And social media has made online shopping even easier than it already was. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and now TikTok, have integrated shopping links into ads and posts in an attempt to build their e-commerce business—and to get you to spend.

If you’ve ever purchased something from an Instagram ad, you’re not alone. In fact, 57% of millennials have spent money they hadn’t planned to spend based on something they saw on social media, according to a 2018 study from Allianz Life Insurance. Shopping online also lessens the “pain of paying,” because it can all seem so easy to buy something these days, often without even taking out your credit card.

Jargon Hack.

What is impulse spending?

Impulse Spending

An unplanned decision to buy something on the spot.

Find out

With the temptation to add that virtual shirt to your cart higher than ever, here are five ways to curb your appetite for “social spending.”

• Clear your credit card information from your phone. Even if you get all the way to the checkout stage of the social media shopping rabbit hole, you still have to find your credit card and type out the information before you submit your order. If your credit card information auto-fills, that is one fewer barrier to making that impulse purchase. Try clearing your credit card history from your internet settings.
• Be careful with digital wallets, which store your passwords and card information digitally on your phone. They’re becoming increasingly popular, allowing you to pay in seconds, often with just the tap of your phone. If you use a digital wallet, consider adding just your debit card, which will take money directly from your checking account.
• Set a limit for the amount of time you spend on apps. U.S. consumers spent 74 minutes per day on social media in 2018.  Android phones and iPhones let you set time limits on phone usage, and for specific apps.
• Mute people who make you feel inferior. Millennials—55% of them—experience the “fear of missing out,” or FOMO, according to the same Allianz Life Insurance survey, and 88% of millennials said that their FOMO is exacerbated by social media. To minimize FOMO, and the desire to spend money, think about muting or unfollowing the people who never seem to wear the same outfit twice, or who are always going out to dinner.
• Indulge in a different social media vice. Maybe you like to shop on social media before you go to bed or while you’re on your lunch break. While quitting your social media vice cold turkey might be preferable, you may want to switch to another social media vice that doesn’t cost anything. Consider replacing your social media shopping routine with a quick binge of Dr. Pimple Popper videos or a deep dive of the number of comedians making videos on Instagram.

Consideration: It’s okay to splurge once in a while. You can work an occasional Instagram purchase into the discretionary spending part of your budget. Having an actual dollar that you designate for splurges can help.

Of course, the best way to put a stop to social media spending is to delete all of your social media accounts. But if that sounds impossible, consider putting on some of the speed brakes we’ve just discussed.

The post Five Tips to Stop Shopping on Social Media appeared first on Stash Learn.

On its first day of trading, the company’s stock rose to $23.75, an increase of 25% from its stated opening price.

Here are some details of its IPO, according to paperwork it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), called a prospectus.

Pinterest’s IPO

• Pinterest priced its stock at $19 a share, according to sources.
• Pinterest raised about $1.6 billion from its offering, according to reports.
• Following the company’s IPO, it achieved a $12 billion valuation.
• Pinterest reports having $750 million in revenue in 2018, a 60% increase compared to 2017.
• Pinterest loses money. It reported a loss of $62 million for 2018, compared to a loss of $130 million for 2017.

More about Pinterest

Pinterest, which was co-founded in 2010 by its current chief executive officer Ben Silberman, has approximately 265 million active monthly users. Its user base is approximately two thirds women.

It operates in a fiercely competitive social media industry, dominated by Facebook and Twitter, as well as Instagram, Youtube, and Snap, among others.

Given the visual nature of its product, it’s attractive to advertisers who can promote products with so-called click-to-buy adds, according to reports.

More about IPOs

Following an IPO, a new stock can be subject to significant increases or decreases in market price. That’s known as volatility. Stock volatility can be particularly high in the first few months following an IPO and as a result, so can the potential for short-term losses. If you’re in this stock for the long haul though, it could be an opportunity for dollar cost averaging.

Oftentimes, fluctuations in price are due to the expiration of something called a lockup period—this is when company insiders, such as employees, sign an agreement that prohibits them from selling shares for a specified period of time. (According to Pinterest’s prospectus, the company’s lockup period is 180 days.)

When lockup periods expire, insiders tend to sell their stock in order to realize a profit, sometimes causing the stock price to fall, or experience large changes in price in the process. You can find out more about the lockup period and other information about Pinterest by looking at its prospectus, a publicly available document on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website EDGAR.

