Winners, wieners, and whiners colored in the week that was.
Somewhere between the bid and the ask, there's a handshake waiting
There's more churn in the trade trade now that Ameritrade
The consolidation may continue in what is still a highly fragmented sector. In fact, just last month E*Trade
I wonder if there's ever been a hot-dog-eating contest winner named Frank
Don't believe what dieticians have been telling you. We aren't really eating healthier. Just take a look at Nathan's Famous
The company behind Miami Subs, Kenny Rogers Roasters, and its namesake hot-dog stand has also seen its stock go in for some enhanced consumption. The stock has tripled since bottoming out three years ago.
Google is going to make you pay
Everyone knows how important PayPal has become to eBay
Later in the week, it became a case of good news, bad news for eBay. The bad news? Google's CEO confirmed that his company was working on an online payment service. The good news? He claims it will not be anything like PayPal.
Google doesn't mind if you speculate on what the service will ultimately look like. It's just smart to be vague when the competitors are watching. Maybe it will be far closer to PayPal, if not cheaper, than Google is letting on at the moment.
That's OK. With 71.6 million PayPal accounts already open, it's not as if eBay's online financial services business is going to be trumped overnight. Just as companies like Amazon.com
Then again, if you're a Google investor, you have to like the move. It's refreshing to see the company grow beyond its paid-search strength. Yes, if you were going to have all your eggs in one basket that is one impressive sturdy piece of woven wicker, but at 99% of the company's revenues, Google could use a Plan B in its get-rich-quick scheme.
Let's just hope that Plan C doesn't involve buying an online discount broker -- or winning a hot-dog-eating contest!
The headlines behind this week's stories:
Until next week, I remain,
eBay and Amazon are past recommendations of the Motley Fool Stock Advisor newsletter service. Overstock is a Motley Fool Rule Breakers selection.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has never witnessed a hot-dog-eating contest but he wonders why the skinny guy always wins. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. The Foo l has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.