Is Robust R&D The Secret To Google's Success?
by Andrew_Keene

Shares in Google (TICKER: GOOG) are, for the most part, maintaining a steady, upward trend in line with the movement of the technology sector as a whole. Shares closed at an all-time high of $915.89 on May 15th of this year, a gain that represents a 30% YTD jump in stock value.

Compare this to the Technology Sector Select SPDR ETF (TICKER: XLK), the most liquid of technology ETF's, which has produced a less-impressive 5.35% YTD yield. GOOG has since slipped back to the $870-$875 range, but even this value represents a 22-24% YTD increase in value.

The myriad reasons behind Google's unprecedented successes can be boiled down to one point: it has innovated while competitors R&D departments have gone dark. read more »