Hey Snackers,
Goodbye: after 34 years, AOL will be shutting down its dial-up internet services in September. While we were shocked at the number of users still using dial-up in 2025, whatâs even more shocking is that according to data from Pew Research Center, roughly 13 million Americans polled last year said they donât use the internet at all. We charted the year that dial-up peaked and the year it was overtaken by wired high-speed internet.Â
US stocks ended Monday near session lows as traders scaled back risk ahead of inflation data due today. The S&P 500 fell 0.2%, the Nasdaq 100 gave back 0.4%, and the Russell 2000 declined 0.1%.
News that the US-China trade truce has been formally extended for another 90 days did little to move markets, as this outcome had been well telegraphed in advance.
Fordâs EV âModel Tâ moment starts with a $30,000 truckÂ
Look out, Slate Auto: thereâs a new upstart in town promising a low-cost electric truck. OK, itâs not really a startup per se, but rather the result of a âskunkworksâ project within the storied, 122-year-old automaking giant Ford. But what that project has created is already drawing parallels to Fordâs iconic Model T and the way it revolutionized the production line.
According to CEO Jim Farley, Ford will build multiple low-cost EVs at its Louisville assembly plant through a new production process that leaves the single assembly line behind, instead shifting to three concurrent lines that join together at the end. The first vehicle produced through the new platform is planned for release in 2027 and will be a midsize EV truck starting at $30,000.Â
It comes at a time when the carmaker could use some good news:
Ford has struggled to maintain momentum in its EV business, which has already lost more than $2 billion this year through June.Â
While tariffs havenât hit Ford as hard as some other automakers, like Porsche or Toyota, as weâve plotted out in this graph, it still reported an $800 million hit from levies in its latest earnings.
And though sales have been strong due to Fordâs successful pricing promotion and the rush of customers trying to front-run tariff-driven increases, the tariffs are now in play and the price slashing is over.
The Takeaway
Fordâs EV chief, Doug Field, seems bullish on the companyâs $30,000 future and unworried about the competition, saying, âI donât think that the new EV startups will be able to keep up with the kind of innovation that youâre seeing in manufacturing, and how they can actually turn this into a reality.â He added that Ford has the chops to deliver, not just dream.
Texas Drone Company Takes Flight in American Agriculture
Picture this: a farmer controlling three drones at once, treating hundreds of acres while sipping their morning coffee.Â
That's the reality Hylio is building for American farmers. This Texas-based company has an end-to-end solution that forms the holy trinity of modern farming: drones that spray, software that plans, and a controller that runs the whole show.
With over 1 million acres already treated and partnerships with agricultural giants, Hylio is showing that American-made drone technology can compete globally. While tariffs and regulations create headaches for foreign drone makers, Hylio's Texas manufacturing gives them a competitive advantage in the US market. Â
Their current funding round closes August 15 â which could be good timing as demand for domestic drone tech surges. Learn more about Hylioâs expansion plans and explore investment opportunities.1
âWeaponsâ debut helps horror creep toward a US box office record
Since the first trailer we saw for âBarbarianâ director Zach Creggerâs new horror mystery, âWeapons,â we knew how one thing would end. No spoilers here â donât worry! We just knew weâd end up seeing it in the theater. And we werenât alone: it opened to an impressive $42.5 million at the US box office over the weekend.Â
Itâs the latest entry in the recent horror renaissance, and continues a trend of high-grossing horror films finally getting critical praise alongside audience raves. In fact, âWeaponsâ was already making headlines for debuting at a perfect 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes before it opened!Â
âWeaponsâ is just the latest flick to help boost the genre to a potentially record-breaking year. The share of ticket sales for horror movies at the US box office is at an all-time high, as weâve charted here.Â
Whatâs interesting is that while sequels like â28 Years Laterâ and âFinal Destination Bloodlinesâ are powering some of the blood-filled box office blowouts, the most successful horror film of the year is a complete original. This is a big shift from the last time we saw big horror success stories, which was a period dominated by franchise follow-ups.Â
The Takeaway
While some in the industry warned of a âhorror glutâ â with Variety counting a total of 29 wide-release horror films across seven major studios coming out this year â the huge box office haul of 2025âs biggest hits so far suggests that the appetite for big scares on big screens is still there.
The Best Thing We Read Today
Americaâs biggest fast-food winners and losers
We charted which fast-food chains had growing and shrinking same-store sales last quarter. With sales up 4%, Taco Bell crushed Chipotle and every other chain except for one. Meanwhile, as the chicken wars rearrange the pecking order, KFC had the third-worst performance, with same-store sales falling 5%.
Yesterday's Big Daily Movers
Pot stocks like Tilray, Canopy Growth, Cronos Group, and SNDL rallied on a report that President Trump is considering weed reform
Cosmetics company e.l.f. Beauty jumped after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock
Both TKO and Paramount Skydance rose on news of their seven-year, $7.7 billion deal for the broadcast rights to UFC
SoundHound AI notched a second straight day of options-fueled gains
Clover Health, a company that specializes in Medicare Advantage plans, surged after a large insider purchase
What Else We're Snackin'
Everyone thinks stocks are overvalued and no one cares
The stock marketâs âflight to crapâ faces a big test this week
Amazon and Apple are struggling with their AI voice assistantsÂ
OpenAI backtracked on its plan to mothball old AI models after public outcry
Ethereumâs price passed $4,300, making nearly all ethereum addresses profitable
Elon Musk said that Teslaâs robotaxi service will open to the public next month
Snack Fact Of The Day
US companies will spend $1.1 trillion on stock buybacks this year.
Today's Events
July Consumer Price IndexÂ
Earnings expected from Cardinal Health, Cava, Circle, CoreWeave, On Holding AG, and Rigetti Computing
1 The minimum investment is $328.60. Please read the offering circular and related risks at https://www.startengine.com/offering/hylio.This is a paid advertisement for Hylioâs Regulation CF Offering. This Reg CF offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC.
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.
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