Tiger's new look: mock turtleneck or golfleisure? Nike's glad we're asking.
The busiest 4-day week of the year starts now — 8 companies want to IPO before Easter (@Pinterest, @Zoom). And the start of earnings season last Friday already has the S&P 500 just 1% away from a record high.
In the meantime, we found some freebies to nourish you through Tax Day.
"Amazon of Africa"... The continent's first tech IPO on the New York Stock Exchange is Jumia. Shoppers in 14 African countries (which represent 74% of the continent's consumer spending) can hit the ecommerce site to buy a dress. Or get Lagos' finest suya skewers delivered. Or book flights to Cairo. Or rent a Nairobi 1-BR flat. It's a mashup of plenty of US apps and is still plenty unprofitable, but the stock still surged 75% on Day #1.
More on Jumia in today's Snacks pod.
Suit up... Big banks kicked off earnings season, and JPMorgan set the tone with record revenues and profits. As interest rates rise, so has its lending biz, which helped profits at its "Main Street" divisions surge 19%. Then CEO Jamie Dimon added some flair: The current economic expansion "could go on for years."
Extra legroom for all... First JetBlue rose after revealing its first transatlantic flights land in London by 2021. Then Delta's profits surged 31% last quarter. We broke down the two key reasons for Delta's jump (aka, its "Profit Puppies"):
New vs. Nostalgia... Netflix fell 4.5% Friday after Disney's Netflix-killer was revealed: Disney+ (Mickey's shares hit a record high the same day). Disney's strength is its library of timeless hits: Star Wars, The Simpsons, Toy Story, and other OG titles. And just as Netflix raises the price for its most popular plan to $13/month, D+ arrives at a binge-able $6.99.
Fashion beat function... Under Armour dropped 4% on a single day after an annual survey showed people just aren't into it: UA's ranking dropped to 5th place in the basketball category and 7th in "casual." The report slammed UA for lacking innovation (too much ath, not enough leisure), just as Adidas signed Beyoncé as its creative partner.
Out of battery... Panasonic may pause plans to expand battery production at Tesla's Nevada "Gigafactory 1." Its investment in Elon's China-based "Gigafactory 2" could be off too. Tesla dropped 4% as investors worry the joint venture drama's a sign of uninspiring car sales.
Millennials broke Wall Street... Big corporate names made big moves to cater to cord-cut and car-less customers last week. Investors appreciated Disney acting like a tech company but punished Lyft for acting too much like one.
Disruption + Profits. It’s complicated... Video-streaming and ride-hailing were born to break things. Profits were an afterthought. But investors' feelings shift when the companies move from the pre-disrupt to post-disrupt era.
Streaming's getting baby treatment. Ride-hailing has to grow up... Investors showed they’re still cool with one's unprofitability, but they're losing patience with the other.
Disclaimer: The author of this Snacks owns Tesla shares