Amazon's Grocery Gamble, All Eyes on Netflix Earnings
Amazon opens its first fully automated grocery store in Seattle on Monday. In this cashier-less model, the consumer picks items and leaves the store without ever having to pull out their wallet. Amazon's technology senses what items were purchased, and then charges the customer's account. Amazon's new grocery store is called Amazon Go.
Netflix gets ready to report Q4 earnings after a very successful 2017. Beyond looking at the company's revenue growth, investors will be watching for subscriber growth, particularly at the international level. Last year, Netflix shares grew by 65%.
And Twitter COO Anthony Noto is reportedly considering a new job. Reports swirled over the weekend that Noto may leave the social media company for SoFi, the personal finance company. Noto is considered one of the most important executives at Twitter.
Travel expert Francesca Page joined Cheddar's Baker Machado to break down how the omicron-fueled COVID-19 surge of cases on cruise ships is impacting the industry, as the CDC is actively monitoring at least 92 ships for outbreaks. Page also talked about the upcoming expiration of the CDC's conditional sailing order mandating mask-wearing and addressed passenger concerns. "Everyone is asking, financially, should I cancel my cruise should COVID surges keep going, which it looks they are, and to a large degree I think that decision is very personal and is based on one's own risk tolerance," she said.
Stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, but two indexes - the Dow and the S&P 500 - ended the session with a new record. Akshata Bailkeri, Equity Analyst at Bruderman Asset Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says there is a consensus for robust consumer spreading in 2022, especially as the Omicron variant is proving to be milder than other COVID-19 strains.
