⚔️ Apple vs. Facebook

Facebook goes to Washington | Apple goes to China | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 29th in 3:03 minutes. ☕️ Finimized over a chemex at [The Green Bean]( in Yerevan, Armenia (17°C/63°F ☀️) Today's big stories - Apple's earnings beat expectations late on Wednesday, and its popularity in China played a big role - The US president’s mooted tax hike on the 1% could cause problems for one of your favorite investment strategies – [Read Now](/why-mooted-tax-hike-could-damage-momentum-strategies?email-id=1327f1a06f056f5f9a0db6a3e33f6587cb7a9e3d4e3661d6361c44&name={NAME}&title=The US president’s mooted tax hike on the 1% could cause problems for one of your favorite investment strategies&utm_campaign=daily-global-29-04-2021&utm_source=email) - Facebook posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings late on Wednesday, as its ad business continued to fire on all cylinders Globe-Trotter [Globe-Trotter] What’s Going On Here? Ugh, Apple’s going to be talking about how it “found itself” in China for years: the tech giant [reported]( better-than-expected quarterly earnings late on Wednesday, and its stock initially jumped 4%. What Does This Mean? There’s been huge demand for iPhones all over the world lately, with revenue coming in 16% higher than analysts predicted. Apple’s 5G-enabled models were particularly popular in China, whose transition to 5G networks – and, presumably, its population’s transformation into lizard people – is fully underway. In fact, that spike in demand might’ve been why Apple’s overall revenue beat expectations by 16%. And while the company opted not to offer an earnings forecast for this quarter, it did raise its [dividend]( and promise more share price-boosting [buybacks]( to come. Why Should I Care? Zooming in: The future is subscriptions. A major focus for Apple’s investors is its subscription services: think Apple TV, Apple Music, and the App Store. The company’s increasingly been pivoting toward the segment, which comes with steadier sales and much higher [profit margins]( than hardware. So it’s no wonder investors were upbeat about Apple's results: its services revenue grew by a better-than-expected 27% compared to the same time last year, and the company’s profit was almost 40% higher than investors had forecast. The bigger picture: The present is still iPhones. In the grand scheme of things, demand for newer, more expensive iPhones is actually sinking. And since iPhone sales still make up half of Apple’s total revenue, the company’s trying to offset that drop by selling more of its cheaper models. That strategy might’ve got a shot in the arm on Wednesday: the US president [introduced]( a new plan that calls for $800 million in tax cuts and credits, which should give lower-income families more money to spend on life’s little luxuries. You might also like: [Three visions of Apple’s future, and how they affect its valuation.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Globe-Trotter&utm_campaign=daily-global-29-04-2021&utm_source=email) 2. Analyst Take Why A Tax Hike On The 1% Could Hurt One Of Your Favorite Strategies What’s Going On Here? The US president hasn’t been backward in coming forward about his keenness to [raise taxes]( on major corporations and the country’s 1%. And just last week, a proposed increase in US taxes on capital gains – a.k.a. personal investment profit – [spooked markets](. The good news is that the [long-term impact on stocks]( is likely to be muted, even if it does make it through Congress and into law. No guarantees there. The bad news is that it could hit your portfolio in another way: by disrupting some of last year’s best-performing stocks, as well as [a hugely popular strategy]( that depends on them. So that’s today’s Insight: [why everyone’s so nervous about the mooted tax hike](, and whether you should be too. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY TURBOTAX So you’ve bought crypto. Now what? If you’re not sure how your [crypto holdings]( impact your taxes, you’re not alone. Put simply, crypto’s classified as property and subject to capital gains taxes, but you only owe taxes when those gains are realized. What you use your tokens for makes a difference too. But you don’t need to know all the ins and outs: [TurboTax]( will guide you through the entire process ahead of [Tax Day]( on May 17th. Plus, you can import all your investment information in no time with [TurboTax Premier](, and even have a tax expert do a final review before you file with [TurboTax Live]( for 100% confidence. And better still, [TurboTax]( now supports uploading [more than 2,000 cryptocurrency transactions]( at once, covering the vast majority of crypto-owning taxpayers. So [head over to TurboTax today](, and get your taxes done before the deadline. [Get Started With TurboTax]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. Like Conquers All [Like Conquers All] What’s Going On Here? Facebook and investors can overcome anything, together: the social media empire [announced]( better-than-expected quarterly earnings late on Wednesday, and its stock initially climbed 6%. What Does This Mean? There was so much time and so little to do last quarter, and Facebook was more than happy to fill the void: the company