Starbucks is partnering with Ariana Grande on its latest coffee offering. The coffee chain and singer both posted twin cloud emoji tweets on Monday. Grande tagged @Starbucks, leading fans online to piece together that she was teasing the new "Cloud Macchiato," which Starbucks ($SBUX) officially launched this week. She followed those up with a pair of new tweets Tuesday morning showing the singer decked out in a Starbucks apron sipping on one of the new bevvies.
Internal documents showed that Grande was helping the company launch the new beverage, according to Business Insider.
Grande might already be considered an unofficial brand ambassador given how many times she's been snapped holding a Starbucks drink. Starbucks has not confirmed that it has a partnership with the "Thank U, Next" singer, though BI reported that as part of the promotion some stores will also feature Grande-approved playlists and songs.
The Cloud Macchiato is a twist on an Italian coffee staple. The "macchiato," literally translated to "stained" is a shot of espresso with a bit (stain) of frothed milk. Starbucks gained success bastardizing that and other Italian cafe classics with iced versions, caramel drizzles, and mocha. The Cloud version will come in cinnamon or caramel versions with a dollop of whipped cold milk foam, according to the press release.
Stocks closed lower Thursday and the Nasdaq snapped a three-day streak as tech stocks tumbled. Investors have been eyeing how the Federal Reserve will implement its more aggressive monetary policy amid rising inflation, including three potential rate hikes this year, with the first one coming as soon as March. Melissa Brown, Managing Director of Applied Research at Qontigo, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, market valuations, big tech weakness, moving into bonds, and more.
As the cryptocurrency and digital asset space continues to evolve and grow, one podcast launching on Spotify's new video podcast platform aims to inform listeners about the various uses and developments in the crypto world. 'New Money' features guests from the entertainment and sports worlds discussing building wealth in the crypto space, creating NFTs, working on digital contracts, and more. Solo Ceesay, co-host of the 'New Money' podcast and co-founder of creator-focused social media platform Calaxy, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what the podcast will explore, its guest lineup, how they verify content amid broader crypto speculation, and more.
Two key reports from the Labor Department this week show inflation is still running red hot. Consumer prices soared 7% in 2021, the highest increase in nearly 40 years, and producer prices followed suit, rising 9.7%. Brian Levitt, Global Market Strategist at Invesco, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to break down the latest data and what it means for the economy moving forward.
Lime is celebrating the launch of its latest electric bike in Washington, DC, this week, with more cities joining in this spring. The Gen4 e-bike boasts a new look, a more powerful motor, and a battery that's interchangeable with the Gen4 e-scooter. CEO Wayne Ting joined Cheddar to discuss the company's investment in electric bikes and the potential role of micromobility in the metaverse. "I think it would be incredible as a way to teach people to live greener, if there are worlds out there, metaverses out there, where the way you go faster in that world is if you take a bike and a scooter," he said. "So, you're teaching people better behavior as part of their virtual world as well."
Svetlana Mitsuko Delous, dancer and aerial artist with Cirque Du Soleil, joins Cheddar News to talk about the return of the OVO show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles this March.
Retired gymnast Nia Dennis went viral last year after a video of her gymnastics floor routine highlighting Black excellence gained traction on social media. Now the athlete and UCLA graduate is partnering with juice and plant-based foods company Pressed to promote health and wellness in the new year. "They have helped me start this year off strong and start living a healthier lifestyle," she said.
Microsoft has discontinued the Xbox One as it looks to focus on ramping up production for its current Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. The Xbox One first hit the market in November 2013.
M&T Bank rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning as the company celebrated a milestone of opening 100 new multicultural banking centers. David Femi, head of multicultural banking, joined Cheddar to discuss the culturally inclusive expansion as part of the bank's overarching goal to increase financial access in racially and ethnically diverse communities. "By designating branches as multicultural is just one way for us to be intentional in making sure, that number one, when [customers] come into these branches, they see people that look like them, they see people that speak their language," he said.
Tesla has scrubbed any mention of its Cybertruck being released in 2022 from its website after the company delayed production last year. The EV maker is slated to begin manufacturing the electric truck at its Austin, Texas, facility, to open early this year.
