Friday, January 29, 2021

BREW AND HEADLINES

 

Daily Brew

TOGETHER WITH

Gatsby

Good morning. One amusing aspect of this week’s stock market craziness has been the “mistaken identities” caught up in the turmoil. 

  • Shares in an Australian nickel mining company gained as much as 50% yesterday, probably because its ticker symbol, GME, is the same as GameStop’s. Overeager investors failed to note this GME is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, not the New York Stock Exchange.
  • The @robinhood Twitter handle earned a crush of new followers yesterday. Thing is, it doesn’t belong to the trading app, but instead the World Wide Robin Hood Society based out of Nottingham, England. 

MARKETS


NASDAQ

13,452.50

+ 1.37%

S&P

3,814.76

+ 1.71%

DOW

30,781.05

+ 1.58%

GOLD

1,842.40

- 0.14%

10-YR

1.054%

+ 3.80 bps

OIL

52.32

- 1.00%

*As of market close. Here's what these numbers mean.

  • Covid-19 update: South Carolina reported the first known US cases of B1351, the coronavirus variant initially discovered in South Africa. And we have some new preliminary data from Novavax’s vaccine, which was almost 90% effective in a UK trial but only 49% effective against that variant.
  • Markets: The major US indexes bounced back nicely from their worst day in three months on Wednesday.

Superbad

Yesterday, trading platforms including Robinhood and Interactive Brokers restricted trading on surging "meme" stocks such as GameStop, AMC, and BlackBerry. 

The decision came close to breaking the internet. Users exploded with anger, accusing Robinhood of freezing out individual investors and ignoring its mission statement, which is to "democratize finance for all." 

Robinhood's move was so unpopular that it brought together the unlikeliest of duos. After Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared the brokerages' decisions "unacceptable" and called for a hearing, Elon Musk replied, "Absolutely." 

  • Sometimes dreams come true: Yesterday, incoming Senate Banking Committee Chair Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he would hold a hearing on the current stock market environment, saying, "People on Wall Street only care about the rules when they're the ones getting hurt." 

So why did Robinhood do it?

In an interview with CNBC, CEO Vlad Tenev said the company limited buying of certain highly volatile securities “in order to protect the firm and protect our customers,” comparing the recent surge in demand for a handful of stocks to the mass-buying of Lysol during the pandemic.

  • On Wednesday, Robinhood had its most single-day downloads, recorded its highest number of daily active users, and ranked #1 in the App Store, per Apptopia.

All that demand put a lot of financial stress on the company, which tapped at least several hundred million dollars in credit yesterday for a money cushion. Tenev said this step was taken “preemptively” to ensure Robinhood could comply with certain capital requirements mandated by the SEC as well as clearinghouses, which carry out a transaction between the buyer and seller.

  • That explanation is not likely to appease furious individual traders, who view this as just another example of an uneven playing field between the wealthy and everyone else. 

Looking ahead...Robinhood said it would allow limited buying of these stocks today. Beyond that, we're not predicting anything. 

        

ECONOMY

2020 Would Like an Economic Do-Over, Please

Not all milestones are cause for celebration. Ex.: In 2020, the US economy contracted an annualized 3.5%—the first yearly decline since 2009 and the worst year for GDP since WW2 demobilization, according to Commerce Department data released yesterday. 

  • GDP = gross domestic product, a key economic indicator that measures the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country during a given period of time. 

Following steady recovery through the summer and early fall, Q4 GDP grew a measly 1% as a surge in coronavirus cases spooked the economy's biggest growth driver: consumers. Spending was down on in-person entertainment and hospitality.  

Looking ahead...the IMF predicts 5.1% growth for the US this year, with a return to pre-pandemic GDP in the second half. But to enjoy a full recovery, the country will need to run a successful vaccination campaign and address the 18 million workers currently on unemployment. While jobless claims fell last week, at 847,000 they're still very bloated. 

        

"ACC & Apple Partnership" (CC BY 2.0) by Austin Community College / Mark Zuckerberg F8 2019 Keynote" (CC BY 2.0) by Anthony Quintano 

Over the past few days, Facebook and Apple have been brawling over privacy and competition. 

The backstory: Last June, Apple announced a tweak to iOS that would bar apps from collecting ad-targeting info (a string of numbers called an "ad identifier") unless users gave them the go-ahead. The change could present major headaches for ad-based apps...like Facebook. 

  • Facebook launched a full-on resistance campaign, taking out newspaper ads, publishing blog posts, and setting up a website outlining its reasons for opposing the shift. Those reasons? Facebook argued 1) the feature would hamstring small businesses and 2) Apple uses iOS to favor its own products. 

On Facebook's earnings call Wednesday, Zuckerberg warned investors that Apple's maneuvering posed a risk to Facebook's bottom line. Then yesterday, Cook responded with the business equivalent of "where'd you get those clothes, the toilet store?"

  • "If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation...then it does not deserve our praise, it deserves reform," he said at an online conference.