Remember the Stash Way—invest for the long-term, invest regularly, and don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

The post What You Need to Know About Pinterest’s IPO appeared first on Stash Learn.

Despite much of it being less than a decade old, social media technology is now deeply embedded in our culture. These days, everyone from celebrities, athletes, and politicians use social media to make announcements to the wider world. President Trump famously uses Twitter to express his views and announce policy changes. Stars such as Kanye West and Kylie Jenner also regularly take to social media to raise awareness of their brands and to sound off on whatever they’re thinking that day.

In August, Tesla CEO Elon Musk caused a brief shutdown in trading of the company’s shares when he announced via Twitter that he was thinking of taking his company private.

It’s not just the rich and powerful, either. Today, thanks to sites like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter it seems like everyone has a bullhorn to express themselves in real time.

Although social media is still in its adolescence, it continues to reshape the world and how we relate to each other as humans.

Here’s a quick guide to help you understand the industry and where it’s going.

What is the social media industry?

Today, 70% of Americans use social media in one form or another, whereas in 2005, only 5% did, according to industry data. Worldwide, there are roughly 3.2 billion social media users–and that number is growing, according to research.

That’s pretty impressive, considering the industry barely existed 20 years ago.

In the early days, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, the industry consisted of companies such as LiveJournal, Friendster, and Myspace.  Those early social pioneers had struck gold when discovering this new market, though they didn’t quite have their mining techniques developed yet. While none of these companies is around today, they were onto something. Namely, people want to connect, share stories, and see their friends online.

LinkedIn launched in 2003 with a career-oriented spin to social networking. Facebook was founded in 2004, and as we all know, went on to conquer and shape the social networking space as it exists today.

While there have been dozens, if not hundreds of social media companies founded over the years, only a handful have survived; And even those have evolved beyond their original intentions.

Facebook, for example, started as little more than an online phone book for Harvard students. Today, it’s the third-biggest social media platform on the internet.

Which companies are dominating the social media industry?

In the last decade, social networks migrated to smartphones–and have gone international.

There are numerous competing social networks, largely unknown in the U.S., that have billions of users in China, Russia, and India. Examples include QQ, Weibo, and WeChat (China), VKontakte (Russia), and Taringa (South and Central America).

Here are the biggest social networking companies in the U.S. by the number of users, and the percentage of adults who use them, according to data from Pew Research Center:

Source: Pew Research Center

Numerous other popular platforms exist today that feature social networking to one degree or another, allowing users to interact broadcast, and develop followings. They run the gamut from Reddit to Quora, and Tumblr to popular kids’ social media video app HouseParty.

Turning “likes” into dollars

The biggest issue early social networking companies faced was how to make money from people’s desire to connect online.

Some companies figured out the magic recipe was largely based on advertising. Facebook has created an enormous digital advertising platform, allowing paid advertisements and sponsored content to pop up into users’ feeds. LinkedIn, on the other hand, earns revenue by offering a variety of paid, premium services to users, and by charging recruiters and HR teams looking for talent.

Advertising, though, is the primary way social media companies generate revenue. These companies have oceans of data about their users, which they can supply to companies looking to advertise. Companies are willing to pay for the data because it targets specific demographics and buying behavior.

How much does this earn a social media company? During the fourth-quarter of 2017, Facebook reportedly made $6.18 per user, mostly through advertising. Snapchat made $1.53 per user during the same time period.

What’s next for the social media industry?

The industry has grown and evolved rapidly, and it’s very likely here to stay. But there are several critical issues the sector grapples with.

First, there’s the specter of increased government regulation. Following the 2016 presidential election, in which social media played a pivotal role through political advertising and messaging, companies including Facebook and Twitter have come under intense scrutiny, as their platforms were used to disseminate often false or misleading misinformation.

Facebook, in particular, has faced investor and regulatory wrath for giving away data of nearly 90 million users to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Calls for regulation

The U.S. government has yet to step in and lay down a new legal framework regarding social media and customer privacy, but lawmakers in Congress continue to discuss it. Meanwhile, new privacy legislation has passed swiftly in other countries, like those in the European Union.

