Sales & Marketing news

• S&P 500 closes at record on better-than-expected home sales and tech surge

  21-08-2020 22:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  US equities erased early losses and climbed on Friday, with the S&P 500 closing at a record high following positive economic data.
  Existing home sales surged a record 24.7% in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.86 million. Economists expected a reading of 5.41 million.
  Apple led tech stocks higher and posted a record high ahead of its end-of-month stock split.
  Oil sank before retracing some losses. West Texas Intermediate crude fell as much as 2.6%, to $41.46 per barrel.
  Watch major ind
  
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• 'It's baffling:' A former top Obama economist rips into Republicans lacking an economy-saving stimulus plan

  21-08-2020 22:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Jason Furman, a top economist during the Obama administration, had a lot of criticism for how Republicans handled stimulus negotiations.
  "I think it's baffling that the White House didn't have a plan," he told Business Insider in an exclusive interview.
  Stimulus negotiations between Republicans and Democrats collapsed after two weeks of largely fruitless talks earlier this month.
  Read the full Q&A with Jason Furman here.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.A former top economi
  
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• 'That's how capitalism works': Shark Tank investor says a portion of small businesses are going to die and the government can do nothing to stop it

  21-08-2020 21:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary said he expects 20% of small businesses in sectors like travel, food, and entertainment will die because consumer behavior is changing.  
  O'Leary told CNBC that he wouldn't prop up a "dying" company, and the government shouldn't either. The next stimulus plan doesn't need to have PPP, he said.
  "Let the market be the market, let those things that are going to die, die, and those employees will support them through the transition," the investor said.Visi
  
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• ETF managers who target 2 of the market's hottest themes gave us inside looks into their investing approaches — including a gig economy strategy that is up 45% this year

  21-08-2020 21:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Michael Venuto and David Dziekanski of Toroso Asset Management manage exchange-traded funds that help investors bet on the blockchain and the gig economy.  
  The funds take an expansive, detailed approach to investing in their themes. 
  As of August 19, Venuto's blockchain ETF was up 32% in 2020 and Dziekanski's gig economy fund had surged 46%. 
  Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter Investing Insider.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.The most famous
  
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• Tesla, Apple surge 5% to record highs as both companies prepare to split their stock (AAPL, TSLA)

  21-08-2020 21:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Tesla and Apple both surged 5% to record highs on Friday as both companies prepare to split their stock next week.
  Tesla's stockholder record date is at the close of business Friday, while Apple's stockholder record date is Monday, August 24.
  After their respective record dates, Tesla and Apple's stock splits will go into effect and trade at their new split-adjusted price on August 31.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
  Investors continue to bid up shares of Apple and Tesla ahea
  
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• US existing home sales surged a record 24.7% in July as the housing market recovery continued

  21-08-2020 20:52 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  US existing home sales surged a record 24.7% in July, according to a Friday report from the National Association of Realtors. 
  The jump marks the second consecutive month of record sales gains as the swift housing market recovery continues. 
  "The housing market is well past the recovery phase and is now booming with higher home sales compared to the pre-pandemic days," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist.
  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.US existing home sales no
  
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• Traders betting against Tesla are down more than $25 billion this year amid the stock's record-breaking rally (TSLA)

  21-08-2020 19:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Traders betting against Tesla are down $25.4 billion in mark-to-market losses, according to data from financial-analytics firm S3 partners. 
  The short-seller losses come amid a blistering rally that's sent the automaker's shares to multiple record highs, up roughly 390% this year. 
  Still, short-sellers are holding on — Tesla is still the top short in the US market, with $21.3 billion in dollars bet against the company, according to Ihor Dusaniwsky, managing partner of predictive
  
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• It's probably too late to avoid negative economic growth in August, Bank of America says

  21-08-2020 19:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A lack of near-term stimulus will likely drive economic contraction in August, Ethan Harris, global economist at Bank of America, said in a Friday note.
  The Senate is on recess until September after making little headway on a new relief measure.
  The lack of renewed aid, when combined with President Trump's ineffective executive orders, "means growth is likely to turn negative this month and only rebound if and when a major stimulus package is enacted," Harris said.
  "It will take some combination
  
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• Lack of market turbulence is the key factor preventing Congress from forging a stimulus deal, global strategy chief at world's largest investment firm says

  21-08-2020 18:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BlackRock's Mike Pyle told Bloomberg that a "chicken and egg problem" could be to blame for why Congress hasn't reached a deal for a new stimulus.
  The problem: Markets have already priced in that a deal will be reached, and their lack of turbulence has gotten rid of any urgency Congress has to reach a deal. 
  The global chief investment strategist said he believes a stimulus package sized upward of $2 trillion will be released in September, but he also acknowledged the risk of no deal.Visit
  
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• Apple could surge another 27% in a best-case scenario, still has 'a lot of gasoline left in the tank' after reaching a $2 trillion valuation, analyst says (AAPL)

  21-08-2020 18:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Daniel Ives of Wedbush thinks that Apple can gain more in the next 12 months even after becoming the first US-listed company to reach a $2 trillion market value. 
  "We still believe the stock has a lot of gasoline left in the tank with an iPhone 12 'supercycle' on the near term horizon," Ives wrote in a Friday note.He has an "outperform" rating on the stock, a price target of $515 and a bull case of $600 — roughly 27% higher than where Apple closed Thursday.Watch Apple trade live on Ma
  
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• US service sector expands for first time in 2020 on improved consumer spending, IHS Markit says

  21-08-2020 17:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IHS Markit's Composite Purchasing Managers' Output Index gained to 54.7 in August from 50.3, marking an 18-month high amid steady economic recovery.
  The firm's services gauge improved to 54.8 from 50. The reading is the first this year to show the sector in growth territory.
  Both manufacturers and service providers benefited from increased consumer demand as lockdowns were lifted, IHS said.
  The service sector's return to growth "was welcome news following five months of declines," Siân Jon
  
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• UK subcultures are alive and well

  21-08-2020 01:36
  
  Gaming and non-mainstream religious groups are the two leading subcultures in the UK today, according to research which highlights the value to marketers of tapping into niche cultural groups.
  
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• It's time to lighten up

  21-08-2020 01:36
  
  The coronavirus outbreak has prompted brands to take a more serious tone with their advertising, but a loss of humour in creative is a trend that’s been developing for the last 20 years.
  
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• How Dettol (and TikTok) got India to wash its hands

  21-08-2020 01:36
  
  TikTok finds itself at the mercy of escalating trade wars involving the US, India and China, but marketers can apply learnings from successful brand activations on the platform, such as one in India for RB brand Dettol, to the copycat apps that...
  
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• E-commerce to dominate future of health and beauty sector

  21-08-2020 01:36
  
  The majority of global sales in the health and beauty sector are forecast to move online, to be controlled by four giants, three Chinese and one American, according to new figures.
  
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• Chinese consumers swap travel for luxury shopping sprees

  21-08-2020 01:36
  
  With international travel increasingly difficult, Chinese luxury consumers are indulging in shopping sprees instead, according to a new study by consulting firm Agility Research & Strategy.
  
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• Advertisers should use both rational and emotional appeals

  21-08-2020 01:36
  
  Advertisers should consider employing “both rational and emotional appeals” in campaigns rather than using arbitrary divisions between these messages, according to a study in the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR).
  
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