ai - What We're Reading - StockBuz2024-03-29T15:38:10Zhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/feed/tag/aiOut with the Old In with the New: What Chat GPT Means for Youhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-what-chat-gpt-means-for-you2024-02-19T18:35:34.000Z2024-02-19T18:35:34.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-5-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling">
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<p><strong>What an Old Idiom & Chat GPT Means for You</strong></p>
<p>Definitions and Generally Accepted Interpretations:</p>
<ol>
<li>Something new is replacing something that is old or out of date<a href="https://englishcomposition.org/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-meaning-and-examples-of-this-common-english-phrase/"><sup>[i]</sup></a>,<a href="https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-the-phrase-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new"><sup>[ii]</sup></a></li>
<li>Life improves by replacing old things with new things.</li>
<li>To discard older, legacy technologies or ideas, with new and improved technologies or ideas<a href="http://idioms.languagesystems.edu/2015/01/out-with-old-in-with-new.html"><sup>[iii]</sup></a></li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<h2 class="fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" style="line-height:2.5;"><u>Out With Old In With New: Good for You</u></h2>
<p>The history books are quite clear on the matter: over the long arc of human history, life has improved. Generally speaking “out with old, in with new” has helped human beings live longer, healthier and safer lives. As recently as 1900, average life expectancy in the US was barely 48 years. By 2020 the number had jumped to 79 years.<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1040079/life-expectancy-united-states-all-time/"><sup>[iv]</sup></a> Progress.</p>
<p>The folks dedicated to technology deserve a great deal of credit for these improvements. Their achievements are invaluable. What I want to do is make the case we have been making for the last three years: that disruption is the normal state of affairs in technology.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"> </p>
<p>While good for <strong>you, as a person, </strong>out with the old and in with the new is terrible for technology companies. This is why it is such a brutal space to invest in. Don’t believe us? Look back at our <a href="https://kailashconcepts.com/investing-in-staples-made-simple/">chart comparing Staples to IT</a>. “Disruptors get disrupted” is the law of the land and a critical component of Schumpter’s “creative destruction.”</p>
<p>The bloated weighting of technology in indexes and the rise of funds dedicated to investing in <span style="text-decoration:line-through;">utter rubbish</span> new age tech, that is an anomaly. It is not normal. As we explained in <a href="https://kailashconcepts.com/apple-ii-flashback-the-fantasy-of-predicting-the-future/">Apple II Flashback the Fantasy of Predicting the Future</a>, divining <a href="https://kailashconcepts.com/white-papers/who-is-the-next-amazon-this-post-will-change-your-life/">who is the next Amazon</a> is empirically impossible. All you need to know is that <strong><em>the “next Amazon” is, indeed, coming. </em></strong> In October 2020 we warned that the current crop of purportedly impossible to displace tech juggernauts were little more than a reprise of the <a href="https://kailashconcepts.com/white-papers/the-collision-of-arithmetic-over-optimism-why-todays-larger-cap-growth-is-more-precarious-than-the-nifty-fifty/">Nifty Fifty</a>. As that paper explained, in many ways the firms then were cheaper and perceived to have substantially better moats than today’s winners.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/msingh_nyc">Mandeep Singh</a>, Bloomberg’s TMT Lead and Senior Equity Research Analyst recently published a fantastic article on some of ChatGPT’s puts and takes. We believe this is but one tiny snapshot of the many disruptions taking place among the much-lauded disruptors.</p>
<p>Titled <em>“ChatGPT Aids AI Accelerator Spend, Search Impact Low” </em>they focused primarily on the potential for the technology to ramp up replacement cycles for devices and the implications for server and cloud infrastructure spend. But the piece did highlight issues that may slow ChatGPT adoption and suggest it is unlikely to alter the search landscape.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-245483 size-full" title="ChatGBT" src="https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=691%2C324&ssl=1" alt="ChatGBT.png?resize=691%2C324&ssl=1" /><a href="https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=300%2C141&ssl=1">https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=300%2C141&ssl=1</a> 300w, <a href="https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=400%2C188&ssl=1">https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=400%2C188&ssl=1</a> 400w, <a href="https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=500%2C234&ssl=1">https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=500%2C234&ssl=1</a> 500w, <a href="https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=600%2C281&ssl=1">https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?resize=600%2C281&ssl=1</a> 600w, <a href="https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?fit=691%2C324&ssl=1">https://i0.wp.com/kailashconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ChatGBT.png?fit=691%2C324&ssl=1</a> 691w" alt="ChatGBT" width="691" height="324" data-recalc-dims="1" /></p>