Second, social media companies have started to morph into  media companies of their own, with the power to disseminate information and content to billions of people around the globe. Instagram and Snapchat Stories allow users to make mini-movies about their daily lives. In 2018, Facebook launched its own Netflix rival, Facebook Watch.  

And as talk about potential regulation heats up, so to have suggestions that platforms like Twitter or Facebook should follow the same rules as traditional media companies.

That could force them to adhere to regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),  similar to TV and radio broadcasters, among other things.

Finally, signs have emerged that industry growth may be experiencing a slowdown in demand for the traditional social media offering–networking.

Recent earnings reports by Facebook and Snap, for example revealed that user growth is decreasing after years of gains.

A changing business

In order to keep growing, some social networks have expanded beyond their traditional platforms. In some cases, that means that they’ve acquired rivals. For example, Yahoo bought Tumblr, Google gobbled up YouTube, and Facebook purchased Instagram as well as the multi-platform messaging app  WhatsApp. There have also been rumors about Facebook, Google, or even Amazon–a company that currently has very little presence in social networking–attempting to buy Twitter.

Some companies are growing beyond the social networking industry altogether in an effort to continue developing and engaging audiences. In 2014, Facebook purchased virtual reality company Oculus to expand into VR, for example, and in 2015, LinkedIn bought online learning company Lynda to offer its users online business and marketing classes, and software tutorials.

Twitter, too, branched out by acquiring a social media talent agency that finds and develops personalities that create content specifically tailored to the platform.

But even as the industry matures, it’s expected to continue growing and evolving. As with every industry, though, things can change.

When it comes to social media companies, you can make some acquisitions of your own. Check out social media single stocks and ETFs on Stash–all it takes is $5 to get started.

The post The Stash Guide to Investing in Social Media Stocks appeared first on Stash Learn.

On July 6, Zuckerberg edged past Buffett, the founder of business conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway.  (Find out more here).

The three richest people globally are now all founders of tech companies. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest person in the world, with a fortune estimated at $143 billion. Following Bezos is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose personal wealth is estimated at $93.4 billion.

What’s net worth?

In simplest terms, net worth is what you own, after you’ve subtracted what you owe. In addition to Facebook stock, Zuckerberg reportedly owns $200 million in real estate and $2.5 billion in cash.

Value vs. growth

Buffett, 87, has long been known for his skill picking company stocks and investing in companies that increase in value over time.

Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling cotton mill and cloth spinning company he purchased in 1962, into a conglomerate that owns dozens of companies. The company’s stock has increased a staggering 1.8 million percent over the last 50 years.

Berkshire Hathaway is what’s known as a value company because the companies it owns or invests in can often be undervalued compared to similar companies in the market. Investors, such as Buffett, try to invest in these companies before their share price increases.

Facebook, founded by Zuckerberg from his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, is a very different kind of company.  It’s what’s known as a growth company, because its employee size, revenue, and stock price have grown very quickly since the founding.

More background

Zuckerberg’s wealth increased by nearly $9 billion this year, according to news sources. Bezos’ wealth has increased by more than $50 billion since last summer.

Both Buffett and Zuckerberg have pledged to give away most of their wealth to charity over time.

As with any type of investing, choosing between value and growth investing largely comes down to assessing the trade-off between the risk and the expected performance.  Generally, a growth strategy is a style of investing that focuses on companies that have the potential to grow their earnings at a high rate, while a value strategy is a style of investing that focuses on companies that may be priced below their actual value.

The post Mark Zuckerberg Now Has a Higher Net Worth Than Warren Buffett appeared first on Stash Learn.

The company’s shares hit a record price on Monday, as CEO Tim Cook and other executives took to the stage to announce the newest features and upgrades to the company’s devices.

The conference, which draws third-party programmers from around the world–developers from 77 countries were among the 6,000 who attended, according to Cook–is one of the annual events at which Apple flexes its corporate muscle.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most noteworthy announcements:

Updates and upgrades

Among the company’s biggest announcements is an upgraded operating system, iOS 12. The OS upgrade is designed to speed everything up, according to Apple–including the efficiency of older devices.

“We are doubling down on performance”–Craig Federighi, vice president of software engineering for Apple

“For iOS 12, we are doubling down on performance,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of software engineering during the OS’s unveiling.

