Soros Fund Management Is Placing Its Bets on This Industry August 25, 2016 Where Are Prominent Hedge Funds Placing Their Bets? PART 2 OF 13 Top positions of Soros Fund Management Soros Fund Management reduced its position in precious metals (GLD) and increased its position in the communication sector (VOX). Communication is a cyclical industry and very capital intensive. A great deal of capital expenditure is required to expand business activity. When the business cycle starts to recover, we see expansion in economic activity. Corporate earnings also pick up at that time, and fund managers shift their investment towards the cyclical sector. The communication industry is at the top of the list As the firm shifts its focus towards the communication industry, we can assume The communication industry is at the top of the list As the firm shifts its focus towards the communication industry, we can assume that the firm is expecting the business cycle will pick up in the economy (QQQ) (IWM) (VFINX) in the near term. Communication represents 27.2% of the firm’s portfolio. Liberty Broadband (LBRDK) is its top holding and constitutes 23% of the firm’s portfolio. According to an institutional ownership report, Soros Fund Management is the fourth-largest investor in Liberty Broadband, holding about 8.8 million shares worth $608.3 million as of June 30, 2016. The largest investor in LBRDK is Jana Partners with 9.2 million shares as of June 30, 2016. http://finance.yahoo.com/m/fa0357bd-fc89-3f5c-aa72-5f73f4bacc69/ss_soros-fund-management-is.html
Verizon, AT&T Scramble After Samsung Recall (VZ,T) Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), AT&T Inc. (T), Sprint Corp. (S) and T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS), the four major telecommunication carriers, were hoping to get a boost from the much-awaited Samsung Galaxy Note7 launch. Instead, they were left scrambling to take back millions of customers' devices because of a massive recall from the handset maker. Major Recall Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, announced on Friday a recall of millions of Galaxy Note7 smartphones, an embarrassing setback given the publicity surrounding the launch. Samsung's recall came after reports that the devices can catch fire while charging. The recall is massive in scope, encompassing ten countries including the United States and South Korea. (See also: Samsung Galaxy Note7 Sees Strong Global Sales.) The responses that carriers decide to adopt to the recall are important given that they are in a protracted battle for carrier dominance. This is particularly true of T-Mobile and Sprint, which have been struggling in the increasingly saturated U.S. mobile market. Both companies have had to get creative to lure customers away from Verizon and AT&T. Almost three years ago, T-Mobile launched its popular Un-carrier Amped program, aimed at challenging conventional pricing, terms and programs that are the generally accepted practices of wireless carriers. (See also: T-Mobile's "Un-carrier Amped" Strategy Is More Important than You Think.) Sprint has also been behind some unique promotions this year to gain more customers. In early 2016, Sprint launched a new initiative through its Boost Mobile unit in which owners can choose to view advertisements on their display each time they unlock a phone and pay a lower rate each month in return. In August, both T-Mobile and Sprint unveiled revamped unlimited data plans on the same day, hoping to gain an edge with consumers. T-Mobile Halts All Sales In terms of handling the Samsung Galaxy Note7 recall, T-Mobile is being the most generous by far. Soon after the recall was announced, the carrier issued a statement announcing it had halted all sales and welcomed customers to return the Note7 and any Note7 accessories for a full refund. “We’ll waive any restocking charges and shipping fees, and customers can keep the free Netflix subscription and Gear Fit or SD card they received with purchase during pre-order,” T-Mobile said. “Customers have the option to use their refund to choose any device in T-Mobile's stores.” Meanwhile, Sprint also said that it is suspending sales and offered Note7 customers a “similar device until the issue is resolved.” Sprint told customers to go to a nearby Sprint store to complete the exchange. Verizon said it will waive the restocking fee for anyone who purchased a Galaxy Note7 and wants to return it, while AT&T said customers can exchange the Galaxy Note7 for a Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S7 active, Galaxy Note7 or any other smartphone, and may also return any Note7 accessories. They also get a $25 credit per device for exchanging the phone. http://www.investopedia.com/news/verizon-att-scramble-after-samsung-recall-vzt/?partner=YahooSA
Markets up and Telecoms weak, possibly on this Comcast plans to launch wireless service next year NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast plans to launch a cellphone service roughly in the middle of next year and appears to be aiming it at areas of the country where it's the cable provider. That could potentially make the cable giant a competitor to Verizon and AT&T for a subset of the country. Comcast has just over 28 million customers. It plans to create a service that would run on its 15 million Wi-Fi hotspots and use Verizon's wireless network, which it has a deal to resell. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/comcast-plans-launch-wireless-next-145601132.html
Telecoms holding decently as the markets have pulled back near flat as we wait on Fed rate hike decision
