Friday, May 7, 2021

BREW WITH HEADLINES

Daily Brew

TOGETHER WITH

Divvy

Good morning. We’ve got a special announcement today that’s been in the works for, well, years. Just scroll down to the part of the email that mentions the Fantasy Investing Competition.

Suppose that gives it away...

MARKETS


Nasdaq

13,632.84

S&P

4,201.62

Dow

34,548.53

Bitcoin

$56,037.84

10-Year

1.568%

Penn

$83.93

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean.

  • Economy: Jobless claims keep dropping, last week to below 500,000 for the first time since the pandemic began. Plus, employers laid off the fewest people in almost 21 years in April. Get ready for a blockbuster jobs report this morning.
  • Markets: The story of the markets this week has been Dow , tech . Barstool owner Penn National Gaming has dropped nearly 40% from its peak, despite reporting better-than-expected earnings yesterday. 

PHARMA

Governments Get Behind #FreeTheIP

An illustration of the Earth on a turquoise background with two needles filled with a red serum (symbolizing vaccines) injecting it from either side

Francis Scialabba

Yesterday, the EU said it's "ready to discuss" waiving patent protections for Covid vaccines. Their newfound open-mindedness follows Wednesday's about-face from the Biden administration, which threw its support behind a waiver in order to boost vaccine manufacturing around the world. 

What this is all about: When a company takes a risk by creating a new product, a patent protects its intellectual property from copycats. In this case, a waiver would allow third parties to manufacture and sell the Covid vaccines patented by companies including Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

With vaccine distribution concentrated in wealthier countries, South Africa and India proposed a waiver as early as October.

Not everyone agrees

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed back on the US’ waiver proposal, arguing production capacity and quality assurance are the constraints, not IP. 

And to sum up how pharma feels about it...

If you thought nursing a sourdough starter was difficult, try a production process that involves hundreds of components, dozens of suppliers, specialized equipment, and strict quality checks along the way. 

When Johnson & Johnson vetted 100 potential production partners for its vaccine, it concluded only 10 were up to snuff. And its vaccine uses pretty established technology. 

Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA shots are literally the first of their kind. Moderna's CEO says he "didn't lose a minute of sleep" over Biden's announcement because there aren't enough facilities or skilled workers to replicate what his company is doing. 

  • "There is no idle mRNA manufacturing capacity in the world. This is a new technology, you cannot go hire people who know how to make mRNA—those people don't exist," he told the FT.

Moderna already said it won't enforce patent rights on its mRNA vaccine, but is willing to license the technology. Pfizer's CEO opposes a waiver. 

Looking ahead…EU deliberations could take months and lead to nothing (WTO members must vote unanimously on a waiver). Or the WTO could go halfway with a partial waiver, particularly if the US and EU want to keep mRNA tech out of China's hands.

        

REGULATION

Gensler Talks GameStop, Robinhood, and All Things Stonks

GameStop under a magnifying glass

Francis Scialabba

GameStop mania is like a really hyperactive brood of cicadas: It emerges, loudly, once every couple months.

Yesterday, Wall Street's top cop, SEC Chair Gary Gensler, discussed this winter's market mania and what his agency is going to do about it with the House Financial Services Committee.

  • Gamification of investing: Gensler said that features on popular investing apps that simulate a "gamelike" atmosphere could lead to lower returns for the average trader (more trades = worse outcomes, per some studies). He said his agency wants to make sure regular investors who use these apps are protected.
  • Payment for order flow: Gensler is having his team look into market dominance by "wholesalers" like Citadel Securities, which pay brokers like Robinhood to handle your trades.
  • Short selling: The SEC is deliberating whether it should require greater transparency from investors who hold short positions.

Bottom line: Gensler said that current regulations were created before modern social media platforms became popular. "I think...we may find that we need to freshen up our rule set," he acknowledged.

        

OBITUARY

David Swensen Made University Endowments Cool

David Swensen in his office

Yale

David Swensen, the chief of Yale's endowment fund, died Wednesday evening at 67 after a nine-year battle with cancer. 

