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How Facebook, Amazon Are Propping Up The ‘FANG’ Name

Facebook ( FB ), Amazon ( AMZN ), Netflix ( NFLX ) and Google owner Alphabet ( GOOGL ) are some of the hottest names in the stock market right now, but they are not all performing too hot at this time. Only one of the “FANG” stocks has achieved a significant gain so far this year, and that’s Facebook. The social networking giant has seen three straight quarters of faster bottom line growth as it continues to capture more ad sales and grab more active users. Reasons To ‘Like’ Facebook Facebook has risen 14% so far this year, through Monday’s close. The stock is now looking to close above the 120 price level for the first time ever as it climbs 0.5% to 119.80 intraday. Shares are still trading in buy range after gapping up on the latest quarterly report. Amazon Extended From Breakout Though Amazon has only gained less than 1% for the year through Monday, it’s on a hot streak. Shares presented a buying opportunity ahead of the e-commerce giant’s most recent quarterly earnings and the stock is now extended 16% from the pivot as it hits a new all-time high Tuesday with a 2.7% intraday gain. Amazon announced Tuesday that it’s launching Amazon Video Direct, a rival to Alphabet’s YouTube. Can Netflix Regain Composure? Netflix is down 21% for the year amid steep costs to fuel its international expansion. Netflix also issued weak guidance for subscriber additions in the second quarter. Shares gapped down after the report, and are now trading below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Netflix is 31% below its all-time high reached in early December, but is up more than 1% Tuesday as the overall market rallies. Alphabet Sees Upward Momentum Alphabet is down 6% for the year through Monday, but the stock is seeing upward momentum as it looks to notch its fifth consecutive gain. On Friday, shares were able to retake the 200-day line. The stock is now nearing its 50-day line, which it dropped below after issuing its quarterly report. Alphabet is 9% below its all-time high reached in February, but up 1% Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq has fallen a little over 5% in the same time period while the S&P 500 has risen less than 1%. And Apple ( AAPL ), still the biggest company by market cap, is down 11% for the year. Late last month, Apple missed quarterly estimates and logged its first ever decline in iPhone sales. Apple edged higher Tuesday but is near a 2-year low.

Amazon Launches YouTube Rival, Gets $1,000 Price Target

Amazon ( AMZN ) stock got a boost Tuesday after the e-commerce giant announced a new platform on its streaming video service that goes head-to-head with Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned YouTube. The new platform, called Amazon Video Direct, lets anyone upload clips or their own licensed videos. They can also designate whether the videos are free or available to rent or own, or with advertisements. IBD’s Take: How healthy is Amazon’s stock, and how does it stand up vs. rivals? Find out at IBD Stock Checkup In a press release, Amazon described Amazon Video Direct as “a new self-service program for creators and storytellers to make their video content available to Amazon customers, including tens of millions of Prime members.” It also launched AVD Stars, a program which gives video creators a share of a $1 million per month award based on customer engagement with their title. Amazon will distribute to creators a monthly bonus from the $1 million monthly fund, based on the Top 100 AVD titles in Prime Video, in addition to any other revenue earned. It said the AVD Stars program will make its first bonus distributions based on streaming activity from June 1 st to June 30th. Sanford Bernstein analyst Carlos Kirjner raised his price target on Amazon to a whopping 1000, which is 47% above its close of 679 on Monday. Amazon stock rose 2.9% near 699 in morning trading in the stock market today , hitting a new high. Alphabet stock climbed 1% to about 736. Alphabet is working on its fifth straight gain, but it is still below its 50-day moving average.

‘Stagefright’ Spurs Security Probe Of Google, Apple, Telecom Firms

Federal regulators, citing global worries over the “Stagefright” security flaw, on Monday said they would seek information from Google, Apple ( AAPL ), AT&T ( T ), Verizon Communications ( VZ ) and others on software updates and measures to combat hacking. Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google last week announced fixes to the Stagefright vulnerability . Apple has also faced more threats from malicious software via text messaging, apps and other tactics that hackers utilize. Apple and Google alert iOS and Android software users, respectively, to their security updates. The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission plan to jointly look into how mobile phone vulnerabilities are addressed and what role is played by service providers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) and Sprint ( S ). “There have recently been a growing number of vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems that threaten the security and integrity of a user’s device, including ‘Stagefright’ in the Android operating system, which may affect almost 1 billion Android devices globally,” the FCC said in a statement . AT&T and Verizon shares both fell a fraction in the stock market today , while shares of Alphabet and Apple rose a fraction. The Federal Trade Commission said it has ordered eight mobile device manufacturers to provide the agency with information about how they issue security updates to address vulnerabilities in smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The eight companies are: Apple, Google, BlackBerry ( BBBY ), HTC America, LG Electronics, Microsoft ( MSFT ), Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics.