While the project is no more a secret, what the market wants to know is now is how much is Google-parent Alphabet Inc spending on "moonshots" – self-driving cars. Apart from this there is also growing inquisitiveness about expenditure for its glucose-monitoring contact lenses, Internet balloons and other ambitious projects.
A glimpse of these is expected to be got at the fourth-quarter results that are expected to be reported by Alphabet this week. Investors too eagerly await some information on these.
Alphabet calls these investments as "Other Bets" and includes Google Fiber; smart home accessory maker Nest Labs and the secretive "X", home to the self-driving cars project and this would be the first time that the company would break out the results for the same.
In a market of fast-growing number of mobile users, especially after Facebook Inc's stellar report, the results will also show the degree to which Google has been successful in targeting ads in this market.
Alphabet would surpass Apple Inc as the most valuable company in the world if it manages to put forward a strong report which could also boost the stock enough.
"For the first time they (Alphabet) have a real catalyst to the stock, aside from a standard beat-and-raise," said James Cakmak, an analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co Inc.
Consistent revenue growth, margin stabilization, greater disclosure and share buybacks are the four things that the market wants from Alphabet, experts say. RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney said that all of the above would be got this quarter.
The reading may not be pretty. According to a survey by Raymond James, more than 72 percent of investors of Alphabet expect "Other Bets" to have lost more than $1.5 billion in 2015.
"We believe revenues from Other Bets will be fairly immaterial for Alphabet given the early stages of most of these businesses," Raymond James analysts wrote in a note.
The Google unit provides almost all of Alphabet's revenue. The internet and related business such as search, ads, maps, YouTube and Android as well as hardware products such as its Chromebooks are part of the unit.
The company’s efforts to drive sales from its mobile and video advertising as well as Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat's increased discipline on expenses have help bolster Google’s revenue.
Just as it was at Facebook, ad sales to mobile users is going to be the main driver to Google's results.
According to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, analysts on average are expecting Alphabet's profit to rise to $8.10 per share from $6.88 and revenue to rise 14.7 percent to $20.76 billion.
Alphabet was last valued at $517 billion on Friday when its shares closed at $761.35. it was just 4.4 percent short of Apple's valuation of about $540 billion.
(Source:www.reuters.com)
A glimpse of these is expected to be got at the fourth-quarter results that are expected to be reported by Alphabet this week. Investors too eagerly await some information on these.
Alphabet calls these investments as "Other Bets" and includes Google Fiber; smart home accessory maker Nest Labs and the secretive "X", home to the self-driving cars project and this would be the first time that the company would break out the results for the same.
In a market of fast-growing number of mobile users, especially after Facebook Inc's stellar report, the results will also show the degree to which Google has been successful in targeting ads in this market.
Alphabet would surpass Apple Inc as the most valuable company in the world if it manages to put forward a strong report which could also boost the stock enough.
"For the first time they (Alphabet) have a real catalyst to the stock, aside from a standard beat-and-raise," said James Cakmak, an analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co Inc.
Consistent revenue growth, margin stabilization, greater disclosure and share buybacks are the four things that the market wants from Alphabet, experts say. RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney said that all of the above would be got this quarter.
The reading may not be pretty. According to a survey by Raymond James, more than 72 percent of investors of Alphabet expect "Other Bets" to have lost more than $1.5 billion in 2015.
"We believe revenues from Other Bets will be fairly immaterial for Alphabet given the early stages of most of these businesses," Raymond James analysts wrote in a note.
The Google unit provides almost all of Alphabet's revenue. The internet and related business such as search, ads, maps, YouTube and Android as well as hardware products such as its Chromebooks are part of the unit.
The company’s efforts to drive sales from its mobile and video advertising as well as Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat's increased discipline on expenses have help bolster Google’s revenue.
Just as it was at Facebook, ad sales to mobile users is going to be the main driver to Google's results.
According to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, analysts on average are expecting Alphabet's profit to rise to $8.10 per share from $6.88 and revenue to rise 14.7 percent to $20.76 billion.
Alphabet was last valued at $517 billion on Friday when its shares closed at $761.35. it was just 4.4 percent short of Apple's valuation of about $540 billion.
(Source:www.reuters.com)
