Author Archives: Scalper1
Comcast, AT&T Not Always To Blame For Millennial Buffer Rage
Many millennials suffer from video buffer rage more frequently than road rage, says a survey by IneoQuest, a provider of quality monitoring and assurance services for Internet video companies. Fifty-one percent of the 1,000 consumers surveyed who watch streaming video have experienced “a state of uncontrollable fury or violent anger” as a result of buffering problems, says IneoQuest. And more than one-third of those surveyed under age 35 have had meltdowns when video streaming stops. But the next time your Netflix ( NFLX ) movie or YouTube video streams inconsistently, don’t automatically blame your Internet service provider such as Comcast ( CMCSA ), AT&T ( T ) or Verizon Communications ( VZ ), says Kurt Michel, senior marketing director at Mansfield, Mass.-based IneoQuest. The problem could be with the content itself and the server that is providing it; the mobile device or PC; or there could be an issue with the CDN (content delivery network) that Internet video companies such as Netflix or Hulu use. CDN providers include Akamai Technologies ( AKAM ), Limelight Networks ( LLNW ) and Level 3 Communications ( LVLT ). According to IneoQuest’s study, in many cases viewers were not able to begin playing streaming content at all, with 27% of respondents claiming that buffering most often occurs before a video starts and 34% experiencing buffering in the first 15 seconds. More than 40% of consumers say they will wait only 10 seconds or less before clicking out of a buffering video. Nearly a quarter of all consumers surveyed said buffering during live sporting events causes the most rage.
FXF Hedge To Assuage ‘Brexit’ Fears
By Max Chen and Todd Lydon Market observers are growing anxious as the United Kingdom contemplates breaking away from the European Union. However, traders may hedge the so-called Brexit risk through the Swiss franc and currency-related exchange traded fund, according to industry analyst ETF Trends . The CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (NYSEArca: FXF ) , which tracks the currency movement of the Swiss franc against the U.S. dollar, has been a traditional safe-haven play in times of volatility. FXF has gained 1.3% year-to-date as global volatility pressured riskier assets. On the backdrop of greater uncertainty down the road, HSBC argues that the Swiss currency could strongly rally on the a Brexit but would not weaken if the U.K. decided to remain in the 28-country bloc, reports Katy Barnato for CNBC . The U.K. is set to hold a referendum on June 23 where the electorate will vote on whether the country should remain with the European Union. “The CHF would likely rally on Brexit, given the political and European-centric nature of the crisis ,” HSBC currency strategists, David Bloom, Daragh Maher and Mark McDonald, said in a report. “The Swiss National Bank may intervene, but we believe it would only, at best, be able to slow the move rather than reverse it.” The HSBC strategists argue that while Brexit fears have been gaining momentum, there has been little evidence that the franc has priced in Brexit risks. “This asymmetry makes the CHF the best choice as a hedge,” HSBC Strategists added. Unlike the U.K., Switzerland has never been a part of the European Union. During times of duress among Eurozone members, the Swiss franc has acted as a safe-haven hedge. For instance, during the height of the Eurozone financial crisis, the franc currency rallied against the euro. The U.S. dollar weakened against the franc currency Wednesday, trading around CHF0.9765 Wednesday. The Swiss franc appreciated against the USD Wednesday after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady while lowering expectation for the number of hikes this year to two from a planned four rate hike. CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust Click to enlarge Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.