Monthly Archives

Backed by Bill Gates… and just signed a deal with Costco (COST) – the start-up company Apeel Sciences is looking fresh. The company aims to reduce waste by extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Not only will you throw away less food, but you will also have higher quality produce for longer. Apeel uses plant-based materials to create an invisible, natural coating applied to fruits and veggies.

The FDA approves… and has designated the product as “generally recognized as safe.” This is helpful because many people are wary of produce sprayed with anything extra. The coating is designed to be tasteless.

Look out for… the Apeel label in-stores such as Costco and try the product for yourself. Hopefully it can live up to the hype because this could generate huge savings for grocery stores and consumers. The company aspires to take their products to make a dent in the $2.6 trillion food waste cost worldwide.

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You can’t hide behind the computer… maybe some can, but that is not the case for Zillow (ZG) and Redfin (RDFN). Both stocks closed down -1.36% and -7.45%, respectively, after trading on Monday. The decrease likely resulting from a downgrade by Goldman Sachs on both stocks.

It’s the real world… and despite Zillow and Redfin being internet-based companies, they are still subject to the conditions of the real-world housing market. The housing market is facing low supply, rising prices, and a tough mortgage lending environment. This spells out ‘underperformance’ for both companies for as long as this lasts.

Look out… because real estate tech is attracting venture capital investment and is becoming one of the fastest growing vertical markets in that regard. We have seen Zillow and Redfin launch their own “iBuyer” (buying homes directly from owners) initiatives, but there are already companies that do this exclusively. It will be interesting to see if and how these companies adapt and stay competitive in a tough market with no shortage of new competition.

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JD.com is kind of a big deal in China… ranking as the country’s second-largest online retailer. Google (GOOGL) will promote JD.com’s (JD) products on its Google Shopping platform. JD.com will also gain much needed exposure across Southeast Asia, the United States and Europe.

Everybody is good for somethin’… I think? I’ll let you ponder that one – but that statement at least holds true for Google and JD.com. Google is great with technology and JD.com can manage the supply chain for products. A beneficial partnership for both that provides each company with exciting new opportunities.

Standing up to the bullies… of e-commerce. The bullies being Amazon (AMZN) and Alibaba (BABA), of course. This partnership will give the pair a fighting chance to give us, the consumers, a shopping experience like none other. Upon announcement, JD.com was up 7.59% in the pre-market.

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Move over Netflix… it may be time to “Apple and chill?” Apple is gearing up to compete against the likes of Amazon and Netflix, for our attention, with their own original content. Oprah Winfrey and Apple will be working together to captivate audiences around the world as part of the new original content from Apple.

So long, productivity… over the past year, Apple has teamed up with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg, Octavia Spencer and Kevin Durant, to produce more than a dozen original shows. This is exciting, but there is already a plethora of original content out there. What are we to do other than binge-watch a few (or more) shows to see if Apple can live up to the hype?

The takeaway… there is no doubt that Apple has done many things right over the years – but what do they know about making television? Not a whole lot, but that is where Oprah (and others) fit in. The company hopes to keep customers captivated in their world with phones, television, apps, and now, original content. An interesting step into new territory for the tech giant. Check it out

Made in China… the Trump administration has entered into a trade war between the world’s two largest economies: The United States (duh) and China. On Friday, the United States announced tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. China responded with tariffs of its own which could impact some of our favorite companies. After the dust had settled, the stock market ended down for the day.

We’re going down…the Dow is now on a four-day losing streak and had some prominent names, including Apple (AAPL), Boeing (BA), Caterpillar (CAT), and Intel (INTC) taking losses. These companies are especially vulnerable to a trade-war because they generate a good chunk of change directly from China. Even though they have not been directly impacted yet, the uncertainty looms large, and with uncertainty comes risk.

Stay tuned… stocks with the most exposure to the Chinese market may become more volatile while this conflict remains unresolved. Still, there are stocks coming out ahead, including Netflix (NFLX), Costco (COST), and railroad Union Pacific (UNP). These are companies that have more exposure to the US market and less to lose in a trade-war.

Let’s take a step back and breathe because it is not quite time to hit the panic button. Let’s keep our attention on Trump (just as he likes) and see how this progresses in the coming weeks. Read more