Sunday, January 15, 2012
Bradley Associates Info: Google +1 Button Now Shares Directly to Google+
Bradley Associates Info: Google +1 Button Now Shares Directly to Google+
Google has upgraded the +1 button with several new features, including the ability to directly share a webpage to Google+.
“Beginning today, we’re making it easy for Google+ users to share webpages with their circles, directly from the +1 button,” Google SVP of Social Vic Gundotra announced in a blog post. “Just +1 a page as usual and look for the new ‘Share on Google+’ option. From there you can comment, choose a circle and share.”
In the past, clicking the +1 button only shared content to a tab on a user’s Google+ profile. This is in contrast to the Facebook Like button, which posts an article on a user’s Facebook wall. Now that Google has its own social network, the search giant can match Facebook’s button functionality.
Google also announced the addition of +snippets to the +1 button. A +snippet is simply the link, image and description automatically generated when a link is shared on Google+. These +snippets make content more engaging on the Google+ social network, which is why the search giant is giving publishers the ability to customize their snippets. Publishers can customize the code of their +1 button to tweak what gets displayed in a +snippet.
Google says the +1 button has been growing rapidly since its introduction in June. The button is now embedded on more than 1 million websites, garnering a total of 4 billion daily views. Those are impressive numbers, but the success or failure of the +1 button will be measured in clicks, not views.
About Bradley Associates Media
Bradley Associates Madrid Local and International News is the newest technology media news, world financial headlines with business and marketing local events, personal reviews on latest technology and gadgets - dedicated to obsessively profiling startups, reviewing new Internet products, stock market and breaking tech news.
“Beginning today, we’re making it easy for Google+ users to share webpages with their circles, directly from the +1 button,” Google SVP of Social Vic Gundotra announced in a blog post. “Just +1 a page as usual and look for the new ‘Share on Google+’ option. From there you can comment, choose a circle and share.”
In the past, clicking the +1 button only shared content to a tab on a user’s Google+ profile. This is in contrast to the Facebook Like button, which posts an article on a user’s Facebook wall. Now that Google has its own social network, the search giant can match Facebook’s button functionality.
Google also announced the addition of +snippets to the +1 button. A +snippet is simply the link, image and description automatically generated when a link is shared on Google+. These +snippets make content more engaging on the Google+ social network, which is why the search giant is giving publishers the ability to customize their snippets. Publishers can customize the code of their +1 button to tweak what gets displayed in a +snippet.
Google says the +1 button has been growing rapidly since its introduction in June. The button is now embedded on more than 1 million websites, garnering a total of 4 billion daily views. Those are impressive numbers, but the success or failure of the +1 button will be measured in clicks, not views.
About Bradley Associates Media
Bradley Associates Madrid Local and International News is the newest technology media news, world financial headlines with business and marketing local events, personal reviews on latest technology and gadgets - dedicated to obsessively profiling startups, reviewing new Internet products, stock market and breaking tech news.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: An Alpine rail adventure: Swiss bliss on the world’s slowest express
We were at the Oberalp Pass, literally the high point of the Glacier Express’s seven-and-a-half-hour journey between St Moritz and Zermatt. We were passing between a range of 6,600ft mountains before our descent towards Brig. In all directions the carriage’s giant observation windows revealed amazing vistas: to our left we gazed down lush [...]
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: An Alpine rail adventure: Swiss bliss on the world’s slowest express
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/10/hypo-venture-capital-headlines-an-alpine-rail-adventure-swiss-bliss-on-the-worlds-slowest-express/
We were at the Oberalp Pass, literally the high point of the Glacier Express’s seven-and-a-half-hour journey between St Moritz and Zermatt. We were passing between a range of 6,600ft mountains before our descent towards Brig. In all directions the carriage’s giant observation windows revealed amazing vistas: to our left we gazed down lush [...]
We were at the Oberalp Pass, literally the high point of the Glacier Express’s seven-and-a-half-hour journey between St Moritz and Zermatt. We were passing between a range of 6,600ft mountains before our descent towards Brig. In all directions the carriage’s giant observation windows revealed amazing vistas: to our left we gazed down lush [...]
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: An Alpine rail adventure: Swiss bliss on the world?s slowest express
http://ping.fm/OgUxR
We were at the Oberalp Pass, literally the high point of the Glacier Express’s seven-and-a-half-hour journey between St Moritz and Zermatt. We were passing between a range of 6,600ft mountains before our descent towards Brig. In all directions the carriage’s giant observation windows revealed amazing vistas: to our left we gazed down lush [...]
We were at the Oberalp Pass, literally the high point of the Glacier Express’s seven-and-a-half-hour journey between St Moritz and Zermatt. We were passing between a range of 6,600ft mountains before our descent towards Brig. In all directions the carriage’s giant observation windows revealed amazing vistas: to our left we gazed down lush [...]
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: Budget 2012: Take a holiday , it’s not all bad – Leo Varadkar
TRANSPORT Minister Leo Varadkar risked the wrath of thousands of struggling families by suggesting the Budget will be so easy they will be able to afford to take a holiday next year. The minister’s bizarre comments come just a week after experts said every family was going to be €600-a-month worse off as a result [...]
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines: Budget 2012: Take a holiday , it’s not all bad – Leo Varadkar
http://hypoventurecapital-financialideas.com/2011/12/hypo-venture-capital-headlines-budget-2012-take-a-holiday-it%e2%80%99s-not-all-bad-%e2%80%93-leo-varadkar/
TRANSPORT Minister Leo Varadkar risked the wrath of thousands of struggling families by suggesting the Budget will be so easy they will be able to afford to take a holiday next year. The minister’s bizarre comments come just a week after experts said every family was going to be €600-a-month worse off as a result [...]
TRANSPORT Minister Leo Varadkar risked the wrath of thousands of struggling families by suggesting the Budget will be so easy they will be able to afford to take a holiday next year. The minister’s bizarre comments come just a week after experts said every family was going to be €600-a-month worse off as a result [...]
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines:Wal-Mart Names Senior China Bosses
http://ping.fm/2tGFW
BEIJING—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. moved quickly to name successors for two former top China executives, whose resignations earlier this month rattled the retail giant as it strives to gain market share in one of its strategic growth markets.
The world’s largest retailer tapped Mario-José Medina to head its financial operations in China, according to a company statement issued Friday. Mr. Medina joined the U.S. company in 2007 and has served as the chief financial officer of Wal-Mart Puerto Rico and most recently of Wal-Mart Chile. Del Sloneker, a former
BEIJING—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. moved quickly to name successors for two former top China executives, whose resignations earlier this month rattled the retail giant as it strives to gain market share in one of its strategic growth markets.
The world’s largest retailer tapped Mario-José Medina to head its financial operations in China, according to a company statement issued Friday. Mr. Medina joined the U.S. company in 2007 and has served as the chief financial officer of Wal-Mart Puerto Rico and most recently of Wal-Mart Chile. Del Sloneker, a former
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines:Wal-Mart Names Senior China Bosses
BEIJING—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. moved quickly to name successors for two former top China executives, whose resignations earlier this month rattled the retail giant as it strives to gain market share in one of its strategic growth markets.
The world’s largest retailer tapped Mario-José Medina to head its financial operations in China, according to a company statement issued Friday. Mr. Medina joined the U.S. company in 2007 and has served as the chief financial officer of Wal-Mart Puerto Rico and most recently of Wal-Mart Chile. Del Sloneker, a former
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines:Wal-Mart Names Senior China Bosses
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/06/hypo-venture-capital-headlineswal-mart-names-senior-china-bosses/
BEIJING—Wal-Mart Stores Inc. moved quickly to name successors for two former top China executives, whose resignations earlier this month rattled the retail giant as it strives to gain market share in one of its strategic growth markets.
The world’s largest retailer tapped Mario-José Medina to head its financial operations in China, according to a company statement issued Friday. Mr. Medina joined the U.S. company in 2007 and has served as the chief financial officer of Wal-Mart Puerto Rico and most recently of Wal-Mart Chile. Del Sloneker, a former
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Groupon’s $540 Million Loss May Leave Investors Leery of IPO
Groupon Inc.’s $540.2 million in operating losses since 2008 may leave some investors leery of buying shares in a company with a business model so easy to copy that it has spawned 482 imitators.
Groupon, the biggest provider of online daily-deal coupons, said yesterday that it plans to raise $750 million in an IPO, the most yet for a U.S. social media company.
Sales surged more than 14-fold to $644.7 million last quarter, making Chicago-based Groupon bigger than established technology companies like Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) and Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) Yet, with marketing costs rising faster than sales, Groupon may not make money fast enough to warrant the $25 billion valuation it was said to be contemplating in March, said Pat Becker Jr., a portfolio manager at Becker Capital Management Inc.
