Page 25 - Aruba Today 25 April 2015
P. 25
A24
BUSINESSSaturday 25 April 2015
Stocks inch up on tech earnings Comcast deal may be dead,
KEN SWEET lift the Nasdaq more than products it sells and Google but consolidation will go on
AP Business Writer the Dow or S&P 500. A com- is heavily exposed to desk-
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks mon theme was signs that top computer advertising TALI ARBEL
advanced slightly Friday the companies were grow- while the world is shifting to AP Business Writer
as investors cheered the ing sales outside of their mobile. NEW YORK (AP) — Even though Comcast’s $45.2 billion
quarterly results of three bread-and-butter business- “I think we are starting to bid for Time Warner Cable is dead, consolidation
large technology compa- es. see actual evidence that among the companies that pipe in our TV, phone
nies: Google, Microsoft and Amazon jumped $55.11, or their strategies are working, and Internet will carry on.
Amazon. 14 percent, to $445.10 in especially at Microsoft and Combining the No. 1 and No. 2 U.S. cable companies
The modest gains helped heavy trading. While the Amazon,” said Dan Mor- would have put nearly 30 percent of TV and about
close out a relatively strong company reported a quar- gan, a portfolio manager 55 percent of broadband subscribers under one
week for U.S. stocks, with terly loss, Amazon showed at Synovus Trust Compa- roof, along with NBCUniversal. That appeared to be
the three major indexes it had 49 percent sales ny, who owns shares of all too much concentration for regulators.
rising between 1.4 and 3.2 growth in Amazon Web three companies. Comcast and Time Warner Cable said Friday
percent in five days. The Services, its cloud com- Next week could be a morning that they would drop the deal in the face of
Standard & Poor’s 500 and puting division. The prom- make-or-break period for opposition from regulators.
Nasdaq composite closed ise that cloud computing investors. So far, first quar- But cable companies are likely to keep merging as
at record highs. could bolster Amazon’s ter earnings have come in online video options proliferate, the number of cable
and satellite TV subscribers slips and costs rise for the
Trader John Liotti works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks advanced slightly shows, sports and movies piped to subscribers.
Friday as investors cheered the quarterly results of three large technology companies: Google, At the same time, there will be more competition
Microsoft and Amazon. for young customers seeking stand-alone Internet
and mobile video offerings and cheaper TV channel
(AP Photo/Richard Drew) packages.
This is already happening. Verizon’s FiOS is trying
Investors now prepare for bottom line was enough to softer than what investors smaller, customizable TV bundles, while HBO has
the biggest week of earn- send investors flooding into had anticipated, which has launched an online version of its content, HBO Now,
ings season. Next week, the stock. caused analysts to write that doesn’t require a cable TV subscription.
more than 150 companies Microsoft rose $4.53, or 11 down their forecasts. Most “I don’t think it’s the demise of the cable industry. But
in the S&P 500 will report percent, to $47.87. The soft- companies have blamed its complete dominance of distribution is over,” said
their results, including such ware giant had results that the U.S. dollar as a reason Randy Giusto, a media industry analyst with advisory
market-moving names as beat expectations, and like why sales and profits are firm Outsell Inc.
Apple, Ford, Visa, Pfizer Amazon, showed promising down, but there are only so One of the concerns consumer advocates and
and Exxon Mobil. growth in its cloud comput- many excuses investors will competitors had with the Comcast deal was that
On Friday, The Dow Jones ing business. Lastly, Google accept before they sell. it could undermine the streaming video industry
industrial average rose rose $16.20, or 3 percent, First-quarter profits are ex- that is reshaping TV. Comcast could, for example,
21.45 points, or 0.1 percent, to $573.66. The search pected to be down 2.8 require onerous payments from new online-only
to 18,080.14. The S&P 500 and advertising company percent from a year ear- video providers for connecting to its network. Dish,
rose 4.76 points, or 0.2 per- missed analysts’ expecta- lier. It would be the first time the satellite TV company behind the new Web video
cent, to 2,117.69 and the tions; the company had corporate profits have de- service Sling TV, and Netflix opposed the deal.
