Day: February 17, 2021

Carvana And Vroom Are Still Tiny Compared To Dealerships

By Betty C. Morrow 1 week ago

I had hoped that the billion-dollar startups of online car sales like Carvana and Vroom would utterly quash megamall car dealerships forever. In fact, the big brick-and-mortar dealers seem to be surviving just fine.

This popped up on my radar from a somewhat troubling Automotive News headline declaring that startups were displacing small car dealerships, taking out the little guys while the most bloated big lots weathered the storm. “Smallest dealers pressed as online startups reshape used market,” Automotive News declares, citing a JP Morgan analyst:

“A lot of smaller independent used retailers, or independent franchise dealers, they are the ones that are likely to suffer the most because they don’t have the capital or the relationships or the bandwidth to invest in the move towards digital,” said Rajat Gupta, auto retail analyst with J.P. Morgan.

Certainly, this sounds like a potential problem for independent dealers in the

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How often should I start my car and let it idle in cold weather? Answer: Don’t.

By Betty C. Morrow 1 week ago

TipRanks

Can These 3 Semiconductor Stocks Keep Up Their Strong Growth Momentum?

Silicon chips are absolutely essential to our modern digital world. You’ll find them in everything from your PC to your smartphone to your car to your coffee maker – even the pedestrian light at the crosswalk is controlled by semiconductor chips, giving the chip makers the benefit of a captive customer base. 5-star analyst C.J. Muse, of Evercore ISI, builds his view of the chip stocks’ prospects on that base, writing: “With every industry vertical increasingly focused on digitalization combined with product cycles including 5G, AI/ML, a broad-based recovery in Auto/Industrial as well as expected continued strength in PCs and a recovery in Networking … our base case calls for Semi revenues to grow 14% in CY21 to $500B.” This isn’t the only positive point, as Muse goes on to say, “Add in potential for stimulus combined with

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