A new version of the macOS, Mojave, is also on the way and will replace High Sierra, the current OS. The Mojave update includes a “dark mode” that dims various unused elements on the screen and has a number of other new features, including a new way to stack documents in Finder.

The Mac App Store–the store dedicated to Apple’s computers and laptops, rather than for iPhones and iPads–is also getting a redesign, including allowing users to rate apps, similar to its App Store.

“Digital Health” features

Apple says it’s also looking out for users, health issues, related to too much screen gazing.

A new feature of the OS, called Screen Time, tracks how long you’ve been using your device, and even individual apps, and summarizes it in a weekly wrap-up. It allows you to set time limits for yourself to limit distraction, and to make sure you’re giving your pupils some pause.

The best of the rest:

New emojis. Apple is launching Animoji characters, which allow users to turn themselves into animal emoticons, and Memojis which let you create an emoji avatar. The new emojis will make it more competitive against Snap, analysts say. Snap reportedly spent $60 million on an emoji upgrade in 2017.

Group Facetime. It’s Facetime, but for groups. Up to 32 people will be able participate on a single call.

Augmented reality. Apple unveiled its next generation of software for developing augmented reality with its devices. The new software improves face tracking and image rendering, and allows for 3-D object detection and shared, multi-player experiences.

Special mention: Apple is also retooling its Stocks app, which will now feature business news, charts and metrics, and extended trading.

“We’ve completely rebuilt the Stocks app and it has a beautiful new design,” Susan Prescott, VP of product marketing, said during the event. “Of course, you can still see the stock prices and the changes at a glance. But we’ve added spark lines — those little charts — that show the stock performance throughout the day.”

The post Apple Wants to Wean You Off Your iPhone: News from WWDC18 appeared first on Stash Learn.

You also saved around $200, if you include tax, tip, and that overpriced bottle of wine.

But now what? It’d be pretty weird if you actively avoided your significant other on Valentine’s Day.

Instead, here are some last-minute, inexpensive Valentine’s Day ideas that are way more fun than going to a white tablecloth restaurant:

Treat it like a holiday you actually like

As people who crumble under the pressure of a romantic holiday, my boyfriend and I have a tradition of pretending Valentine’s Day is Halloween. We prep by researching scary movies we haven’t seen, and then binge all night. Added, unrelated bonus: He always fries up some cheese curds for my Midwestern appetite. We consider this greasy, scary tradition the perfect anti-Valentine’s Day date.

Stage a social media Valentine’s Day candy battle

• Step 1: Buy one of each Valentine’s Day novelty chocolates or candy at your local pharmacy or grocery store.
• Step 2: Make yourself—and your home—Instagram-ready.
• Step 3: Armed with homemade scorecards (and some wine), photograph you and your S.O. as you determine, once and for all, which Valentine’s Day candy is the best, and which need to be discontinued immediately.

Not only is this a fun and useful project, but it’s also great excuse to indulge in delightful treats in heart-shaped boxes. And, most importantly, you and your partner will get SO! MANY! DOUBLE TAPS! Get as competitive as you like, as long as it doesn’t devolve into a fight (which would defeat the purpose).

Break out the game board: Games. They’re not just for groups!

There are plenty of great games for two. If you’ve got a competitive spirit, I recommend Onitama, Patchwork (my boyfriend and I play this one constantly), Mr. Jack, and Jaipur. I’ve also found Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne adapt well to two players.

Add wine and aforementioned boxed chocolates and you’ve got bona fide, real deal couples time.

Laugh together

A night out at a comedy club is a great date. But here’s something you may not know. You don’t need to spend big money on tickets to see the best comics in your area. Really!

Skip the pricey comedy club and look through your local listings for a free or cheap independent standup show.

And if it does turn out horrible, you and your significant other can officially say you’ve had an “unforgettable experience.”

Worried that a bad comic could bomb your romance? As a comedian, I get why you might be skeptical—there’s a lot of bad comedy out there. Pro Tip: Google the host and some of the comics on the lineup. Do they seem generally likeable? Yes? Then give it a whirl. Most comedians will be extra gentle and friendly to couples who’ve decided to spend their Valentine’s Day watching live comedy, so you should be in good hands. If you’re nervous about being picked on, don’t choose a table near the stage.