“Companies have to have profitability or a compelling case for a path to profitability,” said Becker, whose Portland, Oregon-based firm manages $2.5 billion. “We also look for barriers to entry and we just don’t see that in this particular business.”
Co-founded in 2008 by Andrew Mason, Groupon has ballooned in the past year as consumers worldwide flock to daily offers for discounts of up to 90 percent at hotels, restaurants and nail salons. The company’s gross profit, or the revenue left after sharing sales with merchants, jumped to $270 million in the first quarter from $20 million a year earlier.
‘Revolution in Retailing’
The daily-deal market pioneered by Groupon may generate $3.9 billion in U.S. sales in 2015, from $873 million in 2010, according to researcher BIA/Kelsey in Chantilly, Virginia.
Subscribers increased to 83.1 million in the first quarter from 3.4 million a year earlier, and the number of deals sold jumped to 28.1 million from 1.8 million. Groupon delivers coupons in more than 500 markets worldwide, compared with 260 for its top competitor, Washington-based LivingSocial.com.
“The whole deals space is the most revolutionary thing in retailing since the advent of e-commerce,” said Lou Kerner, managing director of the private shares group at Wedbush Securities Inc., in a televised interview on “Bloomberg West.” “This is a market that is going to be really, really big but it’s still really in its infancy.”
To handle the growth, Groupon bolstered its workforce to 7,107 employees as of March 31, from 37 in June 2009. Revenue per sales representative in the first quarter was $172,000 a month, up from $87,000 two years earlier, the company said.
The company had marketing costs of $208.2 million in the first quarter, resulting in a net operating loss of $117.1 million. Groupon spent $179.9 million on subscriber acquisitions, as it tries to build its lead over LivingSocial.
Profitability In Question
“Since our inception, we have prioritized growth, and investments in our marketing initiatives have contributed to our losses,” Groupon said in the filing. “Over time, as our business continues to scale and we become more established in a greater percentage of our markets, we expect that our marketing expense will decrease as a percentage of revenue.”
The size of the marketing budget will make it difficult to reach profitability any time soon, said A.B. Mendez, a research analyst at GreenCrest Capital Management LLC in New York.
“It’s not yet clear what their longer-term margins will be or when they will be able to get to consistent profitability,” Mendez said.
LinkedIn Corp., the No. 1 professional-networking site, last month became the first major U.S. social-media company to sell shares to the public. Shares of the Mountain View, California-based company have surged 75 percent since its May 18 debut and now has a market value of $7.5 billion.
Cheaper Than LinkedIn?
On a price-to-sales basis, Groupon may be cheaper than LinkedIn and Facebook Inc. LinkedIn is valued at 20 times this year’s sales, assuming first-quarter revenue is replicated throughout the year. A $25 billion valuation for Groupon would mean a price-to-sales ratio of 9.7. Facebook is valued at $55 billion on the secondary exchange SharesPost Inc., implying a ratio of about 13.8.
To justify its valuation, Groupon needs to convert marketing costs into profit by ensuring customers keep coming back, said Espen Robak, president of Pluris Valuation Advisors LLC, a New York-based adviser to investment funds.
“It all depends on how sticky those customer relationships are,” Robak said. “If they become subscribers forever and you can harvest those relationships for a long time, the money you spent up front is money well spent.”
Internet music service Pandora Media Inc. said yesterday that it plans to raise as much as $123.2 million in an IPO. At the midpoint of its range, the company would be valued at $1.27 billion, or 6.2 times revenue.
Shareholder Backers
The biggest shareholder is Green Media LLC, which is owned by co-founder Eric Lefkofsky and his wife, Elizabeth Kramer Lefkofsky. Green Media owns 21.6 percent of Class A shares and 41.7 percent of Class B stock.
Rounding out the list of top investors are Rugger Ventures LLC, owned by the family of Groupon co-founder Bradley Keywell, which holds 6.9 percent of Class A stock and 16.7 percent of Class B. New Enterprise Associates and Accel Partners own 14.7 percent and 5.6 percent of Class A shares, respectively.
Investors with less than 5 percent ownership include T. Rowe Price Group Inc., Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, is an investor in Andreessen Horowitz.
Groupon was valued at about $1.3 billion in April 2010, when it raised $135 million from Digital Sky and other investors. An investment of $950 million, completed in January, pegged Groupon’s worth at $4.75 billion.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Groupon?s $540 Million Loss May Leave Investors Leery of IPO
http://ping.fm/HJv6B
Groupon Inc.’s $540.2 million in operating losses since 2008 may leave some investors leery of buying shares in a company with a business model so easy to copy that it has spawned 482 imitators.
Groupon, the biggest provider of online daily-deal coupons, said yesterday that it plans to raise $750 million in an IPO, the most yet for a U.S. social media company.
Sales surged more than 14-fold to $644.7 million last quarter, making Chicago-based Groupon bigger than established technology companies like Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) and Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) Yet, with marketing costs rising faster than sales, Groupon may not make money fast enough to warrant the $25 billion valuation it was said to be contemplating in March, said Pat Becker Jr., a portfolio manager at Becker Capital Management Inc.
“Companies have to have profitability or a compelling case for a path to profitability,” said Becker, whose Portland, Oregon-based firm manages $2.5 billion. “We also look for barriers to entry and we just don’t see that in this particular business.”
Co-founded in 2008 by Andrew Mason, Groupon has ballooned in the past year as consumers worldwide flock to daily offers for discounts of up to 90 percent at hotels, restaurants and nail salons. The company’s gross profit, or the revenue left after sharing sales with merchants, jumped to $270 million in the first quarter from $20 million a year earlier.
‘Revolution in Retailing’
The daily-deal market pioneered by Groupon may generate $3.9 billion in U.S. sales in 2015, from $873 million in 2010, according to researcher BIA/Kelsey in Chantilly, Virginia.
Subscribers increased to 83.1 million in the first quarter from 3.4 million a year earlier, and the number of deals sold jumped to 28.1 million from 1.8 million. Groupon delivers coupons in more than 500 markets worldwide, compared with 260 for its top competitor, Washington-based LivingSocial.com.
“The whole deals space is the most revolutionary thing in retailing since the advent of e-commerce,” said Lou Kerner, managing director of the private shares group at Wedbush Securities Inc., in a televised interview on “Bloomberg West.” “This is a market that is going to be really, really big but it’s still really in its infancy.”
To handle the growth, Groupon bolstered its workforce to 7,107 employees as of March 31, from 37 in June 2009. Revenue per sales representative in the first quarter was $172,000 a month, up from $87,000 two years earlier, the company said.
The company had marketing costs of $208.2 million in the first quarter, resulting in a net operating loss of $117.1 million. Groupon spent $179.9 million on subscriber acquisitions, as it tries to build its lead over LivingSocial.
Profitability In Question
“Since our inception, we have prioritized growth, and investments in our marketing initiatives have contributed to our losses,” Groupon said in the filing. “Over time, as our business continues to scale and we become more established in a greater percentage of our markets, we expect that our marketing expense will decrease as a percentage of revenue.”
The size of the marketing budget will make it difficult to reach profitability any time soon, said A.B. Mendez, a research analyst at GreenCrest Capital Management LLC in New York.
“It’s not yet clear what their longer-term margins will be or when they will be able to get to consistent profitability,” Mendez said.
LinkedIn Corp., the No. 1 professional-networking site, last month became the first major U.S. social-media company to sell shares to the public. Shares of the Mountain View, California-based company have surged 75 percent since its May 18 debut and now has a market value of $7.5 billion.
Cheaper Than LinkedIn?
On a price-to-sales basis, Groupon may be cheaper than LinkedIn and Facebook Inc. LinkedIn is valued at 20 times this year’s sales, assuming first-quarter revenue is replicated throughout the year. A $25 billion valuation for Groupon would mean a price-to-sales ratio of 9.7. Facebook is valued at $55 billion on the secondary exchange SharesPost Inc., implying a ratio of about 13.8.
To justify its valuation, Groupon needs to convert marketing costs into profit by ensuring customers keep coming back, said Espen Robak, president of Pluris Valuation Advisors LLC, a New York-based adviser to investment funds.
“It all depends on how sticky those customer relationships are,” Robak said. “If they become subscribers forever and you can harvest those relationships for a long time, the money you spent up front is money well spent.”
Internet music service Pandora Media Inc. said yesterday that it plans to raise as much as $123.2 million in an IPO. At the midpoint of its range, the company would be valued at $1.27 billion, or 6.2 times revenue.
Shareholder Backers
The biggest shareholder is Green Media LLC, which is owned by co-founder Eric Lefkofsky and his wife, Elizabeth Kramer Lefkofsky. Green Media owns 21.6 percent of Class A shares and 41.7 percent of Class B stock.