<p><strong>I’m going to take the <u>over</u> on ChatGPT and suggest it may be an enormous disruptor to ad spend on search: </strong></p>
<p>The authors note that the query costs, at $0.07 per question, were far higher for ChatGPT than typical search which is paid for by <span style="text-decoration:line-through;">ruthlessly exploiting users’ personal information</span> advertising. The authors suggest, very understandably, that this could slow adoption.</p>
<p><strong>If you told me that, to get access to the $0.07 cost query in ChatGPT, I had to watch a 5 second ad, <em>I would watch that ad without blinking. </em>People do this to watch idiotic garbage on YouTube already. </strong></p>
<p><strong>What would an advertiser pay to have a user, wanting very specific information from ChatGPT, be worth?</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Here’s what we would do: halt 100% of our SEO spending and put it all into ads for ChatGPT users</li>
<li>Allowing us to send someone asking a question about portfolio management or investment styles a 5 second snippet about KCR ?<strong> No brainer. </strong></li>
<li>At $1 per ad, with hyper-targeting like that, the margin is 93% on that $0.07 cost, and I guarantee the results are better than spending for “placement” in Google search</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>There simply is no comparison.</strong> <strong>Here’s why:</strong></p>
<p>ChatGPT offers a more conversational and interactive user experience compared to traditional Google search. With traditional search, it’s a game of trying to find the specific keywords and phrases to get results relevant to me. With ChatGPT, users can ask questions and have a back-and-forth conversation with the model, allowing for more natural language inputs and a more intuitive way of finding information. Additionally, ChatGPT can generate human-like responses, which can make the experience feel more personal and engaging, allowing me to learn about the topics at the speed, depth and rate most useful to me. <strong>Put our ad in front of a user having a conversation about best financial newsletters or behavioral finance and it is the right audience having a great experience relative to banging about Google. </strong></p>
<p><strong>We want to find that user. </strong></p>
<p><strong>In contrast, </strong>Google has used their monopoly power to <span style="text-decoration:line-through;">extort</span> force customers to hand them money for “ad placements” that have to be one of the worst experiences in advertising history. <strong>Here are my 5 key gripes: </strong></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Cost:</strong> Google Ads can be expensive, especially for competitive keywords or industries like finance. Advertisers must be prepared to bid high for their ads to be seen by their target audience <u>without knowing if they are actually even reaching the promised target audience</u>.</li>
<li><strong>Quality Score:</strong> Google Ads uses an arbitrary “Quality Score” to determine the relevance and quality of an ad. Low-quality ads may be penalized with lower ad rankings and higher costs per click without telling the ad buyer what is going on.</li>
<li><strong>Limited control over ad placement:</strong> Advertisers do not have full control over where their ads appear on the Google network, and in our limited trials we found the stuff showing up in comically wrong places.</li>
<li><strong>Limited control over ad format:</strong> Google has full control over the format of the ads and the way they are displayed on the search engine and other sites in the Google network.</li>
<li><strong>Click fraud:</strong> Advertisers are exposed to the risk of click fraud which is an intentional or unintentional click on an ad by a person that is not interested in the product or service being advertised and drives an entire industry of click-farmers.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong><em>Now you all know that most of the “pro ChatGPT” part and the section on why Google ad spend is a waste of money were written by ChatGPT. While not perfect or all-encompassing, the “pros” and 5 cons are 100% spot on in my experience. </em></strong></p>
<p>The disruption of disruptors is well underway in my view. Aside from the bipartisan support for <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/buy-most-profitable-companies-stocks-simple-strategy-right-margins-return-on-equity-51602529870">antitrust </a>laws that move away from Bork’s “<a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/3469063-competition-is-not-a-click-away-the-consumer-welfare-standard-is-failing-consumers/">consumer welfare</a>” standard to one that favors labor and actual firm competition, there is advertising. The key to much of the big-tech profit pool.</p>
<p>Already, Apple is making monetizing advertising a top priority. Netflix and numerous other streaming TV content is back from the “innovation” of subscriptions and looking for ad dollars. Amazon is also aggressively inhaling ad dollars.</p>
<p>Cloud storage and compute? Same story. Many of these companies are also diving headfirst into vertically integrating chip design – hardly an industry known for low costs and stable economic moats. The monopoly power of big tech is under siege as they all turn to each other’s core competencies to try and grow.</p>
