Hey Snackers,
 🎶 “When it all, it all falls down…” Kanye West launched YZY, a solana-based meme coin, which soared to an eye-popping $3 billion market cap before tanking just hours after its release. The token is supposedly part of a broader “Yeezy Money” ecosystem, which includes Ye Pay, “a crypto payments processor,” and YZY Card. As with most Ye-related news, this move wasn’t without controversy, as accusations of insider trading came within hours of launch, but at least it’s stirring less anger than Cracker Barrel’s new logo?
The S&P 500 fell 0.4% and the Nasdaq 100 gave back 0.5% while the Russell 2000 outperformed with a 0.2% advance. The benchmark US index has now declined for five straight sessions, tying its longest losing streak since April 2024.
🧠Trivia time… Check out our weekly Snacks Seven Quiz. Here’s a sample question:
What was Netflix’s most expensive original movie?
I want YOU for the US Army… Link in bioÂ
With the armed forces seeing its active-duty personnel slump to a record low last year, the US military is deploying a new tactical force: influencers. While recruitment posters used to focus on patriotism and advertising campaigns lauding the ability to “Be All You Can Be,” the US military is pivoting to paid partnerships with “Call of Duty”-playing Twitch streamers and fitness influencers to lure their fan bases with both the excitement and discipline that the military offers.
How did we get here? With the US troop ranks numbering 60% fewer than their peak in 1968 and the Army missing its recruitment goals two years in a row, something had to change.
So it did: enter operation social influencer. Beyond the rise of #MilTok and paid partnerships with content creators, at the Army’s 250th anniversary event in June, more than 30 influencers got a prime spot to broadcast the parade, which we’ve gathered some highlights from here.
Another trend that’s less fun is also helping the military: young Americans are entering the workforce at a tough time, with 18- to 19-year-olds facing a 15.6% unemployment rate in July, the highest rate since 2020. That’s driving a pickup in military curiosity, with terms like “Navy salary” or “Air Force benefits” trending upward, as we’ve charted.Â
The Takeaway
So far, the social strategy, aided by youth labor pains, is working. In March, the US military said it was tracking strong recruiting figures across branches in 2025, with the Army having signed up ~73% of its goal in the first five months of the recruiting year. General James Mingus, the Army’s vice chief of staff, said, “We’ve seen momentum unlike we have seen in probably a decade.” And it looks likely to continue as prominent figures in the administration post fitness challenges raking in hundreds of thousands of views.Â
Just In: CYT-108 Expands Into Oncology — last chance to invest at $3/share
Cytonics just filed a U.S. provisional patent to expand its novel biopharmaceutical, CYT-108, into melanoma - the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Harnessing the therapeutic power of the naturally occurring alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) protein, CYT-108 doesn’t just protect cartilage in osteoarthritis, it may also block the enzymes that drive tumor growth and metastasis.
New patient data shows that higher A2M levels are linked to longer survival in melanoma patients, suggesting that the natural protein may play a role in stopping the disease, and that CYT-108's "super A2M" activity may prove to be a potent melanoma therapy.
This dual-indication potential positions CYT-108 as one of the most exciting biologics in development today.
Now’s your final chance to invest early in Cytonics at $3.00/share — before the round closes on Wednesday 8/27 at midnight.1
The minimum investment is $501.
Walmart gets rolledÂ
For the first time in years, Walmart missed on earnings.The company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.68, below analysts’ predicted $0.73. Sales came in above expectations at $177.4 billion, topping analyst forecasts of $175.9 billion, per FactSet.
Walmart raised its full-year sales growth guidance to a range of 3.75% to 4.75%, up from its previous range of 3.0% to 4.0% growth.Â
Management also nudged the outlook for full-year adjusted earnings per share up by 2 cents at each end to a range of $2.52 to $2.62.Â
The company has said that it intends to use its massive supply chain, dominant market position, and logistical expertise to keep prices low despite newly added tariffs putting upward pressure on costs.
“Upward pressure on costs” is key here, because Walmart earnings are interesting for investors well beyond Walmart. It’s far from the only company taking it on the chin when it comes to costs, and it’s a good bet that this isn’t the last time this year that a C-suite is going to gesture delicately in the direction of tariffs to justify what happened to their bottom line.Â
The Takeaway
If there’s a good thing for Walmart, at least, it’s that it’s Walmart, and you’d be hard pressed to find another company in America with as much leverage to squeeze its suppliers on price. That being said, the fact that even Walmart is having trouble getting blood out of the stone is a surefire signal that the cost problem is going to be hard to solve.
Ro’s CEO on how GLP-1s built the framework for “pharm-to-table”
Zachariah Reitano, the CEO of Ro, spoke to Sherwood News about how the telehealth company is helping foil “a lot of the flaws in our healthcare system” by delivering popular weight-loss drugs directly to consumers — especially the large pool of people who may be prescribed these drugs but can’t afford it. And there’s a reason drugmakers partner with Ro, as well as huge athletes like Charles Barkley and, as of yesterday, Serena Williams.
Stablecoins are changing how we pay for things.
If traditional payment companies aren’t getting nervous, they should be.
In Q1 2025, stablecoins were used in more than $6 trillion worth of transactions — and at the current rate of growth, stablecoin transactions could surpass legacy payment volumes in less than a decade.
👉Dive into the Bitwise Crypto Market Review: 60+ charts on today’s biggest crypto stories.2
Yesterday's Big Daily Movers
Chinese EV maker Nio surged after the company unveiled the latest model of its electric SUV, a rival to Tesla’s Model Y
Coty sank as investors digested the cosmetics and fragrance conglomerate’s disappointing Q4 results
Paramount Skydance flew up 14% amid a spike in call-buying
HP Enterprise rose on an upgrade from Morgan Stanley
What Else We're Snackin'
The rise, fall, and rise again of Carvana
The much shorter rise and fall of HertzÂ
After a very expensive AI hiring spree, Meta is now freezing new AI hires
Apple is raising the price of Apple TV+ from $9.99 to $12.99Â
The Pixel 10 may be better than the iPhone 16, but Apple’s market share trounces Google’s
Snack Fact Of The Day
On Tuesday, retail traders dumped momentum stocks for the first time in two months.
Today's Events
Earnings expected from Williams-Sonoma and BJ’s Wholesale Club
1 The minimum investment is $501 (167 units). This is a paid advertisement for Cytonics Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the offering circular and related risks on the Cytonics StartEngine page.
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