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Full Court Finance

Ben Rains takes on the weeks top trending stories in the sports industry
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Now displaying: September, 2016
Sep 30, 2016

On today’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line podcast, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson take on this week’s biggest news from the investment and financial world.

The hosts started the episode with a pair of headlines surrounding Spotify. According to some reports, the music streaming giant is looking to buyout one of its many competitors, SoundCloud. At the same time, the company announced a soft-launch in Japan this week, becoming the first music streamer to offer a free, ad-supported service in that country.

Check out the full details here: Spotify News Round-Up: Japan Launch, Reportedly Acquiring SoundCloud

Maddy and Ryan also took a look at two IPO announcements. Jose Cuervo, the world’s largest tequila maker, filed for an IPO that could be worth up to $1 billion. Also this week, luxury resort company Playa Hotels announced its intentions to hold an IPO valued at $100 million.

You can find coverage for both IPOs here: Playa Hotels & Resorts Files for $100 Million IPO & Tequila Maker Jose Cuervo Announces $1 Billion IPO

The hosts also touched on this week’s jump in oil prices following the decision by OPEC to cut its oil output for the first time since 2008. After two days of deliberation, OPEC member nations decided to reduce output to 32.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from current production of 33.24 million bpd.

For the full story, go here: Crude Oil Spikes 4.8% on OPEC Agreement to Cut Oil Output

Finally, this week’s main story was the ongoing Twitter buyout rumors. With companies like Salesforce (CRM), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Disney (DIS) all reportedly interested, it appears like a Twitter takeover could be on the horizon. Maddy and Ryan looked at all of the rumors and offered their own insights into which potential companies would make the most sense to take over the struggling social media site.

For more coverage on Twitter and its potential suitors, check out these stories:

As always, thanks for checking out this week’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and make sure to check back next week for even more news from the investment and financial world!

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysClick to get this free report >>

Sep 23, 2016

On today’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line podcast, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson take on this week’s biggest news from the investment and financial world.

The first story on the docket this week was a follow-up on a pair of companies featured in the Finish Line’s exclusive interview with Kathleen Smith of IPO-focused research firm Renaissance Capital. The interview alerted investors to the possibility of several upcoming IPOs, including The Trade Desk and e.l.f. Beauty, which both did debut this week.

Find more on those IPOs here: In Shimmering IPO, e.l.f. Beauty Soars 41%

The hosts also checked in on Netflix (NFLX), which announced this week that it its library will reach 50% original content in just a few years. Speaking in front of a conference at Goldman Sachs, Netflix’s CFO confirmed the company’s goal and claimed it was nearly halfway to this point already.

Check out the full story here: Netflix CFO: 50% of Its Total Library Will Be Original Content

Maddy and Ryan continued the show by discussing Comcast (CMCSA) and its plans to launch a mobile phone service next year. While the company’s general popularity remains low, its connections within the industry should allow it to launch a Wi-Fi hotspot-focused service at a relatively low cost.

Go here for the full details: Comcast Will Launch Mobile Phone Service in 2017

Finally, the featured story of the week was the congressional hearings of Wells Fargo (WFC) and Mylan (MYL). The CEOs of both companies faced questions from lawmakers regarding their respective scandals, and their testimonies have only raised more questions about the power of corporate America. Are Wells Fargo the fact of capitalist greed, or are these companies taking the fall for a broken system?

You can find our coverage of the hearings here: Wells Fargo CEO Grilled By Congress, Denies Fraud by Management & Here's What Pissed-Off Congressmen Said to Mylan's CEO

As always, thanks for checking out this week’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and make sure to check back next week for even more news from the investment and financial world!

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysClick to get this free report >>

Sep 16, 2016

On today’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line podcast, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson take on this week’s biggest news from the investment and financial world.

The hosts started the show with a brief mention of the rather absurd volatility we’ve seen throughout the market this week. September has a reputation for being a tough month for stocks, and that it is really looking to hold true this year.

The first story that Maddy and Ryan covered this week came from Amazon (AMZN) and General Electric (GE). Building on the Finish Line’s love for the Internet of Things, the hosts chatted about GE’s updated smart appliances that are now compatible with Amazon’s Echo speaker. Could home automation really be the future?

