Hey Snackers,
Most innovative thing to come out of the Consumer Packaged Goods industry during corona-conomy: a box of white cheddar Cheez-Its attached to a box of Rosé. The only thing missing is a Disney+ subscription. And throw in a robe, while you're at it.
The S&P 500 and the Dow ticked up, but the techy Nasdaq index dropped on a Big Tech sell off. Tesla and Microsoft report today after the market closes.
No more halftime truck-sized sodas... Coca-Cola's sales plunged 28% last quarter and profits plopped 30%. Over half of Coke's sales come from "away-from-home" venues — think: restaurants, sports stadiums, and movie theaters. Since those were corona-closed, expectations for Coke were pretty low. Coke stock actually jumped after the news because:
The anti-Netflix earnings report... Coke's earnings (and their effect on its stock) were the opposite of what we just saw with Netflix. The lockdown hero beat on sales and added 10M new paying subscribers, crushing the 8.2M expected. Buuut...
Earnings are old news — investors care about new news... Earnings reports are mostly lagging indicators on how a company did in the past. Investors are most interested in leading indicators that point to how it'll trend in the future. Profits for the S&P 500 are expected to decline 44% this quarter, the biggest drop since 2008. But the major indexes are hitting all-time highs because investors believe the worst is over.
Angela Merkel must've watched Hamilton... EU leaders just agreed on a €1.8T ($2T) stimulus package to support their ailing economy. The Eurozone economy shrank 14.4% this year, compared to America's 4.8% drop. Months-long lockdowns and near-zero tourism crushed the bloc. Enter...
"I'm just like my countr(ies)"... Europe isn't young or particularly scrappy, but it's hungry...for relief. ICYMI, Hamilton (aka the US' 1st Treasury secretary) got the US federal government to absorb states' debt. The EU is kinda emulating this:
It all goes back to Euro... The benefit of this package is that it could support the Euro's stability. While Dutch politicians don't want their citizens' tax dollars funding other countries' programs, economic stability is in everyone's interest. Without the bailout plan, Italy’s national debt risks imploding to a level that could destabilize the whole bloc. Helping struggling member states out now could be better than facing a big currency crisis later.
My lil' pumpkin spice Frappuccino... Starbucks wants more of your monogamous coffee love. To make sure that all 67 of the cold brews you consume per week come from its stores, Starbs launched its mobile reward program in 2009. It was a pioneer in the (then new) world of reward apps. Now it has sneakily become the fintech product of caffeine:
Getting even more intimate... with your wallet. Before, you had to digitally preload a Starbucks Rewards card to pay. Starbucks just announced you can link your credit/debit card and pay directly in-app this fall. You can also order on mobile, then pay with cash in person and still get "Stars". FYI: the new payment options give you half the points you'd get using a preloaded card.
The restaurant Loyalty Wars are coming... and you’re the winner. Rewards programs used to be a differentiator. Now they’re becoming the norm. Delivery warriors like Uber Eats and DoorDash try to outdo each other with discount codes. Restaurant chains are increasingly dishing out perks to win your loyalty. Dunkin', Panera, and Starbuckss all offer coffee rewards programs, but our loyalty is limited. Expect some one-upmanship in this space as well.
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