Owners of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) mobile devices spent more money shopping online on Black Friday than did owners of devices powered by Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android, according to analytics data from IBM and Adobe (via Business Insider). Apple's mobile devices accounted for more Internet traffic than those running Google's mobile operating system, while the average Apple user spent more money.
The favored device among shoppers was Apple's iPad -- according to Adobe, iPads alone generated $417 million in sales, while Android-based tablets accounted for just $42 million in sales. Though this might be seen as further evidence of Apple's dominance of the mobile market in the U.S., it seems most troubling for Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) , whose entire tablet strategy is centered around using its devices to drive sales.
Apple remains in control of the U.S. market
Although Apple's share of the global smartphone market has dwindled in recent quarters, now down under 13%, the iPhone-maker has remained in control of the United States. Android-powered devices account for a larger proportion of the U.S. handset market than Apple's iPhone, but the gap is much smaller -- about 52% to 40%. Probably because of Android's fragmentation, developers continue to favor Apple's mobile operating system, releasing their apps for Apple's platform before eventually porting them to Android.�
Best Paper Companies To Buy For 2015: XO Group Inc (XOXO)
XO Group Inc. (XO Group), formerly The Knot, Inc., is a media and technology company. The Company is engaged in the business of weddings, pregnancy and everything in between, providing young women with the information, products and advice to guide them through the transformative events of their lives. Its family of brands began with the wedding brand, The Knot, and it also include WeddingChannel.com, The Nest, The Bump and Ijie.com. XO Group has its presence in all media from the Web to social media and mobile, magazines and books, and video - and social platforms. XO Group has businesses in online sponsorship and advertising, registry services, ecommerce and publishing.
The Company has a network of Websites under several different brands, TheKnot.com, the wedding Website, WeddingChannel.com, the wedding registry site and wedding vendor review site with nearly 350,000 reviews, TheNest.com, a site for newlyweds and new couples, and TheBump.com, a pre-natal and pregnancy Website. These sites offer content and services tailored to the engaged, newly married, and pregnant audiences. Weddings, nesting, and first-time pregnancy are information-intensive events requiring research, planning, and decision-making.
The sites provides future brides and grooms with databases that draw on thousands of articles about weddings, including planning advice, etiquette, Q&As, real wedding stories, tips on getting engaged, fashion, beauty, grooms, the wedding party, and honeymoons. TheNest.com offers information and resources on merging bank accounts and making dinner, with searchable databases for recipes, home decor, and real estate. For couples who are getting ready for a baby, the same urgent need for information surfaces, which the Company provides at TheBump.com with baby naming tools, nursery decor ideas, and a host of health and development-related information. Each of the content areas offers articles, ideas, hundreds of photo slideshows, and videos, all covering a wide range of styles,! perspectives, budgets, traditions, lifestyles and ethnicities.
Active Community Participation and Social Networking
The community areas on XO Group websites generate member involvement through message boards, blogs, and personalized interactive services. Women who are planning their weddings actively seek forums to exchange ideas and ask questions. The community areas feature 24-hour activity.
User-Generated Content
Through blogs, message boards, and photo-posting features, all XO Group sites feature many forms of user-generated content related to the particular interests of its audience. Recent brides post wedding photos, vendor reviews, and their own wedding advice for future brides. Recent home purchasers post home-buying stories, before and after photos, and photos of their own home decor ideas. Pregnant women post chronicles of their pregnancies, reviews of their doctors, photos of their nurseries, and stories of their newborns at key developmental stages.
Interactive Tools
TheKnot.com offers, personalized wedding planning tools, including checklists, budgeters, guest list managers, calendars, and reminder services. An online scrapbook gives users the ability to save favorite dresses, articles, photos, vendors, honeymoons, wedding supplies, and other planning information. After a couple�� wedding day, these personalized tools are automatically converted to its newlywed Website, TheNest.com, to help them organize their new life as a married couple. The guest list manager is used to track thank-you notes, and couples receive an entirely new checklist and budgeter to help them organize their newlywed to-dos and finances. On TheBump.com, it offers checklists, budget tools, a baby name tool, and tools to track everything from ovulation to breastfeeding. These tools are also available on mobile platforms, which provide its users the ability to modify budgets and check off tasks from the convenience of their mobile phones. !
