TOP 5 STOCKS TO WATCHOUT:-
1. #MASTER CARD- Mastercard Inc said on Wednesday it was planning to offer support for some cryptocurrencies on its network this year, joining a string of big-ticket firms that have pledged similar support.
The credit-card giant's announcement comes days after Elon Musk's Tesla Inc revealed it had purchased $1.5 billion of bitcoin and would soon accept it as a form of payment.
Asset manager BlackRock Inc and payments companies Square and PayPal have also recently backed cryptocurrencies.
Mastercard already offers customers cards that allow people to transact using their cryptocurrencies, although without going through its network.
"Doing this work will create a lot more possibilities for shoppers and merchants, allowing them to transact in an entirely new form of payment. This change may open merchants up to new customers who are already flocking to digital assets," Mastercard said.
Mastercard specified that not all cryptocurrencies will be supported on its network, adding that many of the hundreds of digital assets in circulation still need to tighten their compliance measures.
Many cryptocurrencies have struggled to win the trust of mainstream investors and the general public due to their speculative nature and potential for money laundering.
2.#TWITTER :Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said Wednesday the company is exploring allowing its users to receive tips, or digital payments, from their followers.
Dorsey said the feature would help the social media platform earn more money and engagement from its base of 192 million daily users.
"I think the first thing we want to focus on is that economic incentive to people who are contributing to Twitter," he said at the virtual Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference.
Introducing user tipping and new features like content subscriptions would help the company diversify its revenue, which it currently earns mainly from selling advertising on Twitter.
The company said Tuesday during an earnings call with analysts that he did not expect subscriptions to be meaningful to the company's revenue until next year.
Last month, Twitter bought newsletter startup Revue, as it hopes to attract users wanting to create long-form content.
3.#MICROSOFT:-Microsoft Corp approached Pinterest Inc in recent months about a potential deal to acquire the $51 billion social media company, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people briefed on the matter.
The negotiations were currently not active, according to the report.
A general shift to virtual interactions leading to increased engagement on social media platforms benefited Pinterest as well, with its monthly active users jumping 37% to 459 million in the fourth quarter.
The company said it added a record 100 million monthly active users in 2020.
Pinterest's shares have risen over seven times from its pandemic-low in March last year. Pinterest had previously signaled it wants to remain an independent company, the FT said.
The social media company generates revenue by placing advertisements next to the Pins, or posts, uploaded on the site by users.
A deal between the two companies would also have tested the Biden administration's appetite for allowing powerful technology companies to strike deals, according to the FT.
4. #ASTRA ZENECA:- AstraZeneca expects profit growth to pick up this year after the COVID-19 vaccine developer beat forecasts for quarterly drug sales, with demand for its cancer and other therapies cushioning the disruption caused by the pandemic.
Last year was a crucial one for the Anglo-Swedish company. It teamed up with the University of Oxford to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and struck its largest ever deal by buying U.S. drugmaker Alexion .
AstraZeneca said on Thursday it expects 2021 revenue to increase by a low teens percentage, with "faster growth" in core earnings to $4.75 to $5.00 per share. That translates to 18-24% growth in earnings, following 15% in 2020.
1. #MASTER CARD- Mastercard Inc said on Wednesday it was planning to offer support for some cryptocurrencies on its network this year, joining a string of big-ticket firms that have pledged similar support.
The credit-card giant's announcement comes days after Elon Musk's Tesla Inc revealed it had purchased $1.5 billion of bitcoin and would soon accept it as a form of payment.
Asset manager BlackRock Inc and payments companies Square and PayPal have also recently backed cryptocurrencies.
Mastercard already offers customers cards that allow people to transact using their cryptocurrencies, although without going through its network.
"Doing this work will create a lot more possibilities for shoppers and merchants, allowing them to transact in an entirely new form of payment. This change may open merchants up to new customers who are already flocking to digital assets," Mastercard said.
Mastercard specified that not all cryptocurrencies will be supported on its network, adding that many of the hundreds of digital assets in circulation still need to tighten their compliance measures.
Many cryptocurrencies have struggled to win the trust of mainstream investors and the general public due to their speculative nature and potential for money laundering.
2.#TWITTER :Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said Wednesday the company is exploring allowing its users to receive tips, or digital payments, from their followers.
Dorsey said the feature would help the social media platform earn more money and engagement from its base of 192 million daily users.
"I think the first thing we want to focus on is that economic incentive to people who are contributing to Twitter," he said at the virtual Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference.
Introducing user tipping and new features like content subscriptions would help the company diversify its revenue, which it currently earns mainly from selling advertising on Twitter.
The company said Tuesday during an earnings call with analysts that he did not expect subscriptions to be meaningful to the company's revenue until next year.
Last month, Twitter bought newsletter startup Revue, as it hopes to attract users wanting to create long-form content.
3.#MICROSOFT:-Microsoft Corp approached Pinterest Inc in recent months about a potential deal to acquire the $51 billion social media company, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people briefed on the matter.
The negotiations were currently not active, according to the report.
A general shift to virtual interactions leading to increased engagement on social media platforms benefited Pinterest as well, with its monthly active users jumping 37% to 459 million in the fourth quarter.
The company said it added a record 100 million monthly active users in 2020.
Pinterest's shares have risen over seven times from its pandemic-low in March last year. Pinterest had previously signaled it wants to remain an independent company, the FT said.
The social media company generates revenue by placing advertisements next to the Pins, or posts, uploaded on the site by users.
A deal between the two companies would also have tested the Biden administration's appetite for allowing powerful technology companies to strike deals, according to the FT.
4. #ASTRA ZENECA:- AstraZeneca expects profit growth to pick up this year after the COVID-19 vaccine developer beat forecasts for quarterly drug sales, with demand for its cancer and other therapies cushioning the disruption caused by the pandemic.
Last year was a crucial one for the Anglo-Swedish company. It teamed up with the University of Oxford to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and struck its largest ever deal by buying U.S. drugmaker Alexion .
AstraZeneca said on Thursday it expects 2021 revenue to increase by a low teens percentage, with "faster growth" in core earnings to $4.75 to $5.00 per share. That translates to 18-24% growth in earnings, following 15% in 2020.