Hey Snackers,
We love connecting with you every day, and want to do more of that during these challenging times. So we're launching our first "Snacks Break": a video conference between you and us. We'll whip up our 3 Big Takeaways from the corona-conomy, then answer your questions live. Register here to join us on Friday, April 3rd at 3PM EST.
All 3 major indexes fell over 4% Wednesday after President Trump warned the nation to brace for 2 very painful weeks ahead.
That classic awkward moment when... you realize you're not eligible for a much-needed gov bailout because you incorporated in Panama to pay lower wages/taxes. Few industries are struggling more than the cruise industry, and nearly no company has struggled as much as Carnival (with its multiple coronavirus-infected cruise ships). Good thing the $2T govt stimulus includes $500B for sinking corporations, right? Not for Carnival:
Carnival is in an (especially) bad situation... It has no customers for the foreseeable future, but also has huge debt payments to make. And — it likely won't be eligible for bailout money.
Being offshore hurts during times like these... For years, Carnival has been reaping the extra profits from being incorporated outside the US. But now, with its business virtually non-existent, it could really use a little help from Uncle Sam. It likely won't be granted a slice of the $500B rescue pie. So it's forced to rack up a very risky amount of debt, hoping to survive until things return to normal.
It’s a hard (drinks) life, for us... Alcoholic beverage sales are booming as people hoard to drink away their corona-induced worries. FYI: The World Health Org wants us to know that alcohol is an "unhelpful coping strategy" for this pandemic. Sounds like no one was listening:
Surprisingly, beer sales also jumped... The foamy classic has been losing shelf space in American fridges for years now. But sales of 24 and 30-packs of mainstream brews like Bud Light soared around 90% compared to last year.
Only the "essentials" are winning... Grocery stores are considered essential services in all states, and liquor stores are still considered essential in most. But restaurants and bars — as well as the industries (like craft beer) that largely supply them — are losing out on major income from their biggest profit puppy: alcohol.
He's a Kilar Queen... of the streaming screen. Jason Kilar, the founding CEO of Hulu, just got hired by WarnerMedia to be its new CEO — juuust in time for the May launch of its new streaming service, HBOMax:
It's on... Between the impressively fast growth of Disney+, the pending launches of Peacock and Quibi, and the fact that everyone is stuck at home streaming anything with words/video on Netflix: the streaming wars are heating up big time. So is competition for top streaming talent:
Old School media needs New School talent... Warner's got the cable and movie OGs under its belt, but it hasn't conquered streaming yet. That's why it's bringing on a CEO with a strong rep in both the media and tech circles (media + techy = New School media). Now Warner hopes it'll be better positioned to succeed in the competitive streaming space — with its new profit-puppy hopeful, HBOMax.