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Hey Snackers,
As olive-oil prices hit record highs, EVOO crime is on the rise. From a surge in fake olive oil to chainsaw-wielding “grove robbers,” condiment criminals are getting extra.
The S&P 500 capped off Q3 in the green, posting its fourth straight quarter of gains (the index’s longest win streak since 2021). Going into October, Fed Chair Powell gave investors a slightly spooky message: the central bank is in no rush to cut rates.
Ford will give EV buyers free home chargers, in a bold move to catch up with Tesla
If you can a-Ford it… Ford is balling out with pricey incentives to fuel electric-car sales. Yesterday the OG automaker said it would give out free home chargers to folks who buy or lease its EVs. Ford will also pay for the installation of the Level 2 chargers in customers’ garages and driveways. It’s a generous move as getting an EV charger installed at home can cost thousands of $$.
Free of charge: The offer, which runs from today through the end of the year, is good for any purchase or lease of a Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, or E-Transit van.
Going for Tesla’s crown… Ford is America’s No. 2 EV seller after Tesla, but it has a lot of road to cover before catching up. While Tesla controls over half of the US’s EV market share, Ford has about 8%. The free-charger incentive could be a play to catch up faster, as many car shoppers continue to steer clear of EVs. GM, Ford, and even Tesla have put billions in EV investments on ice as electric growth cools. In July, Tesla reported that its car deliveries fell for a second straight quarter (FYI: it’s set to share fresh #s tomorrow).
One key blocker to EV adoption is range anxiety (the fear you’ll run out of juice while driving). Ford thinks its charging incentive could ignite demand.
“Nearly 90% of shoppers say they would be more likely to buy an electric vehicle if they knew they could charge at home,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said.
Lay the road first… US automakers have said in recent years that they’d spend billions on EV production, but they’ve scaled that way back as growth slows. Now, instead of focusing on churning out EVs, Ford is trying to lay the charging infrastructure that will make consumers feel comfy enough to switch over. A lot of prospective buyers are on the EV sidelines because they don’t want to spend “extra” to get a home charger installed, and Ford’s incentive could ease the financial (and mental) burden.
🤙 Last Call to Ride the Lithium Wave
The “white gold”1 mines in North and South America are still untapped — and a wave of demand for lithium may be on the horizon.
Lithium is one of the most critical and short-supplied commodities in our economy, as the key component in batteries for phones and EVs. EnergyX has honed their extraction technique for nearly a decade, and they’re accepting investors for a limited time.
Their patented tech extracts lithium 300% more efficiently than conventional methods — where it typically takes 12+ months, EnergyX need just two days. They earned a $5M DOE grant toward a recently-announced US lithium plant and 100,000+ acres of lithium-mining rights in Chile.
The energy storage market is projected to reach $546B by 20352 — and riding the lithium wave could make EnergyX an industry leader. Join EnergyX as an early investor before their raise closes this Thursday.3
The US could restart a nuclear reactor for the first time as clean-energy demand surges
Flippin’ the switch… one reactor at a time. Yesterday, private nuclear-tech company Holtec secured a $1.5B loan from the US Department of Energy to restart the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The plant was shut down in 2022 after struggling to compete against cheaper electricity-generating options like natural gas. Now Holtec plans to use the funds to refurbish the nuclear reactor and reopen it next fall. If the plans get approved, Palisades would be the first reactor in US history to be put back in use.
Power play: The US has 54 nuclear power plants, but output has stalled recently. Last year Georgia opened the first newly built US reactor in decades.
Grid locked: Nuclear power generates nearly a fifth of America’s electricity, while fossil fuels (mostly natural gas) power more than half.
The great nuclear-energy race… Nuclear power has been a hot topic as more countries look to meet climate goals. Nuclear energy is considered clean because it doesn’t produce carbon-dioxide emissions, unlike gas and coal. All nuclear plants are powered by “fission” reactions, but last year scientists made a huge breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which generates much more energy (experts say it could unlock “virtually limitless” carbon-free power). Now the US and China are racing to be the first to harness fusion tech at scale.
Old tech can keep the lights on… while new tech’s in the works. Electricity demand is forecast to grow at the fastest rate in decades, making it necessary to tap more clean-energy sources — including old-school nuclear power. Constellation Energy, which says it’s the US’s largest producer of carbon-free energy, announced plans this month to bring its Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania online by 2028. Global investments in clean-energy tech this year are on track to hit $2T, nearly twice the amount going to fossil fuels.
What else we’re Snackin’
Dockworkers were set to go on strike today in a work stoppage that could shut down trade hubs that account for 60% of US shipping.
Carnival made a splash with record Q3 sales as cruise demand surged, but the stock sank after the ship star gave a stormy outlook.
DirecTV’s moving to buy the parent company of Dish TV in a deal that’d create a satellite giant to compete with streamers.
Chinese authorities have reportedly told local companies to avoid Nvidia chips and buy locally as the US-China tech rivalry revs up.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill intended to provide guardrails around AI development.
Snack Fact of the Day
More than 88M Americans participate in a 401(k)
Tuesday
US vice-presidential debate
Construction spending
Job openings
Earnings expected from Paychex, Acuity, McCormick, United Natural Foods, Nike, and Cal-Maine Foods
Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Carnival, GM, Tesla, and Nvidia
Advertiser's disclosures:
¹ Lithium is referred to as “white gold.” Center for Strategic and International Studies, August 2021.
² “Global battery energy storage market could grow to $546B, says analyst,” Renewable Energy World, 2020.
Âł 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.
This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX’s Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.energyx.com
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.