The Company offers personal pregnancy and baby websites through TheBump.com. XO Group Websites offers tools to assist with shopping for key elements of a wedding. Its wedding planning sites highlight a searchable bridal gown database with more than 5,000 gown images from over 200 designers, plus searchable databases for bridesmaid, mother-of-the-bride, and flower girl dresses, bridal accessories, engagement and wedding rings and tuxedos. The sites also offer search tools for honeymoon resorts, jewelry, and tabletop products. Local Resource Listings
The local resource areas on XO Group websites provide access to the local wedding market through online regional guides that host nearly 21,000 local vendors who display over 28,000 profiles, highlighting offerings for reception halls, bands, florists, caterers and other wedding-related products and services across 85 local markets in North America.
One-Stop Registry Shopping Service
WeddingChannel.com is the registry site online. Its patented registry aggregation service offers couples and their guests one place to view all their gift registries via a registry system that searches approximately 4.5 million registries from many retail partners, including Macy��, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Amazon.com, Tiffany & Co., JCPenney and others. TheBump.com uses the same patented registry aggregation service to focus on baby registries, including Target, Buy Buy Baby, Diapers.com, Pottery Barn Kids and more.
The Company integrates informative content with online shops that feature an array of attendant gifts, favors, and supplies that relate to the wedding itself, as well as apparel, toys, gifts, and other goods for babies. It sells directly to consumers through its integrated shopping destinations, The Knot Wedding Shop, the WeddingChannel Store and The Bump Baby Shop. These online stores offer over 4,000 products, including cocktail napkins, wedding bubbles and bells, candy! and cook! ies, ring pillows, toasting flutes, reception decorations, table centerpieces, goblets and glasses, garters, and unity candles.
Broadband Video Content
The Knot TV is a continuous video stream that includes a range of wedding content, including shows about choosing a creative cake, hiring the videographer, planning dream honeymoons and learning about real weddings across the country. It produces video on demand content for The Knot, The Nest, and The Bump brands, covering everything from wedding fashion to home tours to mommy advice. The Knot TV On Demand provides video content from bridal fashion runway shows for brides to watch when they want, including programs on the trends in dresses, silhouettes, necklines, and accessories. Its video content is also distributed to MSN.com video, YouTube, and Sling Media. The Knot TV also features live programming with limited runs of The Knot LIVE, a weekly magazine format show.
Informative E-mail
Members of XO Group Websites subscribe to newsletters and e-mail updates, many of which are targeted with information for members in a specific stage of the wedding planning process. Other newsletters and e-mails are focused on specific topics, including honeymoon deals and personalized e-mails containing relevant local information or offers, such as bridal events or dress sample sales. E-mails are also sent to members of The Nest and The Bump with sponsored promotions and information about their stage of pregnancy or the age of their newborn.
Niche Website Network and Sister Sites
The Company also owns and operates a network of targeted websites that offer services of interest to its core audience of engaged couples. These include niche weddings sites such as ChineseWeddingsbyTheKnot.com, BeachWeddingsbyTheKnot.com, GayWeddingsbyTheKnot.com and over 300 other sites tailored to the searched-for wedding destinations and themes. The sites features local listings, forums, real wedding photos an! d local p! lanning advice.
The Company sells both the national and local editions of The Knot Weddings magazines through newsstands, bookstores, and on its Website, and it distributes local editions of The Bump pregnancy guide to doctors��offices across the country. It also offers a library of books complementing the content on its lifestages websites.
The Knot Weddings National Magazine
It publishes The Knot Weddings magazine four times a year. It features hundreds of dresses from the industry�� top designers. Also featured is an array of photos of wedding party attire and accessories, including bridesmaid, mother-of-the-bride, and flower girl dresses, as well as veils, shoes, and tuxedos.
The Knot Weddings Local Magazines
It publishes regional wedding magazines semi-annually in 17 markets in the United States. The Knot�� regional magazines combine national editorial content with up-to-date, region-specific information, including sections featuring real weddings within the market, making these publications a must-have wedding planning companion for engaged couples.
The Bump Magazine
A pocketbook-sized magazine for first-time moms, The Bump magazine features local resources and modern advice from its editors and nationally-recognized experts.
The Company sells both the national and local editions of The Knot Weddings magazines through newsstands, bookstores, and on its Website, and it distributes local editions of The Bump pregnancy guide to doctors��offices across the country. It also offers a library of books complementing the content on its lifestages Websites. It publishes The Knot Weddings magazine four times a year.
The Company publishes regional wedding magazines semi-annually in 17 markets in the United States. The Knot�� regional magazines combine national editorial content with up-to-date, region-specific information, including sections featuring real weddings within the ! market, m! aking these publications a must-have wedding planning companion for engaged couples.
A pocketbook-sized magazine for first-time moms, The Bump magazine features local resources and modern advice from our editors and nationally-recognized experts. Distributed at no charge through OB/GYN offices in 20 markets nationwide, The Bump magazine is specifically designed to connect first-time parents with the information and resources they need to prepare for a baby. It publishes The Bump magazine semi-annually.
