This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
For reasons various and sundry, large technology companies are under fire from both within and outside their walls.
And for reasons various and sundry, investors keep telling us they’re not nearly as worked up as the general public over the hydra-headed controversies menacing key cohorts of the FAANG gang (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google).
The latest to defy the doom and gloom was Facebook (FB). In spite of weeks of sinister, accusatory headlines that targeted the platform’s involvement in everything from sending teenage girls into emotional spiral to fanning the flames of the January 6 riot that paralyzed the nation’s capital, Face book managed to mostly defy Wall Street’s expectations with its third quarter earnings. 
After a brief dip, the stock took off in after-hours trading, and is inching closer toward its record high above $384.
In fact, Facebook’s results arrived on the same day as Tesla’s (TSLA) muscling its way into the $1 trillion market capitalization club, and a week after Netflix blew away estimates with its results. Both the electric carmaker and the streaming behemoth have found themselves in the crosshairs of external critics and employees alike, albeit for different reasons.
Given that Tesla and Netflix both spiked to fresh highs, and Facebook’s stock is closer to its 52-week high than its comparable low, it’s striking that investors keep sending the same consistent message in the face of multiple scandals: We do not care.
Earlier this month, I made the point that Facebook should be judged on the utility of the services it provides for the users still willing to log in, even as controversies threaten to engulf the company.
And by all indications, the numbers of people willing to keep up with family, friends and endure the flood of political rants (and yes, some misinformation) remains formidable. As of Q3, Facebook’s daily active users were close to 2 billion, while monthly active users neared 3 billion.
With all the criticism, people would be forgiven for unplugging from Facebook en masse — but they clearly aren't. Not bad for an algorithm that’s routinely accused of being the soul-sucking, real life incarnation of Skynet or The Matrix.
To be sure, Facebook has to weather a political firestorm — and a regulatory crackdown that may severely sanction or, in the worst case scenario, force a breakup of the platform.
Meanwhile, Apple’s tightening of data privacy rules is wreaking havoc on the ad-supported social model of doing business (just ask the unfortunate souls who bought SNAP’s battered stock at or near the highs), amplifying the enmity between two of the tech world's biggest names. Those are “Black Swans” of sorts that markets clearly haven’t yet priced in.
Still, if there’s one thing the last year has taught us, it's that markets use price action to send confusing but powerful signals about the future. Facebook’s Teflon may be a bit scratched, but it’s still very much intact.
By Javier E. David, editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him at @Teflongeek
Yahoo Finance Highlights
Intel CEO: My job is to win Apple back
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser forecasts ‘brutal winter’ for markets
Zoom meetings will offer 'better experience' than face-to-face: CEO
—
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flipboard, and LinkedIn
These three companies could be huge winners in the next iteration of the internet.
The global chip shortage has been generating strong tailwinds for the semiconductor sector over the past year. Today, I'll highlight three chip stocks that operate in very different parts of the semiconductor market, why they're all growing, and why they could still generate even bigger returns next year. ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) is a Dutch semiconductor equipment maker.
Rivian and Lucid stocks are making big runs, so far mostly on promise, but these companies' stocks should be ready to move up based on the progress in their businesses.
(Bloomberg) — Patrick Orlando, whose status as an operator of blank-check firms skyrocketed last month when he reached a deal to bankroll former President Donald Trump’s media company, is scrapping one of his earlier ventures for hunting such transactions.Most Read from BloombergNew York City Is Building a Wall of Oysters to Fend Off FloodsA Denser City, But at What Cost?The Women Behind Historic House DesignsAn Oil Company Went Up in Flames, Burning Lenders and the PlanetHong Kong's New Museum
The Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) hype train has cooled off a little as share prices of America's second-largest automaker by market cap are down over 25% from their high. QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) and ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT) are two businesses with footholds in their respective niches of the EV industry — not to mention a fair share of growth prospects of their own. Howard Smith (QuantumScape): Investing can be about perspective, especially when looking into speculative names that have to grow into current valuations.
Comparing Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) to Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) or Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) is one thing. Ford is transforming itself into a diversified car company and even expects to generate 40% of its revenue from electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. When stocks are flying high, many retail investors aren't happy if their stocks don't double overnight.
The market rally is sending mixed messages, with President Biden about to make his Fed chief pick. Is it time to buy Rivian stock?
Brookfield Renewable's dividend yield of more than 3% is also quite attractive. My Motley Fool colleague Jason Hall recently went with Brookfield Renewable as the strongest renewable energy stock you can own.
The fact that so many people are even talking about these names speaks volumes about their potential movement.
Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AUPH) fell by 18.1% in after-hours trading Friday. The accompanying prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission noted that the proceeds of any stock sales under this offering would be used for clinical development and commercial production of the company's Food and Drug Administration approved lupus nephritis (LN) medication Lupkynis. At the end of the third quarter, Aurinia had a cash runway of approximately six to perhaps eight quarters, depending on the commercial trajectory of Lupkynis, as well as the company's clinical development plans.
Three dividend stocks that currently stand out to our contributors for their combination of dependability and yield are Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD), Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED), and TotalEnergies (NYSE: TTE). Reuben Gregg Brewer (Enterprise Products Partners): I could highlight Enterprise Products Partners' 23 consecutive years of distribution growth and easily proclaim that it is dependable.
In this article, we discuss the 10 best growth stocks to buy today according to billionaire Ken Fisher. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to the 5 Best Growth Stocks to Buy Today According to Billionaire Ken Fisher. Ken Fisher is a money manager, best-selling author, and the […]
These stocks may take small hits in bear markets, but they each operate businesses that quickly return to favor when times are good.
Alibaba stock looks like it's on sale after an earnings sell-off, but is BABA stock a buy right now?
Many investors gave Buffett a lot of grief for his moves during the pandemic, but the Oracle of Omaha was on target here.
Sundial Growers (NASDAQ: SNDL) is one of the major marijuana stocks investors like to dump on, and sometimes with good reason. One of the biggest knocks against Sundial Growers is its penchant for diluting shareholders. While many of the marijuana stocks that have gone public in the past few years have issued more stock to raise cash, Sundial has been especially busy doing it, unleashing a tsunami of shares over the past two years that increased the share count by 2,150%.
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) posted fiscal first-quarter results in line with management's expectations. Over the last several years, networking veteran Cisco has been transforming its hardware business that consists of selling devices that connect servers and data centers. As a result of internal developments and acquisitions, the company now proposes software subscriptions for collaboration solutions, cybersecurity offerings, cloud monitoring capabilities, and more.
After cutting its dividend in 2016, investors have every right to wonder if Kinder Morgan's dividend is safe. Here's what you need to know.
Teladoc Health (NYSE: TDOC) can be somewhat polarizing. First, the virtual care market is just getting started and has massive growth prospects. Second, Teladoc is in the best position to succeed in this market over the long term.
Tesla investors got a small surprise Friday after the market closed, with the electric vehicle maker disclosing another stock sale by a top executive. Musk’s stock sales have become a big deal for Tesla (ticker: TSLA) investors, requiring them to check in daily and keep track of the CEO’s trading activity. Since the poll, Musk has sold about 7.6 million shares, including ones that were sold to pay taxes when exercising expiring management stock options.

source