Bookseller Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) has been hoping to find a potential buyer, but it appears as though its search will end with no buyer.

The book seller has been searching for months for a potential buyer, and the search will likely continue for a couple more weeks, but people close to the bidding process have stated that it looks unlikely that the company will be able to find a buyer.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Struggles to Find a Buyer

Barnes & Noble Struggles to Find a Buyer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's a new industry in the making. It's in the way we buy and read books. Electronic books, or e-books, are taking the book market by storm. Here's a mind blowing statistic. Barnes & Noble (BKS) announced that in December its e-book sales exceeded print books, as reported in MSNMoney.

The two big leaders in the e-book market are Amazon.com (AMZN) and Barnes & Noble with the Kindle and Nook readers respectively. Both companies said that e-readers are their best-selling product of all time.

Continue reading E-book Sales Expected to Quadruple

E-book Sales Expected to Quadruple originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Monday morning, Amazon.com (AMZN) announced that the third-generation Kindle is now its best-selling product of all time, unseating former title-holder Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Amazon didn't provide specific sales figures for the e-reader, but the retail giant added that more Kindle books were purchased this past Christmas Day than on any other day in history -- confirming that the gadgets are quite a popular gift.

Meanwhile, Nov. 29 -- or "Cyber Monday" -- was the peak day for holiday shopping on Amazon. More than 13.7 million items were ordered worldwide on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which translates to about 158 items per second.

Continue reading Amazon.com Boasts of Blowout Kindle Sales

Amazon.com Boasts of Blowout Kindle Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy Inc. (BBY), the nation's largest consumer electronics outlet, is scheduled to discuss its second-quarter fiscal 2011 financial results Tuesday, September 14, in a conference call beginning at 10:00 AM (ET). You can catch a live webcast of the call at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in August, Best Buy named a chief design officer and increased its quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the company to post earnings of 46 cents per share, which is a 19.6% increase from a year ago. Its revenue is expected to have grown 5.7% to $11.7 billion.

Continue reading Best Buy Q2 Earnings Preview

Best Buy Q2 Earnings Preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Amazon and Nook Prices Drop as E-reader Battle Wages On

Amazon and Nook Prices Drop as E-reader Battle Wages On originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) followed Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) in introducing an e-reader device. The devices, meant to replace books and periodicals and lower the cost of physical distribution (or eliminate it) with a higher-quality experience, have sold well so far. Amazon.com sold out of the first Kindle device launched at the end of 2007, and the first Nook device featured a better navigation than the Kindle. Still Barnes & Noble's share price since early 2009 hasn't exactly outperformed itself, as it sits under $23 right now.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Preparing Second-Generation Nook E-Reader?

Barnes & Noble Preparing Second-Generation Nook E-Reader? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The tech blog rumor mill is running at full speed today about a partnership between online retail powerhouse Amazon.com (AMZN) and brick-and-mortar discounter Target (TGT). Supposedly, the hit Kindle e-reader will be on sale in Target stores later this month.

Engadget kicked off the frenzy Wednesday with what looks to be a covert screenshot of Target's inventory computer showing stock. Target is being conspicuously closed-mouth on the subject, deflecting requests for comments with a simple vanilla statement: "Target has no specific plans to share at this time, and we don't comment on speculation or rumors."

Continue reading Selling the Kindle at Target Sounds Silly

Selling the Kindle at Target Sounds Silly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple's (AAPL) new wonder device, the iPad, got off to a strong start even before this weekend's official launch date. Eager customers lined up at Apple stores Saturday to get their hands on the new and much-hyped tablet-style PC. This was due in part, no doubt, to the fact that Apple sold out of preorders of the iPad.

With a starting price of $499 to $699, estimates for iPad sales for all of 2010 range from 3 million to 6 million units. Estimates for just this weekend alone range from 300,000 to 500,000 units out the door and into the hand of early adopters and Apple fanatics.

Continue reading Apple iPad Gets Off to a Strong Start

Apple iPad Gets Off to a Strong Start originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dell's (DELL) is about to start thinking that it's newer Mini 5 hybrid device will be an Apple (AAPL) iPad competitor. Each device has not even been released yet, and there are competitive stirrings already afoot. The Dell unit, which looks like a large smartphone but not quite as large as a tablet computer, will bring a ton of Amazon (AMZN) services to bear in order to try and compete with the Apple content ecosystem that will surely blow all others away once the iPad starts shipping next month. Can an Amazon Kindle e-reader application pre-loaded on Dell's device really give an iPad a run for its money?

Continue reading Dell's New Mini 5 Tablet Will Include Amazon Kindle Reader. Will Apple Care?

Dell's New Mini 5 Tablet Will Include Amazon Kindle Reader. Will Apple Care? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Amazon Trades Lower Despite Topping Estimates for Third Quarter

Amazon Trades Lower Despite Topping Estimates for Third Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Rumored Apple Tablet Is Wowing Them Again

Rumored Apple Tablet Is Wowing Them Again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In his High-Income Alert financial newsletter, Mark Skousen recommends Barnes & Noble (BKS), noting, "Barnes & Noble has almost 800 stores in 50 states. It also owns one of the Web's most-visited Web sites.

The advisor suggests, "The stock has attracted heavy insider buying. In our view, this looks like a superb contrarian buy right now."

