Tag: Blockchain Technology

Will IBM's Red Hat Acquisition Finally Move The Needle?

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

International Business Machines (IBM) had been trading range bound for five months from mid-April through mid-September, trading between roughly $140 and $145. Before its Q3 earnings, IBM had finally broken out to $154 with a subsequent implosion after its earnings release that fell short of expectations coupled with its announcement that it will be acquiring Red Hat (RHT) for $34 billion.

IBM’s stock is now at a 52-week low after the company missed revenue targets, notably a drop in Cognitive Solutions and server weakness implying that its revived nascent growth earlier this year will be subdued moving forward. IBM’s stock has been decimated and now trades at ~$115 per share or down over 30% from it's 52- week high of $171. IBM has had a long turn in restoring growth after posting 20+ consecutive quarters of declining revenue however IBM had posted back-to-back quarters of revenue growth as of late.

This growth has come on heels of its long-term imperatives beginning to bear fruit in emerging high-value segments that has fundamentally changed its business mix while evolving its offerings to align with new age information technology demands. The Red Hat acquisition will ostensibly augment its transition away from its dependency on legacy businesses to the future of cloud, artificial intelligence, and analytics. Continue reading "Will IBM's Red Hat Acquisition Finally Move The Needle?" →

IBM – Blockchain Technology Becoming Ubiquitous

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech - Blockchain Technology


“What the internet did for communications, blockchain will do for trusted transactions.”
— Ginni Rometty, IBM Chief Executive Officer

Introduction

I introduced International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) as a play on the emerging blockchain technology segment earlier this year to augment its transition away from its dependency on legacy businesses to the future of cloud, artificial intelligence, and analytics. IBM has struggled to restore growth, posting 20+ consecutive quarters of declining revenue however IBM has posted back-to-back quarters of revenue growth as of late. This growth has come on heels of its long-term imperatives beginning to bear fruit in emerging high-value segments that has fundamentally changed its business mix while evolving its offerings to align with new age information technology demands. A new frontier of growth lies in the nascent blockchain technology as IBM is a first mover in this promising, emerging technology. As IBM transitions to quarterly revenue growth, in the backdrop of its evolution to emerging high-value segments (i.e., blockchain) the company presents a compelling investment opportunity considering its suppressed valuation. In addition to the evolving business mix in strategic imperatives, IBM offers a great dividend, share buyback program while continuously acquiring companies to drive the business into the future. Continue reading "IBM – Blockchain Technology Becoming Ubiquitous" →

IBM - Blockchain Technology Driving Growth

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech - Blockchain


“What the internet did for communications, blockchain will do for trusted transactions.”
— Ginni Rometty, IBM Chief Executive Officer

Introduction

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has struggled in recent years to transition away from its dependency on legacy businesses to the future of cloud, artificial intelligence, and analytics. Despite this long transition of posting 20+ consecutive quarters of declining revenue, IBM has finally posted its first revenue growth in nearly six years. Its long-term imperatives are beginning to bear fruit in emerging high-value segments that has fundamentally changed its business mix while evolving its offerings to align with new age information technology demands. New talent has driven these long-term business initiatives in these key areas as ~50% of its employee base has been added to the company within the last five years. A new frontier of growth lies in the nascent blockchain technology as IBM is a first mover in this promising, emerging technology. As IBM transitions to quarterly revenue growth, per the recent guidance of low single-digit growth, in the backdrop of its evolution to emerging high-value segments (i.e., blockchain) the company presents a compelling investment opportunity. In addition to the evolving business mix, IBM offers a great dividend, share buyback program while continuously acquiring companies to drive the business into the future.

Blockchain Technology and Applications

Blockchain technology is the architecture that underpins the volatile cryptocurrency markets. This technology applies to enterprise applications since it employs a decentralized database, open ledger, and incorruptible transactional capabilities. Blockchain applies to any transactional business model whether it’s financial or goods being transacted. The open ledger concept within the blockchain makes it incorruptible as any changes need confirmation from multiple parties and any changes can be seen at any time with a permission blockchain. As a function of the decentralization, there’s no central repository or clearinghouse to be hacked or accessed. The blockchain speeds up and by-passes these intermediaries (i.e., a clearinghouse of the bank) to achieve transactions within minutes and not days (Figures 1 and 2). Continue reading "IBM - Blockchain Technology Driving Growth" →

How Bitcoin Finished An Astonishing Year

Posted on by Matt Thalman

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs


If you look at a chart of Bitcoin during 2017, it really only went higher during the first 11 months. The in the middle of November it was as if the cryptocurrency was strapped to a rocket ship as the price shot higher until mid-December.

While early investors made a killing on Bitcoin in 2017, the real excitement all happened in December. Bitcoin started 2017 at $996, began the month of December at $10,500, then peaked on December 17, 2017, at $19,206, but ended the year at just over $14,000. When Bitcoin hit its peak, it was up nearly 100% for just the month of December, but even after falling $5,000 in only 14 days, it still ended the month up more than 30%.

Bitcoin 2017 (BITCOIN:BITSTAMPUSD)

While Bitcoin may have only risen 30% in December, it increased more than 1,350% in 2017, with nearly 400% of that gain coming in December and 800% of its coming after November 1st. So what happened in the last two months of the year that caused the price of Bitcoin to rocket higher, in such as short period? Continue reading "How Bitcoin Finished An Astonishing Year" →

Bitcoin; Let's Just Call It What It Is, A Speculative Investment

Posted on by Matt Thalman

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs


An investment, as described by Webster dictionary, can be anything that an investor believes will produce income in the future or be worth more than it is today at some point in the future. Common investments include but are not limited to stocks, bonds, real estate, jewelry, artwork, or antiques.

Speculation, again as described by Webster dictionary, is the assumption of unusual business risk in hopes of obtaining commensurate gain. The dictionary has a definition of speculation specifically for students or kids which is, 'the taking of a big risk in business in hopes of making a big profit.'

The current situation with Bitcoin can best be explained by quoting the Merriam-Webster website when it is explaining speculation.

"Speculation can increase short-term volatility (and thus, risk). It can inflate prices and lead to bubbles, as was the case in the 2005-2006 real estate market in the UniteStates. Speculators who were betting that home prices would continue to increase purchased houses (often using leverage) intending to "flip" them for a profit. This increased the demand for housing, which raised prices further, eventually taking them beyond the "true value" of the real estate in many markets. The frenzied selling that ensued is typical for speculative markets."

Currently, it would be hard for anyone to argue that Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies aren't experiencing speculator behavior based on the above explanation. Continue reading "Bitcoin; Let's Just Call It What It Is, A Speculative Investment" →