From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
HONG KONG RATTLES MARKETS
Stocks ended the week lower, snapping a record-setting run in an abbreviated week of thin trading. Better-than-expected economic data, from durable goods orders to weekly jobless claims to GDP revisions, all helped fuel the pre-Thanksgiving gains. Those data points were replaced, post-holiday, by fresh trade concerns, which deepened after President Trump signed a bill Wednesday in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. That legislation, which among things authorized sanctions on Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in Hong Kong, infuriated Beijing. The Chinese government said the bill "seriously interfered with Hong Kong affairs, seriously interfered with China’s internal affairs, and seriously violated international law and basic norms of international relations.” It remains unclear whether the bill, largely symbolic, will interfere with the trade negotiations between the world's two biggest economies. Despite the jitters, the S&P 500 finished its best month since June.
TRILLION-DOLLAR HOLIDAY?
Retailers are hoping for a huge Black Friday/Cyber Monday showing, but for many the shopping extravaganza began earlier than ever. This was the first Thanksgiving ever to surpass $4 billion in online sales, with nearly half coming from mobile devices, according to data from Adobe Analytics. Total online sales are projected to reach $144 billion for the full season. Despite economic concerns related to the ongoing trade war, unemployment is near record lows, consumer confidence is high, and people are opening their wallets. The analytics firm eMarketer is estimating this could be the first-ever $1 trillion holiday shopping season when all is said and done.
BUZZKILL
A bad year for cannabis stocks got worse, with the FDA's release of its first-ever warning about the health risks of the hugely popular CBD cannabis component. CBD was taken off a list of banned substances last year and has grown to become a pillar of the fledgling U.S. cannabis industry, with claims that it can help anxiety, inflammation and insomnia, without the psychotropic effects of THC. But federal regulators pumped the brakes on those claims, saying CBD has the potential to cause liver damage, changes in mood and gastrointestinal problems. Investors are worried the report could signal the FDA plans a crackdown on the CBD market, and the report sent shares of publicly-traded cannabis firms like Tilray, Aurora and Cronos lower. Some of those stocks recovered later in the week on expectations that they will see a boost from increased holiday spending.
MERGER MANIA
Two huge, industry-shaking mergers were announced at the start of the shortened week. The country’s two largest discount brokerages made it official, with, Charles Schwab shelling out $26 billion in an all-stock deal to acquire TD Ameritrade. The retail brokerage industry has been shaken up, with upstarts like Robinhood taking market share from established firms, leading Schwab, Ameritrade and others to cut, or do away entirely, with commission-based trades. Meanwhile, in retail, LVMH, the European luxury giant behind fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Fendi, is buying Tiffany in a $16 billion acquisition. The iconic jeweler has been suffering from weak sales in the U.S. and is betting on an expansion in China to fuel growth. LVMH is credited with becoming one of the most valuable companies in Europe due, in large part, to the success of its brands in the Chinese market.
SLOW GOING FOR BOEING
The chances of the 737 Max getting the stamp of approval from the FAA before the end of the year is getting smaller by the day. The smart money is now betting that it will be January, at the earliest, before the Max is re-certified to fly. Regulators are reportedly planning to inspect every single new 737 Max and, even then, it would take several more weeks for airlines to get their Max fleets back into service. Adding to the concerns for Boeing: Congress is said to be planning another hearing for December in which FAA officials would testify about the safety procedures involved in certifying the Max before the two crashes that killed nearly 350 people. Boeing, ending a year in the midst of its biggest corporate crisis ever, has seen its shares lose 15 percent of their value since March, when the second crash led to the worldwide grounding of the Max jet.
The gambling industry has seen a boom since shutting down in 2020, outpacing even pre-pandemic levels. But as gamblers have returned to the tables, there's been a rise in reports of gambling addiction as well. Sara Slane, founder of Slane Advisory and sports betting/casino gaming executive, joined Cheddar to discuss the state of the gambling industry.
Shares of Peloton recovered after CEO John Foley debunked rumors that the company would halt production of some products, confirming that the company will instead be quote 'right-sizing' production as it faces lagging demand.
This comeback for the stock comes after reports surfaced that Peloton could completely hit the brakes on production of its bikes and treadmills. In the last year, Peloton has wiped nearly $40 billion off its market cap, with its stock down over 70% in 2021. Doug Astrop, managing partner at Exponential Investment Partners, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss.
After an intense hours-long meltdown Monday, stocks closed higher in a last minute, stunning comeback. At one point, the Dow shed over 1,000 points, the tech-heavy Nasdaq was down close to 5% and inching toward correction territory, and the S&P 500 briefly hit a correction earlier in the day. During most of Monday's session, stocks were on track to mark their worst months since March 2020, and for the Nasdaq, since October 2008. Philip Palumbo, Founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Palumbo Wealth Management, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's stunning market comeback, whether there's more room for stocks to fall, his 2022 market predictions, and more.
Bobby Zagotta, CEO of Bitstamp USA, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses what he expects to see from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies amid a volatile period in the market, and explains how his crypto exchange is helping investors.
Markets started the week on a rocky note: the major indexes at most points during the day were double digits off of their highs, on the path to their worst performances since March 2020 and for the Nasdaq, since October 2008. Investors were skittish about the Federal Reserve's meeting this week, where the central bank is expected to announce more details about its plans to hike interest rates and taper asset purchasing this year. Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at National Securities, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's market meltdown, why investors were feeling pressure, what to expect from the Fed, and more.
AT&T announced it's offering two tiers of high-speed internet, 2 gigs, and 5 gigs, to its fiber customers in more than 70 metro regions. AT&T Consumer CEO Thaddeus Arroyo joined Cheddar to talk about the newly available speed upgrades for 5.2 million of its customers, and where the rollout goes from here. "Over the course of 2022, we'll rapidly continue to retrofit the rest of the base," he said. "And importantly now is, as we build-out, we've talked about building out to cover 30 million homes and businesses by the end of 2025, we're going to continue to ensure that every new location that we stand up has this multi gig capability."
Autonomous driving tech company Waymo is partnering with transportation and logistics business J.B. Hunt. The two firms are teaming up to bring autonomous shipping to the highways. Head of commercialization for trucking at Waymo, Charlie Jatt, joined Cheddar to discuss how the companies are combining their strengths. "We, of course at Waymo, are working on the technology side of affairs, and J. B Hunt brings critical operational and commercial expertise," Jatt said. "And together we're going to work to deploy the first fully autonomous Class 8 truck hauling goods for one of their customers in the coming years in Texas."
Amid a rough week for Peloton's stock, as well as its image — its bikes being the cause of death for two fictional TV characters now — an activist investor is calling for a change in upper management. Chief investment officer of Blackwell, Jason Aintabi, petitioned in a letter that Peloton’s CEO, John Foley, must be fired. Joining Cheddar to discuss the ultimatum, Hatem Dhiab, a portfolio manager and managing partner at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management noted the conditions leading to the demand for Foley's removal. "The stock is basically 85 percent below the high," he said. "I think there is some change that needs to happen, and that's just the reality."