<p>Remember: Amazon didn’t get into groceries because it was a great business with high margins. They did it because their stock responded to sales growth and groceries are a big chunk of the consumer wallet. <strong>Now, with tech under pressure to earn profits to justify exorbitant valuations predicated on actual cash profits (ex </strong><a href="https://kailashconcepts.com/sbc-finance-an-update-on-the-absurd/"><strong>SBC</strong></a><strong>), they are all racing into each-others’ core competencies. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Capitalism. Crops up when you least expect it…. </strong></p>
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<p>Courtesy of <a href="https://kailashconcepts.com/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/" target="_blank">kailashconcepts</a></p>
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<div class="fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-5-2 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling"> </div></div>Techs Year In Review 2016 With Trump In The Wingshttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/techs-year-in-review-2016-with-trump-in-the-wings2016-12-30T16:35:28.000Z2016-12-30T16:35:28.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p><a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/3e040e07e3e0e2a0d9cbd9d0e887ba29391be32b/c=276-0-4600-3251&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2016/12/16/USATODAY/USATODAY/636174835194869510-AP-APTOPIX-Trump.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/3e040e07e3e0e2a0d9cbd9d0e887ba29391be32b/c=276-0-4600-3251&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2016/12/16/USATODAY/USATODAY/636174835194869510-AP-APTOPIX-Trump.jpg?width=300" class="align-left" width="300" /></a></p>
<p>The image was startling, but a look into what could be tech's immediate future.</p>
<p>After being ostracized by the tech industry for most of the election year, there sat venture capitalist Peter Thiel, beaming, to the left of President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump Tower Tech summit in mid-December.</p>
<p>Around him was a ring of glum-faced and pensive tech titans, including Apple's Tim Cook, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Alphabet CEO Larry Page and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.</p>
<p>Silicon Valley's billionaire leaders had disavowed Trump during the campaign, throwing their weight behind rival Hillary Clinton. Only Thiel stumped for the real-estate mogul, and after the tech industry had turned on him for that and his role in Gawker's failure, he was luxuriating in the I-told-you-so moment.</p>
<p>The display of power portends a roiling year or two in tech. Trump railed against Amazon and Apple in tweets about corporate taxes and cyber security; now, he's likely to shape those issues as well as immigration reform, job creation, trade with China, deregulation and more, as he vowed during a bruising campaign.</p>
<p>"Tech is unusual in that the industry does not depend on government regulation or transfer payments, the way that banking, pharma, defense, agriculture and energy do," says Roger McNamee, founding partner of venture-capital firm Elevation Partners. "All tech needs is policy stability and access to global markets. Trump prides himself on being unpredictable."</p>
<p>The stunning development offered a fitting cap to what was a topsy-turvy year for tech, which generated $3.5 trillion in domestic economic output and accounted for more than 15 million people, or 8.4% of total U.S. employment, according to the Computer Technology Association.</p>
<p>In the year that was, there were winners and losers among companies and technologies; new faces emerged while others faded; and driverless cars and drones became more visible in our streets and sky.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/23/iphone-7-sales-boom-and-bust-and-so-apple-shares/90698064/">Apple's revenue and iPhone sales</a> subsided while Snapchat threatened established Internet leaders on its way to what is <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/11/15/report-snap-files-ipo-could-value-25b/93926022/">likely to be a blockbuster IPO</a>. Yahoo seemed to nail down a protracted sale of itself, while Twitter's struggles made it a persistent source of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/10/10/twitter-tumbles-buzz-sale-disappears/91847582/">takeover speculation</a>. In the background, tech's <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/07/28/oracle-acquires-netsuite-93-billion/87652732/">legacy companies</a> entered into a series of cloud and data deals aimed at growth and relevancy.</p>
<p>Uber expanded its growing empire into self-driving cars — not without a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/22/uber-moves-self-driving-cars-pilot-to-arizona/95763516/">trademark dust-up with government authorities</a> — and Amazon <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/14/amazon-delivered-its-first-customer-package-drone/95401366/">soared with drones</a> and our <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/10/20/amazon-online-sales-bigger-larger/92419572/">spending habits</a>.</p>
<p>But there were growing problems for Facebook, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/12/15/pitched-fight-against-fake-news-takes-shape/95110032/">grappling with a fake news fiasco</a> that <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/16/facebook-users-fed-up-fake-news/95477786/">turned away</a> some users, and at some of the many units at sprawling Google-owner Alphabet, from <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/06/03/embattled-nest-ceo-steps-down-replaced-by-marwan-fawaz/85360524/">Nest</a> to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/10/25/google-fiber-halts-rollout-ceo-leaves/92746288/">Fiber</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="540" height="304" title="USA TODAY - Embed Player" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.usatoday.com/videos/embed/94436010/?fullsite=true"></iframe></p>