Rounding out the list of top investors are Rugger Ventures LLC, owned by the family of Groupon co-founder Bradley Keywell, which holds 6.9 percent of Class A stock and 16.7 percent of Class B. New Enterprise Associates and Accel Partners own 14.7 percent and 5.6 percent of Class A shares, respectively.
Investors with less than 5 percent ownership include T. Rowe Price Group Inc., Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, is an investor in Andreessen Horowitz.
Groupon was valued at about $1.3 billion in April 2010, when it raised $135 million from Digital Sky and other investors. An investment of $950 million, completed in January, pegged Groupon’s worth at $4.75 billion.
Groupon Inc.’s $540.2 million in operating losses since 2008 may leave some investors leery of buying shares in a company with a business model so easy to copy that it has spawned 482 imitators.
Groupon, the biggest provider of online daily-deal coupons, said yesterday that it plans to raise $750 million in an IPO, the most yet for a U.S. social media company.
Sales surged more than 14-fold to $644.7 million last quarter, making Chicago-based Groupon bigger than established technology companies like Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) and Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) Yet, with marketing costs rising faster than sales, Groupon may not make money fast enough to warrant the $25 billion valuation it was said to be contemplating in March, said Pat Becker Jr., a portfolio manager at Becker Capital Management Inc.
“Companies have to have profitability or a compelling case for a path to profitability,” said Becker, whose Portland, Oregon-based firm manages $2.5 billion. “We also look for barriers to entry and we just don’t see that in this particular business.”
Co-founded in 2008 by Andrew Mason, Groupon has ballooned in the past year as consumers worldwide flock to daily offers for discounts of up to 90 percent at hotels, restaurants and nail salons. The company’s gross profit, or the revenue left after sharing sales with merchants, jumped to $270 million in the first quarter from $20 million a year earlier.
‘Revolution in Retailing’
The daily-deal market pioneered by Groupon may generate $3.9 billion in U.S. sales in 2015, from $873 million in 2010, according to researcher BIA/Kelsey in Chantilly, Virginia.
Subscribers increased to 83.1 million in the first quarter from 3.4 million a year earlier, and the number of deals sold jumped to 28.1 million from 1.8 million. Groupon delivers coupons in more than 500 markets worldwide, compared with 260 for its top competitor, Washington-based LivingSocial.com.
“The whole deals space is the most revolutionary thing in retailing since the advent of e-commerce,” said Lou Kerner, managing director of the private shares group at Wedbush Securities Inc., in a televised interview on “Bloomberg West.” “This is a market that is going to be really, really big but it’s still really in its infancy.”
To handle the growth, Groupon bolstered its workforce to 7,107 employees as of March 31, from 37 in June 2009. Revenue per sales representative in the first quarter was $172,000 a month, up from $87,000 two years earlier, the company said.
The company had marketing costs of $208.2 million in the first quarter, resulting in a net operating loss of $117.1 million. Groupon spent $179.9 million on subscriber acquisitions, as it tries to build its lead over LivingSocial.
Profitability In Question
“Since our inception, we have prioritized growth, and investments in our marketing initiatives have contributed to our losses,” Groupon said in the filing. “Over time, as our business continues to scale and we become more established in a greater percentage of our markets, we expect that our marketing expense will decrease as a percentage of revenue.”
The size of the marketing budget will make it difficult to reach profitability any time soon, said A.B. Mendez, a research analyst at GreenCrest Capital Management LLC in New York.
“It’s not yet clear what their longer-term margins will be or when they will be able to get to consistent profitability,” Mendez said.
LinkedIn Corp., the No. 1 professional-networking site, last month became the first major U.S. social-media company to sell shares to the public. Shares of the Mountain View, California-based company have surged 75 percent since its May 18 debut and now has a market value of $7.5 billion.
Cheaper Than LinkedIn?
On a price-to-sales basis, Groupon may be cheaper than LinkedIn and Facebook Inc. LinkedIn is valued at 20 times this year’s sales, assuming first-quarter revenue is replicated throughout the year. A $25 billion valuation for Groupon would mean a price-to-sales ratio of 9.7. Facebook is valued at $55 billion on the secondary exchange SharesPost Inc., implying a ratio of about 13.8.
To justify its valuation, Groupon needs to convert marketing costs into profit by ensuring customers keep coming back, said Espen Robak, president of Pluris Valuation Advisors LLC, a New York-based adviser to investment funds.
“It all depends on how sticky those customer relationships are,” Robak said. “If they become subscribers forever and you can harvest those relationships for a long time, the money you spent up front is money well spent.”
Internet music service Pandora Media Inc. said yesterday that it plans to raise as much as $123.2 million in an IPO. At the midpoint of its range, the company would be valued at $1.27 billion, or 6.2 times revenue.
Shareholder Backers
The biggest shareholder is Green Media LLC, which is owned by co-founder Eric Lefkofsky and his wife, Elizabeth Kramer Lefkofsky. Green Media owns 21.6 percent of Class A shares and 41.7 percent of Class B stock.
Rounding out the list of top investors are Rugger Ventures LLC, owned by the family of Groupon co-founder Bradley Keywell, which holds 6.9 percent of Class A stock and 16.7 percent of Class B. New Enterprise Associates and Accel Partners own 14.7 percent and 5.6 percent of Class A shares, respectively.
Investors with less than 5 percent ownership include T. Rowe Price Group Inc., Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, is an investor in Andreessen Horowitz.
Groupon was valued at about $1.3 billion in April 2010, when it raised $135 million from Digital Sky and other investors. An investment of $950 million, completed in January, pegged Groupon’s worth at $4.75 billion.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Groupon’s $540 Million Loss May Leave Investors Leery of IPO
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/06/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-groupon%e2%80%99s-540-million-loss-may-leave-investors-leery-of-ipo/
Groupon Inc.’s $540.2 million in operating losses since 2008 may leave some investors leery of buying shares in a company with a business model so easy to copy that it has spawned 482 imitators.
Groupon, the biggest provider of online daily-deal coupons, said yesterday that it plans to raise $750 million in an IPO, the most yet for a U.S. social media company.
Sales surged more than 14-fold to $644.7 million last quarter, making Chicago-based Groupon bigger than established technology companies like Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) and Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) Yet, with marketing costs rising faster than sales, Groupon may not make money fast enough to warrant the $25 billion valuation it was said to be contemplating in March, said Pat Becker Jr., a portfolio manager at Becker Capital Management Inc.
“Companies have to have profitability or a compelling case for a path to profitability,” said Becker, whose Portland, Oregon-based firm manages $2.5 billion. “We also look for barriers to entry and we just don’t see that in this particular business.”
Co-founded in 2008 by Andrew Mason, Groupon has ballooned in the past year as consumers worldwide flock to daily offers for discounts of up to 90 percent at hotels, restaurants and nail salons. The company’s gross profit, or the revenue left after sharing sales with merchants, jumped to $270 million in the first quarter from $20 million a year earlier.
‘Revolution in Retailing’
The daily-deal market pioneered by Groupon may generate $3.9 billion in U.S. sales in 2015, from $873 million in 2010, according to researcher BIA/Kelsey in Chantilly, Virginia.
Subscribers increased to 83.1 million in the first quarter from 3.4 million a year earlier, and the number of deals sold jumped to 28.1 million from 1.8 million. Groupon delivers coupons in more than 500 markets worldwide, compared with 260 for its top competitor, Washington-based LivingSocial.com.
“The whole deals space is the most revolutionary thing in retailing since the advent of e-commerce,” said Lou Kerner, managing director of the private shares group at Wedbush Securities Inc., in a televised interview on “Bloomberg West.” “This is a market that is going to be really, really big but it’s still really in its infancy.”
To handle the growth, Groupon bolstered its workforce to 7,107 employees as of March 31, from 37 in June 2009. Revenue per sales representative in the first quarter was $172,000 a month, up from $87,000 two years earlier, the company said.
The company had marketing costs of $208.2 million in the first quarter, resulting in a net operating loss of $117.1 million. Groupon spent $179.9 million on subscriber acquisitions, as it tries to build its lead over LivingSocial.
Profitability In Question
“Since our inception, we have prioritized growth, and investments in our marketing initiatives have contributed to our losses,” Groupon said in the filing. “Over time, as our business continues to scale and we become more established in a greater percentage of our markets, we expect that our marketing expense will decrease as a percentage of revenue.”
The size of the marketing budget will make it difficult to reach profitability any time soon, said A.B. Mendez, a research analyst at GreenCrest Capital Management LLC in New York.
“It’s not yet clear what their longer-term margins will be or when they will be able to get to consistent profitability,” Mendez said.