Nasdaq rose 36.02 points, strong growth in mobile ad- clined since the third quar- “It goes to show you how important broadband is,”
or 0.7 percent, to 5,092.08. vertising. ter of 2012, according to said Amy Yong, a Macquarie analyst.
The Nasdaq beat its record Investors have been look- FactSet. In the energy mar- Regulators have taken other steps that signal how
of 5,048.62, set on March ing for Google, Microsoft kets, the price of U.S. crude important they consider Internet access. The Federal
10, 2000 at the height of and Amazon to show some oil fell 59 cents to close at Communications Commission in February released
the dot-com boom, on sort of progress outside $57.15 a barrel in New York. new “Net Neutrality” rules meant to keep broadband
Thursday. their traditional businesses. Brent crude, a benchmark providers from charging Internet companies for
Microsoft, Amazon and Microsoft cannot solely rely for international oils used “fast lane” access or favoring some content. The
Google all rose sharply af- on computer sales to drive by many U.S. refineries, rose broadband industry has sued to stop the rules.
ter the releasing their quar- its profits, Amazon has very 43 cents to close at $65.28 So how did this play out?
terly results, which helped low profit margins on the a barrel in London.q Opposition from consumer advocates and
competitors was fierce since the deal was announced
in February 2014.
“This is one of those deals where the opponents of
the merger have been one of the most vocal I can
remember,” said S&P Capital IQ Tuna Amobi.
On Tuesday Al Franken, D-Minn., along with five other
Democratic senators and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont,
urged the Federal Communications Commission and
the Department of Justice to block the merger, saying
it would lead to higher prices and fewer choices.
“It’s a dead end for Comcast,” said Rob McDowell,
a former FCC commissioner.
Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice confirmed
that company executives met Wednesday with
Justice Department and FCC officials. But she
would not comment on what occurred during the
meetings or what other conversations the company
was having with regulators. A dropped Comcast-
Time Warner Cable deal means a transaction with
Charter Communications Inc. aimed to smoothing
the way for regulatory approval also falls apart.q
BUSINESSSaturday 25 April 2015
Stocks inch up on tech earnings Comcast deal may be dead,
KEN SWEET lift the Nasdaq more than products it sells and Google but consolidation will go on
AP Business Writer the Dow or S&P 500. A com- is heavily exposed to desk-
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks mon theme was signs that top computer advertising TALI ARBEL
advanced slightly Friday the companies were grow- while the world is shifting to AP Business Writer
as investors cheered the ing sales outside of their mobile. NEW YORK (AP) — Even though Comcast’s $45.2 billion
quarterly results of three bread-and-butter business- “I think we are starting to bid for Time Warner Cable is dead, consolidation
large technology compa- es. see actual evidence that among the companies that pipe in our TV, phone
nies: Google, Microsoft and Amazon jumped $55.11, or their strategies are working, and Internet will carry on.
Amazon. 14 percent, to $445.10 in especially at Microsoft and Combining the No. 1 and No. 2 U.S. cable companies
The modest gains helped heavy trading. While the Amazon,” said Dan Mor- would have put nearly 30 percent of TV and about
close out a relatively strong company reported a quar- gan, a portfolio manager 55 percent of broadband subscribers under one
week for U.S. stocks, with terly loss, Amazon showed at Synovus Trust Compa- roof, along with NBCUniversal. That appeared to be
the three major indexes it had 49 percent sales ny, who owns shares of all too much concentration for regulators.
rising between 1.4 and 3.2 growth in Amazon Web three companies. Comcast and Time Warner Cable said Friday
percent in five days. The Services, its cloud com- Next week could be a morning that they would drop the deal in the face of
Standard & Poor’s 500 and puting division. The prom- make-or-break period for opposition from regulators.
Nasdaq composite closed ise that cloud computing investors. So far, first quar- But cable companies are likely to keep merging as
at record highs. could bolster Amazon’s ter earnings have come in online video options proliferate, the number of cable
and satellite TV subscribers slips and costs rise for the
Trader John Liotti works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks advanced slightly shows, sports and movies piped to subscribers.
