Diamonds and Dogs

1/24/17

Open Sesame. Alibaba (BABA) is a jumping 3% back above $100 a share for the first time since October after beating earnings estimates and raising 2017 revenue growth rate above 50%. Alibaba says they are driving the age of 'New Retail,' which leverages big data and innovation to provide a seamless online and offline experience for nearly half a billion mobile monthly active users. Their retail transformation will make it even easier and more efficient for brands and retailers to engage with these consumers anywhere, anytime. Watch out Amazon.

Verizon (VZ) is having its worst day in four years. Verizon is down 4% back below $50 for the first time since November following disappointing quarterly results. Verizon added fewer new customers than expected in the fourth quarter, underscoring urgency in its quest to expand into media and advertising through a planned $4.8bn acquisition of Yahoo. The largest US telecoms group by customers said it had added 591,000 postpaid, or monthly, subscribers — below analyst forecasts for 744,000, and down from 1.5m in the same period a year ago.