- __[Unleased:](https://snacks.robinhood.com/newsletters/CoBbb3XOG07QxgjRD9qAY/articles/5jWelzvgjVxRngffky9wjf/)__ WeWork is partnering with Saks Fifth Avenue to launch in-store working spaces – this time it doesn't own the leases.
- __[Experiment:](https://snacks.robinhood.com/newsletters/6s2Q9yXESEe1smTaPJ4t57/articles/3aeXdG3lOjozOrw9o9aWcL/)__ Disney shares jumped last week after its theme parks returned to profit – but its real focus is Disney+ and its Great Media Experiment.
- __[#Benefits:](https://snacks.robinhood.com/newsletters/6EL5TRTmp9geUpgsXeiK1l/articles/2vf0ghZ3cYccAbq8of8SuW/)__ Walmart and Target offer to pay 100% of college tuition for workers as companies amp up benefits to lure workers.


ICYMI

Last week's highlights...

Snacks

In a familiar pattern, the US has begun launching new strikes on Iran Wednesday, on top of retaliato...

Jake Lahut

Contributing Reporter

Power

 received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street ban...

J. Edward Moreno

Business Reporter

Markets

Which middle-aged comedian recently modeled underwear for Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand?

What is the only streaming platform whose original content gets more viewing time than older classics from its catalog?

Both the Sacramento Athletics and the Los Angeles Dodgers have a third baseman with which name?

How many indoor smoking areas are there in the Zurich airport?

What is America’s favorite fast food chain?

What is the average distance between employees and their workplace?

The US June jobs report had something for everyone: On the one hand, non-farm payrolls rose by just ...

Luke Kawa

Markets Editor

 is surging in early trading after Bloomberg reported that the social media giant is planning to joi...

Did  do it?  Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fou...

Paige Oamek

Markets Reporter

Shares of  are surging after announcing an $8 billion acquisition of satellite communications operat...

Helena Cheng

Even though DC’s “Supergirl” marked another disappointing outing for the superhero genre that once r...

Tom Jones

Culture

 rose on the news that the telecom behemoth is spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky from its cable port...

Your inbox is ready

Subscribe and thrive

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that he would send a long-awaited housing bill to President T...

Personal Finance

The former memestock  surged on blowout earnings this week — and the bull case has nothing to do wit...

What is the most popular color of soccer cleats worn by players at World Cup opening matches?

According to eurochange’s Aperol Spritz Index, which city has the cheapest Aperol Spritz in Europe?

What is the cheapest US holiday destination by average plane fare?

What percentage of American adults use Amazon Prime?

The new chief financial officer and chief strategy officer of Wendy’s was previously the CFO of which chain?

Which country has the largest climate change “perception gap” (i.e., the difference between how they feel about climate change personally versus how they feel other citizens perceive climate change)?

Which film studio is Google investing $75 million in?

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together th...

Business

 might be the biggest stock in the world. But for Robinhood’s retail traders,  has become the most i...

From flipping burgers to being flipped by retail traders: It seems  may now be a meme stock? Shares ...

As the UK waved goodbye to one prime minister and waits expectantly to usher in a replacement who’ll...

World

The sharp selloff in South Korean stocks — with massive follow-through across US tech stocks on Tues...

 is investing roughly $75 million in independent film studio A24 as part of an AI partnership, accor...

How do you expand an advertising business that’s already grown almost 75% in the last year and doesn...

We’re starting to get to that stage of the year where the wintry dreams of sitting on a beach somewh...

__Plenty of fish in the sea…__ More like plenty of pea protein. Plant-based foods have become so mainstream that alt-meat patties are regulars at Burger King, Dunkin’, Starbucks, and Walmart.  

- __Oat explosion:__ The global market for plant-based foods could grow to [$450](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/17/faux-fish-looks-to-ride-the-growing-wave-of-alternative-meats.html)B by 2040, which would represent roughly a quarter of the $1.8T meat market.
- __Soy stars:__ The growth has been driven by alternative milk and meat, which together make up 55% of total plant-based sales. 
- But in the shadow of __Oatly,__ __Beyond Meat,__ and __Impossible Foods,__ another alt is growing fast: fake fish.

__Friend keeps telling you to watch “Seaspiracy”...__ as you inhale spicy tuna rolls. Alternative seafood is one of the fastest growing segments of the plant-based market. Think: tuna made from tomatoes, and artichoke crab cakes. Investment in US plant-based seafood hit [$70](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-04/plant-based-sushi-faux-fish-rattle-the-multibillion-dollar-seafood-market?sref=q3KSFp38)M in the first half of 2021 — as much as in the past two years combined. But it still makes up only $12M, or 0.1% of the $15B US seafood market. That’s partly because real seafood has a strong health halo. 

__Cry me a freshwater river…__ Big Food may have missed the fake meat boom, but it’s not about to miss the fake fish fiesta. 

- __Tyson__ invested in plant-based shellfish company New Wave Foods, which launched its seaweed based shrimp this year. 
- __Nestle__ launched Vuna, a plant-based tuna alternative, last year. It cited stats that 90% of global fish stocks are now fully or nearly depleted. 
- __Thai Union Group,__ which owns tuna legend Chicken of the Sea, already makes plant-based fish and crab, and plans to launch plant-based shrimp this year.


That first bite of faux fish [Westend61 via GettyImages]

__You can be late to the trend, but early to the opportunity…__ Big Food was late to plant meat and milk — but early to fake fish. There isn’t yet a dominant player in plant-based seafood, like there is for alt-meat and milk. Plus, the faux meat giants aren’t going after seafood yet. If companies can make plant-based seafood as tasty and nutritious as real fish, they could be early to a big opportunity.

Plant-based patties get all the love, but fake fish is growing — and Big Food wants fin 

__Green is the new black…__ Cannabis is on a tear — sales at the top 10 publicly traded cannabis companies more than doubled over the last year. Scotts Miracle-Gro, the garden company whose cannabis subsidiary boomed last quarter, launched a cannabis investment arm last week. The new division already invested $150M in a Canadian cannabis company. Also: last week, a $500M ecomm site Leafly announced plans to go public via SPAC later this year.

__After an infrastructure appetizer…__ it’s time to discuss the entree. Last week, a bipartisan group of Senators passed a historic $1T infrastructure bill to improve roads and rail, internet access, and EV networks. The tab will be partly funded by crypto taxes and Covid funds. But there’s a hook — House Dems plan to stall unless they can also tack on a $3.5T social and climate package. If the bills pass, they could kick off a new era of big government.

Zoom Out

Stories we're watching...

__The DIY boom is ending…__ but someone still needs to fix the faucet. DIY-mania powered strong 2020 sales at Home Depot and Lowe’s. But last quarter, sales of “pro” products for contractors exceeded sales from DIYers at both companies — and helped their sales continue rising year-over-year. We’ll see if their new focus on pros through everything from tool rentals to supply chain improvements has paid off when both companies report earnings this week.

__Shop ‘til the stimmies stop…__ After a spring of up-and-down consumer spending, retail sales [rose](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/16/us-retail-sales-unexpectedly-rise-0point6percent-in-june-.html) above pre-pandemic levels in June as people spent padded savings and leftover stimulus cash on electronics, cars, and online classes. But inflation, the spread of Delta, and the end of stimmy payments could dampen the buzz. We’ll get a pulse check on America’s shopping spree when the July retail sales report, which tracks retail and restuarant spending, drops on Tuesday. 

Last week's highlights...

Get Your News

Subscribe and thrive

Latest Stories