And if it does turn out horrible, you and your significant other can officially say you’ve had an “unforgettable experience.”

Create a signature cocktail

There’s something so satisfying about finding drink recipes online and mixing yourself the kind of complicated, nuanced cocktail that would cost $15 at an upscale bar. Better yet, make it a challenge: Each of you is tasked with finding a drink recipe you think fits your partner. After collecting the ingredients, you each make a complex cocktail for your significant other., and explain why you chose that drink. Dirty martinis encouraged!

There’s no shame in going the traditional route. If it’s not Valentine’s Day without a white napkin in your lap, then go for what will make the day most special to you. There’s no shame in ordering in and watching your favorite movies on Netflix either.  —it’s the perfect date for a couple who is madly in love, but also very, very tired.

The post How to Have a Very (Very) Cheap Valentine’s Day appeared first on Stash Learn.

The social networking app surprised investors on Tuesday by reporting strong growth in its fourth quarter.

The creator of the disappearing instant message service has disappointed investors for months with poor earnings and a flagging stock price, which has fallen by nearly half since a high of $27, shortly after its initial public offering in March, 2017.

Why is Snap popping?

Although Snap reported a loss of $350 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, its revenue increased 72% to $286 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, according to its most recent filing with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The revenue increase stemmed from strong ad sales, according to reports. Snapchat’s use of self-serve software for advertisers increased ad impressions–or the number of times an ad is viewed–by 575% in the quarter, according to Reuters.

The social networking app surprised investors on Tuesday by reporting strong growth in its fourth quarter.

Snap also reportedly tripled the number of advertisers buying on its automated auction site over the same time period.

Revenue per user, an indication of how much money each customer earns Snap, increased 46% to $1.53, according to the company. And the number of Snap’s daily active users increased 5% to 187 million in the quarter.

News of the good quarter–the first time the company beat analyst expectations since it went public, according to Bloomberg–sent Snap’s shares up about 40%, to $20.67 in late afternoon trading Wednesday. *

Other things to keep in mind:

• At the time of Snap’s IPO, it was one of the most richly valued Internet startups since Facebook, with a market value of $24 billion.
• Back in November, China’s Tencent, the Internet services giant, swooped in and purchased an additional 12% of the company in after hours trading.
• Snap is still not profitable. It reported a net loss of $350 million in the fourth quarter. It reported a total net loss of $3.4 billion for the full year 2017.

The post Why Snap’s Share Price is Suddenly Popping appeared first on Stash Learn.

China’s Internet conglomerate Tencent Holdings overtook Facebook by size on Tuesday, with a market capitalization of $534.5 billion, compared to Facebook’s $519 billion, according to reports.

Tencent’s share price has surged following strong third quarter earnings, reported last week, with profits increasing nearly 70% in the quarter.

What’s Tencent?

Tencent is a tech conglomerate offering Internet services, an online advertising platform, and mobile games, among other things. It’s perhaps best-known, however, for its WeChat messaging service, which has close to 1 billion users who send about 38 billion messages each day, according to Reuters.

Market cap, is the total dollar value of a company’s shares. It’s often used to evaluate a company’s overall size

Tencent was founded by entrepreneur Ma Huateng in 1998. It has invested in numerous U.S. startups, including Snap and Tesla. Ma has an estimated net worth of $42 billion, according to CNN.

Earlier this month, Tencent caused a stir when it snapped up 12% of Snap after the U.S.-based messaging app company reported less than stellar earnings.

Tencent is now the fifth-largest publicly traded company in the world, according to Reuters. It ranks behind Apple, whose market capitalization of $873 billion makes it the most valuable company in the world, as well as Google parent company Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon.

[infogram id=”5624b090-27a2-48c8-b10f-fac165874e59″ prefix=”qmT” format=”interactive” title=”Tencent Chart”]

Largest publicly traded companies by market cap.

What is a market capitalization?

A market capitalization, or market cap, is the total dollar value of a company’s shares. It’s often used to evaluate a company’s overall size.

Market cap is determined using a simple calculation: You multiply the company’s share price by the number of shares available for sale. In this case, Tencent’s share price was about 440 Hong Kong dollars. It has about 1 billion shares outstanding.

