Coming up this week...

Vanilla hemp smoothies and THC-lagers... Weed stocks got a pandemic boost as millions toked up at home. Last year, US pot sales hit a record $24B as canna-connoisseurs in nearly half of states stocked up on legal bud. Weed giant Tilray, which reports earnings today, saw sales surge 43% last quarter on demand for its core pot biz, plus international growth through its Aphria merger. Now it’s investing “beyond the leaf” (think: buzzy brews, CBD oatmeal) to spark mainstream growth. Still, Tilray’s losses are piling up, and the stock fell 30% last month as investors grow impatient for federal legalization.

Racking up reward points… Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citi kick off bank earnings this week, as pandemic stimulus measures dry up. Last year, bank giants had record quarters on booming IPO activity and consumer spending — thanks to #stimulus, billions in expected loan defaults never happened. Bank stocks have boomed to ring in the new year as expected rate hikes could boost their balance sheets (think: more credit-card interest). But Omicron may take a toll on loan activity, which has just begun to rebound as consumers turn to credit to pay off bills and shopping orders. Nonetheless, analysts expect loan growth to continue this year.