😏 Apple makes Amazon look silly

The head-to-head of the year | Unilever does its bit for customers | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 29th in 3:09 minutes. 📈 With so many exchange-traded funds to choose from, it can be hard to tell which will actually complement your portfolio. Join Dr Wealth’s Alvin Chow for [What’s The Right ETF For You?]( on Tuesday, and find out how to meet your perfect match. [Grab your ticket]( Today's big stories - Apple and Amazon went head to head in their second quarterly update of the year - One major analyst thinks inflation is ending... and that a stock market rally is on the way – [Read Now]( - Unilever reported better-than-expected quarterly results, even as it selflessly absorbed higher costs Clash Of The Titans [Clash Of The Titans] What’s Going On Here? [Amazon]( reported a weak set of quarterly results late on Thursday – only to look even weaker when [Apple]( posted a better-than-expected update moments later. What Does This Mean? Amazon Web Services – the cloud segment that makes up around three-quarters of the company’s total operating profit – continued to steal the show last quarter, growing revenue by a better-than-expected 37% from the same time last year. If only the rest of its results could’ve matched up: the company’s ecommerce revenue climbed just 3%, while its overall sales forecast was hobbled by the prospect of high inflation. That worried investors, who initially sent its stock down 9%. Apple, meanwhile, smashed it: sales of almost every product grew, while a record number of customers upgraded to a newer iPhone model. That meant the company had plenty of people to offer things like Apple Music and Apple TV, which might be why revenue from its services segment was up 17% – and why total revenue was up 9%. It threw in a $90 billion [share buyback]( program too, and investors initially sent its stock up 2%. Why Should I Care? Zooming in: AWS FTW. Amazon’s [convinced]( that AWS has more room to grow, and it might be right: only between 5% and 15% of all corporate tech spending goes to the cloud right now, and the industry’s only becoming more important in a post-Covid world. Amazon, then, has said it’s prepared to strike “deals of all sizes” to build out the segment and keep making the most of the expanding market. The bigger picture: Phones down, please. Apple’s iPhone sales are all the more impressive when you consider data out last week, which [showed]( that global smartphone shipments fell 11% last quarter from the same time the year before. That’s largely on the back of lockdowns in China, but Bloomberg analysts think global demand will be dented by inflation this year even if the country lays off its zero-Covid policy. You might also like: [How to decide if Apple and Amazon are really worth what they’re worth.]( 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=Clash Of The Titans&utm_campaign=daily-global-29-04-2022&utm_source=email) Analyst Take Inflation’s Reign Of Terror Might Finally Be Over [Inflation’s Reign Of Terror Might Finally Be Over]( What’s Going On Here? Record-high inflation – and the interest rate increases aimed at containing it – have been [causing issues]( for the stock market all month. But according to noted technical analyst Larry Williams, we have turned a corner from high inflation. Investors just [haven’t noticed]( yet. It’s all to do with the relationship between [“flexible”]( and [“sticky”]( inflation, and what happens when you strip out more volatile drivers of price rises. And when Larry went on to look at the proportion of stocks that rise versus fall each day, he found that markets are due [a rally that could last through summer](. So that’s today’s Insight: why Williams thinks inflation is coming to an end, and [how to position yourself to profit if it does](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY MONEYFARM Gift your child a richer future Imagine giving your child the promise of financial freedom. That could be easier than ever: you can save up to £9,000 a year tax free in a [Moneyfarm Junior ISA](, and the returns are exempt from both income and capital gains tax. [Moneyfarm’s]( experts will even invest and manage your child’s portfolio for you, so your child could be the proud owner of up to £280,000 on their 18th birthday. Just [answer a few simple questions](, and Moneyfarm will match you with the right portfolio for you and your child. Start saving today: [set up a Moneyfarm JISA](. [Find Out More]( With investing, your capital is at risk Do-Gooder [Do-Gooder] What’s Going On Here? Unilever [reported]( better-than-expected results on Thursday, proving that it pays to do the right thing by your customers. What Does This Mean? All credit to Unilever, it’s been trying to keep prices down: it’s been substituting hard-to-come-by ingredients – like oils, whose supplies have been badly impacted by the war – with cheaper alternatives. But the company’s philanthropy could only go so far, and it felt obliged to raise its prices by over 8% last quarter to make up for higher energy, workforce, and transport costs. That boosted sales in its personal care, home care, and foods segments, and pushed up overall sales by an expectation-busting 7% last quarter. Unilever also projected full-year revenue growth at the higher end of its previous forecast, which investors appreciated: they sent its shares up on the news. