Sales & Marketing news

• Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reveals $904 million Amazon stake for the first time (AMZN)

  15-05-2019 23:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  Berkshire Hathaway disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday that it bought 483,300 shares in the first quarter, worth about $904 million.
  CEO Warren Buffett told CNBC earlier this month Berkshire had been buying Amazon shares, but didn't reveal how much.
  Watch Amazon trade live.
  Investors knew Berkshire Hathaway was buying up Amazon. Now they know just how much.
  Warren Buffett's conglomerate revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Wedne
  
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• Business leaders are expressing frustration and uncertainty about the US-China trade war

  15-05-2019 23:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  Executives at S&P 500 companies sounded off on the US-China trade war during their first-quarter conference calls.
  Goldman Sachs equity strategists analyzed a selection of executive commentary across S&P 500 earnings calls and found trade-related uncertainty to be a major theme plaguing business.
  Visit Markets Insider's homepage for more stories.
  If there's an elephant in the room that US multinational corporations are grappling with, it's the ongoing trade war between the two largest ec
  
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• WeWork is setting up a $2.9 billion fund to buy buildings that it will lease to itself

  15-05-2019 23:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  WeWork has set up a new fund to purchase commercial properties that it will then lease.
  The move is a change from its traditional strategy of leasing space from other building owners.
  Most of the money in the fund will come from outside investors, but WeWork will have majority control over it.
  CEO Adam Neumann plans to sell to the fund properties he's purchased stakes in that WeWork has leased space in.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.WeWork CEO Adam Neumman has a new plan for
  
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• Here's the follow-up email Google sent to employees after last week's warning about leaks sent a jolt across the company (GOOG, GOOGL)

  15-05-2019 22:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  After an internal email meant to resurface Google's data sharing policies sparked concerns from employees last week, an update was sent via the company's daily newsletter on Tuesday to clarify the tech giant's position. 
  The update — which was formatted as a Q&A with Google's Chief Legal Officer, Kent Walker — reiterated the reason for data access controls and tried putting to rest fears that collaboration across teams would be harmed. 
  But two current employees who spo
  
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• WeWork's CEO explains why he thinks his $47 billion company is recession proof, and how he keeps his ego in check as a young billionaire

  15-05-2019 22:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  Adam Neumann, 40, is the cofounder and CEO of WeWork, the global coworking space company valued at $47 billion.
  WeWork, under its umbrella the We Company, filed for an IPO last December. Analysts are concerned with last year's $1.8 billion in revenue compared to its $1.9 billion in losses.
  Neumann told Business Insider that WeWork is capable of being profitable, but is choosing to invest in rapid global expansion. He said that it is well-positioned for a potential economic downturn in the US, an
  
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• Lyft executive suggests drivers become mechanics after they're replaced by self-driving robo-taxis (LYFT)

  15-05-2019 20:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lyft's chief operating officer, Jon McNeill, has blunt advice for drivers worried about being replaced by autonomous robo-taxis: become a mechanic.
  The ride-hailing company expects it will need more drivers in the next decade than it does currently, but it's still looking to the self-driving future.
  McNeill compared the impending revolution to the digitization of telephone switchboards in the 1970s.
  Last week, drivers around the world protested Uber and Lyft's stock market debuts amid what they
  
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• A Lincoln exec explains why the automaker wasn't surprised by the success of its new Navigator SUV — and promises a fully electric Lincoln is in the works (F)

  15-05-2019 20:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Business Insider spoke to Lincoln president Joy Falotico about the brand's resurgence.
  She said Lincoln wasn't completely surprised by how successful its new Navigator SUV has been.
  She also said that electrified Lincolns are coming.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
  Ford is in the middle of an $11-billion turnaround plan, led by CEO Jim Hackett, that looks to be gaining some traction after about two years. Since the beginning of the year, Ford's stock — declining for muc
  
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• Tesla analyst slashes his target again, and says everything you think you know about it is in question (TSLA)

  15-05-2019 20:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla's price target got slashed at Evercore ISI for the second time in a month on Wednesday.
  The analysts' persistent concerns surrounding demand and growth prompted the cut.
  Tesla's rich valuation can only be justified by extraordinary growth and execution, "both of which are question right now," they said.
  Watch Tesla trade live.
  For all the volatility, executive turnover, and legal battles, investors have awarded Tesla a pretty nice valuation relative to its luxury auto peers.
  But Tesla's wo
  
