AMZN Stock Rises 1% as Company Launches Amazon Pharmacy
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Amazon has launched its Amazon Pharmacy service for the sale of prescription drugs in the US. The products will be delivered free for Amazon Prime members.
American multinational technology company and e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) has made its official foray into the pharmaceutical scene with the launch of Amazon Pharmacy. As reported by CNBC, Amazon’s debut into the pharmaceutical space comes after years of strategizing and after acquiring PillPack back in 2018.
Per the CNBC report, the entire Amazon Pharmacy business is designed based on PillPack’s model. While Amazon Pharmacy will primarily focus on the sales of prescription drugs, which it will deliver free to Amazon Prime subscribers, PillPack will focus its attention on serving users with more serious ailments that require special attention.
As noted by TJ Parker, Amazon’s vice president of pharmacy, and co-founder of PillPack, they “wanted to make it easy for people to get their medication, understand the cost and get it delivered to the home. The hard work is to make it easy… there were a number of complications behind the scenes.”
Now with the service fully launched, Amazon will seek to bolster its home delivery offerings to its customers, particularly the Amazon Prime members. The strategic timing of the Amazon Pharmacy comes at a time when people are shifting away from a walk into stores to make purchases owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The launch of the service sent shock waves into the pharmaceutical marketplace as shares of firms offering similar services plummeted. The shares of CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS) spiraled down by 6.75% to $68.49. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ: WBA) dropped 9.21% to close at $40.04, and the shares of a similar retailer offering pharmaceutical sales Walmart Inc (NYSE: WMT) recorded a slight dip of 0.39%.
While these stocks closed down, Amazon shares climbed up by 0.95%, adding $29.86 to hit $3,160.92 at the time of writing.
How Amazon Pharmacy Works
The Amazing Pharmacy service will be available to customers over the age of 18 and as a health-related service, the company noted it will be accepting a varied form of health insurance packages. According to CNBC, Amazon will also offer its prescription drug purchase and delivery to customers with no health plan, while saving them a significant cost on prescription drug purchase.
The service has a system in place to verify the claims for prescriptions in order not to allow self-medication orders, as well as fraud. As it is required by law, first-time users making purchases through Amazon Pharmacy will have to answer such queries as pregnancy status, age, and sex given at birth. According to TJ Parker said that the company won’t share pharmacy data with advertisers or marketers without permission, as its requirement to collect and store customer’s health information is in compliance with federal HIPAA rules.
The delivery of ordered drugs is billed to take two delivery and logistics may make this delivery schedule vary. None Amazon Prime users will be able to get the express delivery service by paying $5.99 for an upgrade. Amazon users can also get a savings benefit card to use at more than 50,000 pharmacies. This as reported will help Amazon’s customers who cannot wait out the 2-day delivery schedule.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalists who relish writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desires to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain based media and sites. Benjamin Godfrey is a lover of sports and agriculture.
Grayscale’s AUM Hits $19B, Up from $16.4B Announced Week Ago
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34 Minuten ago
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Dezember 29, 2020
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While it may be too early to project the possible performance of Grayscale in 2021, the spate of patronage the company recorded in the last two quarters of 2020 looks quite inspiring.
In what confirms the continued embrace of Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins by institutional investors and the big-money clients, Grayscale’s total Assets Under Management (AUM) has been reported to top $19 billion, a significant uplift from the $16.4 billion reported a week ago. According to a report by CoinDesk, Grayscale hit this AUM milestone on December 28, and Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust holds by far the largest chunk of the total assets at $16.3 billion.
The recent rally of Bitcoin to new highs as recorded in the past days started as a chain reaction that took its precedent months ago when Wall Street firms and institutional investors began betting big on Bitcoin. The investment made by the likes of MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR), Square Inc (NYSE: SQ), and PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) did not just help put Bitcoin in the limelight through mainstream media, it also prompted the embrace of the digital assets by other firms.
With this chain reaction, the price of Bitcoin continued to soar in response to boosted demand for the coin, and institutions like Grayscale that serves institutional investors benefited from this new demand, and hence, the continued increase in the firm’s AUM. Besides BTC, Grayscale’s Ethereum (ETH) AUM is now worth $2.1 billion, while the bulk of smaller holdings in Litecoin (LTC), XRP, and ZCash amongst others helped Grayscale’s total AUM to reach the new milestone.
Grayscale’s AUM May See More Boost in 2021
While it may be too early to project the possible performance of Grayscale in the coming year 2021, the spate of patronage the company recorded in the last two quarters of 2020 makes the case for improved performance provided the tempo is sustained.
Just as has been noted earlier, the continued embrace of cryptocurrency assets by highly liquid companies will continue to have a positive reaction on the price of Bitcoin, and by extension, this will even make more people pick interest in BTC. As a relatively young asset class, Bitcoin and altcoins have tremendous room to grow as the adoption rate is still not optimized owing to certain regulatory provisions in most countries, Grayscale and other hedge funds have enough room to compete for new clients entering the space.
With Grayscale been among the institutions at the forefront of helping to drive the acceptance of BTC, ETH, and other digital currencies, enjoying the dividends of its works through impressed AUM figures does not come as much of a surprise.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalists who relish writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desires to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain based media and sites. Benjamin Godfrey is a lover of sports and agriculture.
Altcoin Rally Dimming Bitcoin’s Shine, Polkadot Gains 34% in One Week
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Dezember 29, 2020
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Polkadot (DOT) saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value.
Bitcoin bullish run looks to have come to a halt amidst an altcoin rally which has seen relatively lower coins put up impressive performances in the past few weeks. Bitcoin dominance is gradually fading as many experts believe the biggest digital coin is backing down as some top altcoin are showing strong “moves” or signals.
Bitcoin hit an all-time high over the weekend, the third time its price has done so in just over 2 months. The price of the biggest digital coin touched $28,400 on December 27, before a lightning drop took it to $27,000 just hours of that incredible feat.
Bitcoin failed to hold onto the $27,000 mark as its price further dropped to $26,000 a day after and is now testing lower levels centered on $26,000 as immediate support. Reports from crypto exchanges revealed BTC/USD trading at lows of $25,830 during the early hours of December 29.
While Bitcoin has seen red over a couple of days, some altcoins are putting up impressive numbers, giving off signals of a strong altcoin rally. Despite XRP’s current issues, the altcoin market is showing glimpses of its glory days as some digital coins are poised to see major gains over the next couple of weeks. Ethereum (ETH) is at the forefront of the rally, with its price climbing above $700for the first time since May 2018.
Polkadot (DOT) also saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value. The coin is now the seventh-largest token by market cap. Kusama (KSM), a cousin of Polkadot, also saw its price gain 46% last week, pushing its price from $43.1 to $63. The digital token is currently trading at $56 but experts are adamant a breakout above $65 is possible as the token has rebounded off the 20-day exponential moving average ($50.90)
Speaking on the possibility of a long term altcoin rally, analyst Van de Poppe stated that altcoins are next in line to see greens. He added that the next “impulse wave” on Bitcoin next year should be able to take the market to $40,000 or $50,000, but until then, the possibility of a continuance altcoin rally is very much likely.
Although many factors could be in play with regards to the latest Bitcoin price dip, it’s recent fallout with Ripple’s XRP leads the way. Ripple was hit with a lawsuit from the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and subsequently suffered drops that left its price in a pit. XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is now trading at $0.20 as news broke that Coinbase, a major US cryptocurrency exchange has decided to suspend its trading from next month.
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Crypto fanatic, writer and researcher. Thinks that Blockchain is second to a digital camera on the list of greatest inventions.