Known for laying the groundwork for the modern venture capital- and private equity industries, Swensen made Yale's endowment office the hottest place on campus. He diverted Yale's money from just stocks and bonds into more alternative assets like hedge funds, real estate, and even timber (he knew).

  • Swensen's strategies grew Yale's endowment from $1.3 billion in 1985 → $31.2 billion in 2020. It's currently the second largest university endowment, trailing only Harvard's. 
  • In 2019, Yale's endowment accounted for about a third of its entire operating budget.

The "Yale model." Boasting returns better than some top hedge fund managers, Swensen could have traded it all in for a glamorous Wall Street high rise and a cartoonishly eye-popping salary, but he remained dedicated to the university. Swensen instilled the same principles in his mentees, who were scouted by private sector firms before ultimately following in his higher-ed footsteps.

        

SPONSORED BY DIVVY

End the ‘Heyyyyy Boss’ Messages

Divvy

If you control the budget at your company, you’ve probably received some version of this: “Hey boss, my team got brunch with a client, could you shoot me like $300 when you get a chance?” 

We’re here to tell you there’s a platform that makes those messages a thing of the past—and also offers the credit your company needs. Divvy is an all-in-one expense management system that offers credit lines from $50,000 to $5 million. 

Divvy makes applying for business credit even easier than ordering the Eggs Benne. They also look at each application individually to figure out what’s right for your needs. 

And this month, Divvy’s offering a $50 gift card for any workplaces with 21+ employees who get a demo. That’s at least a new toaster, just for doing a demo. 

Banish “hey boss,” meet with Divvy, and get a gift card right here

GRAB BAG

Key Performance Indicators

A factory in China

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Stat: China's greenhouse gas emissions exceeded those of all other developed countries combined in 2019, according to a new report by the Rhodium Group. 

Quote: "Just imagine traveling 10 years back in time and trying to explain this to someone; just imagine what an idiot you'd feel like. 'There's going to be this online currency that people think is a form of digital gold, and then there's going to be a different online currency that is a parody of the first one based on a meme about a talking Shiba Inu, and that one will have a market capitalization bigger than 80% of the companies in the S&P 500, and its value will fluctuate based on things like who is hosting Saturday Night Live and whether people tweet a hashtag about it on the pot-joke holiday, and Bloomberg will write articles and banks will write research notes about those sorts of catalysts, and it will remain a perfectly ridiculous content-free parody even as people properly take it completely seriously because there are billions of dollars at stake.'"

Bloomberg columnist Matt Levine writing about, you guessed it, dogecoin. 

Read: Gen Z is bringing emo back, but it's not just a bunch of white dudes. (BuzzFeed News)

        

COMMUNITY

Let's Play a Game

Fantasy Investing Competition

Ever wanted to dump $20,000 into Tesla stock without the heart palpitations? Is it finally time to short AMC? 

Well, here's an opportunity to do that without putting any of your money on the table. Introducing the Morning Brew Fantasy Investing Competition, a month-long stock market tournament we're hosting with our friends at Wealthbase.

How it works: 

  • To start, you'll get $100,000 of (fake) cash to build a portfolio of your choice. Buying, selling, shorting, unlimited trades...it's all there.
  • Stocks and crypto are included, so you can YOLO into doge if you're feeling frisky.
  • Chatter, trash talk, and bragging about your gainz on social media is encouraged.

For example, we Brew writers and our coworkers will be playing, and we will beat you. 

The prize: At the end of the game (June 4), we'll send packs of our most popular Brew swag to the top three players who've built the biggest portfolios. 

The competition starts this Monday, and it'll be capped at 10,000 players, so...

Sign up today.

QUIZ

Revenge of the Quiz

Weekly news quiz

Francis Scialabba

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew's Weekly News Quiz has been compared to receiving that backordered item you bought four months ago.

