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT ) Windows operating system would be irrelevant. Given the rapid growth of tablets and smartphones, the majority of which are powered by Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android, Windows is quickly falling by the wayside.
Best Internet Stocks To Own Right Now: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)
IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jayson Derrick]
InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) announced that its CEO is stepping down from his current position to become chairman of a new operating unit. Investors cheered the management shakeup which is potentially hinting at a spinoff. Shares hit new 52 week highs of $70.44 before closing at $68.49, up 13.98 percent.
- [By Igor Novgorodtsev]
InterActiveCorp (IACI) bought Ask.com for $1.85 billion in 2005. The new Perion will be worth only about 40% of that. After the merger, Perion will leapfrog its much larger rivals: Babylon and AVG (AVG). Finally, Perion should be able to increase its operating margins as it can spread its SG&A costs over a much larger base (Conduit EBITDA margin is 32% vs. Perion's 23%). Perion will keep its senior management team intact: Josef Mandelbaum will remain its CEO and Yacov Kaufman its CFO. Perion has successfully orchestrated a roll-up acquisitions of privately-held Sweetpacks and Smilebox, so I have high confidence that they know how to integrate a new business.
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