Latest news with #Schindler
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Google Just Silenced Its Haters With This 1 Eye-Popping Number
Key Points Skeptics thought Alphabet would report disappointing search volumes in the second quarter. Chatbot usage is on the rise, and a comment from an Apple executive in May sounded an alarm. However, the Google parent surprised everybody with accelerating search volume. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › Of the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) trades at the cheapest valuation by a significant margin, and has been over the past few years. The main reason is the perception or fear that new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as ChatGPT will disrupt Google Search, leading to a decline in Alphabet's largest and most profitable business. Yet on Alphabet's second-quarter earnings release, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler revealed a number that should quiet the naysayers. In the wake of this one number's crucial disclosure, look for Alphabet's stock to rerate higher. 4% click growth While revenue in Alphabet's search and other segment grew a touch under 12% in Q2, increased prices per ad can also buoy those results. Alphabet skeptics, on the other hand, have been scrutinizing paid clicks, which illuminates the volume of search activity. In other words, ad price inflation may be able to keep up revenue growth, but if paid clicks begin to decline, it could be an early sign of search being disrupted. But on the conference call with analysts, Schindler highlighted a number that should silence the skeptics, as paid clicks grew by 4%. Metric Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Google paid clicks growth 5% 5% 5% 5% 2% 4% Data source: Alphabet quarterly and annual filings. Fortunately, that 4% growth marks an acceleration over Q1, which had seen a 3-point deceleration to just 2%. That big Q1 drop-off was fodder for skeptics who might have thought we were at the tipping point when AI chatbots would take over Google Search. The fear was augmented in May, when Apple executive Eddie Cue noted in an antitrust deposition that Apple had seen declines in monthly search volume on Apple's Safari browser for the first time in 22 years. Sounds pretty dire, doesn't it? However, that statement could have been mainly attributed to usage -- or lack thereof -- of Apple's Safari. Meanwhile, a 4% growth reacceleration in Q2 seems to negate the bear thesis, at least for the moment. While it could be an anomalous positive bump, it seems like the first quarter could also very well have been an anomaly. After all, tariff fears broke out in earnest in late February, which could have caused many advertisers and consumers to pull back in the first quarter. Why isn't search volume declining? It was probably surprising to Alphabet's bears that search volume could actually reaccelerate. After all, it has been reported that ChatGPT users have skyrocketed from 300 million in December to 500 million as of March. And of course, ChatGPT is only one of several chatbots accelerating usage. And yet, a parallel growth in paid clicks on search is also happening. This could be for a few reasons: Chatbots and search aren't exactly the same thing. I continue to use both chatbots and Google Search when researching a topic. Obviously, chatbots tend to give more information to open-ended questions, whereas search, as the name implies, is still a very good tool when seeking a particular piece of information. And remember, Google doesn't monetize every search. Therefore, it's possible, or even likely, that chatbots may be taking traffic away from some searches at the margins, but not the "monetizable" searches, whereby a customer searches for a specific good or service. 20-year habits are hard to break. Google Search has been a virtual monopoly and daily routine for many, and daily routines may be harder to break than some might think. Alphabet has been enhancing search in the age of chatbots. Last year, Alphabet enhanced search with AI Overviews meant to give an AI-powered summary to most queries. As time went on, management found a way to monetize AI Overviews on par with traditional search. And in May of this year, Google rolled out "AI mode" in search, which uses Google's cutting-edge Gemini LLM to give more in-depth answers, pretty much like a traditional chatbot, but within the Google Search interface. Combining all three of these elements -- Google infusing chatbot features into search, search remaining a daily habit for billions of people, and traditional search still being useful for commercial queries -- it's perhaps not hard to see why paid clicks managed to grow, even in an age where chatbots are on the rise. Given that Alphabet has had such a discounted valuation relative to peers over this issue, it wouldn't be surprising to see the stock rerate higher in the near term. Should you invest $1,000 in Alphabet right now? Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Billy Duberstein and/or his clients have positions in Alphabet and Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Google Just Silenced Its Haters With This 1 Eye-Popping Number was originally published by The Motley Fool
Express Tribune
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Was Beyoncé's Atlanta show sabotaged by a cockroach?