It’s that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

  • French and British boats are patrolling waters near the English Channel in an escalating dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights. 
  • The UK economy will grow the most in 70 years in 2021, the Bank of England projected. In 2020, the economy shrunk the most in 300 years.
  • New York's attorney general said that 82% of complaints filed to the FCC around the repeal of net neutrality protections in 2017 were fake, many of which were reportedly funded by the broadband industry.
  • Twitter is testing out a Tip Jar. Whenever you feel like it, no rush.
  • The World Video Game Hall of Fame announced its latest class of inductees: Animal Crossing, StarCraft, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

BREW'S BETS

69 calories, 0.0 alcohol. That’s what you get (and don’t get) from Heineken 0.0. It’s got all the balanced taste of Heineken, except it’s alcohol-free. That means you could be having one right now, even if you’re filling out TPS reports for the new boss. Try Heineken 0.0 today.*

Research driven, liquid, and future focused. That’s what you may want in a technology ETF—it’s also what the ROBO Global Robotics & Automation ETF offers. Invest in cutting-edge robotics companies here.*

Classy gift guide: Our friends at Sidekick put together a wonderful guide to help you figure out what to get the recent grad in your life. Check it out.

Follow Friday: Answer all the questions you've never thought to ask with Veritasium on YouTube. And then check out oddly satisfying tiny living spaces with Never Too Small and watch Joe Jenkins play piano in public. 

*This is sponsored advertising content

GAMES

Friday Puzzle

Change just one letter on each line to go from the top word to the bottom word. Do not change the order of the letters. You must have a real word at each step.

1. ARM
2. ____
3. ____
4. ____
5. ____
6. LEG

SHARE THE BREW

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From Brew swag like t-shirts and coffee mugs to exclusive content, we've got something for everyone in our premier rewards program.

Click here to get free swag.

Hit the button below to start sharing the Brew.

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=a17a7110

ANSWER

Arm
Aim
Aid
Lid
Led
Leg

APPEALS COURT: Convicted Ex-Congresswoman Deserves New Trial

Majority of Facebook ‘Oversight’ Members Have Ties to Soros

SPECIAL: [POLL] Should Obama be Added to Mount Rushmore?

Jim Jordan: ‘Votes Are There’ to Oust Cheney from Leadership

Democrat Exposes Biden Propaganda of ‘Empty’ Migrant Facility



 

Hillary Clinton blindsided Joe Biden by picking one major fight

Nancy Pelosi suffered a crushing defeat that has every Democrat nervous

Mitt Romney just experienced the shock of his life when he stood up to make this speech

Donald Trump dropped a major hint about replacing Mike Pence with this big name Republican

Joe Biden just said one sentence that was the most dangerous promise of his Presidency

 

ABC Host Declares You Should be “Shunned” if You Refuse To Submit

REAL Patriots will Proudly Wear this FREE American Flag Hat! (sponsor)

Tulsi Gabbard Reacts to Hatred against Republican Sen. Tim Scott

Will Caitlyn Jenner flip California ‘Red’?

IRS Will Panic After Hearing Biden’s Latest Gaffe – It Will Ruin Them!

WATCH: Democrat EXPOSES Biden ‘shell game’ lies at the border LIVE on NBC

‘Devout Catholic’ Biden Doesn’t Mention “God” on Prayer Proclamation Day

South Carolina Follows Montana In Ending All Unemployment Benefit Programs

White Farmer Sues Biden Over ‘Racist’ C*V*D Relief

 

May 7th, 2021

No Supporters Greet 81M Vote Recipient Joe Biden as He Arrives in Louisiana
Louisiana – Joe Biden traveled to Lake Charles and New Orleans on Thursday to promote his highly unpopular “infrastructure” bill that has... Read More ›
Simple Trick To Have Unlimited Battery Power
What if you could have nearly unlimited battery power for nearly no cost? Enough to live off-grid and power all of your electronics and devices? Well, there's a new… Read More ›
VIDEO: BLM Militants Draw AR-15s And AK-47s On Portland Motorists
Black Lives Matter militants took to the streets of North Portland on Thursday, in a march for Patrick Kimmons, who was shot by police in 2018 after a gang shootout on the streets late at night.During... Read More ›
Maricopa County Defies Subpoena, Won't Release Hardware For Election Audit
Update (1400ET): Something must be really worrying Democrats. There appears to be a full court press effort to delay and defer any and every... Read More ›
WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki Wishes Biden Maybe Didn't Talk So Much
Have you ever noticed that Joe Biden only says stupid stuff when he opens his mouth? When he keeps his pie-hole shut, he’s fine. He just shuffles around like a 137-year-old man, and his handlers... Read More ›
Biden Cuts ‘God’ Out of Day of Prayer Proclamation
By WND. President Joe Biden this week cut “God” out of his proclamation for a National Day of Prayer.Instead, he calls on “citizens” to follow “their own faiths and consciences.”Just the News... Read More ›
The Achilles Heel of Your Off-Grid Energy System
Do you know what the biggest problem is with solar panels, wind turbines, and off-grid energy? Many people call it their 'Achilles Heel'… Read More ›

