Category Archives: oud

Why Red Hat, Inc. Gained 14% in March

Image source Red Hat. What Shares of Red Hat rose 14% in March, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . So what There was no single

Future Of Facebook Will Come Into Focus At F8 Developer Conference

Facebook ( FB ) will capture loads of attention, starting Tuesday, at its annual two-day conference for software developers, which is led off each year with a keynote address by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. This year’s F8 Developer Conference in San Francisco features more than 40 sessions, along with product announcements and interactive demos. As he did last year, Zuckerberg is expected to make the widely-used Facebook Messenger chat service a key part of the conference. Two sessions are dedicated to Messenger — the first is at noon Tuesday and is titled “Messenger: Connecting People and Business.” At this event, Facebook is expected to announce plans to integrate so-called chatbots into its mobile Messenger platform. Chatbots are digital characters infused with artificial intelligence that can mimic human conversation. The idea is that businesses on Messenger could use them to interact with customers with automated response systems that could help boost sales. Messenger is one of Facebook’s fastest-growing products, with more than 900 million users. A second session on Messenger takes place Wednesday at noon, entitled “Messenger: The Future of Communications.” Facebook is also expected to pump up the volume on its Live video-streaming service for mobile device users. Facebook recently expanded the Live feature to all users, following an exclusive arrangement with celebrities and other public figures, and it is aggressively promoting the service to businesses that use Facebook. Facebook Live is a rival to Twitter ( TWTR ) Periscope. One session is titled “The Future of Video on Facebook.” Another focus will be on Oculus, the maker of virtual reality headsets that Facebook acquired for $1.9 billion two years ago. The Oculus Rift VR device began shipping last month, and Facebook could provide information on sales. Facebook has two sessions on Oculus and virtual reality, one geared toward getting software developers to create more immersive, 360-degree videos for the device. Facebook has seven sessions centered on the topic of growth and monetization of services. They include “Best Practices for Advertising on Facebook and Instagram,” and other topics related to mobile user engagement and advertising. Another big focus is on the topic of data analytics. Facebook stock was near 110, down a fraction, in early afternoon trading in the stock market today . The stock has reversed since reaching 116.99, just short of an all-time high, on March 30, but it could be forming a cup-with-handle base.

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 .