That gives Tencent a market cap of roughly 4.17 trillion Hong Kong dollars, or $534.5 billion, according to CNBC. It’s the first Chinese company to reach the $500 billion market cap mark, beating out rival Alibaba, the Chinese eCommerce company.

The post China Social Media Giant Tencent is Now More Valuable Than Facebook appeared first on Stash Learn.

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant held a special event Tuesday at its new Steve Jobs Theater to unveil its latest iPhones, including the iPhone X, as well as other innovations for the Apple Watch and Apple TV.

But it was the news about the latest iPhone models that created the most excitement.

“No other device has had the impact on the world that the iPhone has,” Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive officer, said in prepared remarks during the streamed event. “Nothing else has put so much power into so many people’s hands.”

The iPhone X is the first major redesign of the iPhone since 2014

The 10-year-old iPhone is perhaps the most successful consumer device in recent history, and the latest model could push Apple’s market cap to a staggering $1 trillion or more, according to reports.

In addition to the iPhone X, which will begin shipping in November, Apple will release the Phone 8 and 8 plus, scheduled for release by the third week of September. These will have features including wireless charging and faster internal processors. The iPhone 8 will start at $699. The 8 plus will retail for $799.

So what’s inside the iPhone X?

The iPhone X is the first major redesign of the iPhone since 2014.

The handset’s feature list will include facial recognition technology, an edge to edge display, augmented reality camera, improved battery life, and animated emojis.  It will also eliminate the home button in favor of a touch screen that pairs with facial recognition to activate the phone.

Will the iPhone X be too pricey for consumers?

The high price is a definitely a gamble with consumers, numerous industry experts say, particularly as the cost of an iPhone has been edging up for years. In fact, the 7 plus, released in 2016, retails for $769.

Only 11% of consumers said they’d purchase a phone with a price tag of $1,000, according to a survey conducted by investment bank Barclays in August. (The majority of those polled said they don’t want to spend more than $560.)

Apple’s not alone in pushing up prices

Competitor Samsung’s new Galaxy 8, which will be available September 15, retails for $950. Together, Apple and Samsung control more than a third of the global high-end smartphone market. 

And for many consumers, smartphones have become a fact of life. They now reportedly spend about 4 hours a day on their mobile devices, which are doing double time as work tools for increasing numbers of people.

And if the price is a gamble, it’s clearly one Apple has thought carefully about.

One reason is that consumers plan to spend more cash on mobile phones in the coming years, according to the research firm Gartner. Another reason why: In the months following the release of its new phones, stock price tends to tick up dramatically. In fact, Apple’s share price in the year following the release of its iPhone 7 increased 43%.

Sources: FactSet and the Wall Street Journal

The post The New iPhone X: Yes, It Could Really Cost $1,000 appeared first on Stash Learn.

An earnings report is a snapshot of a company’s health over a three-month period. Among the things you’ll find are reports about a company’s revenue and profit, which show how much money they’re making and how well they’re using that cash.

You can find out more about earnings reports here.  

What’s inside the report?

The tech sector has been on a growth tear for quite some time, and the NASDAQ, the market index laden with the biggest tech stock names, is up about 25% for the year. The stocks reporting this week are important bellwethers (or indicators) for the technology market, and in some cases for the broader economy.

Something else to keep in mind: the tech sector is volatile, which means the stocks of companies in these industries may be subject to sudden fluctuation. Stocks stumbled in June as investors sold stock to cash in on their profits.

(Lean more about tech stock volatility here.)

Here are some highlights from top tech company earnings reports this week:

• Google parent Alphabet, which reported earnings on Monday, saw its stock fall despite revenue growth of 21% to $26 billion for the quarter. The problem? The price advertisers are paying for ads went down.

Google is the biggest advertiser in the world, and the slip  in revenue is the result of a shift to mobile devices, where the search engine company charges less per click. Desktop ads are still the most profitable for Google. The company’s stock fell nearly 3.5 % after it reported earnings on Monday.

• Facebook, the social media giant, reported its second quarter revenue increased 45% to $9 billion, and its profit jumped 71% to $3.9 billion, driven by advertising revenue. That’s a huge increase by any measure, and especially for a mature company in the social media space, according to analysts. Its stock increased 6% Thursday, following the earnings report. Facebook is now approaching a $500 billion market cap, which puts in the company of tech giants including Apple and Microsoft.
  
