KPMG, one of the world’s biggest tax advisory and auditing firms, released their twice-yearly “The Pulse of Fintech” report on July 31. It offered a rosy outlook for the space, revealing a significant uptick in venture capital, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions deals through Q1 and Q2 2018 on a level that already exceeds 2017’s overall totals.
Two massive deals accounted for the healthy growth: Alibaba’s fintech affiliate Ant Financial raised $14 billion during Q2, while Vantiv acquired WorldPay for $12.9 billion in Q1. While transactions that massive were relative outliers during the first two quarters, fintech market activity is rising worldwide – traditional power-players in the US, UK, China, and India continued to enjoy healthy growth, while relative newcomers France, Switzerland, South Korea, and Japan saw their own significant deals.
Angel and seed financing dollars have steadily declined across industries in recent times, but fintech has thus far proved largely immune. The report recognizes the sector’s core attributes – “well-defined market opportunities in its major segments, long-developing innovation cycles, and significant growth opportunities amid the best-developed segments” – as reasons for the continued uptick, though it did note that the sector is not immune from volatility.
Blockchain continues to attract attention from investors around the world, with most activity in 2018 being focused on “more experienced companies and consortia looking to obtain additional rounds of funding” instead of startups. Supply chain management was highlighted as a burgeoning area of interest for blockchain-focused companies, with the US being “particularly active on the blockchain front, with total investment in the first half of the year already exceeding the total seen in 2017.”
Interest “was not limited to one jurisdiction” – the report listed “good-sized” funding rounds of $100+ million to R3 and Circle Internet Finance in the US and $77 million to France’s Ledger as notable deals. KPMG found that ICOs “continued to garner interest globally, despite countries like China banning the practice,” but did not offer predictions as to the future global regulatory climate.
Fintech and blockchain funding are on pace to pass their 2015 peak, with $57.9 billion spent through Q2, and global tech leaders like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are hiring experts to drive their respective expansions into the space.
Investors are taking note of the bright outlook for fintech and blockchain going into Q3 and Q4 2018 – Ian Pollari, KPMG’s Global Co-Leader of Fintech, pointed to geographic diversification, as well as interest in new fintech sectors, as harbingers for future growth. “The fintech market globally continues to broaden and diversify,” said Pollari, specifically mentioning Brazil, Japan, and South Korea. “We are also seeing a mix of fintech sectors drawing increasing interest, including data, AI, regtech and insurtech – and combinations thereof that provide more value to customers. This diversification across countries and products will likely keep the fintech market strong for the foreseeable future.”
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BABA may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options. In of 38 cases where BABA's price broke its lower Bollinger Band, its price rose further in the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the oversold zone for 1 day, which means it's wise to expect a price bounce in the near future.
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where BABA advanced for three days, in of 266 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on April 12, 2024. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on BABA as a result. In of 85 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for BABA turned negative on April 15, 2024. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 54 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 54 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
BABA moved below its 50-day moving average on April 12, 2024 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend.
The 10-day moving average for BABA crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on March 27, 2024. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In of 15 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where BABA declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator for BABA entered a downward trend on April 17, 2024. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (1.200) is normal, around the industry mean (3.742). P/E Ratio (12.866) is within average values for comparable stocks, (59.109). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.556) is also within normal values, averaging (1.844). Dividend Yield (0.014) settles around the average of (0.027) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (1.382) is also within normal values, averaging (10.244).
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. BABA’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating slightly better than average sales and a considerably profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. BABA’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 92, placing this stock worse than average.
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
an online and mobile commerce company
Industry InternetRetail