📈 You're up, Microsoft and Alphabet

The big guns step up | UPS is hiring | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for October 27th in 3:01 minutes. 🌎 DeFi is booming from here to Timbuktu. So join WorldRemit’s Paweł Pinio for [How To Avoid DeFi FOMO]( on Thursday, and find out how you can pick out the decentralized winners in a world full of ’em. [Get your free ticket]( Today's big stories - Microsoft and Alphabet both posted strong results, but investors aren't so easily impressed - One Bloomberg analyst thinks the launch of the very first US bitcoin ETF last week is the start of something monumental – [Read Now]( - American delivery giant UPS reported better-than-expected earnings, just in time to start delivering Christmas joy What’s Up, Docs? [What’s Up, Docs?] What’s Going On Here? Microsoft and Google-parent Alphabet reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings late on Tuesday, even if they’d like to request permission to make a few tweaks. What Does This Mean? Microsoft went into this update having beaten analysts’ expectations for the previous 10 quarters, and the company’s hot streak continued last quarter. That was partly down to its cloud computing business, which is still benefiting from the working-from-home trend and whose revenue climbed by 36% versus the same time last year. Its productivity segment – which includes workplace staples Office 365 and LinkedIn – likewise stepped up to post a 22% uptick in revenue. Not one to be left behind, Alphabet reported that its cloud and advertising business revenues were up by a better-than-expected 45% and 43% respectively. The latter is especially encouraging: it proves that advertisers are still willing to spend money on winning new customers – surprising at a time when shortages are making increased demand hard to meet. Why Should I Care? For markets: Don’t get too comfy. Investors practically see it as a given that tech companies like Microsoft and Alphabet will beat analysts’ estimates these days. They’re so hard to please, in fact, that 85% of tech companies that have beaten analysts’ profit forecasts this earnings season have seen their stocks drop by an average of 2.4% the day after their updates, according to Bloomberg. So the fact that Alphabet’s stock initially fell and Microsoft’s stayed flat might not bode well for them either… Zooming out: FAANGs are getting bitten. Investors are starting to worry that the aforementioned supply chain issues could impact Big Tech’s growth – and, by extension, their valuations – in the longer term, as could workforce shortages. Hedge funds are among the skeptics: new data shows that they now have less money [invested]( in the “FAANGs” – Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Alphabet – than they have done at any point in the last two years. You might also like: [Alphabet has way more up its sleeve than just Google.]( 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=What’s Up, Docs?&utm_campaign=daily-global-27-10-2021&utm_source=email) Analyst Take The First “Imperfect But Exciting Step” To A Bitcoin ETF Utopia [The First “Imperfect But Exciting Step” To A Bitcoin ETF Utopia]( What’s Going On Here? Last week saw the [first US bitcoin ETF]( hit the market. And investors went wild for it: [$1 billion worth]( of trades took place on day one, and another $1.2 billion on day two, which, according to Bloomberg Intelligence’s Eric Balchunas, “is just absurd”. It really is: it’s about [three times more]( than any other ETF launch in history. And sure, this ETF – which invests in bitcoin futures contracts, rather than bitcoin itself – isn’t “the most perfect one”, but it has shown [the sheer demand for an investor-friendly wrapper](. So this, Eric reckons, is just the first step to “[an ETF utopia](”. That’s today’s Insight: why even Eric’s most optimistic expectations were blown away, and [what a bitcoin ETF utopia looks like](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY BITTREX Tech that goes beyond trading When your crypto investment takes off, the last thing you want is to second-guess your platform. But with [Bittrex](, you’ll get the [security, dependability, and speed]( you’ll need. So no matter how heavy the demand, you can rest easy knowing you’ll never miss a beat. Bittrex’s secure trading engine is custom-built for [real-time order execution](, and you’ll get access to Bittrex’s [Instant Buy & Sell feature]( for maximum agility when markets move. And Bittrex