What We're Reading

The numbers are astounding, and hopefully help to create perspective on the scale of technology and business.  In just 10 seconds, close to 225,000 GB of data is transferred, with over 500,000 posts on Facebook, 57,000 tweets, 46,000 searches on Google, and 2 million messages sent on WhatsApp. 

There is no question that the most profound factor affecting modern life is the ability to replicate and store data at almost no cost. This revolution in information has provided us with a wealth of benefits and possibilities for an incredibly low marginal price.

At zero cost, we can connect to a global store of all human knowledge. New apps with impressive features can cost less than a dollar, and our monthly Netflix subscriptions hardly register on our credit card statements. Meanwhile, we share our thoughts about the world with our friends and family at no cost through social networks, email, or other means of communications. This hasn’t been possible throughout human existence, and it is onl

There are a lot of things the world does better than the US: Literacy, life expectancy, general happiness, and, of course, soccer. You can now add Netflix to that list.

On Monday (Sept. 14), the US streaming television service updated (and redesigned) its monthly speed index website, where it ranks Netflix speeds by internet provider. Given that the company has expanded into over 50 countries, with plans for hundreds more, the index now ranks Netflix speeds by country as well.

The US and Canada, where Netflix accounts for a whopping 37% of peak web traffic, are both in the middle of the pack when it comes to Netflix speeds. Scandinavian countries dominate the rankings, which shouldn’t be too surprising, as those same countries generally boast some of the fastest internet speeds in the world (pdf).

The index measures how well Netflix performs during prime viewing hours. Essentially, the higher the ranking, the better the Netflix viewing experience is in that country. Viewers in count

According to BTIG Research, there remains cause to be concerned after the stock market's bounce last week.

For the first time since the October low, breakdowns have outnumbered breakouts. This is a byproduct of the 5% pullback in the SPX over the past two weeks, which naturally saw some stocks break support levels. We are inclined to worry about breakdowns when they are abundant (at least 10% of the SPX, more than this time around) and recurrent (outnumbering breakouts for at least 2-3 weeks).

This last occurred in October, when the market suffered deterioration in breadth that was significant enough to suggest a structural shift may be underway. For this reason, we would be inclined to use strength to sell stocks that previously broke down or stocks that have exhibited weak relative strength.

Looking closer at a few of the internals:  A 5-year weekly chart of T2107, or stocks which are above their 200d SMA, has made a lower high and appear to be rolling over again -  almost a

You mean when you raise prices, it affects subscriber levels?  No one told Reed Hastings and nor did he forewarn the market of the drop which was coming.  NFLX already has streaming competition from HBO (TWC) and talk is being bandied about that CBS will be joining that pool along side AMZN and others and well, it all equals = more competition.  NFLX is no longer 'unique'.  Yes I am short this pos based off the technical divergences on the daily chart.  Burnt popcorn anyone?

In the area of streaming video and television, Mode Media (previously Glam) had quietly filed for IPO in 2013 and postponed it's IPO indefinitely in 2011.  I'm sure board member Mark Andreessen would love to push it forward but is this the right time with markets at all time new highs? 

Glam Media changed its name to Mode Media at its NewFronts event today in New York. Glam chief Samir Arora told Adweek prior to the presentation that the new moniker reflects a commitment to entertainment as well as rebranding its properties beyond its core women's lifestyle offerings.

And he's evidently not kidding about entertainment. Over the last 18 months, his team has quietly developed a consumer-facing video product, which Arora likens more to Netflix than iTunes. Five to 20 percent of the video programming will be original content, but the rest of the shows will originate from syndicated deals made with TV companies. Mode Media has been working with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to acquire qual