LinkedIn Corp., the No. 1 professional-networking site, last month became the first major U.S. social-media company to sell shares to the public. Shares of the Mountain View, California-based company have surged 75 percent since its May 18 debut and now has a market value of $7.5 billion.
Cheaper Than LinkedIn?
On a price-to-sales basis, Groupon may be cheaper than LinkedIn and Facebook Inc. LinkedIn is valued at 20 times this year’s sales, assuming first-quarter revenue is replicated throughout the year. A $25 billion valuation for Groupon would mean a price-to-sales ratio of 9.7. Facebook is valued at $55 billion on the secondary exchange SharesPost Inc., implying a ratio of about 13.8.
To justify its valuation, Groupon needs to convert marketing costs into profit by ensuring customers keep coming back, said Espen Robak, president of Pluris Valuation Advisors LLC, a New York-based adviser to investment funds.
“It all depends on how sticky those customer relationships are,” Robak said. “If they become subscribers forever and you can harvest those relationships for a long time, the money you spent up front is money well spent.”
Internet music service Pandora Media Inc. said yesterday that it plans to raise as much as $123.2 million in an IPO. At the midpoint of its range, the company would be valued at $1.27 billion, or 6.2 times revenue.
Shareholder Backers
The biggest shareholder is Green Media LLC, which is owned by co-founder Eric Lefkofsky and his wife, Elizabeth Kramer Lefkofsky. Green Media owns 21.6 percent of Class A shares and 41.7 percent of Class B stock.
Rounding out the list of top investors are Rugger Ventures LLC, owned by the family of Groupon co-founder Bradley Keywell, which holds 6.9 percent of Class A stock and 16.7 percent of Class B. New Enterprise Associates and Accel Partners own 14.7 percent and 5.6 percent of Class A shares, respectively.
Investors with less than 5 percent ownership include T. Rowe Price Group Inc., Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, is an investor in Andreessen Horowitz.
Groupon was valued at about $1.3 billion in April 2010, when it raised $135 million from Digital Sky and other investors. An investment of $950 million, completed in January, pegged Groupon’s worth at $4.75 billion.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Hacker pleads guilty to AT&T iPad breach
WASHINGTON — A 26-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to writing the code used to steal email addresses and personal information belonging to 120,000 Apple iPad subscribers from AT&T computer servers.
Daniel Spitler, of San Francisco, entered the guilty plea in a US federal court in Newark, New Jersey, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Spitler, who surrendered to the authorities in January, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers connected to the Internet and one count of identity theft, it said.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Sentencing was set for September 28.
“Computer hackers are exacting an increasing toll on our society, damaging individuals and organizations to gain notoriety for themselves,” US attorney Paul Fishman said.
“Hacks have serious implications — from the personal devastation of a stolen identity to danger to our national security,” Fishman said.
“In the wake of other recent hacking attacks by loose-knit organizations like Anonymous and LulzSec, Daniel Spitler’s guilty plea is a timely reminder of the consequences of treating criminal activity as a competitive sport,” he said.
The Justice Department said Spitler had admitted to being a member of Goatse Security, a loose association of Internet hackers.
In June 2010, the hackers attacked AT&T servers and obtained email addresses and other personal information of around 120,000 iPad subscribers to AT&T’s 3G service.
They included the email addresses of a number of high-profile iPad users including US business leaders, politicians and military officials.
“The magnitude of this crime affected everyone from high ranking members of the White House staff to the average American citizen,” FBI Newark special agent Michael Ward said. “It’s important to note that it wasn’t just the hacking itself that was criminal, but what could potentially occur utilizing the pilfered information.”
Using a script called an “iPad 3G Account Slurper,” the Goatse hackers managed to obtain the number used to identify a subscriber on AT&T’s network known as the ICC ID, which stands for integrated circuit card identifier.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Hacker Group Says It Hit A Sony Unit Computer Network Again
http://ping.fm/789f4
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)–A group of hackers said they hit a Sony Corp. (SNE, 6758.TO) unit computer network on Monday, the latest in a string of attacks on the Japanese technology-and-media giant.
The group of hackers, which calls itself “LulzSec”–a combination of “lulz,” or laughs, and security–said it successfully had hit Sony for …
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)–A group of hackers said they hit a Sony Corp. (SNE, 6758.TO) unit computer network on Monday, the latest in a string of attacks on the Japanese technology-and-media giant.
The group of hackers, which calls itself “LulzSec”–a combination of “lulz,” or laughs, and security–said it successfully had hit Sony for …
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Hacker Group Says It Hit A Sony Unit Computer Network Again
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/06/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-hacker-group-says-it-hit-a-sony-unit-computer-network-again/
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)–A group of hackers said they hit a Sony Corp. (SNE, 6758.TO) unit computer network on Monday, the latest in a string of attacks on the Japanese technology-and-media giant.
The group of hackers, which calls itself “LulzSec”–a combination of “lulz,” or laughs, and security–said it successfully had hit Sony for …
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines:Hacker pleads guilty to AT&T iPad breach
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-lulzsec-says-it-grabs-documents-from-arizona-police-as-spree-continues/
WASHINGTON — A 26-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to writing the code used to steal email addresses and personal information belonging to 120,000 Apple iPad subscribers from AT&T computer servers.
Daniel Spitler, of San Francisco, entered the guilty plea in a US federal court in Newark, New Jersey, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Spitler, who surrendered to the authorities in January, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers connected to the Internet and one count of identity theft, it said.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Sentencing was set for September 28.
“Computer hackers are exacting an increasing toll on our society, damaging individuals and organizations to gain notoriety for themselves,” US attorney Paul Fishman said.
“Hacks have serious implications — from the personal devastation of a stolen identity to danger to our national security,” Fishman said.
“In the wake of other recent hacking attacks by loose-knit organizations like Anonymous and LulzSec, Daniel Spitler’s guilty plea is a timely reminder of the consequences of treating criminal activity as a competitive sport,” he said.
The Justice Department said Spitler had admitted to being a member of Goatse Security, a loose association of Internet hackers.
In June 2010, the hackers attacked AT&T servers and obtained email addresses and other personal information of around 120,000 iPad subscribers to AT&T’s 3G service.
They included the email addresses of a number of high-profile iPad users including US business leaders, politicians and military officials.
“The magnitude of this crime affected everyone from high ranking members of the White House staff to the average American citizen,” FBI Newark special agent Michael Ward said. “It’s important to note that it wasn’t just the hacking itself that was criminal, but what could potentially occur utilizing the pilfered information.”
Using a script called an “iPad 3G Account Slurper,” the Goatse hackers managed to obtain the number used to identify a subscriber on AT&T’s network known as the ICC ID, which stands for integrated circuit card identifier.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Zurich partners with Aifa to support online academy
Zurich announced today (18 July) that it is joining forces with the Association of Independent Financial Advisers (Aifa) as a supporter of Aifa’s online business transition academy, FFWD. Available exclusively to Aifa members, the online hub contains a wealth of information designed to help advisers grow and adapt their businesses in light of the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The insurer said the academy is packed with hints and tips from advisers who have already embraced the challenges of the RDR, includes news and views from industry experts, a downloadable reference section with the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) papers and Aifa guides on the key stages to developing successful business strategy. Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Aifa and their online academy FFWD, at a time when more and more advisers are looking to industry bodies and providers to help them transition their business models in light of the RDR deadline. “By lending our support, we hope to create greater engagement with advisers while at the same time continue to champion the role of the adviser and influence the wider debate about the shape of financial advice in the future”.” Sophie Fiori, marketing and membership director at Aifa, said: “With over 1,500 firms already registered, FFWD is proving to be invaluable for member firms who are preparing their business for RDR. “Our partnership with Zurich enables us to build on Aifa’s success to date and continue to develop this vital offering to members.”
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Zurich partners with Aifa to support online academy
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-zurich-partners-with-aifa-to-support-online-academy/
Zurich announced today (18 July) that it is joining forces with the Association of Independent Financial Advisers (Aifa) as a supporter of Aifa’s online business transition academy, FFWD. Available exclusively to Aifa members, the online hub contains a wealth of information designed to help advisers grow and adapt their businesses in light of the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The insurer said the academy is packed with hints and tips from advisers who have already embraced the challenges of the RDR, includes news and views from industry experts, a downloadable reference section with the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) papers and Aifa guides on the key stages to developing successful business strategy. Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Aifa and their online academy FFWD, at a time when more and more advisers are looking to industry bodies and providers to help them transition their business models in light of the RDR deadline. “By lending our support, we hope to create greater engagement with advisers while at the same time continue to champion the role of the adviser and influence the wider debate about the shape of financial advice in the future”.” Sophie Fiori, marketing and membership director at Aifa, said: “With over 1,500 firms already registered, FFWD is proving to be invaluable for member firms who are preparing their business for RDR. “Our partnership with Zurich enables us to build on Aifa’s success to date and continue to develop this vital offering to members.”