Looking ahead...the iOS change is scheduled to roll out this spring.

        

SPONSORED BY GATSBY

There’s a Lotta Talk About Stocks

Gatsby

But what about the options market?

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Gatsby Digital is the fintech phenom designed for a new generation of investors. With the options market growing, investors are using Gatsby Digital to leverage this powerful investment vehicle in a digestible, responsible way. 

The options market had over—not million, not bajillion—but $14 TRILLION worth of options contracts traded in 2019—and things don’t seem to be slowing down.

The fintech revolution is here, and you can get in by investing in Gatsby Digital directly. Since launching a year ago, more than 200k contracts have been traded on their platform—that’s more than $50 million of transactions. 

The investment opportunity closes Friday, February 12 (or when they’ve raised $5 million) and has already reached $3.2 million, so cash in on this fintech revolution while you still can

COWORKING

As If This Week Wasn't Upside-Down Enough...

WeWork is looking like a pretty well-oiled machine. The WSJ reported yesterday that the coworking company was in talks to merge with a SPAC, or special-purpose acquisition company.  

  • That means WeWork could enter the public markets, which triggers the wrong kind of déjà vu. Filing to go public in 2019 was the kickoff to the company's infamous meltdown that fall. 

The deal, with Bow Capital Management, would reportedly value WeWork at about $10 billion. That's a major step down from the $47 billion valuation it once reached based on infusions from primary funder SoftBank...but it's also a significant step up from its $2.9 billion price tag following its collapse. 

Bottom line: With over $3 billion on hand as of Q3, WeWork isn't desperate for cash...but it’s got plenty of suitors. WeWork Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure told Bloomberg, “We have SPACs approaching us on a weekly basis.’

        

Giphy

With bars across the country closed during the pandemic, Americans took it upon themselves to pour a stiff drink at home. Yesterday, the world's biggest liquor company, Diageo, said US sales increased 15% annually in the second half of 2020. Super-premium brands now account for a quarter of its sales. 

  • Overall US spirit sales rose 24% from March to mid-December. 

Did other drinks fare so well? In the same timeframe, wine and beer sales rose about 17% and 13%, respectively. Hard seltzer was up 160% for the year. And nonalcoholic beer sales rose 38% (we applaud your healthier choices).

  • With the end of 2020 being the only thing worth celebrating last year, US champagne sales by volume fell 20%.

Bottom line: With a pandemic, social isolation, historic unemployment, and an exhausting election, 2020 had more of a "fill my Tervis Tumbler with tequila" vibe than "who wants mimosas?"

        

QUIZ

QuizStop

Weekly news quiz

Francis Scialabba

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew's Weekly News Quiz has been compared to guessing your password on the first try.

It's that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

  • GM said it would stop selling gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035, an ambitious move that plots an emissions-free future.
  • Toyota regained its title as the top-selling automaker, surpassing Volkswagen in vehicle sales last year. 
  • American and Southwest Airlines posted record annual losses for 2020.
  • Qualtrics, the SAP-owned seller of survey software, showed you can do well on the stock market without the Reddit bump. Shares gained nearly 40% in its first day of trading. 

BREW'S BETS

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Follow Friday: David Lynch (filmmaker and writer of Twin Peaks) is very active on YouTube. He has several recurring series you can watch, from picking a random number every day to What Is David Working on Today?, where he makes things like wall sconces.  

Had enough Netflix? Go to Sundance, virtually. You can pay to watch individual films from the festival here

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podcast art for sports gambling

FROM THE CREW

"Take the Over"

Francis Scialabba

That’s certainly not betting advice from us—just a phrase you’ve probably been hearing a lot more frequently as sports gambling gains traction across the country. 

With the crown jewel of sports gambling, the Super Bowl, just over a week away, our podcast Business Casual spent the last two episodes talking about the industry with the people who know it best: FanDuel CEO Matt King and sports business analyst Darren Rovell.

These episodes will reveal everything you wanted to know about sports betting, from legalization and the Supreme Court to its dramatic impact on fan experience. 

Listen to Matt King’s episode here and Darren Rovell’s episode here.

GAMES

Friday Puzzle

There's a familiar five-word saying in which one of the words ends in the letter "t" and the other four words all start with "t." What is the saying?


