amazon
Amazon.com is one of the world’s largest technology and e-commerce companies.
Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Amazon began as an online bookstore but quickly expanded into selling a vast range of products, including electronics, clothing, household goods, and more. Today, it operates a massive global online marketplace where individuals and businesses can buy and sell goods.
Beyond e-commerce, Amazon is a major player in several other industries:
- ☁️ Cloud computing through Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the largest cloud platforms in the world
- 🎬 Digital streaming with services like Prime Video
- 📦 Logistics and delivery, with its own shipping network
- 🧠 Technology and AI, including devices like Alexa and Echo
Amazon is known for its focus on customer convenience, fast delivery (such as Prime shipping), and a wide selection of products and services.
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Three of our long-time recommendations recently spun off a subsidiary as separate firm. This is a great way to unlock hidden value, as studies have shown that after an initial adjustment period of a few months, spinoffs tend to outperform groups of comparable stocks for several years. Needless to say, things don’t always work out this well. Spinoffs and their parents do sometimes run into unforeseeable woes, which is why we don’t see all of these stocks as buys right now. EBAY INC. $29 (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $34.8 billion; Priceto- sales ratio: 1.9; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ebay.com) launched its online auction site in September 1995 and now has 157 million users worldwide. Sellers pay fees to list and sell their goods through eBay’s websites....
NEW GOLD INC., $2.85, symbol NGD on Toronto, recently started building a mine at its 100%-owned Rainy River project in Ontario. It aims to start production in mid-2017 at an average of 325,000 ounces of gold annually over nine years (along with silver as a by-product). The company has now entered into a $175-million streaming agreement with Royal Gold (Nasdaq symbol RGLD) to help fund Rainy River (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). Royal will pay $100 million at the start of the deal and the remaining $75 million when the mine is 60% complete (projected at mid-2016)....
AMAZON.COM $488.27 (Nasdaq symbol AMZN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (206-266-1000; www.amazon.com; Shares outstanding: 465.7 million; Market cap: $227.3 billion; No dividends paid) continues to excel in a range of businesses; its shares are now at all-time highs. The company is a major online retailer that’s growing quickly in new areas. For example, Amazon Web Services offers cloud services through 11 data centres worldwide. It accounts for just 7% of Amazon’s sales, but that’s growing at over 50% a year. However, when Amazon enters a new line of business, it’s happy to make little profit, or even lose money. This is an appropriate growth strategy. Eventually, competitors will catch up with its technology and business practices. In the meantime, it focuses on building a large and loyal clientele....
Our advice is keep it simple when you invest in ETFs. Three “plain vanilla” ETFs give you an efficient way of investing in U.S. stocks.
POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $106.09 (Nasdaq symbol QQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www.invescopowershares.com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds stocks representing the Nasdaq 100 Index, which consists of the 100 largest shares on the Nasdaq exchange by market cap.
The Nasdaq 100 Index contains shares of companies in a number of major industries, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. It does not contain financial firms. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets. It yields 1.0%.
The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Amgen, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel Corp., Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast and Facebook.
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The Nasdaq 100 Index contains shares of companies in a number of major industries, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. It does not contain financial firms. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets. It yields 1.0%.
The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Amgen, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel Corp., Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast and Facebook.
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IBM $163.16 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 984.7 million; Market cap: $162.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.2%; www.ibm.com) has formed an alliance with Box Inc. (New York symbol BOX), which sells cloud-storage services to businesses.
Under the deal, IBM will develop programs that combine its analytics software with Box’s cloud-based data. It will also integrate some of Box’s programs with its business email and online collaboration services, while Box’s clients will gain access to IBM’s consultants and online security technologies.
Teaming up with Box should help IBM compete with cloud-computing providers like Amazon.com and Oracle.
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Under the deal, IBM will develop programs that combine its analytics software with Box’s cloud-based data. It will also integrate some of Box’s programs with its business email and online collaboration services, while Box’s clients will gain access to IBM’s consultants and online security technologies.
Teaming up with Box should help IBM compete with cloud-computing providers like Amazon.com and Oracle.
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CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL, $661.95, symbol CMG on New York, offers higher-quality food and better decor and service than many fast-food chains, and charges slightly higher prices. Under its Food with Integrity initiative, it uses naturally raised meat wherever possible. The company’s all-natural meat comes from animals that are raised humanely, never given antibiotics or hormones and fed a vegetarian diet. In January 2015, the company halted sales of pork items at one-third of its nearly 1,800 U.S. restaurants after learning that a key supplier had failed to meet its pig-housing standards. Under Chipotle’s requirements, pigs must be housed in humane conditions with access to the outdoors, rather than in pens....
CAMECO CORP., $17.00, symbol CCO on Toronto, has suspended uranium shipments by truck from its Rabbit Lake and Key Lake mines in northern Saskatchewan. The company made the decision in response to forest fires in the region. Cameco is the world’s largest uranium producer. It has large, high-grade reserves, low-cost operations, significant market share and a number of mines. The company halted shipments after travel restrictions were imposed on some northern roads because of low visibility....
EBAY INC. $29 (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $34.8 billion; Priceto- sales ratio: 1.9; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ebay.com) launched its online auction site in September 1995 and now has 157 million users worldwide. Sellers pay fees to list and sell their goods through eBay’s websites.
In addition to used goods, the company continues to sell more merchandise from retailers, which is helping it compete with Amazon.com. Right now, over 60% of eBay’s total transactions are sales of new items at fixed prices.
The company also operates several other popular websites, including StubHub (ticket sales for live events), Shopping. com (comparison shopping) and Rent.com (apartment and house rentals). These services are in addition to its local websites, which sell classified ads in over 1,000 cities.
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In addition to used goods, the company continues to sell more merchandise from retailers, which is helping it compete with Amazon.com. Right now, over 60% of eBay’s total transactions are sales of new items at fixed prices.
The company also operates several other popular websites, including StubHub (ticket sales for live events), Shopping. com (comparison shopping) and Rent.com (apartment and house rentals). These services are in addition to its local websites, which sell classified ads in over 1,000 cities.
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IBM $163.16 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 984.7 million; Market cap: $162.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.2%; www.ibm.com) has formed an alliance with Box Inc. (New York symbol BOX), which sells cloud-storage services to businesses. Under the deal, IBM will develop programs that combine its analytics software with Box’s cloud-based data. It will also integrate some of Box’s programs with its business email and online collaboration services, while Box’s clients will gain access to IBM’s consultants and online security technologies. Teaming up with Box should help IBM compete with cloud-computing providers like Amazon.com and Oracle....