The Company offers a library of up-to-date wedding books authored by itsChief Content Officer Carley Roney and published by divisions of Random House and Chronicle Books. Its first three-book wedding planning series published by Random House�� Broadway Books includes The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner, The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World, and The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions. These books feature information on everything a bride and groom need to know when planning their wedding and includes worksheets, checklists, etiquette, and answers to frequently asked questions. Its gift book series published by Chronicle Books includes The Knot Book of Wedding Gowns, The Knot Book of Wedding Flowers, The Knot Guide for the Mother of the Bride, and The Knot Guide for the Groom. Its second planning series, published by Random House�� Clarkson Potter, includes The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings, The Knot Book of Wedding Lists and The Knot Bridesmaid Handbook.
The Company offers a series of books for The Nest brand published by Clarkson Potter. The first book in the series, The Nest Newlywed Handbook, goes on the topics of interest to the newlywed, from changing its name to deciding how to divide up the daily chores. The second title, The Nest Home Design Handbook, is a four-color, photo-filled book on home decoration and design.
The Company competes with Brides magazine (published by Conde Nast), Bridal Guide (published by RFP LLC) ! and Marth! a Stewart Weddings.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares climbed around 0.22 percent in trading on Friday. Leading the sector was strength from American Public Education (NASDAQ: APEI) and XO Group (NASDAQ: XOXO). In trading on Friday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.41 percent. - [By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of XO Group Inc. (XOXO) fell 16% to $10 on light volume after the weddings and pregnancy website operator reported adjusted earnings of 2 cents a share on revenue of $32.6 million, and appointed current president Michael Steib as the new chief executive, replacing David Liu, who will continue on as chairman.
Top 5 Stock Investments For 2014: Oiltanking Partners LP (OILT)
Oiltanking Partners, L.P. (OTLT) is engaged in the terminaling, storage and transportation of crude oil, refined petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Oiltanking Houston, L.P. (OTH) and Oiltanking Beaumont Partners, L.P. (OTB), the Company owns and operates storage and terminaling assets located along the Gulf Coast of the United States on the Houston, Texas Ship Channel and in Beaumont, Texas. Its Houston and Beaumont terminals provides deep-water access and interconnectivity to refineries, chemical and petrochemical companies, carrier and pipelines and production facilities and have international distribution capabilities. Its facilities are directly connected to 18 refineries, storage facilities and production facilities along the Gulf Coast area through pipelines and common carrier pipelines, to end markets along the Gulf Coast and to the Cushing, Oklahoma storage interchange.
Houston Terminal
The Company operates third-party crude oil and refined petroleum products terminals on the Houston Ship Channel. Its facility has an aggregate active storage capacity of approximately 11.7 million barrels and provides integrated terminaling services to a variety of customers, including integrated oil companies, marketers, distributors and chemical companies. The principal products handled at its Houston terminal complex are crude oil, the inputs for chemical production (such as naphtha and condensate), which are referred to as chemical feedstocks, liquefied petroleum gas and clean petroleum products, such as gasoline and distillates, with crude oil accounting for approximately 64% of its active storage capacity.
The Company�� storage and distribution network is integrated with the Houston petrochemical and refining complex. The facility handles products through a number of transportation modes, primarily through pipelines interconnected to local refineries and production facilities, including Houston Refining�� refine! ry in Pasadena, Texas, PRSI�� refinery in Pasadena, Texas, ExxonMobil�� refinery in Baytown, Texas, which is a refinery in the United States. Its Houston terminal also handles products through third-party crude oil, refined petroleum products and liquified petroleum gas tankers and barges arriving at its deep-water docks. Its waterfront capabilities consists of six deep-water ship docks, allowing for the dockage of vessels with up to 130,000 deadweight tons (dwt), of cargo and vessel capacity, and two barge docks, allowing for barges with up to 20,000 dwt of cargo and barge capacity. Its deep-water ship docks can accommodate vessels with up to a 45 foot draft, including Suezmax tankers, which can navigate the Houston Ship Channel. During the year ended December 31, 2011 (during 2011), the Company generated 22% of its Houston terminal revenues from throughput fees charged to non-storage customers.
The Company�� real property at its Houston terminal consists of approximately 327 acres, including 63 acres of nearby parcels that could be connected to its Houston terminal through existing owned rights-of-way. The Company owns approximately 24 acres at the Crossroads Interchange approximately six miles from its Houston terminal.
