Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), a Social networking monster, whose user base is expanding primarily on the back of increasing penetration in emerging markets like India and Brazil, will make capital investments worth USD 1.6 billion this year. The California-based firm made a capital expenditure of USD 595 million on setting up data centres and storage infrastructure in the first half of this year. “We predict making capital expenditures in 2013 of approximately USD 1.6 billion,” Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) said in a filing to US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
LinkedIn Corp (LNKD) Continues to Impress (InsiderMonkey)
LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) has gone up more than 100% over the past year. Top-line growth has been phenomenal and it seems to have a lock on the online professional network market. Furthermore, management is top-tier, which we’ll get to soon. All that said, LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) might not be a great investment at this point in time. …LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) is a monetization machine, and considering the company’s user base of approximately 225 million, this is a big deal. LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) generates most of its revenue through Talent Solutions, where recruiters and potential job candidates are connected. LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) recently made moves in an effort to improve ad revenue, which currently represents approximately 20% of total sales.
Google Relaunches Zagat App With Yelp In Mind (SearchEngineLand)
Last week Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) killed the Google+ Local mobile app for iOS, saying that all the same content was available in Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Maps for iOS. Today the company announced the relaunch of the Zagat site and mobile app for Android and iPhone. …In the new app you can search for places, but search is largely de-emphasized. Discovery and “curated” content are front and center: “best of” lists and editorial roundups are the star. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) probably hopes the new app will help it further compete with Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP), whose advantage over Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Maps is its content depth.
Facebook rises to highest since May 2012 as mobile ads gain (NorthJersey)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) rose to the highest price since May 2012, the month of its initial public offering, amid optimism that the world’s largest social network can bolster sales from mobile advertising. The stock jumped 2.9 percent to $34.98 at 1:13 p.m. in New York, and earlier touched $35.07 for the highest intraday price since May 21, 2012, its second trading day. The share price rise is a turnabout for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), which hasn’t closed above the $38 IPO price since the day of its public debut. Its stock slumped as low as $17.55 in September.
Facebook Inc (NASADQ:FB) in Danger, Tencent’s WeChat Going Global (eFinanceHub)
WeChat, a Chinese instant messaging application developed by Tencent, the internet giant created in January 2011 has become very famous. We Chat has gained popularity in China so much that it took the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) mantle. WeChat already have 300 million users out of which 70 million are overseas. Tencent said that it was in a serious expansion mission we chat is no doubt going to be globalized very soon. In the first quarter of 2013, it was revealed that WeChat has earned US$645 million, up 16.8% from the last quarter. Its earnings from value added services were round about US$1.70 billion which surprisingly increased 13.6% quarter-by-quarter and 28.6% year-on-year.
Yelp Rating Reiterated by MKM Partners (YELP) (WatchListNews)
Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP)’s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by MKM Partners in a research note issued on Monday, Stock Ratings Network reports. They currently have a $55.00 price objective on the stock. MKM Partners’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 30.64% from the company’s current price. …Shares of Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) traded down 3.47% during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $40.64. Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) has a one year low of $16.32 and a one year high of $42.84. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $35.18. The company’s market cap is $2.619 billion.
Fake Nautical Restaurant On Tripadvisor Gets Glowing Reviews (Forbes)
One of the perennial arguments against Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP) reviews and user generated content (UGC) is that it can be easily faked. Arthur Frommer specifically called out this problem when he relaunched his guidebook brands earlier this month; while UGC is great for collecting a broad spectrum of content quickly and cheaply, it also can be easily gamed. On sites like Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP) and Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) -0.59% in particular, a single positive or negative review can make or break a company, and owners hope that feedback comes from earnest, engaged customers.