Beyoncé's Atlanta concert ended in chaos as 11 fans were injured in a bizarre post-show incident involving a scream, a stampede, and a suspected cockroach. Just after midnight on July 15, concert-goers exiting the final night of the singer's Cowboy Carter tour at Mercedes-Benz Stadium packed into the nearby Vine City MARTA station. That's when panic broke out. According to MARTA officials, a 10-year-old girl reportedly screamed after spotting a bug, possibly a cockroach, near the escalator. That scream allegedly triggered a stampede on the crowded moving escalator, which abruptly sped up before coming to a sudden halt. Passengers began toppling over one another, leading to injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to a broken ankle. Footage from the scene shows a chaotic human pile-up, with bystanders rushing to help as the escalator surged then stopped. 'It just created a whole entire slide full of people,' one attendee told local media. 'People were just tumbling on each other.' Though MARTA initially suspected a malfunction, escalator manufacturer Schindler later claimed the system was working as designed but had been overloaded beyond capacity. The escalator has since been barricaded pending further investigation. Online, the incident quickly went viral. TikTok users shared videos of the fall and debated who, or what, was to blame. One video, claiming the screamer was a child frightened by a 'Palmetto bug,' racked up thousands of views. MARTA police and state officials are continuing to review footage and witness accounts, but for now, a simple bug has become the unlikely villain in a night meant to celebrate one of the world's biggest stars.
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Schindler's sales hit by strong Swiss franc, but beat expectations
July 18 (Reuters) - Swiss lift maker Schindler (SCHP.S), opens new tab reported a nearly 6% drop in its second-quarter sales on Friday, as U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war drove up the value of the Swiss franc. The value of the Swiss currency, seen as a safe haven amid economic turmoil, has grown around 12% against the U.S. dollar since the start of the year. As Schindler makes a vast majority of its sales in foreign currencies, this means their value suffers a negative impact when converted into francs. The company, which also makes escalators and moving walkways, saw a 5.7% revenue drop to 2.75 billion francs ($3.43 billion) in the quarter, which exceeded analysts' mean estimate of 2.65 billion, LSEG data showed. Currency conversions impacted sales by 186 million francs in the first half of the year, it said. Schindler's shares, which have gained around 17% since the start of the year, were down 2.4% as of 1108 GMT. The company is working to pass on some tariff costs to its customers, like it had said in April, CEO Paolo Compagna told Reuters. "There's a pricing action in place, and in magnitude of customers, we go piece by piece," he said, adding the company had not seen a change in the market environment or customers' behaviour yet. "Everyone talks about these question marks towards the future, but by now, it's not yet there," Compagna said. Schindler has focused on the digitalization of its business in recent years, a move that it expects to drive growth through enhanced customer loyalty as services become more efficient. "Our efforts in modernization are paying off, driving solid organic growth at a time of macro-economic uncertainty and severe currency headwinds," Compagna said in the earnings statement. The company also confirmed its guidance for 2025. ($1 = 0.8027 Swiss francs)
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Schindler's revenue falls in Q2, but beats market forecasts
July 18 (Reuters) - Swiss lift and escalator maker Schindler (SCHP.S), opens new tab reported a 5.7% drop in its second-quarter sales on Friday, citing negative currency exchange effects. The company posted quarterly revenue of 2.75 billion Swiss francs ($3.43 billion), down from 2.92 billion francs a year earlier, but beat analysts' average forecast of 2.65 billion francs, according to LSEG data. "Notably, our efforts in modernization are paying off, driving solid organic growth at a time of macro-economic uncertainty and severe currency headwinds," CEO Paolo Compagna said in a statement. Schindler has focused on digitalization in recent years, a move that it expects to drive growth through enhanced customer loyalty as services become more efficient. The group's quarterly order intake amounted to 2.93 billion Swiss francs, compared to 2.99 billion francs a year earlier. ($1 = 0.8027 Swiss francs)
Axios
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
MARTA faces scrutiny after Beyoncé concert escalator mishap
A post-Beyoncé concert escalator malfunction — immediately preceded by what MARTA is calling a "stampede" — has put Atlanta's transit agency back in the hot seat. Driving the news: MARTA's board meets Thursday and will likely discuss the July 15 incident at the Vine City station that left 11 people injured. MARTA and Schindler, the escalator manufacturer, are investigating the incident, MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher said. Catch up quick: The agency said MARTA Police on scene "reported that a person began screaming and running, causing a stampede on the escalator that caused it to temporarily speed up and then stop suddenly." The other side: Jaylen Black, one of the injured concertgoers, told the AJC that more MARTA personnel should have been on the scene to handle the crowd. People were walking calmly, she told the outlet, "then all of a sudden it was free falling to the bottom." Black broke her ankle and leg and needed emergency surgery.