saw the number of monthly active users across its social media platforms rose by 10% compared to the year before, bringing the total to 2.9 billion. And given that it makes virtually all its money by selling users’ attention to advertisers, that boost pushed its quarterly earnings above forecasts. It’ll also give the company newfound hope that it can finally move on from last year’s advertising [boycott](, when a number of high-profile firms – including Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble – cut their spending on the platform in protest of some of its more… problematic policies. Why Should I Care? For markets: Digital ads are a goldmine. The latest results from [Alphabet](, [Snapchat](, and now Facebook prove that the digital advertising market is bigger than ever these days. The pandemic, after all, has driven an unstoppable shift toward online shopping and the ads it relies on. That suits Facebook fine: its platform [accounts for]( a quarter of all digital ad spending in the States, and its ecommerce tools – those that allow businesses to set up online stores directly on Facebook and Instagram – aren’t doing too shabbily either ([tweet this](). The bigger picture: There’s no such thing as a sure thing. Not everything’s quite so simple for the social media giant, mind you. For one thing, new privacy settings from Apple are about to make it [harder]( for Facebook to target ads to iPhone and iPad users, potentially denting one of its most lucrative sources of ad revenue. Oh, and then there’s the little matter of the US government’s ever-growing enthusiasm for [breaking up]( Big Tech altogether… You might also like: [Everything you need to know about Facebook’s shares.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Like Conquers All&utm_campaign=daily-global-29-04-2021&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes.” – Henry J. Kaiser (an American industrialist) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY TURBOTAX Get personalized tax advice on demand Everybody’s tax situation is different, which is why [personalized advice]( is so important. And with [TurboTax Live Premier](, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Whether you sold one stock or 1,000 this year, a tax expert can tell you [what it means for you](. Here’s how: you’ll be connected to them via one-way video, and be able to get [unlimited tax advice]( year-round on any investment scenario, with your best interests in mind. Stocks, bonds, ESPPs, cryptocurrencies, rental income, depreciation – [you name it](. So when [Tax Day]( comes, you can be confident you’ve done your taxes right, and earned every credit and deduction you qualified for. Don’t hang around until the May 17th tax deadline: [get started today](. [Get TurboTax's Advice]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 📚 What we're reading - That feeling when you can’t escape a talent show ([AV Club]() - Paying less for premium wireless is a thing ([Mint Mobile]()* - Burning Man burnt again ([USA Today]() - Put your money to work ([Yieldstreet]()* - How to turn your groceries green ([Fast Company]() When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌏 Finimize Live 🎤 That’s what makes energy beautiful Energy companies seem to have realized they aren’t quite as popular as they once were these days, and they’re trying to do something about it. Hence [The Energy Sector’s New Direction](: our event dedicated to how oil and gas companies are trying to start a boyband to win over a whole new generation of fans. No, that doesn’t sound right… 🛢 [The Energy Sector’s New Direction](: 4pm UK time, April 29th 🔪 [How To Cut Through The Spin](: 6pm UK time, April 29th 👋 [Live Q&A With CEO Max Rofagha](: 1.30pm UK time, April 30th 📈 [The Shift From Growth To Value Stocks](%20shift%20from%20growth%20to%20value%20stocks/?utm_campaign=daily-global-29-04-2021&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Daily%20Global%20Edition%20Users): 6pm UK time, May 4th ⚽️ [Investing In Professional Sports](: 6pm UK time, May 5th 🤒 [The Financial Health Check](: 4pm UK time, May 6th ☄️ [The Future Of Commodities](: 6pm UK time, May 12th 🤖 [NFTs: A Modern-Day Masterpiece?](: 5pm UK time, May 13th 💪 [Building A Circular Economy](: 5pm UK time, May 25th 🇨🇳 [The Surge In China’s Tech Scene](: 5pm UK time, June 1st ❤️ Share with a friend Your Referrals: 0 Thanks for reading {NAME}. If you liked today's brief, we'd love for you to share it with a friend. If they sign up on your unique link, you’ll earn some sweet swag. Share your unique link: [ You stay classy, {NAME} 😉 We’d love to hear your thoughts. [Give feedback]( Want to advertise with us too? [Get in touch]( Image Credits: Image credits: David Collado Photography - Shutterstock | Facebook, Finimize Preferences: [Update your email]( or [change preferences]( [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( from all Finimize Emails 😴 Crafted by Finimize Ltd. | Third Floor, 1 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1AN, UK. All content provided by Finimize Ltd. is for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to represent trade or investment recommendations. You signed up to this mailing list at finimize.com or through one of our partners. © Finimize 2021 [View Online](