Billion Dollar Unicorns: How Will Ellie Mae Handle Looming Mortgage Worries?

According to a study by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the US lenders are expected to issue a smaller amount of mortgages in 2018. Total mortgage originations are expected to fall to $1.60 trillion this year from $1.69 trillion in 2017. The amount of new loans to refinance a home are expected to drop 28.3% to $430 billion and the amount of new mortgages to buy a home will grow 7.3% to $1.2 trillion in 2018. The market is being impacted by low housing inventory and rising interest rates. Despite the weak market projections, Billion Dollar Unicorn club member and mortgage origination services provider Elli Mae (NYSE: ELLI) is continuing to do strong business.

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How Will the Investors of Upwork Get Their Exit?

A recent study on the Freelance industry in the US estimates that nearly 36% of the US workforce, or 57.3 million Americans, are freelancing. The research estimates that these freelance workers contribute approximately $1.4 trillion annually to the economy, an increase of almost 30% since last year. By 2027, researchers believe, that freelancers will account for majority of the US workforce. Growth like that should have been promising for freelance services provider Upwork. But the former Billion Dollar Unicorn club member is struggling to take advantage of these trends.

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Death By Overfunding: What Led to the Sinking of Shyp?

Last week, on-demand shipping startup Shyp Co-Founder and CEO Kevin Gibbon announced that the company is shutting down operations and laying off all employees. This comes after a five-year journey in which it had raised $62 million and had a valuation of $250 million. >>>

How will Docker Handle Competition?

Docker is the biggest startup in containers that made it to the Billion Dollar Club in 2015. It recently raised another round of funding that valued it at $1.3 billion. >>>

How will Intuit Improve its Growth Rate?

Last month, cloud-based accounting and tax giant Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) reported a strong second quarter that beat analyst estimates. However, its soft outlook is causing analysts to ponder the growth rate question. >>>

Why is the Symantec Stock Reacting Poorly?

The past couple of years have been transformational for Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) with two divestitures, several acquisitions, and new leadership. It has now refocused itself exclusively on cyber security and has undertaken several measures to reduce complexity and costs. >>>

2018 IPO Prospects: Will BarkBox Find Market Acceptance?

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According to American Pet Products Association, Americans spent close to $70 billion in 2017. About $30 billion were spent on Food, $17 billon on Vet Care, $15 billion on medicines and supplies, $2 billion on animal purchases, and $6 billion on other services. BarkBox is a niche box-subscription service company that caters to dogs.   >>>

How Can Benefitfocus Handle Competition?

According to IBISWorld, the market for HR benefits administration in the United States was expected to grow 1% to $54 billion in 2017. Benefitfocus is a provider of cloud-based benefits software solutions that recently reported its fourth quarter results that were in line with estimates. >>>