<h2 class="presto-h2">High-profile meltdowns</h2>
<p>Perhaps no subject loomed over tech — and perhaps the world — than cyber security.</p>
<p>Whether computer breaches that compromised the personal information of millions of consumers to a targeted hack by Russian operatives that conceivably tilted the U.S. presidential election, the very nature of conflict transformed this year, says McNamee.</p>
<p>And with the advent of the Internet of Things, the battlefield could extend to our homes, warn security experts. In October, malicious software that lets hackers take over home devices like DVRs helped cause a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/10/21/cyber-attack-takes-down-east-coast-netflix-spotify-twitter/92507806/">massive Internet outage</a> along the East Coast.</p>
<p>"One of the biggest trends is the world waking up and realizing that connected IoT devices need security," says Talal Shamoon, CEO of computer security company Intertrust.</p>
<p>Samsung's stumble with the self-igniting Galaxy Note 7 was an epic meltdown of quality control, distribution and marketing. Though it didn't dislodge the South Korean electronics giant as the pre-eminent smartphone seller globally, it undercut customer trust and raised questions on how the company will bounce back.</p>
<p>Speaking of hacks and meltdowns, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/14/yahoo-discloses-likely-new-1-billion-account-breach/95443510/">Yahoo disclosed it had been the victim</a> of two mega-hacks that compromised more than 1.5 billion accounts and put its $4.8 billion deal with Verizon in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Amid grousing from Verizon General Counsel Craig Silliman, who said breaches could "impact" the value of Yahoo, Yahoo’s reputation is likely to take a big hit, says Nir Kossovsky, CEO of Steel City Re, which insures companies against the financial impact of breaches and other damaging disclosures.</p>
<h2 class="presto-h2">Our friends, the bots</h2>
<p>The hit TV show <em>Westworld</em>, about a futuristic park run by robotic "hosts," foresaw a society increasingly intertwined, and dependent, on artificial intelligence, bots and automation. Sound familiar?</p>
<p>Artificial intelligence is officially a craze — Facebook, Apple, Google and Microsoft are among those with aggressive plans. Virtual reality became more of a reality.</p>
<p>Drones are popping up in all shapes and sizes — <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/12/21/flirtey-7-eleven-completes-77-drone-deliveries-reno-technobubble/95714592/">7-Eleven has been regularly delivering goods</a> to consumers in Reno. Amazon, meanwhile, made its first drone delivery in the United Kingdom this month and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/08/alphabet-x-project-wing-delivering-burritos-by-drone/90090694/">Google X delivered burritos</a> at Virginia Tech in September.</p>
<p>Self-driving cars took to the streets in Michigan, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/09/14/uber-gives-riders-preview-driverless-future/90366958/">Pennsylvania</a>, Arizona and California. Fully autonomous cars won’t be available for a few years, but a Morgan Stanley study estimates they will lead to productivity gains of $507 billion annually as consumers spend less time commuting and more time in meetings, writing reports and other business tasks.</p>
<p>Bots were ubiquitous, especially in the spread of fake news.</p>
<p>"Autonomous technology and AI became mainstream in 2016 with self-driving Teslas and new virtual assistants like the Amazon Echo," says Matthew Howard, managing partner at Norwest Venture Partners. "While we now have a clearer picture of where this technology is headed, we’re still only in the first inning (for the second coming of) AI."</p>
<p>There was nothing fake, however, over fears on what AI and increased automation will do to the workforce. This is sure to draw the attention of Trump, who lambasted Apple for exporting jobs overseas and discussed jobs creation in the two-hour tech summit this month.</p>
<p>Automation will have a profound impact on jobs across all Fortune 500 companies — not just Silicon Valley, says Box CEO Aaron Levie. "Tech is at the bleeding edge of the sphere on so many issues," he says. "It will be extremely interesting to see" how Trump's roundtable shakes out.</p>
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<p class="oembed-link-desc">Zuckerberg can now talk to his AI, but it's still no Jarvis</p>
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<h2 class="presto-h2">The Trump effect</h2>
<p>Speaking of the 45th president, his focus on immigration reform will undoubtedly pinch H-1B visas and heighten the urgency for increased STEM education, which was discussed at December's summit. What is unclear is how it might play into tech's stuttering attempts to become less homogenous by hiring more of the women and minorities who buy its products but have little role in their design.</p>
<p>There are 500,000 computing jobs open in the U.S., with an expected 20% growth rate over the next decade — yet only 55,000 bachelor degrees in computer science were doled out in 2014, according to Code.org and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>"It's more important than ever," says Dennis Yang, CEO of Udemy, an online learning marketplace with more than 14 million students in 190 countries. "Independent of what the administration does, let's be real: Jobs increasingly will be adversely affected by automation. Tech will create jobs, but they will be super high-end, most likely for the building and programming of robots."</p>
