Hey Snackers,
Elon's SpaceX is hiring a “Spaceport Mixologist" to whip up space-themed cocktails at its Texas rocket factory. We'll wait for the "International Space Station Mixologist" position to open — if the $450K space flight is covered.
Stocks fell for the week after the Fed suggested it's leaning toward rolling back its easy money policy. Over the weekend, a judge ruled that Prop 22 is unconstitutional. Prop 22: the ballot measure passed by CA voters that classifies gig drivers as independent contractors.
Post-turtle neck era... Tomorrow marks the 10-year anniversary of Tim Cook becoming Apple's CEO, replacing founder Steve Jobs. Jobs was a creative visionary who pioneered the revolution from the PC to mobile era. Cook has been more of an operational magician. But how has the tech giant changed under his reign? A big part of it is Cook's ability to scale.
Tim Cooking in the kitchen... iPhone is still the core of Apple, and brings in more than half its sales. But Apple's biggest shifts under Cook have been scaling services and elevating privacy.
Tech has taken over the market... When Jobs was CEO, the top five most valuable companies in the Fortune 500 were: Exxon, Apple, Microsoft, Chevron, and Berkshire Hathaway. Now, the top five most valuable companies are all tech: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Facebook — and they make up 23% of the S&P 500's total value. Tech companies have contributed to an explosion of wealth. Think: jobs, apps, and soaring stock prices. But their immense scale and power has raised concerns among lawmakers and consumers, leading to growing antitrust measures around the world today.
Drop the triple-shot latte... The cost of coffee beans has jumped 43% so far this year. An unusual frost in Brazil — the world’s #1 coffee producer — is contributing to soaring java prices. Companies know that consumers hate paying extra for the same products. Now, some java giants may consider "swapflation" to deal with rising costs. AKA: swapping out popular arabica beans for cheaper, but less premium, robusta beans. We could see it in other products, too.
Powell's party... might be nearing its end. To help the economy, the Fed has added trillions to the money supply through bond-buying sprees. That brought us near-zero interest rates during the pandemic, which helped boost spending. Think: lower rates for mortgages, credit cards, and business loans. But as the US economy recovers and prices continue to rise (#inflation), the central bank is considering pulling back on its economy-supporting policy later this year.
Loose-fit jeans = the new sweatpants... Retailers like Gap and Nordstrom boosted online sales last year, even though total sales slumped. As we leave behind pandemic PJs and return to stores for "going out" fits, clothing retailers have a shopportunity to boost sales online and IRL. We’ll see how that's panning out when Gap, Nordstrom, Abercrombie, and Urban Outfitters report earnings this week.
Dollar stores are on a roll... but it's not toilet paper. Last year, Dollar Tree and Dollar General thrived as we stockpiled TP, detergent, and $2 Cool Whip. But sales slumped last quarter, failing to keep pace with last year’s panic purchasing. Still, the dollar dynasties are doing better than they were pre-pandemic. We’ll see if they can keep the good times rolling — even without TP — when they report earnings on Thursday.
Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, Google, and Amazon
ID: 1793185