Continue reading Insiders Read Up on Barnes & Noble

Insiders Read Up on Barnes & Noble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A rally that began last year has already run up the prices of some stocks, creating small bubbles across the market. Some investors might be pushing prices higher ahead of their time for 62 of the stocks in the S&P 500 index. These companies now have P/E ratios of above 70, up from 23 a year ago. Says Robert Maltbie of Singular Research, "We have to temper some of this crazy bullishness." He tells USA Today that when P/E ratios approach 70, a stock can begin to have problems.

So, why are some prices being run up? As usual, any hope of rational price drivers is the domain of dreamers. Investors have found their favorites and sometimes haven't allowed reality to become a constraint on their excitement. Take a look at five reasons below:

Continue reading Five Reasons Mini-Bubbles Are Forming

Five Reasons Mini-Bubbles Are Forming originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looking back on what became a tough end to a tough year for the retail sector, the one bright spot was the online sector. Shoppers whipped out their plastic at a record rate on Black Friday, a trend that continued throughout the season.

The Amazon (AMZN) Kindle killed the competition, reinforcing the status of the online channel as the future of the retail business. Social media, in particular, had its first real test this year, as many companies -- including Best Buy (BBY), JCPenney (JCP) and Target (TGT) -- used the likes of Twitter and Facebook to engage customers, publicize sales and generally increase revenue. The next stage in the evolution, of course, is to use shopping behavior to trigger viral results.

Continue reading Can Shopping Go Viral?

Can Shopping Go Viral? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For a company that hasn't even admitted to a new product, expectations are awfully high. The word is out that Apple (AAPL) will be unveiling a tablet computer at a major product launch this month.

Former Google (GOOG) exec Lee Kai-fu put out on his blog that he knows its coming, citing an anonymous source, and that the device would sell for less than $1,000. It's going to have a 10.1-inch screen and three-dimensional graphics, he continued, according to a Bloomberg News report, saying it would look like a large iPhone.

Continue reading Apple's Tablet Target: 10 Million in 2010

Apple's Tablet Target: 10 Million in 2010 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the current doom and gloom environment, it's hard to think that growth will ever come back. Well, for those who feel this way, they may want to take a look at a massive report from Morgan Stanley's (MS) Mary Meeker. Yes, she was the same person who penned the highly influential "The Internet Report" in 1995, which became the bible for the dot-com revolution.

In her latest report -- which is 424 pages -- Meeker says that the "mobile Internet" is the next big thing. Within the next five years, she thinks that more users will access the Net from mobile devices than desktops. Some of the main drivers include 3G and 4G broadband networks, VOIP, online video and even social networking. What's more, the mobile Internet will go beyond just smartphones but be used in cars, manufacturing systems and so on.

Continue reading Where to Get Rich? Morgan Stanley Says 'Mobile Internet'

Where to Get Rich? Morgan Stanley Says 'Mobile Internet' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Kindle and Stephen Covey to make books obsolete?

Kindle and Stephen Covey to make books obsolete? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's usually tough finding the right gift for an entrepreneur. Hey, the best thing would probably be a loan or some customers, right?

OK, being realistic, there are some gifts to consider. Let's take a look:

The Cloud: It's all the rage right now -- that is, on-demand software services. The good news is that much of it is affordable. Take a look at Salesforce.com (CRM). The company has a small business edition of its customer relationship management (CRM) offering that comes to only $50 per year.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Best holiday gift for the entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Best holiday gift for the entrepreneur? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Want that brand-new Stephen King or Anita Shreve novel beamed to your Amazon (AMZN) Kindle? Well, you may be waiting a few months. In a preemptive strike against e-reader technology, publishers Simon & Schuster - part of CBS Corp. (CBS) and Hachette plan to delay the electronic-book editions of about 35 popular titles by four months. The supposed strategy is that desperate readers will pay the full retail price for these volumes, rather than the discounted $9.95 for the electronic version.

E-readers are a hot gift item this holiday season, and products like the Kindle and the soon-to-be-released Nook from Barnes & Noble (BKS) don't seem to be a flash in the pan. E-book retail sales are expected to hit $201 million in 2010, up from $150 million this year. While this is still a fraction of actual, tangible book sales, the growth rate cannot be ignored.

Continue reading Two publishers battling the e-readers

Two publishers battling the e-readers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Five of the largest companies in the print business are testing the digital waters together. Rather than yield their content to alien formats, Time Inc. (TWX), News Corp. (NWS), Conde Nast, Hearst and Meredith Corp. have announced plans to develop a digital content format of their own. This new product would compete with the newly released Nook from Barnes & Noble (BKS), as well as one from Sony (SNE) and the industry-leading Kindle from Amazon (AMZN). The new e-reader content will come in color and in a format that would work across several devices.

The five media companies are equal partners in this joint venture, which will allow publishers to set their own prices for their content -- an obvious response to what they see as unfavorable revenue share deals offered by Amazon earlier this year. Rupert Murdoch has been particularly vocal on this issue, particularly about the fact that News Corp. only receives a little more than a third of the $14.99 a month it costs to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal on a Kindle. He says of the device that it's "a fantastic invention for reading books. It is not much of an experience for newspapers."

Continue reading Time, News Corp, Hearst, and others to compete with Kindle

Time, News Corp, Hearst, and others to compete with Kindle originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.