Zurich announced today (18 July) that it is joining forces with the Association of Independent Financial Advisers (Aifa) as a supporter of Aifa’s online business transition academy, FFWD. Available exclusively to Aifa members, the online hub contains a wealth of information designed to help advisers grow and adapt their businesses in light of the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The insurer said the academy is packed with hints and tips from advisers who have already embraced the challenges of the RDR, includes news and views from industry experts, a downloadable reference section with the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) papers and Aifa guides on the key stages to developing successful business strategy. Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Aifa and their online academy FFWD, at a time when more and more advisers are looking to industry bodies and providers to help them transition their business models in light of the RDR deadline. “By lending our support, we hope to create greater engagement with advisers while at the same time continue to champion the role of the adviser and influence the wider debate about the shape of financial advice in the future”.” Sophie Fiori, marketing and membership director at Aifa, said: “With over 1,500 firms already registered, FFWD is proving to be invaluable for member firms who are preparing their business for RDR. “Our partnership with Zurich enables us to build on Aifa’s success to date and continue to develop this vital offering to members.”
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Zurich partners with Aifa to support online academy
http://ping.fm/sVQEj
http://ping.fm/ceUSA
Zurich announced today (18 July) that it is joining forces with the Association of Independent Financial Advisers (Aifa) as a supporter of Aifa’s online business transition academy, FFWD. Available exclusively to Aifa members, the online hub contains a wealth of information designed to help advisers grow and adapt their businesses in light of the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The insurer said the academy is packed with hints and tips from advisers who have already embraced the challenges of the RDR, includes news and views from industry experts, a downloadable reference section with the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) papers and Aifa guides on the key stages to developing successful business strategy. Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Aifa and their online academy FFWD, at a time when more and more advisers are looking to industry bodies and providers to help them transition their business models in light of the RDR deadline. “By lending our support, we hope to create greater engagement with advisers while at the same time continue to champion the role of the adviser and influence the wider debate about the shape of financial advice in the future”.” Sophie Fiori, marketing and membership director at Aifa, said: “With over 1,500 firms already registered, FFWD is proving to be invaluable for member firms who are preparing their business for RDR. “Our partnership with Zurich enables us to build on Aifa’s success to date and continue to develop this vital offering to members.”
http://ping.fm/ceUSA
Zurich announced today (18 July) that it is joining forces with the Association of Independent Financial Advisers (Aifa) as a supporter of Aifa’s online business transition academy, FFWD. Available exclusively to Aifa members, the online hub contains a wealth of information designed to help advisers grow and adapt their businesses in light of the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The insurer said the academy is packed with hints and tips from advisers who have already embraced the challenges of the RDR, includes news and views from industry experts, a downloadable reference section with the latest Financial Services Authority (FSA) papers and Aifa guides on the key stages to developing successful business strategy. Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Aifa and their online academy FFWD, at a time when more and more advisers are looking to industry bodies and providers to help them transition their business models in light of the RDR deadline. “By lending our support, we hope to create greater engagement with advisers while at the same time continue to champion the role of the adviser and influence the wider debate about the shape of financial advice in the future”.” Sophie Fiori, marketing and membership director at Aifa, said: “With over 1,500 firms already registered, FFWD is proving to be invaluable for member firms who are preparing their business for RDR. “Our partnership with Zurich enables us to build on Aifa’s success to date and continue to develop this vital offering to members.”
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Anonymous plans AnonPlus after being kicked out of Google+
http://ping.fm/j2faO
The hacktivist group Anonymous has been kicked off Google+ and in response, the group is looking to build its own social network called AnonPlus.
All of Anonymous’ other Google accounts — Gmail, Google Calendar, Picasa, YouTube, etc. — have been suspended as well, because all Google products are linked together (so play nice on there, Google users).
Anonymous announced the suspension on a Tumblr blog, but it didn’t say exactly why it lost Google product privileges, writing simply: “Didn’t take long to get banned from Google+ our Gmail is also gone…”
A screen shot of a message from Google posted on the account for “Your Anon News” said:
Your profile is suspended
After reviewing your profile, we determined that some of the posted content (eg. Text, images) violates out Community Standards.
If you believe that your profile has been suspended in error, or you have recently edited your profile to comply with our Community Standards please submit your profile for reconsideration. Your profile will be reviewed again and unblocked if it complies with our Community Standards.
At AnonPlus.com, Anonymous has listed 17 members who it says will develop AnonPlus.
“This lil info dump of a site is here simply to dispence info, soon the actual site will go up and you can begin to interact with it,” Anonymous said on the site. “This project is not overnight and will take many of those out there who simply want a better internet. We will not be stopped by those looking to troll or those willing to stop the spreading of the truth. One thing i would like to point out that this project is for ALL people not just anonymous, this idea is a presstorm idea and only takes the name anon because of the Anonymity of the social network.”
If and when the social network gets up and running, it probably won’t have Google+ integration.
RELATED:
LulzSec is back, hacks Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid
AntiSec ‘hackers without borders’ claim new hack on Arizona state police
Hacking group AntiSec says it stole 90,000 U.S. military email passwords
The hacktivist group Anonymous has been kicked off Google+ and in response, the group is looking to build its own social network called AnonPlus.
All of Anonymous’ other Google accounts — Gmail, Google Calendar, Picasa, YouTube, etc. — have been suspended as well, because all Google products are linked together (so play nice on there, Google users).
Anonymous announced the suspension on a Tumblr blog, but it didn’t say exactly why it lost Google product privileges, writing simply: “Didn’t take long to get banned from Google+ our Gmail is also gone…”
A screen shot of a message from Google posted on the account for “Your Anon News” said:
Your profile is suspended
After reviewing your profile, we determined that some of the posted content (eg. Text, images) violates out Community Standards.
If you believe that your profile has been suspended in error, or you have recently edited your profile to comply with our Community Standards please submit your profile for reconsideration. Your profile will be reviewed again and unblocked if it complies with our Community Standards.
At AnonPlus.com, Anonymous has listed 17 members who it says will develop AnonPlus.
“This lil info dump of a site is here simply to dispence info, soon the actual site will go up and you can begin to interact with it,” Anonymous said on the site. “This project is not overnight and will take many of those out there who simply want a better internet. We will not be stopped by those looking to troll or those willing to stop the spreading of the truth. One thing i would like to point out that this project is for ALL people not just anonymous, this idea is a presstorm idea and only takes the name anon because of the Anonymity of the social network.”
If and when the social network gets up and running, it probably won’t have Google+ integration.
RELATED:
LulzSec is back, hacks Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid
AntiSec ‘hackers without borders’ claim new hack on Arizona state police
Hacking group AntiSec says it stole 90,000 U.S. military email passwords
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Anonymous plans AnonPlus after being kicked out of Google+
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-anonymous-plans-anonplus-after-being-kicked-out-of-google/
The hacktivist group Anonymous has been kicked off Google+ and in response, the group is looking to build its own social network called AnonPlus.
All of Anonymous’ other Google accounts — Gmail, Google Calendar, Picasa, YouTube, etc. — have been suspended as well, because all Google products are linked together (so play nice on there, Google users).
Anonymous announced the suspension on a Tumblr blog, but it didn’t say exactly why it lost Google product privileges, writing simply: “Didn’t take long to get banned from Google+ our Gmail is also gone…”
A screen shot of a message from Google posted on the account for “Your Anon News” said:
Your profile is suspended
After reviewing your profile, we determined that some of the posted content (eg. Text, images) violates out Community Standards.
If you believe that your profile has been suspended in error, or you have recently edited your profile to comply with our Community Standards please submit your profile for reconsideration. Your profile will be reviewed again and unblocked if it complies with our Community Standards.
At AnonPlus.com, Anonymous has listed 17 members who it says will develop AnonPlus.
“This lil info dump of a site is here simply to dispence info, soon the actual site will go up and you can begin to interact with it,” Anonymous said on the site. “This project is not overnight and will take many of those out there who simply want a better internet. We will not be stopped by those looking to troll or those willing to stop the spreading of the truth. One thing i would like to point out that this project is for ALL people not just anonymous, this idea is a presstorm idea and only takes the name anon because of the Anonymity of the social network.”
If and when the social network gets up and running, it probably won’t have Google+ integration.
RELATED:
LulzSec is back, hacks Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid
AntiSec ‘hackers without borders’ claim new hack on Arizona state police
Hacking group AntiSec says it stole 90,000 U.S. military email passwords
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Anonymous plans AnonPlus after being kicked out of Google+
The hacktivist group Anonymous has been kicked off Google+ and in response, the group is looking to build its own social network called AnonPlus.
