The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.56%) has fallen more than 103 points as of 11:35 a.m. EDT. Most stocks fell alongside the market, but Yelp (YELP -0.30%) and Facebook (META -4.13%) posted more notable declines. Cray (CRAY) was an exception, surging to the upside.
Google may be hurting Yelp
According to a report from TechCrunch, Google may be hurting Yelp in the U.S., favoring its own Google+ content over Yelp in search results.
The report comes from an allegedly leaked Yelp internal document. If accurate, management at the business review website believes that Google is deliberately manipulating its search results to favor competing Google+ content over Yelp. Given Google's dominance in the search engine market, this could hurt Yelp's business.
Piper Jaffray, however, today noted that despite being older, Yelp is still outpacing Google+ in terms of revenue growth. Piper Jaffray reiterated its overweight rating and $80 price target on Yelp, which was down 1.9% in late-morning trading.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Regulators question Facebook's WhatsApp acquisition
Facebook shares fell less than 1% on Thursday following regulatory news from across the Atlantic.
According to The Wall Street Journal, European antitrust regulators have begun questioning Facebook's rivals on its planned acquisition of messaging app WhatsApp. Though it seems unlikely, the buyout could run into issues if European regulators find that the deal violates antitrust provisions.
Facebook shareholders shouldn't be too concerned, but should keep a close eye on the deal and accompanying regulatory issues. Purchasing WhatsApp could be key to Facebook's long-term future, particularly in emerging markets where messaging apps are popular. European regulators have approved similar deals in the past, but have not weighed on such acquisitions in the context of social media.
Cray gets a big contract
Cray was one of the best-performing stocks on Thursday, rallying more than 15% in late-morning trading.
The move higher appears to have been prompted by the announcement that Cray has signed a contract with the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration to provide a supercomputer and storage system.
It's only one deal, but it is one of the largest in Cray's history: Spread out over several years, the contract will be worth as much as $174 million. As a company, Cray's market cap is just over $1 billion, and its revenue for 2013 was only $525.7 million. The contract, then, is likely to have a material impact on Cray's financial performance in the near future.
