Category Archives: apple

Can Facebook Stock Hold 50-Day Support Amid Usage Fears, F8 Show?

Facebook ( FB ) is falling in quick turnover for a second session in a row amid concerns that users are not sharing as many personal posts. The Information reported last week that Facebook saw a 21% drop in original posts from mid-2014 to mid-2015, and that it is working to correct that decline. Meanwhile, privately held social media competitor Snapchat is all about personal shares. Facebook-owned Instagram is also a hub for personal posts. The social media giant has indicated that it’s just the type of sharing that has changed on its main platform, not the level of sharing. Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference begins tomorrow, where chatbots are expected to be a hot topic. That could open a new revenue stream for businesses looking to interact with their customers on a social platform. But tech giants still have a lot to learn when it comes to chatbots. Microsoft ’s ( MSFT ) experiment with teen chatbot Tay quickly went south. Facebook shares dropped 0.5% in heavy volume, breaching the 50-day line in intraday trade. If the stock is able to find support at the 50-day line, then it’s not necessarily in trouble. But if it breaks through that level in heavy volume, that would be bearish. Shares are trading 6% below a cup-with-handle base buy point of 117.09. Microsoft is trading 4% below its late-December high and a consolidation buy point at 56.95, which is 10 cents above the high. The stock was up 1% midday Monday. Facebook last week rolled out its Live platform globally, with expanded features — edging into Twitter ’s ( TWTR ) realm, which includes its Periscope live streaming platform. Twitter is still searching for positive catalysts to revive its shares. Last week, it signed a pact with the NFL to live stream 10 Thursday Night Football games. Twitter is in an extended downtrend, trading 68% below its 52-week high. The stock edged 0.4% higher Monday. Among other widely held tech stocks, Google owner Alphabet ( GOOGL ) is working on a cup-with-handle base with a 777.41 buy point. It’s trading 2% below that level, up 0.4% in intraday trade. And Apple ( AAPL ) was back above the 110 price level, rising 1.2%. Apple is nearing its downward sloping 200-day line, but its recent attempts to retake that level have failed. Apple stock is 18% below its late-April peak. Image provided by Shutterstock .

Apple, Facebook, Netflix Stocks Facing Key Technical Tests

Facebook ( FB ), Apple ( AAPL ) and Netflix ( NFLX ) are among the coolest and widely used tech companies. But their stocks have struggle to break through key levels in recent sessions. Facebook is trying to stay in sight of a buy point, while Apple and Netflix keep bumping into resistance at their 200-day moving averages. Facebook A Buy, or Bye-Bye? Facebook holds its big F8 Developers Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, with analysts and investors eager to hear what Mark Zuckerberg has on offer. The stock has formed a cup-with-handle base that started when it peaked at 117.59 on Feb. 2. The buy point was 117.09. But Facebook is moving away from a buy area. Shares fell 2.7% on Friday and 4.7% for last week. Facebook fell 0.4% in afternoon trade on the stock market today  after falling intraday as low as 108.77, briefly undercutting its 50-day moving average. Facebook users are posting less  on the site, according to Friday reports that helped pushed the stock lower. Get a better read on Facebook’s stock health and how it stacks up vs. rivals at IBD Stock Checkup Apple Looks To Break Above 200-Day Apple rallied nearly 18% from its recent low of 92.39 on Jan. 28 to 108.66 on Friday but was still down 19% from its record high of 134.54 set in April 2015. Apple stock rose 1.2% in afternoon trade Monday, making another run at its 200-day line. Twice last week Apple closed within 20 cents of its downward sloping 200-day moving average. The stock hasn’t closed above the line since early October. Apple recently released a new 4-inch iPhone SE along with a smaller iPad Pro. Both have gotten solid reviews, but neither is likely to be a huge blockbuster. Apple is expected to post its first year-over-year sales decline in years later this month. Sales may continue to struggle at least until Apple releases its iPhone 7 later this year. Netflix Seeks To Rewrite Script Netflix hasn’t closed above its 200-day average since Jan. 20. Twice last week the stock crossed that technical line intraday but ended below that level. Netflix rose 0.5% in afternoon trade after three straight fractional losses. On Friday, Wall Street analyst Richard Greenfield said Walt Disney ( DIS ) should buy Netflix. A Disney-Netflix deal would give the Mouse a leader in video streaming and provide a possible future leader in Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. That unsolicited advice didn’t move Netflix’s stock though. Netflix is spending heavily on expansion and content. While revenue growth has been strong and consistent, profits have fallen for the last three quarters and aren’t projected to rise until Q4 2017. But analysts are betting on powerful earnings growth from 2018-2021.    

Apple Deflates iPad Pro, Taps Broadcom, NXP To Lead Smaller Device

Apple ( AAPL ) deflated its iPad Pro but didn’t skimp on the 9.7-inch machine’s specs, according to an iFixit teardown that found NXP Semiconductors ( NXPI ) and Broadcom ( AVGO ) among the device’s winners. But the second-generation iPad Pro , which Apple unveiled last month, only scored a 2 out of a best-possible 10 in repairability. Meanwhile, LG’s flagship G5 scored an 8, featuring hardware from Qualcomm ( QCOM ), Skyworks Solutions ( SWKS ) and Samsung.   How healthy is Apple and its key chipmakers? Find out at IBD Stock Checkup Apple “went back to the drawing board” in its smaller iPad Pro. NXP topped the chip count, providing three for the machine: the Touch ID second, a controller and a charging component. Two Broadcom chips returned from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and InvenSense ( INVN ) and Maxim Integrated Products ( MXIM ) both provided a chip apiece. Apple’s A9 processor also made a repeat appearance. Samsung and SK Hynix provided RAM and flash memory chips, respectively. But iFixit was especially enamored by the LG G5, which separates itself from other flagship phones by offering an easily removed — and therefore replaced — battery. LG unveiled the device in February. Qualcomm topped the G5 with six chips, including the processor and two power management chips. The chipmaker also supplied charging, audio codec and LTE transceiver chips. Broadcom and Skyworks Solutions each provided two chips, leading NXP, which supplied a controller. LG tapped Samsung for both RAM and flash memory. In midday trading on the stock market today , shares of Qualcomm and NXP were up nearly 1% and more than 1%, respectively. Shares of Maxim and Broadcom were up a fraction, while Skyworks stock was down a fraction.