<p>Tech's impasse with the Trump administration over job creation seems inevitable, but there may be hope. In his meeting with the reluctant CEOs, Trump vowed to keep the channels of communication open and meet quarterly.</p>
<p>2017 and beyond will tell.</p>
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://usat.ly/2hF6h5v" target="_blank">USAToday</a></p>
</div>Wall Streets Top Picks For 2017 With Trumphttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/wall-streets-top-picks-for-2017-with-trump2016-12-29T01:52:20.000Z2016-12-29T01:52:20.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p><a href="https://cdn1.benzinga.com/files/imagecache/story_image_685x375C/images/story/2012/new-years-day-1924608_1920.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn1.benzinga.com/files/imagecache/story_image_685x375C/images/story/2012/new-years-day-1924608_1920.jpg?width=300" class="align-left" width="300" /></a>We are into the homestretch of 2016, and the markets have seen strong upside this year, benefiting from the domestic economy's resilience and the election of Donald Trump.</p>
<p>With just four sessions to go, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been a up a solid 14.4 percent, the S&P 500 has risen 10.8 percent and the NASDAQ Composite is 9.1 percent higher — with all the three major averages trading off their all-time closing highs.</p>
<p>Among the ten S&P sectors, <a href="https://eresearch.fidelity.com/eresearch/markets_sectors/sectors/sectors_in_market.jhtml">eight</a> have been in the green. Old economy stocks such as energy, material, industrial, financial, utility and telecom are all up by double-digit percentages. Technology stocks are also up decently. However, the healthcare sector has taken a hit.</p>
<p>Though it is tough to replicate the performance of 2016, given the tougher comparisons and the uncertainty around policies amid the political leadership transition, Wall Street does see some opportunities that are compelling.</p>
<p>Here is a compilation of some top picks recommended by Wall Street analyst for the year 2017:</p>
<h3>RBC Top Small- And Large-Cap Picks For 2017</h3>
<p><strong>Large-Cap Picks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Netflix, Inc.</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="NFLX" data-ticker="NFLX" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/nflx#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">NFLX 1.92%</a></span>: Subscriber additions, New content and new international launches.</li>
<li><strong>Facebook Inc</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="FB" data-ticker="FB" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/fb#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">FB 0.92%</a></span>: Muted expectations concerning 2017 earnings and two messaging platforms with one billion users, namely WhatsApp and Messenger.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Small-Cap Pick:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Yelp Inc</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="YELP" data-ticker="YELP" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/yelp#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">YELP 2.93%</a></span>: Conservative consensus estimate providing scope for outperformance, revenue and margin expansion opportunities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Deutsche Bank's Top Bank Picks for 2017</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Goldman Sachs Group Inc</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="GS" data-ticker="GS" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/gs#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">GS 0.38%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>Huntington Bancshares Incorporated</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="HBAN" data-ticker="HBAN" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/hban#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">HBAN 1.41%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>JPMorgan Chase & Co.</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="JPM" data-ticker="JPM" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/jpm#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">JPM 0.72%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>Wells Fargo & Co</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="WFC" data-ticker="WFC" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/wfc#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">WFC 1.13%</a></span>.</li>
</ul>
<p>The firm believes higher Fed rates in 2017 will boost <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/netinterestmargin.asp">net interest margin</a> and earnings per share, although the same is expected to hit tangible book value/capital and may reduce buybacks.</p>
<h3>Top Picks Among Regional Gaming Stocks</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Boyd Gaming Corporation</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="BYD" data-ticker="BYD" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/byd#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">BYD 0.69%</a></span>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/16/12/8782577/deutsche-banks-2017-regional-gaming-outlook-boyd-is-top-">Deutsche Bank's Carlo Santarelli</a> is favorably biased toward regional operators heading into 2017, given favorable macro-economic indicators and the potential for policy-related boosts to the regional gaming consumer.</p>