For more on that story, go here: Amazon's Echo Just Got Even Cooler Thanks to GE

After that, the hosts moved on a rather unfortunate story, at least for American autoworkers. Domestic car giant Ford (F) announced at its investor day this week that it will begin moving all of its small-car manufacturing from the U.S. to Mexico.

For more on Ford’s move, check out our story: Ford to Shift Small Car Production to Mexico to Cut Costs

Finally, this week’s biggest story was Bayer’s (BAYRY) $66 billion buyout of Monsanto (MON). The German drug and crop chemicals maker has transformed itself into an agricultural behemoth with its purchase of the world’s largest seeds firm. While this sounds like a good bit of business, Maddy and Ryan look at what it actually means for consumers and smaller companies around the world.

Find out the details on the buyout here: Monsanto and Bayer Agree on $66 Billion All-Cash Deal

As always, thanks for checking out this week’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and make sure to check back next week for even more news from the investment and financial world!

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysClick to get this free report >>

Sep 9, 2016

On today’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line podcast, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson take on this week’s biggest news from the investment and financial world.

The hosts kicked off the show with even more news from Mylan (MYL). The makers of the EpiPen are once again in the spotlight after an antitrust probe into the company’s EpiPens4School program was launched in New York this week.

For our full coverage on the probe, go here: Pharma Round-Up: Mylan's Antitrust Probe

Maddy and Ryan moved on to discussing the for-profit education business, another industry that has been under fire from government regulators recently. The focus this week was ITT Educational Services (ESI), which announced it would be shutting down all of its schools just days after the U.S. Department of Education banned the company from enrolling new students who depend on federal financial aid.

Check out our latest story on ITT Tech: ITT Educational Faces the Wrath of Department of Education

The hosts then started their discussion on Wednesday’s Apple keynote by looking at why Nintendo (NTDOY) stock soared following the event. Shares of the videogame giant skyrocketed over 25% after the company joined the Apple keynote to announce that a new Mario-based game would be launching on the App Store this year.

For more on that story, go here: Here's Why Nintendo Stock Soared Today

Finally, Maddy and Ryan got into the rest of the Apple event, including the announcement of the Watch OS3, the Apple Watch Series 2, and the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The hosts discussed all of the new features and designs, including the controversial decision to remove the standard 3.5mm headphone jack on the new phone.

Find our full coverage of the Apple event here: Here's Everything We Learned From Today's Apple Event

As always, thanks for checking out this week’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and make sure to check back next week for even more news from the investment and financial world!

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysClick to get this free report >>

Sep 6, 2016

In a special edition of Zacks Friday Finish Line, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson are joined by Kathleen Smith, a co-founder of Renaissance, a provider of IPO-focused research and investment management.

Renaissance has been around for 25 years. It offers separately managed institutional accounts, as well as two ETFs—the Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO) and the Renaissance International IPO ETF (IPOS)—as well as a mutual fund, the Global IPO Fund (IPOSX).

In part one of the interview, we discussed the sluggish IPO market in the first half of 2016, and Kathleen gave insight on what private companies should look out for to encourage an IPO. In case you missed it, check it out here.

Now, in part two of the interview, we looked towards the future, and talked about the IPO market in the second half of 2016 and into 2017. While there may not be a blockbuster IPO this year, Kathleen name-dropped a few smaller tech and consumer-related companies Renaissance Capital believes may go public in 2016.

We also discussed some of the big tech unicorns, and despite their large presence in our daily lives, there is still much to be learned about companies like Uber and Snapchat.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysClick to get this free report >>

Sep 2, 2016

In a special edition of Zacks Friday Finish Line, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson are joined by Kathleen Smith, a co-founder of Renaissance Capital, a provider of IPO-focused research and investment management.

Renaissance has been around for 25 years. It offers separately managed institutional accounts, as well as two ETFs—the Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO) and the Renaissance International IPO ETF (IPOS)—as well as a mutual fund, the Global IPO Fund (IPOSX).

Together, we discussed the sluggish IPO market in the first half of 2016. In addition to well-known issues influencing the market like the uncertainty about rate hikes in the U.S. and economic instability in China, Kathleen offered an interesting perspective on the current lackluster market.

She also gave insight on what private companies should watch out for to encourage an IPO, like looking at how the market values a private company’s industry peer.

Stay tuned for part two of the interview, where we discuss the IPO market in the second half of 2016 and into 2017.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysClick to get this free report >>

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