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• 3 things retailers need for controlled inventory that gets shoppers the goods

  15-05-2019 20:03 via retailpro.com
      Pleasing shoppers is simple: Give them what they want. It’s simple… it’s just not that easy. Here are three things every retailer needs for controlled inventory that helps you get customers the goods for which they come to …
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• 3 POS capabilities retailers need to give shoppers what they want

  15-05-2019 20:03 via retailpro.com
    Pleasing shoppers is simple: Give them what they want. It’s simple… it’s just not that easy. Here are three things every retailer needs for controlled inventory that helps you get customers the goods for which they come to you. …
  Continue reading →
  
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• The 'single-best leading indicator for stocks' in recent history is predicting doom

  15-05-2019 19:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Copper has been the "single-best leading indicator for stocks over the past 18 months," according to one research firm.
  Sentiment in the copper market suggests prices should be about 7% below where they are currently trading, a Capital Economics analyst wrote. 
  Trade-war tensions and the end of the Fed's rate-hike cycle are bad news for stocks, other experts said. 
  Visit Markets Insider for more stories.
  Copper prices are signaling a stock-market sell-off may be brewing. 
  The red
  
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• Here's the pitch deck a Silicon Valley startup used to raise $15 million to promote its edge-computing service

  15-05-2019 18:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  Pixeom offers software that allows corporations to run cloud services and applications in their own data centers.
  Its edge-computing service is also designed to help tech administrators more easily manage such centers remotely.
  The startup received early backing from Samsung and already has 25 Fortune 500 customers.
  It recently raised $15 million using the pitch deck below.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Sam Nagar didn't intend to create an enterprise-software company focused
  
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• Frustrated US lawmakers tear into safety officials over the government's slow response to 2 Boeing 737 Max crashes (BA)

  15-05-2019 18:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  The US House of Representatives subcommittee on aviation grilled FAA and NTSB leaders on Wednesday.
  Lawmakers were unhappy with how long it took the US to ban the Boeing 737 Max aircraft from its airspace, after many other major countries had done so.
  Representatives also questioned the agency's practices for approval of new aircraft design, spurred by reports that Boeing had been allowed to play a major role in the plane's safety certification.
  "The FAA has a credibility problem," subcommittee
  
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• UBS' new equity chief warns that a 10% plunge in the stock market this year will catch investors off-guard — and outlines how to protect against losses

  15-05-2019 18:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  Stock-market investors are failing to fully price in the impact that higher interest rates will soon have on the economy, according to Francois Trahan, the newly appointed chief US equity strategist at UBS.
  Trahan's new year-end target for the S&P 500 implies a decline of about 10% as the effects of higher borrowing costs kick in with a lag.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Forget the stock market's dips over the past two weeks: A bigger plunge two years in the making is on
  
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• An early investor in Zoom, one of the best performing IPOs of 2019, almost passed on the deal. Here's what he learned. (ZM)

  15-05-2019 17:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  Patrick Eggen led the early stage corporate venture fund at Qualcomm when he was introduced to Eric Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom.
  Eggen and his team were hesitant to back Zoom because the company had "nominal" revenue and the round was tied to an $15 million valuation, Eggen told Business Insider.
  According to Eggen, Yuan's commitment to building the business and his efficient approach to fundraising convinced Eggen to invest just 48 hours after meeting at a local coffee shop.
  Qualcomm Ventures
  
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• Auto stocks pop on news that Trump may delay tariffs by up to 6 months (F, GM, TSLA)

  15-05-2019 17:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Trump administration plans to delay auto tariffs by up to six months, according to multiple news outlets.
  The reports sent shares of Ford, General Motors, Tesla, and Daimler higher on Wednesday.
  Visit Markets Insider for more stories.The Trump administration plans to delay its decision on automobile tariffs for up six months, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources. The administration had been expected to decide by Saturday whether to implement tariffs as high as 2
  
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• Investors are increasingly betting the Fed will drop rates, as the trade war escalates and Trump calls for a cut

  15-05-2019 17:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  While the Federal Reserve recently paused its three-year campaign hiking interest rates, officials have fallen short of signaling that lower borrowing costs are coming.
  But as the trade war between the US and China escalates, market expectations for an interest-rate cut have been ticking higher.
  More than three-quarters of investors forecast a rate cut by the end of the year, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool.
  An increasing number of market watchers appear to think the escalating trade war
  