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: Unilever’s Catch-22. Thing is, the uptick in Unilever’s revenue came from the price hikes alone, with its customers buying fewer products than at the same time in 2021. And even then, those price hikes only covered about two-thirds of its cost increases, which means the company had to absorb the rest to the detriment of its bottom line. That could leave Unilever in a Catch-22 if prices keep rising: absorb even more costs to keep customers, or hike prices again and risk losing them. Zooming out: The US economy just shrank. Unilever’s results suggest customers are so squeezed that they’re ditching must-haves, not just the nice-to-haves that usually get the chop in tight times. And that’s showing up in broader metrics, with surprising data out on Thursday [showing]( that the US economy shrank last quarter for the first time since mid-2020 ([tweet this](). Higher prices and a spike in Covid cases at the start of the year impacted activity across the board: consumer spending grew by less than expected, businesses stocked up on fewer products, and government spending dried up. You might also like: [Five ways to protect your portfolio from a nasty knock.]( 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=Do-Gooder&utm_campaign=daily-global-29-04-2022&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus (an ancient Greek philosopher) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY MONEYFARM Craving some human connection? The world might be getting ever more techy, but sometimes you just want a human touch. That’s why [Moneyfarm’s]( investing platform only uses its advanced technology when it makes sense, and lets real experts take care of the rest. See, Moneyfarm’s robo-advisor service cuts down the high costs you’d usually pay for wealth management, and its smart algorithm can find [the right portfolio for you]( in just five minutes. But it’s [Moneyfarm’s expert advisers]( who monitor the markets and manage your portfolio daily. Plus, they’re always on hand to help you make any big decisions – yup, that’s a real human voice. Discover tech with a human touch: [visit Moneyfarm](. [Find Out More]( With investing, your capital is at risk When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌎 Finimize Live 🎉 Coming Up This Week All events are in UK time. 🎙 [Live Crypto Community Q&A](: 5pm, April 29th ✅ [How To Choose An Exchange-Traded Fund](: 12.30pm, May 3rd 🌱 [How To Turn Your Portfolio Vegan](: 6pm, May 3rd 💥 [What Is ReFi Anyway?](: 5pm, May 5th 🎉 [How To Invest In The Metaverse: Land, Stocks, And Crypto](: 6pm, May 6th 💪 And then after that… 🚀 [How Space Is Changing The World](: 5pm, May 9th 👉 [What’s Next For Crypto Regulation?](: 6pm, May 11th 📚 [How To Go From Ideas To Execution](: 5pm, May 12th 💻 [How To Invest In The Up-And-Coming Tech Landscape](: 5pm, May 13th 📈 [How To Identify High Growth Metaverse Stocks](: 12pm, May 16th 🙌 [How To Invest In Community-Led Projects](: 5pm, May 16th 🌎 [How To Invest In The Global Chip Shortage](: 5pm, May 17th 🏡 [How To Buy A Digital Condo](: 12pm, May 18th 🚗 [The Leaders Of The EV Revolution](: 5pm, May 19th ♻️ [How To Pick Winning ESG Stocks](: 5pm, May 20th 📈 [How To Invest Thematically](: 12pm, May 24th 🎯 On Our Radar - Life’s unfair. So why would [AI]( be any different? - Big brands are in our dreams now. At least [they pay]([you](. - Jeff Goldblum on… Jeff Goldblum. The iconic actor relives [his Jurassic period](. - Miss Touch ID? Too bad: Apple has plans for a [different update](. - Keeping secrets is hard. Especially when [your business is sharing them](. ❤️ 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: 12bit and designkida - Shutterstock | chrisbrignell - Shutterstock Preferences: [Update your email]( or [change preferences]( [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( from all Finimize Emails 😴 Crafted by Finimize Ltd. | Bow Bells House, Bread Street, London, EC4M 9HH 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](