Category Archives

Cashier-free? Works for me… or maybe it doesn’t because I don’t live in New York. However, if you happen to live in the Big Apple, you may be interested to hear that Amazon is expanding their cashier-free convenience stores to your state. While there will be no cashiers, there will be humans there, such as store managers.

It’s called Amazon Go… and there are already three of them in Seattle. You may be wondering – what can I get there? Well, mainly food – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and some groceries and meal kits. There will also be employees in the store to answer your questions and keep the shelves stocked.

I know what you’re thinking… how is this any different from the self-checkouts at, say, Walmart? It is a lot different because you need to open the Amazon Go app to enter the store. Once the app is open and you’re in, you can take whatever you want and leave. Oh, and don’t worry – Amazon is watching you and will charge you for it later. All the fun of shoplifting with none of the “free” stuff.

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Going all-in on blockchain… with 1,500 employees working on over 500 projects that incorporate the technology into shipping, banking, healthcare, and food safety. Really…food safety? Many people associate blockchain with cryptocurrency, but it actually does have other uses. However, the greatest promise does seem to be in finance.

But this is what IBM does… they invest in up-and-coming tech and blockchain is no exception. But make no mistake – blockchains use is limited. The technology is used as a digital tracking system which can increase efficiency and enable data sharing from one industry to the next.

Enough with the research… which is about all IBM has done so far. To succeed, IBM needs to produce blockchain for commercial use and make it easy to use. In a perfect world [for IBM], the company will be able to innovate for the future. However, innovation is difficult for a company that is heavily focused on meeting the day-to-day needs of existing customers. Maybe IBM customers should stop whining and let these people build our future! Sheesh.

Jeff Bezos and company… at Amazon because this tech firm has more room to grow compared to Apple, the “other” trillion-dollar company. Cloud computing and Amazon Web Services has given Amazon the boost necessary for the money-blowing e-commerce giant to reach such heights.

They buy everything, okay… including a grocery store and online pharmacy. So why stop there? Amazon probably won’t because there are rumors of the company buying a movie theater, as well. Other possibilities include gas stations and travel – that’s not out of the question, is it? Pretty soon you are going to need a Prime membership because everywhere you shop will be Amazon.

How likely are we to see two-trillion… probably more likely than you would think considering the stock doubled over the last 12 months. The bigger Amazon gets, the more powerful it gets. Profits for the company have been snowballing (faster than Apple), and the sky is the limit for this one-time online bookstore. So yes, Amazon will be the next $2 trillion company – you heard it here first! (unless it doesn’t happen…then we didn’t say anything, got it?)

Walmart is partnering with… you guessed it – none other than Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen’s clothing line will be called ‘EV1’ and will debut online and at 2,300 locations. The collection will have around 60 items, which includes jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. Even better, each item will cost just $30 or less (it’s Walmart, what did you expect?).

It’s all about the brand… and this brand is inspired by inclusiveness which is what Walmart aims to project. Well, inclusiveness and a better fashion sense. As a result, this partnership with a celebrity like Ellen should help Walmart attract younger and more diverse shoppers because the company now has even more to offer.

You would never consider Walmart… for clothing. However, the company has acquired Shoebuy, Bonobos, ModCloth, and Moosejaw. These acquisitions give Walmart (and you) premium clothing options as well as the good old store brand. It seems to be working, too – Walmart saw its fastest growth in a decade last quarter. And they looked good while doing it.

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Okay, his reaction wasn’t that bad… here’s what the president had to say, “I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it.” However, Trump also acknowledged that it was Nike’s choice to make. Speaking of free choice, Nike also chooses to be a tenant at Trump properties.

A far cry from his former opposition… where Donald Trump suggested that NFL players lose their job for taking a knee during the national anthem. Trump went on to acknowledge, “In another way, it is what this country is all about, you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do, but I personally am on a different side of it.”