Beaumont Terminal
The Company�� Beaumont terminal serves as a regional strategic and trading hub for vacuum gas oil and clean petroleum products for refineries located in the upper Gulf Coast region. Its facility has an aggregate active storage capacity of approximately 5.6 million barrels and provides integrated terminaling services to a variety of customers, including integrated oil companies, distributors, marketers and chemical and petrochemical companies. The principal products handled at its Beaumont terminal complex are refined petroleum products, which accounted for approximately 99% of its active storage capacity as of December 31, 2011.
The Company�� storage and distribution network is integrated with the Beaumon! t/Port Ar! thur petrochemical and refining complex, and provides its customers with the additional services of mixing, blending, heating and marine vapor recovery. Its Beaumont facility handles products through a number of transportation modes, primarily through third-party pipelines interconnected to local refineries and production facilities, through its own pipeline system to Huntsman�� chemical production facility in Port Neches, and through third-party crude and refined products tankers and barges arriving at its deep-water docks. Its waterfront capabilities consist of two deep-water ship docks, allowing for the dockage of vessels with up to 130,000 dwt of cargo and vessel capacity and drafts of up to 40 feet, and two barge docks, allowing for barges with up to 20,000 dwt of cargo and barge capacity and drafts of up to 12 feet.
Operations
The Company provides integrated terminaling, storage, pipeline and related services for third-party companies engaged in the production, distribution and marketing of crude oil, refined petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas. The Company generates its revenues through the provision of fee-based services to its customers. During 2011, it generated approximately 75% of its revenues from fixed monthly fees for storage services, which its customers pay to reserve storage space in its tanks and to compensate the Company for receiving an agreed upon average periodic amount of product volume, or throughput, on their behalf.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Stavros]
The good news is that midstream MLPs are already part of the crude-by-rail story and will likely be part of the growing gas-by-rail story. Indeed, there are numerous names in the MLP space with at least some exposure to the crude-by-rail trend, including�Enterprise Products Partners LP�(NYSE: EPD), Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP�(NYSE: KMP),�Genesis Energy LP�(NYSE: GEL), and�Oiltanking Partners LP�(NYSE: OILT),�among others. Barclays estimates that MLPs have already invested $2 billion in railroad terminals, including acquisitions.
Top 5 Stock Investments For 2014: PriceSmart Inc.(PSMT)
PriceSmart, Inc. owns and operates membership shopping warehouse clubs in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Its warehouse clubs sell perishable foods and consumer goods at low prices to individuals and businesses, as well as offers ancillary services, which include food courts, tire centers, and photo centers. The company operates its warehouse clubs under the brand name of PriceSmart. As of August 31, 2011, it operated 29 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and 1 U.S. territory, including 5 in Costa Rica, 4 each in Panama and Trinidad, 3 each in Guatemala and in the Dominican Republic, 2 each in El Salvador and Honduras, and 1 each in Colombia, Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and the United States Virgin Islands. PriceSmart, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt Thalman]
Lastly, shares of PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT ) are down 2.4%. The retailer posted earnings after the closing bell yesterday, missing expectations for earnings per share but beating on revenue. Analysts had expected revenue of $569 million and EPS of $0.64, but revenue of $572 million and EPS of $0.61 weren't enough to impress investors. Furthermore, the company increased sales on a year-over year basis by more than 12%, but some of those gains were likely due to the increased store count.�
Top 5 Stock Investments For 2014: Arrow Financial Corporation (AROW)
Arrow Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company that offer various commercial and consumer banking, and financial products in the United States. The company offers various deposit products, which include demand deposits, savings, NOW, and money market deposits. It engages in a range of lending activities, including commercial and industrial lending primarily to small and midsized companies; mortgage lending for residential and commercial properties; and consumer installment and home equity financing. Arrow Financial Corporation maintains an indirect lending program through sponsorship of automobile dealer programs under which, it purchases dealer paper primarily from dealers that meet pre-established specifications. The company, through its trust operations, provides retirement planning, trust, and estate administration services for individuals, pension, and profit-sha ring; and employee benefit plan administration for corporations. In addition, it holds an insurance agency that specializes in selling and servicing group health care policies; operates as an investment adviser that advises the company?s proprietary mutual funds; provides administrative and recordkeeping services for complex retirement plans; and holds a real estate investment trust. The company operates in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Essex, and Clinton counties and surrounding areas. It owns 28 branch offices and leases 6 offices. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Glens Falls, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Flying straight as an arrow, multi-bank holding company�Arrow Financial� (NASDAQ: AROW ) �said yesterday it�will pay a�regular quarterly dividend�of $0.25 per share on June 14 to the holders of record at the close of business on June 3. This is the same pay it has made quarter in, quarter out for the last five years.�
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