Netflix, Inc. Add to portfolio

Netflix is bypassing App Store for its recurring subscription fees. Currently, Netflix pays a 30 percent cut of first-year subscription fees to Apple and 15 percent for each recurring year. But now in 33 countries, TechCrunch reports that new or lapsed customers in places including Canada, Germany, Mexico and Poland will be asked to pay via mobile web rather than in-app. The streaming service did something similar on Android earlier this year. Netflix confirmed to TechCrunch that it began in June with 10 countries before expanding to an additional 23 regions earlier this month.

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The central bank will offer up minutes from its latest meeting this Wednesday, while Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will give a speech in Jackson Hole at the Fed’s annual summer retreat. In the options pits, volume evaporated on Monday as speculation surrounding corporate earnings died down. Following the expiration of August options on Friday, only about 16.8 million calls and 12.2 million puts changed hands yesterday. BABA stock rebounded sharply off support near $170 this past week, and options traders took the opportunity to chase the shares higher. What’s more, Alibaba is slated to report earnings this Thursday, driving increased speculation ahead of the event.

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Netflix (NFLX) stock has tanked nearly 25% since it announced its second-quarter 2018 results last month. The company missed analyst estimates on subscriber base, which is the most important metric for Netflix at this stage. Netflix added “just” 4.47 million subscribers internationally, while analysts were expecting 5.11 million additions.

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Andre Swanston, Tru Optik chief executive officer, discusses Netflix Inc. testing new ways to promote its content. He speaks with Bloomberg's Emily Chang and Lucas Shaw on "Bloomberg Technology." ...

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Netflix NFLX saw its stock price climb over 4% Monday, which helped stop some of NFLX’s post-Q2 earnings decline. So let’s see what had investors so excited. The company seems poised to do all it can to keep users engaged, and promoting new content seems like an extremely logical step. But, Netflix was quick to point out that its user experience won’t change after backlash quickly spread around the internet, driven by Reddit angst. Investors should remember that many Netflix subscribers pay for the premium streaming service to avoid ads. Yet, the potential revenue stream could be too appealing to pass up altogether. Plus, the company not only faces competition from Hulu, Amazon AMZN, and YouTube GOOGL, but also from the likes of Disney DIS and Apple AAPL, which are set to enter the streaming TV market next year. Therefore, investors might still want to be cautious about Netflix stock at the moment.

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Shares of Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) haven’t been too hot lately. Shares fell another 1.5% on Friday, ending the week with losses of 8.4%. While NFLX stock continues to sink, the broader market continues to hover near its highs. The weekly losses are a lot compared to the steady nature of the PowerShares Nasdaq ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ) and other high-profile names. Since reporting earnings in July, Netflix is down about 25%. However, let’s not forget this name is still up 65% in 2018. While the recent action has been quite bearish, investors are wondering if that trend is poised to continue or if a turnaround is in store. Should NFLX stock decline to this level, trend support and its 200-day (which it hasn’t touched since 2016), a bounce should commence. Even if it doesn’t mark the bottom, it should at least give bulls some reprieve.

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Netflix bulls point out that while the streaming giant's massive growth might have taken a short breather, the company did extremely well overall. However, the company's 43% annual jump in streaming revenue was driven by recent price hikes, which led to a 14% jump in the average selling price. Now, Netflix positions itself as a premium online streaming company, and the fact that subscribers accepted the subscription hike hits that point home. But a closer look indicates that Netlflix's strategy isn't working in markets that will matter in the long run. The bottom line is that Netflix needs its international subscriber growth to pick up pace to offset saturation in the U.S. But the company will need to change its approach to attract more subscribers in price-sensitive markets or it runs the risk of losing to local rivals and new entrants that are better-placed from pricing and content perspectives. For instance, Netflix's ambition of eventually hitting 100 million subscribers in India looks like a long shot due to its pricing structure. Amazon's tailored pricing plan has allowed it to corner a bigger share of India's online video-streaming market, and the gap could increase thanks to the company's strategy of creating more local content. What's more, competition will continue in emerging markets; Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG) YouTube will soon produce original shows for markets including Mexico, Japan, France, Germany, and India.

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Walmart & Anthem strike deal, Apple pulls certain apps, Netflix tests promos. Walmart is striking a big deal with health insurer Anthem. Starting next January, consumers in Anthem’s Medicare plans will be able to use a built-in allowance to buy over-the-counter medications at Walmart stores. The company says it’s pulled gambling apps from the app store, amid a backlash from state-run media.

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Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) once was the hottest in the FANG group, but now Netflix stock is down 25% off its all time highs. The social media giant has dealt with privacy concern after privacy concern, the sum of which culminated in a disastrous earnings report that caused the company to lose $100 billion in value in a single day. Thus, it is easy and natural to blame Facebook for FANG’s recent weakness. But, I actually think the weakest name in the FANG group isn’t Facebook, it’s Netflix. I still believe this is a company with massive earnings growth potential over the next decade, but am beginning to question the type of premium the market is willing to pay for that growth, especially considering the company’s increasingly competitive operating landscape.

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Yes, the company added 5.15 million subscribers in its second quarter, after it had forecast 6.2 million, and investors did not like this. But for a company that closed the quarter with over 124 million paid members, the streaming leader's miss was the equivalent of finding out that you have full scholarship offers at four Ivy League schools when you were expecting five. Sure, it's bad news, but in a market where the cable industry loses subscribers each quarter, Netflix's problem is forecasting, not growth. That's one reason you would be smart to buy shares in the streaming leader. Original shows have helped build the Netflix brand. During the company's Q2 earnings call, CFO David Wells said, "We think based on the rolling 12 months of growth that we've had compared to the prior rolling 12 months of growth, the U.S. up slightly, internationally up significantly, that the background and underlying characteristics of the business haven't changed."

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