All of Anonymous’ other Google accounts — Gmail, Google Calendar, Picasa, YouTube, etc. — have been suspended as well, because all Google products are linked together (so play nice on there, Google users).
Anonymous announced the suspension on a Tumblr blog, but it didn’t say exactly why it lost Google product privileges, writing simply: “Didn’t take long to get banned from Google+ our Gmail is also gone…”
A screen shot of a message from Google posted on the account for “Your Anon News” said:
Your profile is suspended
After reviewing your profile, we determined that some of the posted content (eg. Text, images) violates out Community Standards.
If you believe that your profile has been suspended in error, or you have recently edited your profile to comply with our Community Standards please submit your profile for reconsideration. Your profile will be reviewed again and unblocked if it complies with our Community Standards.
At AnonPlus.com, Anonymous has listed 17 members who it says will develop AnonPlus.
“This lil info dump of a site is here simply to dispence info, soon the actual site will go up and you can begin to interact with it,” Anonymous said on the site. “This project is not overnight and will take many of those out there who simply want a better internet. We will not be stopped by those looking to troll or those willing to stop the spreading of the truth. One thing i would like to point out that this project is for ALL people not just anonymous, this idea is a presstorm idea and only takes the name anon because of the Anonymity of the social network.”
If and when the social network gets up and running, it probably won’t have Google+ integration.
RELATED:
LulzSec is back, hacks Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid
AntiSec ‘hackers without borders’ claim new hack on Arizona state police
Hacking group AntiSec says it stole 90,000 U.S. military email passwords
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Economic survey by Credit Suisse in cooperation with the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-economic-survey-by-credit-suisse-in-cooperation-with-the-centre-for-european-economic-research-zew/
The FINANCIAL — Zurich, July 21, 2011 According to the latest Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator, economic expectations for Switzerland have diminished significantly.The indicator plunged by 34.6 points to the -58.9-point mark in July, thus reaching its lowest level since the beginning of 2009. The indicator for the assessment of the current economic situation also recorded a sharp drop, falling by 17.4 points to the 52.9-point threshold. The respective balances for inflation as well as interest rate expectations also registered much lower readings in July. The indicator for the inflation outlook decreased by 27.0 points, with merely 23.5% of the financial market experts surveyed predicting that inflation rates will advance in the coming six months. The balance for expectations regarding the short-term interest rate environment lost ground by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point level. At the same time, however, a greater share (55.9%, up 15.4 percentage points) of analysts in this month’s survey anticipate that the Swiss franc will lose terrain versus the euro in the coming half-year.
The Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator of economic expectations recorded the most pronounced decline in July since September 2009. The indicator plummeted by 34.6 points to reach the -58.9 point mark – the lowest level in two-and-a-half years. Merely a tiny minority of 2.9% of the financial market experts surveyed anticipate that economic momentum will improve in the coming six months. In contrast, a clear majority of 61.8% of respondents (+29.4 percentage points) now foresee a deterioration of the economic situation. A share of 35.3% (-24.2 percentage points) of the analysts expect the economy to exhibit a stable trend at the present levels.
The diminishing economic expectations already seen in recent months have been tempered, up to now, by a very upbeat assessment of the current economic situation. In July, however, the prevailing evaluation has deteriorated as well. The relevant balance has declined by 17.4 points, and only around half (52.9%) of the survey participants still view the economic picture in a “good” light. A proportion of 47.1% (+17.4 percentage points) of the experts regard the economic environment as “normal,” while none of the respondents believes that the economy is in a “bad” state of health at the present time.
The inflation outlook diminished more noticeably in July than in the previous months. The share of analysts who predict that inflation rates will climb on a six-month horizon amounts to just 23.5% (compared with 40.5% in June). On the other hand, 23.5% of the participants (+10.0 percentage points) forecast that inflation will retreat in the next half-year. Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.0%) assume that the inflation rate will continue to hover at the current low levels.
The indicator for the short-term interest rate expectations fell sharply by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point mark in July. The share of respondents who expect interest rates to advance in the coming six months dropped by 24.1 percentage points to 27.3%. Meanwhile, 63.6% (+17.7 percentage points) of the experts think that the short-term interest rate environment will remain unchanged within this timeframe.
Following an improvement of 14.8 points in the previous month, the balance of expectations for the trend of the Swiss stock market (SMI) has now lost ground by more than double the amount of points (down 31.1 points) to the 38.3 level.
The FINANCIAL — Zurich, July 21, 2011 According to the latest Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator, economic expectations for Switzerland have diminished significantly.The indicator plunged by 34.6 points to the -58.9-point mark in July, thus reaching its lowest level since the beginning of 2009. The indicator for the assessment of the current economic situation also recorded a sharp drop, falling by 17.4 points to the 52.9-point threshold. The respective balances for inflation as well as interest rate expectations also registered much lower readings in July. The indicator for the inflation outlook decreased by 27.0 points, with merely 23.5% of the financial market experts surveyed predicting that inflation rates will advance in the coming six months. The balance for expectations regarding the short-term interest rate environment lost ground by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point level. At the same time, however, a greater share (55.9%, up 15.4 percentage points) of analysts in this month’s survey anticipate that the Swiss franc will lose terrain versus the euro in the coming half-year.
The Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator of economic expectations recorded the most pronounced decline in July since September 2009. The indicator plummeted by 34.6 points to reach the -58.9 point mark – the lowest level in two-and-a-half years. Merely a tiny minority of 2.9% of the financial market experts surveyed anticipate that economic momentum will improve in the coming six months. In contrast, a clear majority of 61.8% of respondents (+29.4 percentage points) now foresee a deterioration of the economic situation. A share of 35.3% (-24.2 percentage points) of the analysts expect the economy to exhibit a stable trend at the present levels.
The diminishing economic expectations already seen in recent months have been tempered, up to now, by a very upbeat assessment of the current economic situation. In July, however, the prevailing evaluation has deteriorated as well. The relevant balance has declined by 17.4 points, and only around half (52.9%) of the survey participants still view the economic picture in a “good” light. A proportion of 47.1% (+17.4 percentage points) of the experts regard the economic environment as “normal,” while none of the respondents believes that the economy is in a “bad” state of health at the present time.
The inflation outlook diminished more noticeably in July than in the previous months. The share of analysts who predict that inflation rates will climb on a six-month horizon amounts to just 23.5% (compared with 40.5% in June). On the other hand, 23.5% of the participants (+10.0 percentage points) forecast that inflation will retreat in the next half-year. Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.0%) assume that the inflation rate will continue to hover at the current low levels.
The indicator for the short-term interest rate expectations fell sharply by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point mark in July. The share of respondents who expect interest rates to advance in the coming six months dropped by 24.1 percentage points to 27.3%. Meanwhile, 63.6% (+17.7 percentage points) of the experts think that the short-term interest rate environment will remain unchanged within this timeframe.
Following an improvement of 14.8 points in the previous month, the balance of expectations for the trend of the Swiss stock market (SMI) has now lost ground by more than double the amount of points (down 31.1 points) to the 38.3 level.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Economic survey by Credit Suisse in cooperation with the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
The FINANCIAL — Zurich, July 21, 2011 According to the latest Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator, economic expectations for Switzerland have diminished significantly.The indicator plunged by 34.6 points to the -58.9-point mark in July, thus reaching its lowest level since the beginning of 2009. The indicator for the assessment of the current economic situation also recorded a sharp drop, falling by 17.4 points to the 52.9-point threshold. The respective balances for inflation as well as interest rate expectations also registered much lower readings in July. The indicator for the inflation outlook decreased by 27.0 points, with merely 23.5% of the financial market experts surveyed predicting that inflation rates will advance in the coming six months. The balance for expectations regarding the short-term interest rate environment lost ground by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point level. At the same time, however, a greater share (55.9%, up 15.4 percentage points) of analysts in this month’s survey anticipate that the Swiss franc will lose terrain versus the euro in the coming half-year.
The Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator of economic expectations recorded the most pronounced decline in July since September 2009. The indicator plummeted by 34.6 points to reach the -58.9 point mark – the lowest level in two-and-a-half years. Merely a tiny minority of 2.9% of the financial market experts surveyed anticipate that economic momentum will improve in the coming six months. In contrast, a clear majority of 61.8% of respondents (+29.4 percentage points) now foresee a deterioration of the economic situation. A share of 35.3% (-24.2 percentage points) of the analysts expect the economy to exhibit a stable trend at the present levels.
The diminishing economic expectations already seen in recent months have been tempered, up to now, by a very upbeat assessment of the current economic situation. In July, however, the prevailing evaluation has deteriorated as well. The relevant balance has declined by 17.4 points, and only around half (52.9%) of the survey participants still view the economic picture in a “good” light. A proportion of 47.1% (+17.4 percentage points) of the experts regard the economic environment as “normal,” while none of the respondents believes that the economy is in a “bad” state of health at the present time.
