The news didn t help Yahoo s stock. Many investors and analysts were skeptical of consumers paying a fee for a service readily available at competing financial portals and online brokerage sites for free. Especially when they have got to pay to play. The low costs associated with the model and ability to remain independent made financial and strategic sense. It s GET BIG FAST at its crowning moment.
Content actually remains king, but somewhere along the way owning it became a barometer for success.
What is inherently more interesting is Yahoo s recent foray into one-click brokerage access. Stock quote aficionados at Yahoo properties will be able to click directly into their online brokerage accounts. Transaction fees and revenue-sharing agreements can be imagined. It s very possible Yahoo users will soon find themselves one-click trading, compelled by communication, research and numbers streamed to MarketTracker, which could be integrated into Yahoo Messenger. It s unclear whether a significant number of Yahoo users will shell out the cash for its MarketTracker service.