đż AMCâs #Wickiator quarter
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Hey Snackers,
Starbucksâ annual holiday cups roll out today, but itâs likely that the usual divisiveness their festive designs cause will be overshadowed this year.
Stocks boomed to all-time highs yesterday after Donald Trumpâs election victory, with the S&P 500 closing up 2.5%. Crypto also rallied, with bitcoin soaring past $76K to a fresh record. Financial stocks led the gains, with banks and credit-card cos spiking. Shares of Trump ally Elon Muskâs Tesla jumped 15%. Today, investors have eyes on the Fedâs rate decision.
đď¸ Volume up: Tune in to the latest episode of âSnacks Mixâ on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for a digestible dive into the marketâs election reaction.
AMC swings to a loss, but theaters are hopeful for a #Wickiator-fueled comeback
Getting the KidsPack⌠whether youâre 5 or 35. AMC, the worldâs biggest movie chain, swung to a loss in Q3 and its sales ticked down after hits like âDeadpool & Wolverineâ couldnât top last yearâs #Barbenheimer magic. But AMCâs CEO expects November will mark the beginning of an industry-wide turnaround that rivals seem to be feeling already. Americaâs third-largest theater chain, Cinemark, last week reported record quarterly sales of $922M after moviegoers splurged on pricier tickets and blue-razz Icees. Industry execs seem optimistic that theaters are on the rebound after Hollywood strikes and pandemic shutdowns.
Following flops like âJoker: Folie Ă Deux,â movie execs think the box officeâs Thanksgiving lineup could be the beginning of a certified fresh start.
#Wickiator: âWickedâ and âGladiator IIâ will hit theaters on November 22 and âMoana 2â the weekend after.Â
Itâs been a long intermission⌠since 2019âs record-breaking year for the global box office. Now theaters are trying to get butts back into seats with experiences that beat streaming on the couch. North Americaâs eight biggest theater chains recently said theyâll jointly invest $2.2B in modernizing 22K screens. And this year Regal owner Cineworld invested in 4DX theaters (picture: moving seats, mist, Smell-O-Vision). As theaters bank on more immersive experiences, Imax predicts 2025 will be its best year ever with $1.2B in earnings.
We (still) come to this place⌠for magic. The pandemic was a grand experiment in whether movies should skip big screens entirely and go straight to streamers. But that didnât end up becoming the new norm as folks continued to opt for the in-person experience of clapping when Nicole Kidman comes on screen or shrieking with strangers during horror flicks (which are crushing it at the moment).
Todayâs fastest-growing software company might surprise you đ¤ł
đ¨Heads up! It's not the publicly traded tech giant you might expect⌠Meet $MODE, the disruptor turning phones into potential income generators. Investors are buzzing about the company's pre-IPO offering.1
đ˛Mode saw 32,481% revenue growth from 2019 to 2022, ranking them the #1 overall software company on Deloitteâs most recent fastest-growing companies list2 by aiming to pioneer "Privatized Universal Basic Income" powered by technologyânot government. Their flagship product, EarnPhone, has already helped consumers earn & save $325M+.
𫴠Modeâs Pre-IPO offering1 is live at $0.25/share â 20,000+ shareholders already participated in its previous sold-out offering. Thereâs still time to get in on Modeâs pre-IPO raise and even lock in 100% bonus shares3⌠but only until their current raise closes for good. Claim this exclusive bonus while you can!4
Fast-food earnings come in stale, but Taco Bell rings in growth with zesty launches
Undercooked⌠Fast-food earnings didnât hit the spot. Yum! Brands â the owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell â had a disappointing quarter as same-store sales fell 4% at its pizza and fried-chicken chains. Yumâs global comparable sales dipped as KFC and Pizza Hut dragged down results. The KenTacoHut legend blamed it on âgeopolitical conflicts and challenged consumer sentiment.â Rival Restaurant Brands International also unboxed a bummer quarter, as Burger King and Popeyes stores saw weaker US sales.
The taco belle of the ball⌠Yumâs Taco Bell chain was a standout, reporting same-store growth of 4%. The brand, known for late-night comfort food like the Crunchwrap Supreme, makes up 75% of Yumâs US profit. Buzzy items like the Big Cheez-It Tostada, which returned to menus in September, and the debut of a $7 value meal drove sales growth. Yum boss David Gibbs said that last quarter consumers perceived Taco Bell to be the most value-friendly chain, a grande advantage when folks are ditching inflated fries.
Fast-foodies have been trying to lure customers back with deals after years of price hikes. Burger King, McDonaldâs, KFC, and Wendyâs have all served up $5 value meals.
