October 2, 2024

The Appetizer

“This is Orion. Our first fully functioning prototype – and, if I do say so, the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.”

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Meta Connect event on Meta’s augmented reality glasses.

Now, on to the numbers. Drum roll, please …

• 412%: The growth of birria on U.S. restaurant menus over the past four years.
• 0.2%: The probability of the Detroit Tigers making the MLB playoffs on August 10. 31 wins later, the Tigers have clinched a playoff appearance, their first in a decade.
• 21.7 minutes: The average one-way commute length for Milwaukee residents, taking reign as the city with the fastest car commute in the U.S. in 2022 (latest data available).
• 3,600 years: The age of preserved kefir cheese found in a Chinese tomb, making it the oldest and possibly stinkiest cheese ever found.
• 40%: The percentage of Gen Z (ages 18-27) workers who think that they’re behind where they should be on their retirement savings.
• 15%: The percentage of total U.S. personal consumption accounted for by the top 4.4% of U.S. households.

Dig In
Nuclear Power

We’ve been talking a lot about power demand, especially from data centers and artificial intelligence. Well, guess what? Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant, is expected to restart in 2028 – and Microsoft is behind it!

Now, why does this matter? The International Energy Agency predicts electricity demand for data centers, cryptocurrencies, and AI will rise over 75% between 2022 and 2026. This is where nuclear power comes in – offering reliable, low-carbon electricity 24/7. Microsoft will purchase the plant’s entire electricity-generating capacity over the next 20 years.

You might recognize Three Mile Island from the 1979 reactor meltdown, the worst nuclear accident in American history. But don’t worry, the Microsoft deal is for the plant’s other reactor, which had a stellar safety record and has since gotten major upgrades to ensure it’s safe and dependable for the future. The company that owns the unit will also rebrand it, naming it the Crane Clean Energy Center. Time will tell if that name catches on.

This is a big step forward for both AI and nuclear power, as more companies switch to low-emission power sources. Check out our long-term investment themes, one of which focuses on modern energy systems!

Weekly Specials

Debt burdened or cash flow savvy? However you frame it, U.S. shoppers are expected to spend a record $18.5 billion using buy now, pay later services ’ an 11.4% increase from last holiday season. These services let you stretch your wallet via monthly installments, up to 36 months.

Ever wanted to visit off-limits areas of the White House? Well, now you can … sort of. A new interactive White House exhibit has just opened up near the real one. Visitors can feel like they’re strolling through the President’s residence. Inside the 33,000-square-foot, three-story building are interactive exhibits, including replicas of the Executive Mansion, Oval Office, and south facade.

Japan is having a bit of a rice crisis! Thanks to some bad weather and a surge in tourism, supermarkets are running out of rice as demand has outpaced production for the past three years. Rice stockpiles are at their lowest in over 20 years.

Corporate Lunch

The U.S. Department of Justice accused Visa of monopolistic behavior that affects price of “nearly everything.” Wait until they hear about OPEC.

American Airlines may be exclusively partnering with Citigroup on their credit card program. Citi must have offered American 80,000 points to sign up with them.

Lamborghini is rolling out limited edition baby strollers. Why not? Imagine pulling up to play time like, “Where’s the valet?”

Warner Bros. Discovery is partnering with Google to use AI to generate captions on HBO Max. Silly goose, you just have to click the CC button on the screen and the captions show up automatically.

Nike is bringing a company veteran out of retirement to lace up his Dunks one more time and take over as the new CEO.

Flappy Bird is coming back! “Passionate fans” say they will relaunch the game on iOS and Android next year. Flappy Bird, Doodle Jump, and Fruit Ninja were the peak of video games. Harder than Elden Ring honestly.

Cards Against Humanity is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX for trespassing on its land along the Texas border. Another thing no one could have predicted would happen in 2024.

Whole Foods CEO is trying to put an end to people calling the supermarket “whole paycheck.” Word of advice, never fight a nickname, just embrace it.

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Indices are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.