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• 3 top Evercore execs share the exact career tips that made them dealmaking legends on Wall Street

  15-05-2019 17:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  Over the past decade, Evercore has risen to from plucky boutique to fourth-ranked advisory investment bank behind heavyweights Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley. 
  Patiently poaching rainmakers, like executive chairman John Weinberg and senior managing director Paul Stefanick, has been key to Evercore's ascension under CEO Ralph Schlosstein.
  Schlosstein, Weinberg, and Stefanick recently shared the best career advice they got early in their careers that helped launch them to s
  
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• Wall Street's infatuation with Uber is ending — and one analyst says its stock no longer deserves a premium over Lyft (UBER, LYFT)

  15-05-2019 16:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Uber's stock price no longer deserves a premium multiple to Lyft, Tom White of D.A. Davidson told clients Wednesday. 
  As analysts lower some of their ride-hailing estimates, White is questioning the very business model for companies like Uber and Lyft, which have yet to turn a profit and might never. 
  Uber has levers to pull to boost cash flow, but White worries those same tools could effectively shrink the companies addressable market. Uber and Lyft have struggled to find their f
  
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• Macy's CEO warns that the trade war could force the department store to raise prices (M)

  15-05-2019 16:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette said in an earnings call on Wednesday that proposed new tariffs would have a significant impact on the company.
  "It is hard to do the math to find the path that gets you to a place that doesn't have a customer impact," he said, without commenting on exactly what this would mean in terms of price increases.
  The US-China trade war reached new levels this week. Retailers are now bracing themselves for the prospect of yet more tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.
  
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• Macy's same-store sales top expectations (M)

  15-05-2019 15:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  Macy's reported first-quarter results that topped expectations.
  The retailer reaffirmed its annual guidance for 2019.
  Shares were up 2.5%% ahead of Wednesday's opening bell.
  Watch Macy's trade live.
  Macy's on Wednesday reported first-quarter results that topped Wall Street estimates, sending shares up 2.5% ahead of the opening bell.
  The retailer earned an adjusted $0.44 a share on revenue of $5.7 billion, beating the $0.32 and $5.5 billion that analysts surveyed by Bloomberg were expecting. It's
  
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• Subscriptions and donations: the best way forward?

  15-05-2019 14:00
  As publishers turn to subscription and donation models, Ben Barokas, Sourcepoint CEO, looks at the pros and cons. Ultimately, it’s about consumer trust, choice and mutual value, he says.
  
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• Humanising growth

  15-05-2019 02:00
  While all companies prioritise delivering top-line growth, it’s a focus on people which sets apart the leaders from the rest, according to the Initiative for Real Growth (IRG) study led by WPP’s Kantar Consulting.
  
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• Why scale still matters for brands

  15-05-2019 01:55
  Creative messages still typically require “budget, exposure, and the scale” to make the desired impact among consumers, as true viral successes remain extremely unusual.Les Binet, head of effectiveness at London-based agency...
  
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• TV networks step up work on addressable ads

  15-05-2019 01:55
  The big US TV networks are launching addressable ad strategies in a bid to grab a share of the rapidly growing $2 billion market.Networks such as Viacom, CBS and Fox are in talks with pay TV providers to begin selling a small proportion of...
  
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• Retailers get innovative to battle cost of returns

  15-05-2019 01:55
  As e-commerce continues to boom, so too does the ongoing problem – and expense – of returns, estimated to be costing sellers around £60bn a year globally.It’s not only legitimate returners that commerce is having to deal...
  
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• Live-streaming is the next big thing in online shopping

  15-05-2019 01:55
  Live-commerce platforms in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are racking up audiences in the hundreds of millions and are preparing to expand into new Asian markets.Local audiences are so hooked on the concept, they actively look for opportunities to...
  
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• Influencer marketing evolves and matures

  15-05-2019 01:55
  Influencer marketing can be a highly effective way to interact with specific target audiences and drive conversion, according to a new WARC report which observes how the channel is maturing around the world.Over the past year, senior...
  
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• India's ad fraud problem

  15-05-2019 01:55
  Ad fraud is a huge problem for the digital advertising ecosystem globally and it is becoming a major issue in India where ad fraud has risen by as much as 40%, but marketers have been slow to respond.When the Mobile Marketing Association in India...
  
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