🤩 Nvidia breaks records

There's no escaping Walmart – seriously | Nvidia's outdoing itself | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for February 18th in 3:09 minutes. 🎨 Everyone’s talking about NFTs right now, so make sure you actually understand what they’re saying. Join Fabriik’s Roy Bernhard for [Getting Started With NFTs]( on Wednesday, and learn the lingo of digital art. [Get your free ticket.]( Today's big stories - Walmart’s quarterly results beat expectations - Our analyst has finally settled the debate over which portfolio allocation is best, so that solves that then – [Read Now]( - Nvidia posted record-breaking earnings, but its stock still fell Blue Steal [Blue Steal] What’s Going On Here? Walmart [reported]( better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday, as the US retailer nabbed customers from right under rivals’ noses. What Does This Mean? Like most retailers, Walmart continued to wrestle with supply chain issues last quarter: the company spent around $400 million more on shipping than planned, even chartering its own cargo ships to make sure products arrived on time. And like most retailers, it’s been forced to raise prices to offset some of those rogue costs. But unlike most retailers, Walmart has the sheer size and negotiating clout with suppliers that allowed it to undercut rivals on price, which allowed it to gain market share in groceries and other key areas. So it follows that Walmart made almost 6% more revenue from its existing US stores last quarter than the year before, and its outlook for 2022 came in better than expected too. To top it off, Walmart announced it’ll buy back $10 billion worth of its own shares this year, which will reduce their supply and push up their price. No surprises here, then: investors sent its shares up 3% after the update. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: Is inflation overblown? Nearly 90% of all Americans [live]( within 10 miles of a Walmart, which means it’s hard not to shop with the retailer. That makes its update a unique insight into how consumer spending is holding up more generally. Walmart’s strong results, then, suggest that high inflation hasn’t necessarily been the deterrent that many economists have warned, and the company’s optimistic forecast suggests it might not be going forward either. Zooming out: Lucky number 13. Then again, Walmart is in a particularly strong spot: it sells all sorts of products that Americans need no matter what. Products like those of consumer staples company Nestlé, which reported on Thursday that its organic sales – those excluding the effects of acquisitions and currency swings – grew at their fastest in 13 years last year.  You might also like: [How to analyze Walmart’s stock in just two hours.]( 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=Blue Steal&utm_campaign=daily-global-18-02-2022&utm_source=email) Analyst Take So What’s The Best Portfolio Anyway? [So What’s The Best Portfolio Anyway?]( [Photo of Stéphane Renevier] Stéphane Renevier, Analyst What’s Going On Here? There’s a long-running debate over which of the [three most popular portfolios]( is the best. Some investors are [60/40]( till they die. It’s the benchmark to beat for asset allocation, after all. Some swear by the [Yale portfolio](. It’s arguably more diversified than the 60/40, and also hedges against inflation with allocations to TIPs and real estate. And some are all in on the [all-weather](, which was designed to perform in any environment. But since I wrote about the Yale model [a few days ago](, I’ve had a lot of you asking exactly [which one really is the best](. So here we go: how to implement these three portfolios using exchange-traded funds, and [which portfolio comes out on top](. There. Debate over. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY ALTS Not all assets are crashing right now Let us guess: your portfolio’s been going through it recently. After all, the big players are suffering. The S&P 500 is down. The Nasdaq is down. Bitcoin too. So it might be time to check out the little guys instead. [Farming](, for one, is doing just fine, while [comic books]( are way up. They’re both picks from the [Alts newsletter](, and there’s plenty more where that came from: the Alts pros use original research to spot the [next big alternative opportunities](. Looks like it works: [their recommendations]( were up 1.4% last week, even as the rest of the world was feeling the pain. Find out what you’re missing: [join Alts’ 29,000 investors today](. [Subscribe For Free]( Apocalypse Later [Apocalypse Later] What’s Going On Here? Nvidia [reported]( better-than-expected quarterly results earlier this week, but let’s just hope the chipmaker’s AI ambitions don’t start getting out of hand… What Does This Mean? Nvidia outdid itself last quarter – literally, given that its data center and gaming businesses both broke records. Its data center segment brought in around 70% more revenue than the same time in 2020, as more and