Hey Snackers,
Remember when you first joined Facebook and it was a place to connect with friends and family (and maybe low-key see what your exes were up to)? Well, Meta wants to bring back that “OG experience” just like Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is trying to bring back the ’90s vibe at the stores via Sharpies and “hug mugs.” Both of these moves sort of make sense when put in the context of Americans increasingly feeling lonely and wanting more “real connections,” but as nostalgic as we are, it’s hard to trust Corporate America to solve that problem.
The stock market slumped into the weekend on Friday over turmoil with tariffs and tech. Stocks tumbled and dip buyers were nowhere to be found. The S&P 500 fell just shy of 2%, the Russell 2000 was down 2.1%, and the Nasdaq 100 ended off 2.6%. Consumer discretionary, communication services, tech, and industrials were the worst-performing S&P 500 sector ETFs, all down more than 2%. Credit spreads also hit their widest levels of the year, signaling enhanced fear about a US economic slowdown.
❓ How sweet it quiz… Test your knowledge on recent stories with our Snacks Seven Quiz:
Which fast-food chain had the highest percentage of errors in drive-thru orders?
Canadians are ticked off. They may even be peeved enough to permanently doom American brands.
The tariff spat with Canada has stoked Canadian nationalism at grocery stores and retail chains, with American imports getting snubbed by shoppers and even the Canadian tech industry rising up to help residents buy local.
The evidence is everywhere. Sales of Canadian products in Loblaw grocery stores were up more than 10% in February. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario reported that it stopped selling more than 3,600 US products, which generated $965 million in annual sales. And a recent study of Canadian flight bookings to the States showed demand is down more than 70% compared to the same time last year.
Look no further than Maple Scan, an app created by Calgary-based coder Alexander Ivanov in response to the boycotts. The app came together in a few days, was released February 11, and has been downloaded 80,000 times by shoppers seeking Canadian replacements for everyday commodities like drinks, condiments, or peanut butter. So far, the list of items that users have scanned totals more than 50,000 at stores across Canada.
Yeah, Canada’s ticked off, but what’s worth considering for investors is that this might be a permanent shift toward Canadians opting for domestic brands after years of just buying American because it was easy. A long-term change in purchasing behavior could threaten the annual $762 billion in trade the US does with its biggest trading partner.
What, you think “we stand on guard for thee” was just a line in a song?
The Takeaway
For Americans, the tariff fight might be flying under the radar or perhaps largely brushed off. This fundamentally misunderstands the situation. For Canadians, this is a bare-knuckle fight they won’t concede easily, and could permanently turn a generation against the brands of their southern neighbor.
Canada’s got a goal to beat the tariffs, an assist from Maple Scan, and one heck of a fight. That’s a Gordie Howe hat trick if I’ve ever seen one.
The $20B deal between Apple and Google should concern all iPhone users
Google paid Apple $20B to be the default search engine on iPhones — and both companies hoped to shield it from the public. The deal continues to fuel Google’s ad revenue engine, which made $250B+ in 2024.
Mode Mobile wants smartphone users to get their piece of that money.
They’re flipping the data industry on its head, splitting the profits with their users by turning smartphones into an income-generating asset. Here’s what that looks like:
Paid over $325M to 45M+ users.
Generated 32,481% 3-year revenue growth from 2019-2022.
Ranked #1 fastest-growing software company by Deloitte in 2023.1
📲Their EarnPhone could be considered the Uber of smartphones, and they’re gearing up for a potential IPO on the Nasdaq (ticker: $MODE).2
Stories we’re obsessed with
What’s pushing Palantir down? Last year’s best-performing member of the S&P 500 had a rough week, and the main culprit in the short term seems to point in the direction of the Department of Defense’s cost cutting, which will hit Palantir’s bottom line. But we also found Goldman Sachs’ note on the stock insightful. The analysts’ “single biggest question” naturally involved AI.
Crypto pardons spring up: The SEC continued its trend of dropping crypto cases started in the previous administration, dismissing cases against Crypto.com and Kraken on Thursday. On Friday, the pardons got personal, with the SEC reportedly dropping its case against the “Hawk Tuah” girl and President Trump pardoning the three founders of the BitMEX crypto exchange. You know SBF is hoping he’s next.
The Best Thing We Read Today
The clock never stops ticking on America’s national debt problem
The Congressional Budget Office warned that the US government could run out of money as early as May — and that’s just the short-term concern.
What Else We're Snackin'
Rocket Lab stock took off after the US Space Force tapped the aerospace company for a coveted launch program
Anthropic researchers cracked open the black box of how large language models “think”
Gaming giant Ubisoft broke out its biggest games with a $1.25 billion investment from Tencent
The company putting Bitcoin on the map
Bitcoin Depot (Nasdaq: BTM) isn’t focused on Bitcoin’s price; it’s about providing access.
The company’s rapidly growing network of Bitcoin ATMs offers a straightforward way to enter the crypto market — the picks and shovels of the crypto boom.
Snack Fact of the Day
Americans watch YouTube on their TVs more than any other platform.
Events
February Job Openings. March ISM Manufacturing PMI. Earnings expected from Cal-Maine Foods
Earnings expected from Restoration Hardware and BlackBerry
ISM Services PMI. Earnings expected from Lamb Weston and Conagra
March jobs report
1 The rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.
2 Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.
3 Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A+ Offering.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities.
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.
4 The minimum investment is $999.96.
5 Stock markets are volatile and can fluctuate significantly in response to company, industry, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. Investing in stock involves risks, including the loss of principal. This company is operating in a highly speculative industry where the underlying value/exchanges they process can be quite volatile (value-wise). Before investing, carefully assess whether a particular stock aligns with your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation.