Facebook (FB): Advertising remains the company’s biggest source of revenue since going public at the turn of the decade. In the third quarter ad revenue jumped from $4.3 billion to $6.82 billion, marking a 60% change on a year over year basis. Much of the increase came on the back of a nearly 80% increase in mobile advertising, driven by 20% growth in Mobile DAUs and MAUs. As of September 1.79 billion users visited the Facebook platform on a monthly basis. In separate reports Facebook also indicated 1 billion monthly active users on Messenger and WhatsApp and 600 million on Instagram.

By opening up advertising revenue for the three other platforms, investors believe Facebook can add to its already robust top line. eMarketer estimates that ad revenue on Instagram could add $3.6 billion to total revenue by the end of 2017. Instagram’s new stories, which essentially mimics SnapChat, should offset the growing threat that SnapChat poses in the social media space. In only 5 months since launch, initial report claim that 150 people use Instagram stories on a daily basis.

Facebook also started testing out a news feed style streams to Messenger’s 1 billion users. Additional efforts to monetize videos on the core Facebook platforms already appear to be doing well. The quick cooking videos that became popular during the quarter will help drive user growth and engagement moving forward.

As always, Facebook faces the serious threat of a slowdown. Any signs of weakness will surely hammer the stock in the coming days. Meanwhile, SnapChat’s IPO in the coming month and an unlikely Twitter turnaround might pose a problem for Facebook down the road. Facebook must also continue to address the idea of fake news and harassment that arose in the days following the recent election.

Best Buy (BBY): Like many of its peers, Best Buy became one of Amazon’s many victims on its path to the top. Consumers used Best Buy as a showroom for a purchase that ended up being made on Amazon, thereby causing financial performance to freefall in recent years. Despite a bleak looking future, Best Buy instilled new confidence in investors following two consecutive earnings reports. The company’s 5 point Renew Blue program achieved remarkable success over this time. It includes strengthening vendor relationships, renovating stores, eliminating unnecessary costs, increasing same store sales and ramping up Best Buy’s online business. Best Buy also uses deep discounts to compete with retail giants like Amazon and Walmart. While many of these initiatives provide some near term support that investors love, the long term sustainability remains unclear.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email