 

 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Leaked Document Shows New Law That Could Upend Firearm Industry

Leaked Document Shows New Law That Could Upend Firearm Industry

Here's What We Know >>

Columnists
The Border Is Spiraling Out of Control

Julio Rosas


Jake Tapper's Banning 'Lying' Guests Now?

Larry O'Connor


Calling on 'Moderate' Democrats

David Limbaugh


The Fact-Checkers’ Prevarication: In Study Biden Shown to Lie Just as Effectively as Trump

Brad Slager


Biden Sets His Sights on Destroying the Gun Industry

Gabriella Hoffman



NPR at 50 Years: Still a Liberal Sandbox

Tim Graham


One Way To Fix Plummeting Birthrates: Stop Bashing America

Josh Hammer


Where Did All Those 'Capitalist Pigs' Go?

Pat Buchanan


Some Rotten Underpinnings of Biden's Positive Rating

Michael Barone


ADVERTISEMENT
Punishing Big Pharma for Its Success Will Cost Lives

David Harsanyi


The Two Faces of BLM

Jeff Davidson


Republicans Distracted

Erick Erickson


Masks in Cars: What's Behind America's COVID-19 Insanity

Neil Patel


On HR 3, Nancy Pelosi Is Like a Bad Used Car Salesperson

Charles Sauer


Snow White’s Kiss and Further Proof that the Left Has Lost Its Mind

Michael Brown


What Truly Matters Is Each Other

Armstrong Williams



INVESTING
Basecamp Announces Shift To Political Neutrality


Tipsheet
Texas Democrat Knows How Joe Biden Is Making His Immigration Concentration Camps Look Empty

Matt Vespa


Biden Wants Strict Rules For Gun Owners, But Not Illegal Immigrants

Senator Tommy Tuberville


Climate Change Action with China Not Likely to Work, Thanks to This Revelation

Rebecca Downs


Johns Hopkins Doctor Dismisses Walensky Fear-Mongering: 'Most Of The Country Is At Herd Immunity'

Scott Morefield


A 'Planned Parenthood Baby' Does Not Mean What AOC Thinks It Means

Rebecca Downs


They Won't Leave Him Alone: Twitter Purges Trump's Blog Account

Matt Vespa


Rep. Elise Stefanik's Comms. Director Latest to Be Suspended from Twitter in 'Error'

Rebecca Downs


'No More Masks!': School Board Adjourns Early After Meeting Becomes Heated Over COVID Restrictions

Julio Rosas


Democratic Congresswoman Tries to Erase Women with This One Sentence

Reagan McCarthy


NYT Columnist's Op-Ed About Liz Cheney Shows How the Left Really Feels About Her...And It's Not Shocking

Matt Vespa


Biden's Top DOJ Nominee Tries to Clean Up Her Support of the Jussie Smollett Hoax

Katie Pavlich


ADVERTISEMENT
Political Cartoons
Bearing Arms
Vermont Shooting Not Because Of Weak Red Flag Laws | Tom Knighton

SC Senate Rejects Permitless Open Carry | Tom Knighton

U.S. Conference Of Mayors Wants To "Reimagine Public Safety" | Cam Edwards

Asian-Americans Buying Guns Amid Media Frenzy Over Hate Crimes | Tom Knighton

California Claims Under-21s Are "Infants" When It Comes To 2A Rights | Cam Edwards

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