Hey Snackers,
World’s largest game of pick-up sticks? The California Highway Patrol had an unusual roadside assistance request after thousands of chopsticks were spilled onto the interstate.
The S&P 500 went nowhere on Tuesday while the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 retreated.
Consumer discretionary was far and away the worst-performing S&P 500 ETF; most gained on the day, led by consumer staples. Coca-Cola was a bright spot and AMC rocketed higher on elevated volumes and no news.
More people watch YouTube on TVs than on phones now
Ready to feel old? When YouTube launched nearly 20 years ago in 2005, there wasn’t even an iPhone yet, and we all watched viral videos of silly pets and funny fails on our computers. But that didn’t impede the insane growth of the site, and by the summer of 2006, it was serving 100 million videos a day. In November 2006, Google bought YouTube for a cool $1.65 billion. Fast-forward one more year and the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 let us all do more watching, recording, and sharing of videos, leading to even more explosive growth.
How explosive? CEO Neal Mohan revealed that we’re watching more than a billion hours of YouTube every day, and for the first time, we’re doing more of it on our TVs than on our phones. It’s not entirely surprising: data showed that for the first six months of 2024, a quarter of all time spent streaming on US televisions was through YouTube.
While you might think of Netflix as the streaming king, in reality, YouTube has consistently topped Nielsen’s streaming platform viewership gauge for the past two years, handily beating Netflix. On the overall TV distributor list, it’s hot on Disney’s heels — even overtaking the studio in July.
The Takeaway
Wherever you watch it, YouTube is making money. Unlike a lot of other streaming platforms that came to advertising second, YouTube has long built video monetization into its strategy. While YouTube does have a subscription service, YouTube TV, its ad business is where the real money’s at: it raked in $32 billion in ad revenue in 2023, compared to Netflix’s total revenue of $34 billion. Meanwhile, every other streaming service is coming around to ad-supported tiers — check out our analysis of which ones give you the best bang for your buck here.
Happy 40th anniversary, Nasdaq!
Last month, the Nasdaq-100 Index®, the benchmark for the 21st century, celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Over the past four decades, the technology and innovation-focused index has grown to become the world’s preeminent large-cap growth index for trading and investment products. When it was launched back in 1985, the index’s total market cap was $58 billion, as of year-end 2024 that figure has rocketed to over $27 trillion.
In his latest article, Nasdaq Chief Economist, Phil Mackintosh dives into the index to highlight some of the key factors that make it so successful.
Read the article to learn more about why investors have allocated over $500B to exchange-traded products in the NDX® ecosystem.1
Tesla sales are dropping around the world
Tesla took a tumble Tuesday when details emerged about softer sales in the automaker’s non-US territories. Some of this was already known — Tesla reported fewer deliveries than expected last month, and certainly those sales shortfalls had to happen somewhere — but since Tesla doesn’t break out regional sales, the troublesome regions weren’t exactly known.Â
According to Reuters, sales were down 11.5% in China, and new data from Wards Intelligence pegs the US decline in January at 13% year over year, which does sting. It’s Europe, though, where Tesla might be fretting the most, reporting from the Financial Times shows:
In January, sales were down 63% year over year in France.
Sales were down 59.5% over the same period in Germany.
Sales dropped 38% in Norway.
The UK drop was somewhat more measured, coming in at 8%.
Those are some rough numbers on the continent, as rising competition — especially from Chinese EVs — and a potential shift in the perception of Tesla front man Elon Musk have had analysts reconsidering their assessment of the firm.Â
The Takeaway
On one hand, a reputational shift among consumers could be a serious issue for Musk’s businesses in general and Tesla in particular. Lots of his businesses besides Tesla rely on contracts with countries and companies that might not love his moves within the US government. That said, Musk has always been a bit of a wild card, and lots of people have lost lots of money betting against his ability to make money. Â
Worth A Read
Elliott twists Phillips 66’s arm even more as it builds $2.5 billion stake
The activist investor and oil refiner struck a deal a year ago. Apparently it wasn’t enough.
Yesterday’s Big Daily Movers
Investors checked out of Marriott as it reported solid earnings but warned that it expects fewer people to book rooms next year.
Appetite for bullish options contracts on Intel is in ascendance, sending the stock up 6% on the day.
Financial data company FIS was the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 yesterday, with analysts calling its earnings the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Final Hours to Invest in Some of the Highest Grossing Characters in History
Elf Labs is making big moves in the $2T12 global entertainment & media industry. They’re bringing iconic characters like Cinderella and Snow White to life with patented, next-gen tech. This is your final chance to invest before the round closes at midnight. Get in now at just $2.00 per share.3
What Else We're Snackin'
Palantir CEO Alex Karp to hold live AMA on X today at noon ET
Karp’s also on The Washington Post’s new list of 50 people shaping our society in 2025
JPMorgan strategists have a plan to benefit from a new phase of the AI trade
Snack Fact of the Day
A record 126 million Americans watched the Super Bowl.
Wednesday
January Consumer Price IndexÂ
Earnings expected from CVS, Cisco, CME Group, Robinhood*, MGM Resorts, AppLovin, Reddit, Upwork, and HubSpot
*Robinhood Markets Inc. is the parent company of Sherwood Media, an independently operated media company.
Advertiser's disclosures:
1 Nasdaq®, Nasdaq-100 Index®, Nasdaq-100®, and NDX® are trademarks of Nasdaq, Inc. The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular security or an overall investment strategy. Neither Nasdaq, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company. Statements regarding Nasdaq-listed companies or Nasdaq proprietary indexes are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. ADVICE FROM A SECURITIES PROFESSIONAL IS STRONGLY ADVISED.
3 The minimum investment is $974. Please read the offering circular and related risks at https://elflabs.com. This is a paid advertisement for Elf Labs’s Regulation CF Offering.
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.