more companies turned to its chips to power their artificial intelligence services – from speech recognition to fraud detection. Meanwhile, revenue from Nvidia’s gaming business grew almost 40%, mostly driven by bumper sales of its latest video game chip. And while Nvidia’s auto segment saw a 14% drop-off in revenue, that was only to be expected: carmakers have been cutting back on production. Either way, Nvidia’s overall revenue for the quarter rose by 53% to hit a new all-time high. So now it’s brimming with confidence: the chipmaker thinks demand isn’t going anywhere fast, and its outlook for this quarter came in far better than expected too. Why Should I Care? For markets: Close, but no cigar. Nvidia’s bragging rights were short-lived, with investors sending its stock down after the update. That could be because they’d already taken the chipmaker’s record results and high-growth forecast into account: Nvidia’s share price has, after all, outperformed an index that tracks the world’s biggest chipmakers by nearly 70% in the last year ([tweet this](). In other words, record-breaking earnings weren’t enough: Nvidia needed to smash expectations. The bigger picture: Nvidia’s the odd one out. There is one sign that chipmakers might not be feeling quite as confident as Nvidia. See, Applied Materials – which makes the machinery chipmakers use to make their chips – [posted]( a weaker-than-expected revenue outlook for this quarter earlier in the week. And since Applied supplies chipmaking giants like TSMC and Intel, its muted prediction suggests they might be planning to limit their spending plans going forward. You might also like: [How Nvidia could become the world’s most valuable company.]( 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=Apocalypse Later&utm_campaign=daily-global-18-02-2022&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.” – Søren Kierkegaard (a Danish theologian, philosopher, and poet) [Tweet this]( CRYPTO PULSE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FABRIIK How do you know if an NFT is legit? Here are three ways to tell if an NFT is the real deal: 1. Use Google’s reverse image search. You’ll want to find out when the image was first uploaded, as well as how many different variants exist. 2. Play detective on social media. This is a great way to see if the person claiming to be the creator is an imposter. 3. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. An NFT thief will often mark a piece low just to make a quick buck. You can also [verify an NFT]( to determine if it’s worth the price you’re looking to pay for it – check out pointers from Fabriik [here](. [FabriikX]( is one of the first NFT marketplaces of its kind that helps you to discover value in art and digital collectibles from established and up-and-coming creators. And if you buy from its [Inaugural Community Collection](, you’ll even qualify for pre-sale access to FabriikX’s first celebrity exclusive NFT drop. [Sign Up To FabriikX]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌎 Finimize Live 😉 You’re invited to a threesome Sorry, not in that way. It’s the next best thing though: a three-part workshop designed to help you make a difference in the world while cashing in at the same time. See you there, gorgeous. - 🌿 [Getting To Grips With ESG Investing](: 6pm UK time, February 24th - 🍀 [How To Analyze Sustainable ETFs](: 6pm UK time, March 15th - 🌲 [How To Pick The Best ESG Stocks](: 6pm UK time, March 28th  Also coming up… 🎉 [How To Pick A Stock Market Winner](: 6pm UK time, February 22nd 🎨 [Getting Started With NFTs](: 5pm UK time, February 23rd 🌿 [Getting To Grips With ESG Investing](: 6pm UK time, February 24th 🏡 [Your Guide To Opportunity Zones](: 5pm UK time, February 25th 🙌 [Setting Your Crypto Strategy Up For Wealth Creation](: 6pm UK time, 28th February 🎨 [How NFTs Are Resculpting The Art Industry](: 5pm UK time, March 1st 🖼 [How To Diversify Your Portfolio With NFTs](: 5pm UK time, March 2nd 🤔 [How Regulation Could Impact Your Crypto](: 6pm UK time, March 3rd 🌟 [How To Pick A Metaverse Winner](: 7pm UK time, March 4th 🚀 [Everything You Need To Know About The Metaverse](: 6pm UK time, March 8th 🧐 [How To Value NFTs](: 5pm UK time, March 9th 🥊 [The Art Of Beating The Market](: 6pm UK time, March 14th 🍀 [How To Analyze Sustainable ETFs](: 6pm UK time, March 15th 👩‍🎨 [NFT Investing Strategies Tailored To You](: 5pm UK Time, March 16th 🌲 [How To Pick The Best ESG Stocks](: 6pm UK time, March 28th 🎯 On Our Radar - Black Mirror in real life. Here’s what happens when data decides it [hates you](. - This AI might be one of the good ones. Unless it can turn [sign language]( into world domination, that is. - Meat made from of thin air. No animals were harmed in the making of [this steak](. - “Time to milk the farm dog”. At least parents can turn to [Twitter]( to vent. - You failed, Freud. Let this [baby chicken]( take over. ❤️ 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? 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