Friday as investors cheered the quarterly results of three large technology companies: Google, At the same time, there will be more competition
Microsoft and Amazon. for young customers seeking stand-alone Internet
and mobile video offerings and cheaper TV channel
(AP Photo/Richard Drew) packages.
This is already happening. Verizon’s FiOS is trying
Investors now prepare for bottom line was enough to softer than what investors smaller, customizable TV bundles, while HBO has
the biggest week of earn- send investors flooding into had anticipated, which has launched an online version of its content, HBO Now,
ings season. Next week, the stock. caused analysts to write that doesn’t require a cable TV subscription.
more than 150 companies Microsoft rose $4.53, or 11 down their forecasts. Most “I don’t think it’s the demise of the cable industry. But
in the S&P 500 will report percent, to $47.87. The soft- companies have blamed its complete dominance of distribution is over,” said
their results, including such ware giant had results that the U.S. dollar as a reason Randy Giusto, a media industry analyst with advisory
market-moving names as beat expectations, and like why sales and profits are firm Outsell Inc.
Apple, Ford, Visa, Pfizer Amazon, showed promising down, but there are only so One of the concerns consumer advocates and
and Exxon Mobil. growth in its cloud comput- many excuses investors will competitors had with the Comcast deal was that
On Friday, The Dow Jones ing business. Lastly, Google accept before they sell. it could undermine the streaming video industry
industrial average rose rose $16.20, or 3 percent, First-quarter profits are ex- that is reshaping TV. Comcast could, for example,
21.45 points, or 0.1 percent, to $573.66. The search pected to be down 2.8 require onerous payments from new online-only
to 18,080.14. The S&P 500 and advertising company percent from a year ear- video providers for connecting to its network. Dish,
rose 4.76 points, or 0.2 per- missed analysts’ expecta- lier. It would be the first time the satellite TV company behind the new Web video
cent, to 2,117.69 and the tions; the company had corporate profits have de- service Sling TV, and Netflix opposed the deal.
Nasdaq rose 36.02 points, strong growth in mobile ad- clined since the third quar- “It goes to show you how important broadband is,”
or 0.7 percent, to 5,092.08. vertising. ter of 2012, according to said Amy Yong, a Macquarie analyst.
The Nasdaq beat its record Investors have been look- FactSet. In the energy mar- Regulators have taken other steps that signal how
of 5,048.62, set on March ing for Google, Microsoft kets, the price of U.S. crude important they consider Internet access. The Federal
10, 2000 at the height of and Amazon to show some oil fell 59 cents to close at Communications Commission in February released
the dot-com boom, on sort of progress outside $57.15 a barrel in New York. new “Net Neutrality” rules meant to keep broadband
Thursday. their traditional businesses. Brent crude, a benchmark providers from charging Internet companies for
Microsoft, Amazon and Microsoft cannot solely rely for international oils used “fast lane” access or favoring some content. The
Google all rose sharply af- on computer sales to drive by many U.S. refineries, rose broadband industry has sued to stop the rules.
ter the releasing their quar- its profits, Amazon has very 43 cents to close at $65.28 So how did this play out?
terly results, which helped low profit margins on the a barrel in London.q Opposition from consumer advocates and
competitors was fierce since the deal was announced
in February 2014.
“This is one of those deals where the opponents of
the merger have been one of the most vocal I can
remember,” said S&P Capital IQ Tuna Amobi.
On Tuesday Al Franken, D-Minn., along with five other
Democratic senators and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont,
urged the Federal Communications Commission and
the Department of Justice to block the merger, saying
it would lead to higher prices and fewer choices.
“It’s a dead end for Comcast,” said Rob McDowell,
a former FCC commissioner.
Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice confirmed
that company executives met Wednesday with
Justice Department and FCC officials. But she
would not comment on what occurred during the
meetings or what other conversations the company
was having with regulators. A dropped Comcast-
Time Warner Cable deal means a transaction with
Charter Communications Inc. aimed to smoothing
the way for regulatory approval also falls apart.q
