Big Tech may be under siege, but its stocks are overperforming.
Shares of Facebook Inc. FB,
Facebook climbed 3.4% to $308.91 a share, as the social-networking giant continued to flourish despite lawsuits from the Federal Trade Commission and 48 state attorneys general alleging anticompetitive business practices as well as warnings from its own chief financial officer of a slowdown in digital advertising, its lifeblood. The closing price shattered Facebook’s previous record close of $303.91 on Aug. 26, 2020.
On Saturday, a member of a low-level hacking forum published the phone numbers and personal data of 533 million Facebook users, just the latest in a string of controversies for the social-networking company. But it seems to matter little. Indeed, Facebook’s advertising prices are up 30% over their 2020 levels as of mid-March, according to research from marketing agency Aisle Rocket.
Alphabet, the subject of a Justice Department lawsuit as well as two state AG suits, surged 4% to close at $2,218.96. The company benefited, in part, from its victory in the U.S. Supreme Court over Oracle in a long-running copyright dispute over the software used in Android.
For more: Supreme Court sides with Google in $8 billion copyright dispute with Oracle
Facebook and Alphabet face a raft of litigation and legislation to rein in their considerable clout, but their stock trajectories have remained intact.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has become tech’s lightning rod for data-collection practices, privacy policies, and microtargeting of consumers. Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter Inc. TWTR,
Members of Congress have vowed to pass legislation that curtails their ability to scoop up would-be competitors, as Facebook did with Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as protect consumers. House committee member Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) has introduced a bill to combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by requiring verification of third-party sellers on online retail marketplaces.
Microsoft, which has skirted antitrust scrutiny and positioned itself as a White Knight during the Big Tech backlash, improved 2.8% to $249.07.
The trio of tech giants weren’t alone. More than a dozen tech stalwarts — including Oracle, HP, Texas Instruments Inc. TXN,
Argentinean Central Bank Asks Local Banks for Information on Customers Who Deal With Cryptocurrencies
As cryptocurrencies keep gaining adoption in Argentina, there are discussions on how the national regulatory bodies should regulate the industry. The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) seems to have taken a step forward in making the picture clearer. Banks Should Provide Data Such as National Identification Numbers and Home Addresses According to Infobae, the BCRA […]