 | | |  Good morning. If you're an American, your destiny is governed by corn. The grain is used in a variety of ways, including as a food oil and sugar substitute. And ethanol blends in the US likewise use corn. Thanks to rising food and fertilizer prices, farmers are turning to soy, a crop that can grow with less fertilizer use.
In the meantime, inclement weather in a number of European countries is leading to a shortage of fresh produce such as cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, as the greenhouses for that produce are run on natural gas.
Watching these developments, the best trade this year might be in ensuring you have an adequate supply of food going into the fall harvest season, before a much larger part of the population realizes the extent of the potential food shortages later this year.
Now here's the rest of the news: | | | | | |
| | |  | DOW 34,818.27 | +0.40% | | | | | S&P 4,545.86 | +0.34% | | | | | NASDAQ 14,261.50 | +0.29% | | | | | *As of market close | | | • | Stocks closed higher on Friday, swinging to a gain late in the day. | | | • | Oil declined 0.7 percent, closing at $99.57 per barrel. | | | • | Gold slid 1.4 percent, going for $1,927 per ounce. | | | • | Cryptocurrencies traded mixed, with Bitcoin at $46,331 at the market close. | | | | | | | |
| | | Long-Term Trends Bode Well for This Market Growth Niche | | | | A number of high-growth opportunities exist today. Many look attractive for the long-term, but short-term tailwinds are preventing the market from moving the value meaningfully higher right now.
That's especially true for any growth story that's dependent on a resolution to supply chain issues, which appear to still be a source of frustration for short-term investors in hot growth areas. That's especially true for anything related to the automotive sector, as numerous factories have seen shutdowns.
» FULL STORY | | | | |
| | Insider Trading Report: Rocket Companies (RKT) | | | | Jay Farner, CEO of Rocket Companies (RKT), recently picked up 8,900 shares. The buy increased his stake by just over 0.5 percent, and came to a total purchase price of $99,000.
That's the first insider transaction of any kind over the past year. Just over one year ago, a major shareholder sold 20,200,000 shares, just before the price started to slide by about 55 percent.
» FULL STORY | | | | |
| | Unusual Options Activity: Flex (FLEX) | | | | Shares of supply chain service company Flex (FLEX) have been trading in a range over the past year. The stock has recently bounced to the top end of its range, and one trader is betting on a new breakthrough in the coming weeks.
That's based on the May $20 calls. With 46 days until expiration, 10,639 contracts traded compared to an open interest of 202, for a 53-fold surge in volume. The buyer of the calls paid $0.60 to make the trade.
» FULL STORY | | | | |
| | • | Employment Data Shows 431,000 Jobs Added in March
The latest employment data shows that about 431,000 jobs were added in March, according to the Labor Department. Plus, the numbers for January and February were revised higher, showing a further 95,000 jobs added. The March data is also the 11th straight month of job gains over 400,000. | | | | • | Global M&A Slid Nearly 30 Percent in the First Quarter of 2022
Following a record-breaking year for both the total number of deals and the total dollar amount of deals, the first quarter of 2022 has seen a 29 percent slide compared to a year ago. There have been 6,436 announced combinations, totaling just over $989 billion. That's down from 9,022 transactions valued at $1.4 trillion in the first quarter of 2021. | | | | • | Restaurants Embrace "Menu Engineering" To Combat Price Changes
With food costs up an estimated 7.9 percent in the last year, and with further increases likely this year, restaurants are embracing "menu engineering" to steer customers to items with better profit margins or where prices haven't been raised as much. Eye-attracting photos, boxes, or sketches are being used to draw customers towards items restaurants want to sell more of. | | | | • | Biden to Trigger Defense Production Act for Batteries
The Biden administration is looking to dust off the Defense Production Act, with the goal of securing metals such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt, among others. These are key components for electric batteries, which can be used in anything from electric vehicles to energy storage. The order is one of many ways the administration is looking to reduce the impact of high oil and gas prices. | | | | • | DeSantis Considers Removing Disney's Self-Governing Status
Florida governor Ron DeSantis is considering a proposal to end the self-governing status of The Walt Disney Company (DIS). The media giant has enjoyed a 55-year agreement with the state to operate an independent government known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District in the Orlando area. It is the only company with such a self-governance carve out. | | |
| | | | TOP | | | BIDU | 6.712% | | | | NTES | 6.69% | | | | TCOM | 6.337% | | | | EW | 4.239% | | | | ILMN | 4.099% | | | | BOTTOM | | | JBHT | 9.053% | | | | ODFL | 7.131% | | | | NSC | 7.051% | | | | CSX | 5.461% | | | | MPWR | 5.423% | | | | |
| | |  | | You need to get earnings growth from somewhere, and if it's not going to be a secular tailwind, like fiscal spend and monetary policy looseness, then you have to look for growth elsewhere. I think we're going to see some real nuance in trading over the course of the next three months or so as people look for that growth against this more challenging economic backdrop. | | - Shannon Saccocia, chief investment officer at Boston Private Wealth, on why this has truly become a stockpicker's market, where individual names are likely to fare far better than simply buying and holding stocks right now. | |
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