Commenting on the first day of Amazon's (AMZN) Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference, Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein notes that AWS targeted Oracle's (ORCL) database services and highlighted more artificial intelligence functionality in line with Google's (GOOG; GOOGL)/Microsoft (MSFT). The analyst says Amazon also touched on its partnership with VMware (VMW), which should help enterprise migration. Helfstein believes AWS continues to attack large/emerging opportunities while continuing to simplify/automate the development process. He reiterates an Outperform rating on Amazon's shares.

UBS analyst Stephen Ju raised the firm's price target on Amazon.com to $215 from $198 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares ahead of the Q1 results on April 30. Expectations for revenue seems to be at the high-end of the guidance range of $143.5B, operating income between $13B-$13.5B, and AWS growth is at 15%-16%, the analyst tells investors in a research note. In addition, 2024 will be the first year in some time in which most if not all of the overhangs on Amazon shares should lift to clear the way for the stock to continue to outperform, UBS adds.

Meta (META), Google (GOOGL), Snap (SNAP), and Amazon (AMZN) all benefit from the U.S.' ban of TikTok, The Washington Post's Will Oremus reports. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized TikTok's Chinese roots in 2019, part of Meta's broader campaign, Oremus writes. Reference Link

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Welcome to "#SocialStocks," The Fly's weekly recap of Wall Street's reactions to social media stock news.  TIK TOK BAN... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Microsoft (MSFT) is scheduled to report results of the third quarter of its fiscal year 2024 after the market close on Thursday, April 25, with a conference call scheduled for 5:30 pm ET. What to watch... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

"Game On" is The Fly's weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks. NEW RELEASES: This... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

TikTok Policy issued the following statement on the enactment of "the TikTok Ban": "This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans. As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired." Publicly traded companies in the social media space that compete with TikTok include Meta Platforms (META), Alphabet (GOOGL), Pinterest (PINS) and Snap (SNAP). Reference Link

Tuesday's total option volume of 40.6 million contracts resulted in net open interest growth of 5.36 million calls and 4.67 million puts. Tesla (TSLA), AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC), Amazon (AMZN) and Ford (F) saw the greatest growth. Top five new positions opened include 40k Wal-Mart (WMT) May-24 59 calls, 37k AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC) Sep-24 8 puts, 36k AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC) Sep-24 7 puts, 28k Ford (F) 4/26 weekly 13 calls and 26k Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) May-24 20 calls.

Captivision announced its collaboration with Activision's Call of Duty: Mobile and Framework for the recent installation at the Framework in the Desert afterparty in Coachella Valley. Through this collaboration, Captivision delivered a unique media glass installation over the course of the festival. The collaboration marked the inception of a new area of strategic focus for Captivision dedicated to pushing boundaries and redefining the live entertainment experience. At Framework in the Desert, multiple freight container structures were unveiled that featured Captivision's media glass. This innovative installation served as the canvas for an inspiring display of imagery and content for all in attendance. The media presentation included assets from Activision's Call of Duty: Mobile and Framework, in addition to artwork and animations that enhanced the musical ambiance throughout the weekend.

Vertex (VERX) announced that it has been selected to join the Oracle Independent Software Vendor, ISV, Accelerator for SaaS Initiative. With expertise in Oracle (ORCL) Cloud Fusion Cloud Applications integrations, Vertex continues to leverage the power of contract and tax data to optimize customer operations and outcomes. "Building on our longstanding relationship with Oracle, we are thrilled to join the Oracle ISV Accelerator," said Bradd Wildstein, Vice President, Indirect Sales at Vertex, Inc. "Through this partnership, Vertex can now enhance our customers' finance and sales processes by integrating essential tax solutions into Oracle Fusion Applications. It's more than just data integration - it's about unifying disparate functions, streamlining operations, and amplifying benefits for our mutual customers."

Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt raised the firm's price target on Amazon.com to $225 from $220 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares ahead of quarterly results. The firm thinks Amazon is well positioned this year with multiple drivers of sustainable margin expansion in place. The company has reported operating income ahead of Street estimates for five consecutive quarters, and Wedbush estimates Q1 operating income of $11.6B, approximately 5% above consensus. Heading into results, the firm is looking for sustained advertising momentum given positive feedback from advertisers in its Q1 Digital Advertising Survey and from digital advertising agencies, accelerating AWS growth and incremental commentary on AI-related demand, and ongoing improvements in both North America and International retail margins.

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison said the company is moving its world headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee, Ashley Capoot of CNBC reports. Ellison said Oracle is moving to a "huge campus" and it is closer to "the center of the industry we're most concerned about, which is the health-care industry." Reference Link

Citi analyst Ronald Josey raised the firm's price target on Amazon.com to $235 from $215 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The analyst "materially" raised operating income projections on Amazon following an analysis of the company's Advertising and Retail businesses. Citi now projects operating income to reach 10% margins in 2025 on continued advertising strength and improving retail efficiencies. Given faster shipping speeds, the firm believes conversion rates are improving as Amazon's retail business benefits from its regionalization approach with shorter transport distances as the overall cost to serve comes down. Amazon remains one of its top picks across the internet sector.