isn’t just riding the crypto wave, either: it’s fostering [emerging technology]( to drive change in the blockchain space, and you’ll get a front-row seat if you sign up today. Secure reliable trading for tomorrow: [experience Bittrex’s technology today](. [Join Bittrex]( Hire Power [Hire Power] What’s Going On Here? UPS [reported]( better-than-expected quarterly results on Tuesday, and the American logistics company is just about ready to deliver tens of thousands of workers to a better tomorrow. What Does This Mean? The boom in deliveries still seems to be going strong in the wake of the various lockdowns, and UPS hasn’t let the day go unseized: the company’s been upping its prices, as well as shifting its focus to its more profitable business customers. And while rival FedEx [admitted]( last month that it’s struggling to find drivers, UPS – which offers the highest wages in the industry – has remained relatively unscathed by the labor shortages. All that might explain why the company’s profit was up by a better-than-expected 23% compared to the same time last year, and why investors sent its shares up 7%. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: UPS is planning its Christmas shopping. UPS is confident the good news will keep coming: the company upped its profit forecast for this quarter. In fact, it’s expecting the all-important festive season to be so busy that it’s planning to hire 100,000 more workers to meet increased holiday demand ([tweet this](). No surprises, then, that it just upped its full-year spending plan too… Zooming out: Buy now, grow later. Buy-now-pay-later companies are doing equally well out of the ecommerce boom, which might be why [Square]( and [PayPal]( recently got in on the action by buying Afterpay and Paidy respectively. And it was Stripe’s turn on Tuesday, [announcing]( that it’d struck a deal to partner with Sweden’s Klarna. It should be a win-win: it’ll allow Stripe – Silicon Valley’s most valuable private company – to boost its sales by offering online merchants more flexible ways of taking payments, and Klarna to exponentially increase the number of sellers it can reach. You might also like: [How you can invest in the next big ecommerce play.]( 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=Hire Power&utm_campaign=daily-global-27-10-2021&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Ginni Rometty (an American business executive) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY ORGANIFI Treat yourself to better health We all want to eat well, but it’s not easy when life gets hectic. That’s where [Organifi Green Juice comes in](: it’s crammed full of 11 superfoods and – checks notes – adaptogens to give you the nutrients you need in less than 30 seconds. Here’s a big reason why it works so well: ashwagandha is the [main active ingredient](. It’s a plant that lowers stress, calms your cravings, and helps you keep to a healthy weight. All you have to do is mix a scoop with water or your favourite plant-based milk to get your boost anytime. It’s [100% USDA certified organic, all-natural, and non-GMO]( – so no nasties. Start feeling your best today: [get 20% off with your entire order at Organifi](. [Wake Up Healthier]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌎 Finimize Live 💊 Don’t end up DeFi deficient Decentralized finance could do you a world of good: the latest projects have the potential to work wonders on transparency and security in finance, and their rapid rise could help make you some money too. So you might well want to dose up on Pawel Pinio’s [How to Assess Winning DeFi Projects](, and get your fix of the next big thing. 🤖 [How to Assess Winning DeFi Projects](: 6pm UK time, October 28th 🥊 [How To Defend Against Inflation](: 5pm UK time, November 1st ✈️ [Are Space Flights And Self-Driving Cars The Future?](: 5pm UK time, November 2nd 👵 [How To Retire Early With Crypto](: 5pm UK Time, November 4th 👀 [The Search For Super Growth Stocks](: 3pm UK Time, November 9th 🚀 [Finimize x Ledger Crypto Summit 2021](: December 2nd-3rd 🎯 On Our Radar - Got a gallery paying you to make art? [Take the money and run](. - Move over, inflation. [Shrinkflation’s here.]( - Sausage-to-go. Germany is [tech-ing up its meat game](. - A parrot returned home after four years. And it [changed]( its identity. - Sprinklegate. The [illegal sprinkles scandal](. ❤️ 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. 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