Fast-casual spots TGI Fridays, BurgerFi, Red Lobster, and Buca di Beppo have all declared bankruptcy this year as Americans opt to eat at home to save $$.
You need value + spice⌠In an industry where everyoneâs laser-focused on discounts, fast-food chains need extra flavor to stand out. Gibbs said Taco Bellâs edge is that it can provide both value and innovation. Low prices alone didnât drive the chainâs sales growth; the rollout of new items like Cheesy Street Chalupas helped.
$1B Startup Disrupting the Retirement Industry
This Princeton grad's $1B startup5 raised $161M6 to help people plan for retirement.
Research suggests that people who work with a financial advisor could end up with about 15% more money to spend in retirement.7
Try SmartAsset's no-cost tool to get matched with up to 3 vetted financial advisors serving your area.8 Get started here.9
What else weâre Snackinâ
Big Tech execs like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, whose companies have faced regulatory scrutiny, swiftly congratulated President-elect Trump.
Trumpâs aggressive tariff plans have importers rushing to ramp up orders ahead of January 20, Inauguration Day.
The FTC sued online cash-advance company Dave, accusing it of misleading consumers and charging undisclosed fees.Â
Voters in red states Missouri and Alaska approved raising the minimum wage and requiring paid sick leave, usually left-leaning labor policies.Â
CVS reported that high medical costs squeezed its profit and named a former UnitedHealth exec to lead its Aetna health-insurance biz.
Appleâs recent $3T valuation has spurred a series of impressive raises among smartphone innovators â and $MODEâs pre-IPO offeringš is no exception. Itâs now live at $0.25/share â lock in up to 100% bonus sharesÂł while the raise lasts.â´
Snack Fact of the Day
Election bettors stand to win a $450M collective payout from Trumpâs victory
Thursday
Initial jobless claims
Fedâs interest-rate decision; Powellâs press conference
Consumer credit
Earnings expected from Moderna, Hershey, Warner Bros. Discovery, Papa Johnâs, Krispy Kreme, Oatly, Planet Fitness, Warby Parker, iHeartMedia, Ralph Lauren, Tempur Sealy, US Foods, Molson Coors, WK Kellogg, Yeti, DraftKings, Block, Rivian, Affirm, Airbnb, Pinterest, Sweetgreen, Lucid, Expedia, Dropbox, Getty Images, Grindr, GoPro, H&R Block, Yelp, and News Corp.
Authors of this Snacks own bitcoin and shares of: CVS, Block, Moderna, Starbucks, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery
Advertiser's disclosures:
š Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.
² The rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.
Âł A minimum investment of $1,950 is required to receive bonus shares. 100% bonus shares are offered on investments of $9,950+.
â´ Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobileâs Regulation A+ Offering.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Start-up investments are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. Those investors who cannot afford to lose their entire investment should not invest in start-ups. Companies seeking startup investment tend to be in earlier stages of development and their business model, products and services may not yet be fully developed, operational or tested in the public marketplace. There is no guarantee that the stated valuation and other terms are accurate or in agreement with the market or industry valuations. Further, investors may receive illiquid and/or restricted stock that may be subject to holding period requirements and/or liquidity concerns.
DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA's BrokerCheck.
âľ This is a private company. There is no guarantee that the stated valuation and other terms are accurate or in agreement with the market or industry valuations. This valuation was calculated in 2021.
âś This amount was raised in 8 rounds since 2012.
⡠âThe Use and Value of Financial Advice for Retirement Planning" (2020). The projections or other information regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of your future results. Please follow the link to see the methodologies employed in the Journal of Retirement study.
To assess the value added by an advisor, the authors develop a unique metric of retirement income replacement that incorporates health-based life expectancy and household-specific financial circumstances. The approach estimates the percentage of annual pre-retirement income that a household will be able to spend each year in retirement. Please see Journal of Retirement study for further details.
⸠There is no cost associated with using the SmartAsset matching tool. If you choose to work with an adviser, the adviser charges fees for their services.
âš SmartAssetâs services are limited to referring users to third party advisers registered or chartered as fiduciaries ("Adviser(s)") with a regulatory body in the United States that have elected to participate in our matching platform based on information gathered from users through our online questionnaire. SmartAsset receives compensation from Advisers for our services based on lead generation. SmartAsset does not review the ongoing performance of any Adviser, participate in the management of any userâs account by an Adviser or provide advice regarding specific investments. We do not manage client funds or hold custody of assets, we help users connect with relevant financial advisors.