The inflation outlook diminished more noticeably in July than in the previous months. The share of analysts who predict that inflation rates will climb on a six-month horizon amounts to just 23.5% (compared with 40.5% in June). On the other hand, 23.5% of the participants (+10.0 percentage points) forecast that inflation will retreat in the next half-year. Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.0%) assume that the inflation rate will continue to hover at the current low levels.
The indicator for the short-term interest rate expectations fell sharply by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point mark in July. The share of respondents who expect interest rates to advance in the coming six months dropped by 24.1 percentage points to 27.3%. Meanwhile, 63.6% (+17.7 percentage points) of the experts think that the short-term interest rate environment will remain unchanged within this timeframe.
Following an improvement of 14.8 points in the previous month, the balance of expectations for the trend of the Swiss stock market (SMI) has now lost ground by more than double the amount of points (down 31.1 points) to the 38.3 level.
On the heels of the strong appreciation of the Swiss franc exhibited in July, the financial market experts surveyed anticipate that the currency will rather trend on towards the weaker side again. In particular, the indicator for the Swiss franc exchange rate versus the euro dipped by 7.1 points to -20.6 points this month.
Hypo Venture Capital Zurich Headlines: Economic survey by Credit Suisse in cooperation with the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/07/hypo-venture-capital-zurich-headlines-economic-survey-by-credit-suisse-in-cooperation-with-the-centre-for-european-economic-research-zew/
The FINANCIAL — Zurich, July 21, 2011 According to the latest Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator, economic expectations for Switzerland have diminished significantly.The indicator plunged by 34.6 points to the -58.9-point mark in July, thus reaching its lowest level since the beginning of 2009. The indicator for the assessment of the current economic situation also recorded a sharp drop, falling by 17.4 points to the 52.9-point threshold. The respective balances for inflation as well as interest rate expectations also registered much lower readings in July. The indicator for the inflation outlook decreased by 27.0 points, with merely 23.5% of the financial market experts surveyed predicting that inflation rates will advance in the coming six months. The balance for expectations regarding the short-term interest rate environment lost ground by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point level. At the same time, however, a greater share (55.9%, up 15.4 percentage points) of analysts in this month’s survey anticipate that the Swiss franc will lose terrain versus the euro in the coming half-year.
The Credit Suisse ZEW Indicator of economic expectations recorded the most pronounced decline in July since September 2009. The indicator plummeted by 34.6 points to reach the -58.9 point mark – the lowest level in two-and-a-half years. Merely a tiny minority of 2.9% of the financial market experts surveyed anticipate that economic momentum will improve in the coming six months. In contrast, a clear majority of 61.8% of respondents (+29.4 percentage points) now foresee a deterioration of the economic situation. A share of 35.3% (-24.2 percentage points) of the analysts expect the economy to exhibit a stable trend at the present levels.
The diminishing economic expectations already seen in recent months have been tempered, up to now, by a very upbeat assessment of the current economic situation. In July, however, the prevailing evaluation has deteriorated as well. The relevant balance has declined by 17.4 points, and only around half (52.9%) of the survey participants still view the economic picture in a “good” light. A proportion of 47.1% (+17.4 percentage points) of the experts regard the economic environment as “normal,” while none of the respondents believes that the economy is in a “bad” state of health at the present time.
The inflation outlook diminished more noticeably in July than in the previous months. The share of analysts who predict that inflation rates will climb on a six-month horizon amounts to just 23.5% (compared with 40.5% in June). On the other hand, 23.5% of the participants (+10.0 percentage points) forecast that inflation will retreat in the next half-year. Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.0%) assume that the inflation rate will continue to hover at the current low levels.
The indicator for the short-term interest rate expectations fell sharply by 30.5 points to the 18.2-point mark in July. The share of respondents who expect interest rates to advance in the coming six months dropped by 24.1 percentage points to 27.3%. Meanwhile, 63.6% (+17.7 percentage points) of the experts think that the short-term interest rate environment will remain unchanged within this timeframe.
Following an improvement of 14.8 points in the previous month, the balance of expectations for the trend of the Swiss stock market (SMI) has now lost ground by more than double the amount of points (down 31.1 points) to the 38.3 level.
On the heels of the strong appreciation of the Swiss franc exhibited in July, the financial market experts surveyed anticipate that the currency will rather trend on towards the weaker side again. In particular, the indicator for the Swiss franc exchange rate versus the euro dipped by 7.1 points to -20.6 points this month.
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines : Commodities markets summary
http://ping.fm/ueTEV
A summary of trading in key commodities markets overseas:
ENERGY
World oil prices fell Friday as investors took profits from bumper gains made during a week that saw the promise of a comprehensive plan to rescue the eurozone.
Advertisement: Story continues below
New York’s main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, slipped 64 US cents to $US93.32 a barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for December lost $US2.17 to $US109.91.
The New York price was still well above the $US86.31 close of a week before, after encouraging news on growth in China and the United States, and Thursday’s EU pact, fed expectations of firm demand.
Brent though was only slightly higher than the previous Friday’s $US109.54 as the gap between the two benchmarks appeared to be narrowing.
Prices continued to benefit from the stronger euro, which rebounded sharply against the dollar this week with the news of the eurozone deal.
PRECIOUS METALS
Gold edged lower on profit taking a day after a deal to contain the euro zone debt crisis triggered a broad rise in equities and commodities, but gold posted its biggest weekly rise since January 2009.
Spot gold finished at $US1,743.10 per ounce, almost even with where it ended the previous session at $US1,743.95. It retreated from a one-month high of $US1,751.99 to spend most of the session modestly lower.
For the week, bullion climbed about 6.5 per cent, the biggest weekly gain since January 2009. according to Reuters graphics.
US December gold futures lost around 50 US cents, or 0.3 per cent, to end at $US1,747.20, but recorded its sharpest weekly gain in six weeks.
Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York’s SPDR Gold Trust fell 0.05 per cent from Wednesday to Thursday, while that of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York’s iShares Silver Trust SLV, remained unchanged for the same period.
Spot silver moved up to $US35.29 an ounce in late trade from $US35.05 an ounce on Thursday. It posted its biggestweekly rise of around 13 per cent in more than three years.
The gold-silver ratio, used to measure how many ounces of silver is needed to buy an ounce of gold, fell to a one-month low below 50, indicating the extent of gold’s outperformance over silver.
Platinum was higher at $US1,642.24 an ounce, having earlier hit a one-month high at $US1,658 an ounce.
Palladium rose to $663.50 an ounce from $662.65.
BASE METALS
Copper wrapped up its biggest weekly rally in more than 30 years on a quiet note on Friday, with traders putting a 14-per cent rally on pause to see whether macro pressures will reemerge in the coming week.
Fed by investor optimism toward Europe’s initiatives taken this week to tackle its regional debt crisis, signs of Chinese purchases, and escalating supply threats at the world’s No. 2 mine, copper prices surged over $US1,000 a tonne this week — the metal’s biggest weekly charge in almost 32 years.
London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month copper peaked at a five-week high at $US8,280 per tonne, before ending the day with a $US30 gain at $US8,175.
In New York, the benchmark December COMEX contract rose 1.40 US cents to settle at $US3.7060 per lb, near the upper end of its $US3.6155 to $3.75 session range.
Copper has been one of the more volatile markets since the start of the month and quarter: sinking to its lowest in more than a year at $US6,635 in London and below $US3 in New York on October 3, before staging a more than 20-per cent reversal in the weeks since.
Volumes slowed down as the volatile trading week came to a close.
A little more than 51,000 lots were traded late in New York, nearly 20 per cent below the 30-day norm, according to Thomson Reuters preliminary data.
A summary of trading in key commodities markets overseas:
ENERGY
World oil prices fell Friday as investors took profits from bumper gains made during a week that saw the promise of a comprehensive plan to rescue the eurozone.
Advertisement: Story continues below
New York’s main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, slipped 64 US cents to $US93.32 a barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for December lost $US2.17 to $US109.91.
The New York price was still well above the $US86.31 close of a week before, after encouraging news on growth in China and the United States, and Thursday’s EU pact, fed expectations of firm demand.
Brent though was only slightly higher than the previous Friday’s $US109.54 as the gap between the two benchmarks appeared to be narrowing.
Prices continued to benefit from the stronger euro, which rebounded sharply against the dollar this week with the news of the eurozone deal.
PRECIOUS METALS
Gold edged lower on profit taking a day after a deal to contain the euro zone debt crisis triggered a broad rise in equities and commodities, but gold posted its biggest weekly rise since January 2009.
Spot gold finished at $US1,743.10 per ounce, almost even with where it ended the previous session at $US1,743.95. It retreated from a one-month high of $US1,751.99 to spend most of the session modestly lower.