<h3>RBC's Top Tech Picks For 2017</h3>
<p><strong>Large-Cap Picks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Apple Inc.</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="AAPL" data-ticker="AAPL" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/aapl#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">AAPL 0.43%</a></span>: iPhone 8 supercycle of upgrade activity, growing services business and the possible repatriation of foreign profits.</li>
<li><strong>Broadcom Ltd</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="AVGO" data-ticker="AVGO" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/avgo#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">AVGO 1.16%</a></span>: Deal integration, improved capital structure.</li>
<li><strong>NVIDIA Corporation</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="NVDA" data-ticker="NVDA" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/nvda#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">NVDA 6.88%</a></span>: Tailwinds from virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving.</li>
<li><strong>Cisco Systems, Inc.</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="CSCO" data-ticker="CSCO" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/csco#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">CSCO 0.85%</a></span>: Mix shift away from switching and routing, continued M&A and the potential for repatriation.</li>
<li><strong>Texas Instruments Incorporated</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="TXN" data-ticker="TXN" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/txn#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">TXN 1.1%</a></span>: Gross margin upside and sales growth acceleration driven by market share gains.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mid- And Small-Cap Picks:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Amphenol Corporation</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="APH" data-ticker="APH" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/aph#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">APH 1.13%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>Analog Devices, Inc.</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="ADI" data-ticker="ADI" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/adi#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">ADI 1.01%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>ARRIS International plc</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="ARRS" data-ticker="ARRS" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/arrs#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">ARRS 3.05%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>CDW Corp</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="CDW" data-ticker="CDW" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/cdw#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">CDW 1.03%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>Microsemi Corporation</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="MSCC" data-ticker="MSCC" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/mscc#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">MSCC 1.69%</a></span>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Northland Securities' Top Pick For 2017</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Silicon Motion Technology Corp. (ADR)</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="SIMO" data-ticker="SIMO" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/simo#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">SIMO 2.51%</a></span>: Recent selloff creates significant opportunity for price appreciation — Outperform rating with $60 price target.</li>
</ul>
<h3>MKM Partners' Top Picks For 2017</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Alibaba Group Holding Ltd</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="BABA" data-ticker="BABA" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/baba#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">BABA 0.19%</a></span>.</li>
<li><strong>Marriott International Inc</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="MAR" data-ticker="MAR" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/mar#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">MAR 0.93%</a></span>: Stronger corporate transient demand, accelerating share repurchases and execution of revenue and cost synergies from Starwood acquisition.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Altria Is Wells Fargo's New Top Pick For 2017</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Altria Group Inc</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="MO" data-ticker="MO" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/mo#NYSE" name="bztwredarrow">MO 0.46%</a></span>: Due to increased probability of the deal.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Akamai: Oppenheimer's Top Mid-Cap Pick</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Akamai Technologies, Inc.</strong> <span class="bztwnegative"><a id="bztwredarrow" class="ticker bztwwidgethover" title="AKAM" data-ticker="AKAM" href="https://benzinga.com/stock/akam#NASDAQ" name="bztwredarrow">AKAM 1.2%</a></span>: 2017 will see vertical integration, driving new revenue streams and disruption. Communication industry to benefit from the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress.</li>
</ul>
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/16/12/8842791/wall-streets-top-picks-for-2017-all-in-one-place" target="_blank">Benzinga</a></p>
<p></p>
</div>