• Amazon’s revenue increased by 25% to $38 billion. Profits for the world’s largest e-commerce retailer dropped 77% to $197 million, however, as the company continues to spend on things like new products, warehouse infrastructure, and video content. On Thursday, Amazon’s stock traded at a record high of $1,081 per share, making company founder Jeff Bezos the richest person in the world. He is now worth more than $90.6 billion.
• Twitter reported 328 million monthly active users, about the same as the previous quarter, but fewer than analysts expected. The lack of increase in users sent the company’s stock down 5% on Thursday.

The generally positive earnings for these companies sparked stock market gains last week, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a composite index of 30 of the most prominent U.S. stocks, climbed to new heights.

Key takeaways:

Prominent tech companies reported their second quarter earnings this week. Quarterly earnings reports are important snapshots of business health. The tech sector is a rapidly growing part of the U.S. economy, and it continues to drive broader market gains. Tech stocks are volatile, which means they can fluctuate up and down suddenly.

Read more: What The Recent Tech Sell-Off Teaches Us About Diversification  

The post What’s Happening with Tech Earnings? appeared first on Stash Learn.

On Friday, the NASDAQ, the largest index of publicly traded technology stocks in the U.S., shed about $100 billion. Until that point, the tech sector had been up about 17% for the year.

It’s a reminder, experts say, that tech stocks can be volatile, or subject to big swings in their share prices. That’s why it’s a good idea to diversify, and invest in a variety of industries, geographical regions, and categories of businesses. That way your portfolio won’t take as big a hit when a sector has losses.

What the tech sell-off means

Here’s a closer look at what happened last week:

Just five companies caused the big swing, according to Bloomberg. Those stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook.

They account for 30% of total weighting of the NASDAQ index. Over the last few days, they were responsible for 75% of the index swing, according to reports.

The biggest loser was Apple, whose stock had fallen by 6.2% percent by Monday, shedding $50 billion of value on concerns about iPhone sales. Google’s parent company Alphabet lost about 4% of its stock value, and $30 billion worth of market cap, and Microsoft lost 3%, or about $17 billion of market cap over the same time period.  

Since Monday, the NASDAQ has begun edging up again to regain some of its losses.

Nevertheless, the selloff is a sign that investors are shifting their cash around, moving into stocks that may be undervalued, such as financial and energy, some experts say.  

The post Tech Sell-Off: A Great Lesson On Why Diversification Is Important appeared first on Stash Learn.

Every year, financial analysts wait anxiously for Mary Meeker, one of Silicon Valley’s top thinkers, to offer her insights.

The venture capitalist recently revealed the latest trends in her much-anticipated 2017 trend report report.

So who is Mary Meeker?

Mary Meeker is a partner at the venture capital firm called Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer, one of the most powerful tech industry financing companies in Silicon Valley.

Many consider Meeker to be a guru in the tech sector, and she typically ranks as one of the most influential women in the world.

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer placed early bets on companies like America Online, Amazon and Compaq. More recently Meeker guided it to make investments in Airbnb, Slack, and Spotify.

Here are the key takeaways from her 355 page report:

Smartphone growth is slowing globally.

• Total shipments of smartphones for 2016 grew just 3%, compared to a 10% growth rate a year earlier.

Digital growth in China is going strong.

• The amount of time that people in China spent on the Internet grew 30% in 2016, compared to 2015. Users there are logging more than 2.5 billion hours a day, according to the report. The number of Internet users increased 12% for the year, compared to 11% a year earlier.

Gaming is on.

• China is also the number one place globally for online gaming revenues, with software makers hauling in $25 billion in revenue there in 2016.

The ad game is changing. 

• Internet advertising is expected to outpace TV ads in the next six months, with Google and Facebook hauling in the most advertising revenue. Internet advertisers are expected to spend more than $200 billion by the end of the year.

What do Mary Meeker’s insights mean for you?

• Globally, we may be reaching a saturation point for smartphones, but Internet user growth is still strong, particularly in China.
• China is the number one spot globally for online gaming.
• Internet advertising is set to surpass TV advertising in the next six months.

The post Tech Is Still Killing It: Investment Guru Talks 2017 Trends appeared first on Stash Learn.