Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly reported Neil Eckert's share of Ebix stock.
If you're feeling good about the market, you're not alone. Take my hand as we go over some of this week's more uplifting headlines.
1. New blood for the exchanges
It was one of the busiest weeks in some time on the debutante front, as several companies managed to go public.
Jive Software
Zynga
How well these new issues hold up will go a long way toward determining how quickly other meaty names in the pipeline go public. So far, so good.
2. You be the judge
Radio giant Howard Stern will be joining the celebrity judges on NBC's America's Got Talent.
It's a smart move for Comcast's
However, the real winner here will be Sirius XM Radio
A popular primetime television show should change that, and make Stern more marketable for Sirius XM. You know, now would be a good time for Sirius XM to settle its legal tussle with Stern over bonus payments.
3. Home cooking
There are many ways to interpret insider selling. It could be an executive is looking to diversify his position. It could be a director needs to raise money to pay her taxes. Meaty options about to vest? However, there's really only one way to read into insider buying -- and it's good.
Neil Eckert -- an Ebix
4. 103 million reasons to like PayPal's chances
eBay's
PayPal may be late to the game, but it's not as if it will take long for the payment platform to get up to speed. PayPal has 103 million active accounts, so we're talking about an established market of folks who not only trust PayPal but have already committed to making financial transactions online and on the go through PayPal's mobile app.
Between eBay's ties to local merchants and PayPal's growing acceptance with national retailers and establishments, it also won't take the company long to go through its Rolodex until it has timely deals that it can offer.
It may be true that some of the niche leaders have struggled with profitability in this growing realm, but that is primarily the result of heavy expansion costs. PayPal already has the framework and perfect captive audience in place. This should be a winning move for eBay.
5. And the rich get richer
Expanding into a new yet somewhat related market, salesforce.com
Rypple provides cloud-based social-performance management tools, and its client base includes Facebook, Spotify, and Gilt Groupe. Terms of the deal aren't being disclosed, but this is the kind of acquisition that will help both companies, as Salesforce makes Rypple -- which it will rebrand as Successforce -- more widely available to its existing customer base.
If you want to see if these companies continue to do the smart thing, track them through My Watchlist.
- Add Sirius XM Radio to My Watchlist.
- Add Jive Software to My Watchlist.
- Add Ebix to My Watchlist.
- Add eBay to My Watchlist.
- Add salesforce.com to My Watchlist.
- Add Comcast to My Watchlist.