Today's Top Headline

What Biden’s Obamacare Executive Order Could Mean For You

 

Sponsored

Americans Are Using This New Device To Relieve Their Pain & Stiffness

 

Trending

Robinhood Restricts Trading Of GameStop and Sets Wall Street On A Rollercoaster Ride

Coronavirus Cases Fall as Vaccination Efforts Ramp

First US Cases of Coronavirus Strain First Seen in South Africa


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ANSWER

It takes two to tango


January 29th, 2021

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Man Who Allegedly Wanted to Attack Democrats to Keep Trump in Office Faces 10 Years in Prison

Here's What We Know >>

January 29
Oprah Winfrey
FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

Oprah Winfrey

READ MORE
 
George W. Bush: 2002 State of the Union address
FEATURED EVENT
2002
Iraq, Iran, and North Korea called an “axis of evil”

READ MORE

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY
Colleen McCullough
2015: Australian novelist Colleen McCullough , best known for her sweeping romance The Thorn Birds (1977) and for the Masters of Rome series (1990–2007), died at age 77. [Can you match these opening lines to their works?]
Janet Frame: To the Is-Land
2004: Author Janet Frame, who created a unique body of work that presents perhaps the most-recognized voice of New Zealand to those outside her native country, died at age 79. [Test your knowledge of famous writers.]
1966: Brazilian football (soccer) player Romário, who was one of the most prolific goal scorers in the sport's history, was born in Rio de Janeiro. [Sort fact from fiction in our football (soccer) quiz .]
Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove
1964: The British film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, a landmark Cold War farce directed by Stanley Kubrick, was released in theatres. [ Take our quiz about Stanley Kubrick.]
Babe Ruth
1936: Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were among the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. [Read our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time.]
Karl Benz
1886: German mechanical engineer Karl Benz patented the first practical automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine. [Take our quiz about machinery and manufacturing.]
SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

Columnists
The Left's Ongoing Campaign to Denigrate Trump Supporters

David Limbaugh


How to Blow up the Left's Terrorist Narrative

Tim Graham


The Media Should Cover the March for Life – with More Than Just Seconds

Katie Yoder


American Elites Seek To Rig the Game

Josh Hammer


Is the Establishment Still Terrified of Trump?

Pat Buchanan



Joe Biden's COVID Deceptions

David Harsanyi


The United States of Racial Quotas and Preferences

Michael Barone


The Dad Who Rescued Me

Ryan Bomberger


If Biden and Democrats Truly Support 'Equity,' Why Are They Silent on School Choice?

John Kass


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Cheaters and Other Strangers

Jeff Davidson


America Grows Sick on a Diet of Propaganda and Political Theater

Laura Hollis


Vaccination Protocol

Armstrong Williams


The Criminal Class Now The Armed Wing Of The Democratic Party

Ilana Mercer


Let David Slay Goliath

Erick Erickson


Biden Can (And Should) Safeguard the Conscience Rights of Americans Opposed to Abortion

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer



Video
Gov. Evers: Saying Abortionists 'Execute Babies' Is 'Blasphemy'
Trump blasts Schiff as 'political hack'

Pelosi's condescension offers some laughs
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Theology Of Marketplace Engagement

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Tipsheet
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Leah Barkoukis


Barstool’s Portnoy Shreds Wall Street Elite: Someone Needs to go to Jail

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Unity, Huh? Nancy Pelosi Has a New Term to Describe Congressional Republicans

Matt Vespa


'Banana Republic': It Sure Looks Like Biden's DOJ Is Engaging in Political Retribution

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Of Course, Biden's Treasury Secretary Has Connections to Hedge Fund Thrashed by Populist Trading

Matt Vespa


Protesters Descend on Wall Street: 'We Want a Free Market'

Bronson Stocking


Gitmo Detainees Will be Vaccianted Before Most Americans

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Rush Limbaugh Weighs in on the Populist Revolt on Wall Street

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Whitmer's Lockdowns Put Michigan Number One in This Category

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So, Is Anyone Going to Ask Why Thousands of Troops Are Still in DC After Biden's Inauguration

Matt Vespa


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Political Cartoons
Bearing Arms
Dems Call Iowa RKBA Constitutional Amendment "Extreme" | Cam Edwards

Gun Licensing Law Challenged In Federal Court | Cam Edwards

New Gun Control Bill Would Create Public Registry Of Firearms | Patrick Richardson

Concealed Carry Holder Kills Would-Be Robber In Seattle Suburb | Cam Edwards

Should EMTs Be Permitted To Carry Concealed Firearms? | Tom Knighton

 

Meghan McCain REACTS after Biden Caught Defying Own EO

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Biden Tackling Xenophobia Toward … Pacific Islanders?

Marco Rubio Goes OFF on Impeachment during Epic Speech

Biden’s Team Confirms Plan to Kill Thousands of Jobs And Put America Last!

  0000834237-21-002166 | SC 13G/A | Fox - Investor Relations | Fox

Filing Date. Jan 27, 2021. Document Date. Jan 27, 2021. Form Description. An amendment to the SC 13G filing. Filing Group. Other. Company. Fox.
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FOX
Daily update January 29, 2021


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FOX booth featuring Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer ready for Daytona debut
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Fox Sports Midwest to become Bally Sports Midwest
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FOX News Media Signs Leo Terrell to Contributor Role
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Famed civil rights lawyer Leo Terrell joins Fox News Media as contributor
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Robinhood hit with 2 lawsuits after restricting GameStop, AMC trades
FOX Business' Charlie Gasparino says Robinhood halted trading for stocks like GameStop because it is worried about upcoming investigations.
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