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Dec. 08, 2024 06:05PM EST
May. 20, 2021 05:55PM EST
Snap says it now has 500 million monthly active users
Snapchat on Thursday debuted a slew of new products and user metrics for things like games and augmented reality lenses that have been built using Snapchat's developer tools.
Why it matters: It's an important milestone in Snapchat's transformation from a social network to a camera company that caters to developers.
By the numbers: Speaking to an audience of hundreds of thousands of developers and partners virtually at Snap's third annual Snap Partner Summit, Snap provided user metrics for several of its developer products, showing growth in areas like augmented reality, gaming and short-form video creation.
- 250,000 developers are registered to use Snap's developer tools, "Snap Kit," which helps developers build and distribute augmented reality lenses.
- 200 million people use Bitmoji stickers every day. (Bitmojis are personalized cartoon stickers made by a company Snap bought years ago.)
- 1 billion Bitmojisare sent per day. More than 34 million Bitmoji stickers are available to developers in a new "Bitmoji Developer Kit," that allows developers to insert Bitmoji stickers into their keyboards for their own apps.
- Nearly 30 million Snapchat users play games on the app per month. Snapchat's first game ever "Aqua park," has reached 45 million players to-date.
- More than 250 million people uses Snapchat's "Snap Map" monthly. The company now has more than 30 million businesses on the map. Moving forward, it plans integrate more business, stores and universities onto the map.
- More than 135 million people use Snapchat's TikTok rival feature "Spotlight." Over 5,400 creators have collectively earned more than $130 million dollars from payouts Snapchat has awarded to viral video makers. Snapchat will add "tipping" for creators later this year.
- Nearly 2 million augmented reality lenses have been created by Snapchat users using Snap's developer tools. Those lenses have been viewed by Snapchat users more than 2 trillion times.
The big picture: Snapchat's push to become a developer platform began three years ago, when the company first launched its developer tool kit for engineers around the world.
- The move has fundamentally changed Snapchat's business, allowing for much deeper engagement with its core products, like its map, video shows and messaging features, as well as new opportunities for revenue.
- Today, CEO Evan Spiegel says there are over 500 million monthly active users on Snapchat. About 40% of Snap's users now come from areas outside of North America and Europe, a testament to the company's ability to successfully redesign its app for Android, a feat given early failures to woo users.
What to watch: Moving forward, Snapchat says it wants to use the tools it's designed to help its users get creative to address societal issues that align with its mission.
- For example, the company debuted its efforts to make its camera more inclusive to capture a wider range of different skin tones.
- It also introduced a new partnership with re:wild and the National Parks Service to use augmented reality visualizations to help restoration efforts in areas devastated wildfires in Southern California.
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Mar. 01, 2021 12:46PM EST
The spike in global bond yields is setting up a clash between the world's top central bankers
While Fed chair Jerome Powell is brushing off the seismic rise in government bond yields and a corresponding decline in stock prices, a group of central bankers in the Pacific are starting to take action.
Driving the news: Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda told parliament on Friday the BOJ would not allow yields on government debt to continue rising further above the BOJ's 0% target.
- “It’s important now to keep the entire yield curve stably low as the economy suffers the damage from COVID-19,” Kuroda said, adding that the central bank plans to adjust its yield curve control program.
What it means: Kuroda is intimating that the BOJ is ready to step in and buy more bonds to push up prices and bring down yields after 10-year government debt rates rose to the highest since January 2016.
Why it matters: In addition to the repricing in equities, especially tech stocks, rising inflation expectations mean rising prices for consumers in the form of costlier loans, higher gas prices and increasing costs for goods.
- The rise in bond yields means a fall in bond prices, which is a capital loss for investors, and bonds have been far more popular than stocks over the last few years.
Be smart: Kuroda, who heads the central bank where inflation has been the tamest for the longest, is the most important leader to begin the process of intervening to bring down bond yields but is hardly the first.
- The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) bought $4 billion of government bonds Thursday in order to stem falling prices, matching the record high from March 2020 when it began its quantitative easing (QE) program.
- The Bank of Korea (BOK) promised as much as $6.3 billion in new bond-buying before the end of June.
Between the lines: The central bank heads taking action — Kuroda, RBA's Philip Lowe and BOK's Lee Ju-yeol — are all classically trained macroeconomists who have been at their respective central banks for decades.
- Powell, who is downplaying rising bond yields and encouraging inflation, is a trained lawyer with less than a decade of central bank experience.
What's next: The European Central Bank will publish its latest bond-buying figures at 9:45am ET and investors will get to see whether the bank significantly raised its purchases, signaling top policymakers are backing recent assurances that they won’t tolerate higher yields with action.
- Investors also will hear from Powell and a wide swath of Fed policymakers this week.
Charted: Rates rise around the world
Data: Investing.com; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
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Jan. 06, 2021 02:49PM EST
“It feels like a brand new day": Schumer declares Democratic majority in Senate
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared on Wednesday that Democrats have gained control of the Senate, with Rev. Raphael Warnock having defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) and Jon Ossoff currently leading in the race against former Sen. David Perdue (R).
Why it matters: A 50-50 Senate would give Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote after Jan. 20. Democratic control of the Senate will decide the fate of Biden's presidency, from whether he gets his Cabinet nominees to whether progressives get their tax hikes and public spending.
What they're saying: “It feels like a brand new day. For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate — and that will be very good for the American people," Schumer said in a statement."
- "America is experiencing one of the greatest crises we have ever faced, and the Senate Democratic Majority is committed to delivering the bold change and help Americans need and demand. Senate Democrats know America is hurting — help is on the way," he continued.
- "For too long, much-needed help has been stalled or diluted by a Republican-led Senate and President Trump. That will change with a Democratic Senate, Democratic House, and a Democratic President."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added in a statement:
“Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff ran and won on the values of advancing equality and opportunity for working people across the state and the nation. In sending these two outstanding Democratic Senators to Washington, Georgians cast their ballots for a fairer, accountable and more compassionate America. Inspired by our beloved John Lewis, Senators-elect Warnock and Ossoff's hunger for justice will bring necessary Good Trouble to the Senate."
Go deeper: Georgia's four-year fallout
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