$831.
While you dusted off the grill mid-weekend, the Federal Reserve Bank calculated the cost of the US-China trade war for a typical household. The tab is $831 for 2019.
And fresh indications that the trade war has become long-term tech cold war kept stocks down for their 3rd-straight week.
Who's up...
"I'll have the usual"... Uber stock nudged higher in its 2nd week of trading as a public company. And it's up to something with its Uber Eats — sifting through the app's code, a “reverse-engineering specialist” noticed the food deliverer is stealthily working on a $9.99 monthly subscription, called "Uber Eats Pass". Rival DoorDash already has the feature, so Uber's fighting for your monthly taco commitment.
Gee thanks, just bought it... Brazil's Natura is buying 133-year-old Avon, popping its shares 23% last week — Combined, they'll be Earth's 4th biggest beauty brand, expected to bring in $10B in annual sales. Both sell goods door-to-door with an army of "consultants," and that "direct sales" business model may be safe from ecommerce disruption.
Spoiler alert... Online shopping hurt JCPenney, Kohl's, and Nordstrom last quarter. But Target is thriving through the retail-pocalypse. We noticed its 3-part strategy is working:
- Aggressive app downloads: Want the 24-pack of double-roll TP brought out to your car? That privilege is reserved for people ordering curbside pickup through Target's app.
- $99 same-day shipping club: Join it. Last year Target bought delivery startup Shipt. Now its $99/year club drops off your packages at home same-day.
- Embrace the disruptors: Direct-to-consumer brands like Casper (mattresses), Harry's (razors), and Quip (toothbrushes) pioneered business models that cut out the middleman (aka "retailers") by selling via their own websites. Now they sell via Target, too.
...And who's down
New look... Urban Outfitters dipped after its earnings report showed a slowdown in shoppers. But all the attention should've been on Nuuly. That's Urban's new clothing rental brand letting you try 6 pieces for $88/month. And, yes, Urban is copying startup Rent The Runway, minus the glam.
Whatever you're reading this on... is powered by microchips. And odds are Qualcomm made some of them (or its patents were involved). The San Diego chipmaker's shares have dropped 15% since a judge ruled that it cheated — Qualcomm's been acting like a monopoly by charging "excessive licensing fees." The punishment: Play nice and make more reasonable deals with smartphone-builders.
Cleanup on every aisle... First, ecommerce ruined everything. Now it's international politics. Department stores warned that new tariffs will force them to jack up prices on everything Made In China. Three big chains reported earnings (on the same day) and this is how bad it got for their stocks:
Facebook will launch "GlobalCoin" in 2020 — And testing starts this year
PokeCoin... Or ZuckCoin? According to the BBC, Facebook's calling its cryptocurrency "GlobalCoin" and plans to launch in 12 countries by next March. GlobalCoin would be a "stablecoin," meaning its value is tied to a sturdy government currency like the US dollar. Plus, Facebook's ex-(kinda)-founders, the Winklevoss twins, are involved:
- The Codename: "Project Libra" is what Facebookers are calling this project, with over 50 engineers working on it.
- The Ambition: CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear at Facebook's annual conference: "It should be as easy to send money to someone as it is to send a photo."
- The Homework: Facebookers are meeting with credit card companies, brick and mortar stores, and central bankers to figure it all out.
Kill fees... Any way you pay, you're probably paying them – 2% on a credit card swipe (the restaurant pays) or $25 on an international wire (you pay). ZuckCoin's goal is fee freedom. Drop part of your paycheck in a Whatsapp message to send back home, or pay Timmy the cost of your Avo Toast + tax + tip in a FB Message.
“Network effects” are Facebook's advantage... That's when a product's value grows as more people use it. Payment rivals like PayPal's Venmo or Square's Cash App need you to download the app for it to grow their user base. With 2.4B users already installed, Facebook just needs to convince you to give it a try (and ignore its major privacy issues).
What else we’re Snackin’
- Work: 7 things successful people do after a 3-day weekend (you still have time for #2—#6)
- Stretch: The historical timeline of athleisure
- Money: Dividends — What they are and how they work
- Venture: 14 insights from the 5 best pitch decks of all time ("credibility signals." We're fans.)
- Crypto: Using blockchain to weed out fake Louis Vuittons
- Do: 5 ways to figure out if someone is smarter than you
This Week
- Monday: Markets were closed for Memorial Day (take another moment to pause)
- Tuesday: Johnson & Johnson defends itself as the big opioid trail begins
- Wednesday: Earnings from Abercrombie & Fitch, Canada Goose, Capri (aka Michael Kors)
- Thursday: 1st quarter GDP update, Earnings from Costco, Gap, Okta
- Friday: Report on Americans' consumption and income