Google & Amazon Q4 20 – Good companies, mediocre stocks.

Good results from the pandemic drive a pull forward of digitisation. Google Q4 2020 – The big pull forward Google’s advertising machine roared back to life in Q4 2020 with great results highlighting an acceleration of the trend to digital rather than signalling an overall economic recovery. Q4 2020 revenues-Ex TAC / EPS were $56.9bn / $22.30 handsomely beating estimates...

  • Comments Off on Google & Amazon Q4 20 – Good companies, mediocre stocks.
  • 112

Ford & Google – Full of GAS?

More about infrastructure than digital vehicle services. Ford has struck a far-reaching deal with Google that encompasses far more than just the software and services in the vehicle cockpit which I think Ford will tinker with and may never deploy. Ford and Google have agreed to a 6-year co-operation that commences now but the effects of which will not be...

  • Comments Off on Ford & Google – Full of GAS?
  • 120

Kuaishou IPO – Good pivot

For once not too much is being demanded. Kuaishou is no ByteDance but this has forced it to pivot into other areas where there is little competition and where the long-term rewards could be significantly greater. The valuation being asked at IPO of $60bn which is not too demanding meaning that as long as the market holds its current valuation,...

  • Comments Off on Kuaishou IPO – Good pivot
  • 119

Medical Wearables – Quest for the grail.

The pilgrims are still far away from the holy land. Much is being made for the potential for the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Apple Watch 7 to measure blood glucose but their inability to conquer the easier task of blood pressure highlights just how hard these goals are to reach. The realistic outlook is that these devices will provide...

  • Comments Off on Medical Wearables – Quest for the grail.
  • 297

MSFT & AMD – Pandemic plays.

The pandemic is in the driving seat. The pandemic trade is back with homeworking and homeschooling driving the results of both Microsoft and AMD, but this may grind to a halt in calendar Q2 as the summer banishes the virus for 6 months or so. Microsoft FQ2 2021 – Perfect storm. Microsoft has been the best exposed of all the...

  • Comments Off on MSFT & AMD – Pandemic plays.
  • 288

Autonomous Autos – Head to head

Tesla is barking up the wrong tree. The biggest disagreement in the autonomous automobile industry has heated up once again with Waymo’s CEO once again dissing Tesla’s camera-only approach to autonomous driving. RFM has conducted extensive analysis in this area and has concluded that while Tesla’s approach is the right approach, it has a greatly inflated opinion of its capability...

  • Comments Off on Autonomous Autos – Head to head
  • 194

Intel – The hard road pt. II

This is Intel’s make or break moment. Intel’s determination to return to manufacturing supremacy is existential because if Geisinger fails, the vultures will break-up the company and sell off the pieces sending another American titan to the graveyard to rub shoulders with Motorola. The market’s reaction is indicative of just how short-term obsessed it is as there is absolutely no...

  • Comments Off on Intel – The hard road pt. II
  • 308

Intel & IBM Q4 2020 – Turnaround sagas.

Intel Q4 2020 – The hard road. Intel reported good results and guidance but the new CEO’s commitment to manufacturing sent skittish investors running for the hills. Q4 2020 revenues / EPS were $20.0bn / $1.42 nicely ahead of consensus of $17.5bn / $1.04 as the new lockdowns spurred further demand for homeworking & home-schooling tools of which Intel is...

  • Comments Off on Intel & IBM Q4 2020 – Turnaround sagas.
  • 255

Apple Automotive – Tinker, tailor, soldier, car? pt. III.

An automobile could be a sell signal. It has been a very long time since Apple has made a serious mistake but the commercial launch of an electric vehicle could very well be the moment that heralds the end of the uptrend as falling margins could significantly undermine its valuation. Unlike previous rounds of speculation around a move into the...

  • Comments Off on Apple Automotive – Tinker, tailor, soldier, car? pt. III.
  • 251

Autonomous autos – Pie in the sky pt. II

The autonomous software industry has a value of $44.3bn. Microsoft has participated in a $2bn funding round that values Cruise at more than $30bn which seems to be assuming that Cruise will end up the biggest player with over 50% market share. By contrast, I think that there will be many offerings and the time will eventually come when autonomous...

  • Comments Off on Autonomous autos – Pie in the sky pt. II
  • 288