Ready for controversy… is Nike, which became very apparent once news broke of the company backing Kaepernick. Apart from Trump, the hashtag ‘#NikeBoycott’ was trending on Twitter and, predictably, some customers even destroyed their Nike products. Nike shares are up close to 30% this year even after the Kaepernick backlash. And hopefully, we can put this story to be now…

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Well, Nike has done it now… by putting their reputation on the line to back former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The seemingly unemployable QB will be part of the company’s 30^th anniversary of its ‘Just Do It’ slogan. The use of Kaepernick represents a high-stakes gamble by Nike – and they are betting that enough customers are with his cause or at least indifferent to it.

Other faces include… Serena Williams, Odell Beckham Jr., and Shaquem Griffin. However, Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played professional sports since 2016, the year he began kneeling during the national anthem. In 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL claiming that owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests.

So much unknown… surrounding how this advertisement will be received, not just by customers, but also but political figures. Donald Trump is going to throw a tantrum – that is a given. The rest will unfold over the coming days, weeks, and months…Nike shares were down as much as 3% on Tuesday. But we can chalk that up to the good ole uncertainty that we investors hate.

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Now Apple has company… and that “company” is Amazon. That’s right – Amazon, very quickly, hit the trillion dollar mark and has become the second company to do so. Apple and Amazon account for 8% of the S&P 500, collectively. To put this in perspective, you would need to add the market cap of the 14 largest big-box retailers to equal Amazon.

Investors invested without… profit for quite some time. However, over the past year, the tech giant has been showing investors the money. In 2017, second-quarter net income was $197 million; in 2018, second-quarter net income was $2.5 billion – how is that for results? There are plenty of ways to increase that income, as well, with Amazon Web Services, cloud revenue, and advertising revenue all padding those stats.

Not just hype… as Amazon continues to flex on just about every company out there. Does this mean the company will have nothing but success going forward? Not necessarily – but they are in good position to continue to do exceedingly well. So Amazon shareholders can continue to count their money because all is going according to plan…

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More than just a Wall Street bank… because Goldman Sachs has been reaching out to consumers like you and I, and the banking giant just introduced its new home improvement calculator. What does this mean? Well, it looks like Goldman Sachs is going to be giving out more home improvement and personal loans very soon.

You’ll find Goldman Sachs… under the company’s online Marcus brand, which launched in 2016. The company has been taking deposits on the banking side and looking to lend that money out through personal loans. Not a bad move either – the economy and job market are both doing well, and people are very willing to take on more loans.

What lies ahead for GS… possibly more consumer banking, as other parts of the business have been slowing down. The bank could expand into life insurance, mortgages, auto loans, and wealth management services – basically everything your current bank does. But in the meantime, GS will look to keep growing what they already have and lend more money. Anyone need a loan?

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Coca-Cola is makin’ moves… last week we learned the beverage company went in on the sports drink BodyArmor, and now they have spent $5.1 billion for the UK coffee chain Costa Coffee. The acquisition will give Coke access to coffee vending machines, on-the-go outlets, and ready-to-drink iced coffee and beans from Costa Coffee’s roastery.

Now, they will sell everything… water, soda, sports drinks, coffee – you name it, Coca-Cola has it. Now, Coke can offer its food service customers, like restaurants and movie theaters, everything they need. Thus, rather than opening Costa locations in the United States, we may begin seeing the company’s products popping up here and there.

The move is more significant… in other countries, where Costa Coffee has a considerable presence. Costa has 4,000 stores across 32 countries in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Africa. These physical stores will also allow Coke to sell their other products directly to customers, rather than going through grocery stores, gas stations, and other distributors. So you could say that finding Coke [products] just got a little easier…

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How will Apple top the iPhone X… answer: they will not. However, the tech giant could prove me wrong on September 12^th when the company announces the latest iPhones and newest gadgets. Although, many people are anticipating the same device with different colors – so we’ll see.

More options for you… which could include new colors, sizes, and price points (in case you don’t want to drop $1,000 on a phone). We may also see the new iOS operating system and fresh takes on the Apple Watch and Air Pods. You know – just enough of a change so that your costly technology becomes old news.

Apple is so predictable… or at least they have been in previous years. Every other year there is a significant update and in-between we see less exciting minor updates to existing products. And Tim Cook gets up on stage and tells you how great his company is. Last year was the exception – it was also Apple’s 10-year anniversary, so they had to do something. This year you can expect nothing new and a Tim Cook monologue – enjoy.