AMZN Stock Price
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Why the CIA and Amazon Are All Over This Quantum Computing Upstart
The CIA and the world's biggest Web retailer want to see the world of Big Computing turned upside down.
That's why they joined a $30 million investment round in a small supercomputing startup. The firm is taking a radical new approach to how these processors crunch massive amounts of data.
It's a field that is quickly turning its skeptics into true believers. Then again, cutting-edge tech like quantum computing doesn't come along every day.
No doubt, quantum computing is some pretty complex stuff. So, let me simplify it for you. At its root, quantum computing relies on the high-speed action inside atoms as well as particles of light.
The result is speeds so fast it makes your head spin.
We're talking about computers that could perform some functions millions of times faster than anything that's on the market today.
It's no wonder the nation's top spies and Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos want to get in on the ground floor. Though they didn't say how much each ponied up, both took part in the most recent round of financing for D Wave Systems.
In-Q-Tel, which invests in high tech that supports the CIA, and Bezos Expeditions join a growing list of D Wave investors. Other blue-chip backers include the Business Development Bank of Canada, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).
D Wave: Quantum Computing's Kingpin
Founded in 1999, D Wave spent its first five years in discovery mode. By that I mean the small firm was focused on coming up with novel ways to make quantum computing work and then get the patents it needed to protect the moat it was building.
That early attention to detail has clearly paid off. Today, D Wave holds 90 U.S. patents and has roughly 100 more pending around the globe.
Here's the thing. D Wave is founding a whole new sector of the computing industry while making sure it maintains a strong first-mover advantage.
After struggling for years, D Wave is now on a roll.
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Why Investors Love Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) Stock
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Why AMZN Stock is Soaring
Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) stock is up more than 15% in midday trading, after an earnings report that predicted slowing growth and profits in Q3. So why are investors interested in a stock that will make less money - and may even post a loss?
Money Morning's Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald joined Fox Business' "Varney & Co." Friday to talk about the value in Amazon.com. Keith explained how Amazon.com's Q3 outlook isn't a bad thing.
Keith also shared a stock that he sees outperforming in this economy, and talked about how the GDP numbers highlight the "mess" Washington has created for the U.S. economy.
Watch this accompanying video for Keith's full analysis.
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Does the "Showroom Effect" Spell Trouble for Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN)?
Thanks to the "Showroom Effect," Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) and Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) have parted ways.
That means Amazon's hot new Kindle e-reader will no longer be found on the shelves of one of the biggest U.S. chain retailers.
The "Showroom Effect" is a phenomenon in which consumers use brick-and-mortar stores to test drive certain products before purchasing them online at a lower price.
This isn't the first shot fired in the war between the world's largest online retailer and the second largest discount retailer in the United States.
The Beef with Amazon
Retailers have long complained of Amazon's unfair competitive advantage because the online retailer is exempt from charging state and local sales taxes.
Last spring, Target, along with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY), The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), and other retailers threw their collective weight behind the Alliance for Main Street Fairness, a coalition that is leading efforts to change sales-tax laws in more than a dozen states, including Texas and California.
But the sales tax gap is just part of the problem.
During last year's holiday shopping season, Amazon offered 5% discounts up to $5 to "show-rooming" consumers who used the online giant's Price Check mobile app in a physical store-in essence, encouraging the Showroom Effect.
In response, Target sent a letter to its suppliers urging them to help combat the Showroom Effect, either by delivering more in-store exclusive products, or by helping to them to match the prices of Target's online rivals, including Amazon, TigerDirect, Overstock.com Inc. (NasdaqGM: OSTK), and eBay Inc. (NasdaqGS: EBAY).
Even still, retailers like Target have other issues with online competitors like Amazon - such as what happens after the sale.
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Will the Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Deal with Barnes & Noble Work?
The story behind Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) $300 million investment in Barnes and Noble's (NYSE: BKS) Nook is an easy read: Both companies win with the deal.
The duo is pairing to create a new subsidiary, with Microsoft taking a 17.6% stake. Microsoft will invest an additional $305 million over the next five years.
The deal gives the tech giant a long-desired grip in the business of e-books and college textbooks, which are moving to electronic distribution.
Microsoft will highlight a Nook app later this year on its Windows 8-powered tablets. This will let it compete against Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad and Amazon.com Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AMZN) Kindle Fire.
"It's a good strategic deal," Sid Parakh, an analyst at fund firm McAdams Wright Ragen, told Reuters. "It gets Microsoft in the game for e-readers, and gives them access to a market that has been growing nicely and they've basically sat out of. It also makes Windows 8 a more compelling platform from an e-readers perspective."
Microsoft Moves To Mobile
Monday's deal is a new chapter for both companies, especially Microsoft.
Microsoft has been testing the waters of the e-book field but has yet to really get its feet wet. Since it launched e-book software in 2000, it has never been able to amass a significant library. In fact, this software will be shelved on Aug. 30.
"The shift to digital is putting the world's libraries and newsstands in the palm of every person's hand, and is the beginning of a journey that will impact how people read, interact with, and enjoy new forms of content," Microsoft President Andy Lees said in a statement.
Microsoft has been overhauling its approach to mobile, which has taken a back seat to Apple's iOS and Google Inc.'s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android. This new deal may just take a bite out of Apple or have Google ogling.
The move could be a game changer for Windows 8, as well as the Nook.
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