For the week, bullion climbed about 6.5 per cent, the biggest weekly gain since January 2009. according to Reuters graphics.
US December gold futures lost around 50 US cents, or 0.3 per cent, to end at $US1,747.20, but recorded its sharpest weekly gain in six weeks.
Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York’s SPDR Gold Trust fell 0.05 per cent from Wednesday to Thursday, while that of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York’s iShares Silver Trust SLV, remained unchanged for the same period.
Spot silver moved up to $US35.29 an ounce in late trade from $US35.05 an ounce on Thursday. It posted its biggestweekly rise of around 13 per cent in more than three years.
The gold-silver ratio, used to measure how many ounces of silver is needed to buy an ounce of gold, fell to a one-month low below 50, indicating the extent of gold’s outperformance over silver.
Platinum was higher at $US1,642.24 an ounce, having earlier hit a one-month high at $US1,658 an ounce.
Palladium rose to $663.50 an ounce from $662.65.
BASE METALS
Copper wrapped up its biggest weekly rally in more than 30 years on a quiet note on Friday, with traders putting a 14-per cent rally on pause to see whether macro pressures will reemerge in the coming week.
Fed by investor optimism toward Europe’s initiatives taken this week to tackle its regional debt crisis, signs of Chinese purchases, and escalating supply threats at the world’s No. 2 mine, copper prices surged over $US1,000 a tonne this week — the metal’s biggest weekly charge in almost 32 years.
London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month copper peaked at a five-week high at $US8,280 per tonne, before ending the day with a $US30 gain at $US8,175.
In New York, the benchmark December COMEX contract rose 1.40 US cents to settle at $US3.7060 per lb, near the upper end of its $US3.6155 to $3.75 session range.
Copper has been one of the more volatile markets since the start of the month and quarter: sinking to its lowest in more than a year at $US6,635 in London and below $US3 in New York on October 3, before staging a more than 20-per cent reversal in the weeks since.
Volumes slowed down as the volatile trading week came to a close.
A little more than 51,000 lots were traded late in New York, nearly 20 per cent below the 30-day norm, according to Thomson Reuters preliminary data.
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines : Commodities markets summary
http://hypoventurecapital-headlines.com/2011/10/hypo-venture-capital-headlines-commodities-markets-summary/
A summary of trading in key commodities markets overseas:
ENERGY
World oil prices fell Friday as investors took profits from bumper gains made during a week that saw the promise of a comprehensive plan to rescue the eurozone.
Advertisement: Story continues below
New York’s main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, slipped 64 US cents to $US93.32 a barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for December lost $US2.17 to $US109.91.
The New York price was still well above the $US86.31 close of a week before, after encouraging news on growth in China and the United States, and Thursday’s EU pact, fed expectations of firm demand.
Brent though was only slightly higher than the previous Friday’s $US109.54 as the gap between the two benchmarks appeared to be narrowing.
Prices continued to benefit from the stronger euro, which rebounded sharply against the dollar this week with the news of the eurozone deal.
PRECIOUS METALS
Gold edged lower on profit taking a day after a deal to contain the euro zone debt crisis triggered a broad rise in equities and commodities, but gold posted its biggest weekly rise since January 2009.
Spot gold finished at $US1,743.10 per ounce, almost even with where it ended the previous session at $US1,743.95. It retreated from a one-month high of $US1,751.99 to spend most of the session modestly lower.
For the week, bullion climbed about 6.5 per cent, the biggest weekly gain since January 2009. according to Reuters graphics.
US December gold futures lost around 50 US cents, or 0.3 per cent, to end at $US1,747.20, but recorded its sharpest weekly gain in six weeks.
Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York’s SPDR Gold Trust fell 0.05 per cent from Wednesday to Thursday, while that of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York’s iShares Silver Trust SLV, remained unchanged for the same period.
Spot silver moved up to $US35.29 an ounce in late trade from $US35.05 an ounce on Thursday. It posted its biggestweekly rise of around 13 per cent in more than three years.
The gold-silver ratio, used to measure how many ounces of silver is needed to buy an ounce of gold, fell to a one-month low below 50, indicating the extent of gold’s outperformance over silver.
Platinum was higher at $US1,642.24 an ounce, having earlier hit a one-month high at $US1,658 an ounce.
Palladium rose to $663.50 an ounce from $662.65.
BASE METALS
Copper wrapped up its biggest weekly rally in more than 30 years on a quiet note on Friday, with traders putting a 14-per cent rally on pause to see whether macro pressures will reemerge in the coming week.
Fed by investor optimism toward Europe’s initiatives taken this week to tackle its regional debt crisis, signs of Chinese purchases, and escalating supply threats at the world’s No. 2 mine, copper prices surged over $US1,000 a tonne this week — the metal’s biggest weekly charge in almost 32 years.
London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month copper peaked at a five-week high at $US8,280 per tonne, before ending the day with a $US30 gain at $US8,175.
In New York, the benchmark December COMEX contract rose 1.40 US cents to settle at $US3.7060 per lb, near the upper end of its $US3.6155 to $3.75 session range.
Copper has been one of the more volatile markets since the start of the month and quarter: sinking to its lowest in more than a year at $US6,635 in London and below $US3 in New York on October 3, before staging a more than 20-per cent reversal in the weeks since.
Volumes slowed down as the volatile trading week came to a close.
A little more than 51,000 lots were traded late in New York, nearly 20 per cent below the 30-day norm, according to Thomson Reuters preliminary data.
Hypo Venture Capital Headlines : Commodities markets summary: andtahkeo
A summary of trading in key commodities markets overseas:
ENERGY
World oil prices fell Friday as investors took profits from bumper gains made during a week that saw the promise of a comprehensive plan to rescue the eurozone.
Advertisement: Story continues below
New York’s main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, slipped 64 US cents to $US93.32 a barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for December lost $US2.17 to $US109.91.
The New York price was still well above the $US86.31 close of a week before, after encouraging news on growth in China and the United States, and Thursday’s EU pact, fed expectations of firm demand.
Brent though was only slightly higher than the previous Friday’s $US109.54 as the gap between the two benchmarks appeared to be narrowing.
Prices continued to benefit from the stronger euro, which rebounded sharply against the dollar this week with the news of the eurozone deal.
PRECIOUS METALS
Gold edged lower on profit taking a day after a deal to contain the euro zone debt crisis triggered a broad rise in equities and commodities, but gold posted its biggest weekly rise since January 2009.
Spot gold finished at $US1,743.10 per ounce, almost even with where it ended the previous session at $US1,743.95. It retreated from a one-month high of $US1,751.99 to spend most of the session modestly lower.
For the week, bullion climbed about 6.5 per cent, the biggest weekly gain since January 2009. according to Reuters graphics.
US December gold futures lost around 50 US cents, or 0.3 per cent, to end at $US1,747.20, but recorded its sharpest weekly gain in six weeks.
Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund (ETF), New York’s SPDR Gold Trust fell 0.05 per cent from Wednesday to Thursday, while that of the largest silver-backed ETF, New York’s iShares Silver Trust SLV, remained unchanged for the same period.
Spot silver moved up to $US35.29 an ounce in late trade from $US35.05 an ounce on Thursday. It posted its biggestweekly rise of around 13 per cent in more than three years.
The gold-silver ratio, used to measure how many ounces of silver is needed to buy an ounce of gold, fell to a one-month low below 50, indicating the extent of gold’s outperformance over silver.
Platinum was higher at $US1,642.24 an ounce, having earlier hit a one-month high at $US1,658 an ounce.
Palladium rose to $663.50 an ounce from $662.65.
BASE METALS
Copper wrapped up its biggest weekly rally in more than 30 years on a quiet note on Friday, with traders putting a 14-per cent rally on pause to see whether macro pressures will reemerge in the coming week.
Fed by investor optimism toward Europe’s initiatives taken this week to tackle its regional debt crisis, signs of Chinese purchases, and escalating supply threats at the world’s No. 2 mine, copper prices surged over $US1,000 a tonne this week — the metal’s biggest weekly charge in almost 32 years.
London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month copper peaked at a five-week high at $US8,280 per tonne, before ending the day with a $US30 gain at $US8,175.
In New York, the benchmark December COMEX contract rose 1.40 US cents to settle at $US3.7060 per lb, near the upper end of its $US3.6155 to $3.75 session range.
Copper has been one of the more volatile markets since the start of the month and quarter: sinking to its lowest in more than a year at $US6,635 in London and below $US3 in New York on October 3, before staging a more than 20-per cent reversal in the weeks since.
Volumes slowed down as the volatile trading week came to a close.
A little more than 51,000 lots were traded late in New York, nearly 20 per cent below the 30-day norm, according to Thomson Reuters preliminary data.
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