😞 Snap can't keep up with TikTok

TikTok's taking Snap's customers | Amex users are frequent flyers indeed | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for July 25th in 3:14 minutes. 🍷 We all know a generous glass of merlot can help you get through a tough week, but it turns out a few bottles could get you through a whole recession. Join Oeno’s Suthagar McNamara-Rajeswaran for [Is Wine The Perfect Recession-Proof Investment?]( on Wednesday, and find out how investing in wine can be almost as good as drinking it. [Grab your ticket]( Today's big stories - Snap reported disappointing quarterly results, and investors sent its shares plunging - Our analyst has spotted DeFi tokens that have more than doubled in value since June, and they might be bargains in the long run – [Read Now]( - American Express reported impressive quarterly results as its customers took to the skies Losing Streak [Losing Streak] What’s Going On Here? Snap [reported]( worse-than-expected quarterly results late last week. What Does This Mean? Snap lowered expectations back in May by [warning]( it would miss both its initial revenue and profit growth estimates for the quarter. Just as well: the company’s results were even worse than analysts’ revised expectations. That’s mainly down to Snap’s flailing online advertising business: demand waned as customers cut their marketing budgets, and fierce competition – we’re looking at you, TikTok – stole those that were spending. On top of that, Apple’s iOS privacy updates have been making it harder to roll out targeted campaigns. Snap’s overall revenue grew just 13% in the end, short of the 16% analysts were expecting. Things aren’t looking up, either: the company said revenue has yet to grow this quarter from the same time last year, and that it’ll continue to slow down any hiring in a bid to cut costs. Why Should I Care? For markets: Misery, meet company. Not even Snap’s new share buyback program could appease investors: they still sent the company’s shares down 25% after the update, meaning its stock has lost about 75% of its value this year. But it didn’t stop there: investors also sent Meta and Alphabet’s stock down 5% and 3% respectively after Snap’s update, likely because they’re wary the same trend will show up in other ad-reliant companies when they report results in the coming week. Zooming out: When in doubt, sue. Those investors might be onto something: Twitter [reported]( disappointing quarterly results across revenue, profit, and user growth on Friday. The company chalked some of that up to lagging advertising spending, but also blamed Elon Musk’s fluctuating interest in buying Twitter – and the resulting uncertainty – for the slump ([tweet this](). No wonder Twitter wants to put an end to that: the social media giant’s [set]( to take Musk to trial this October over his attempt to pull out of the deal. You might also like: [Elon Musk has a “super bad feeling” about the economy. Here’s why you shouldn’t.]( 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=Losing Streak&utm_campaign=daily-global-25-07-2022&utm_source=email) Analyst Take The DeFi Projects Turning The Crash Into Cash [The DeFi Projects Turning The Crash Into Cash]( By Jonathan Hobbs, Analyst This year’s crypto sell-off might have [spelled the end]( for many DeFi projects. But when the [entire crypto market]( is on the ropes, it makes sense to [stick with the strongest contenders]( in each sector. And it just so happens that [two blue chip DeFi plays]( have been growing their fundamentals from [strength to strength]( recently. It seems their hard work is now paying off, with their tokens more than [doubling in value since June](. So that’s today’s insight: how their shrewd positioning might still make them [bargains in the long run](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY THE MOTLEY FOOL The bear is here Today’s tumbling markets might make you want to hold out and wait for more promising signs. But there might be another way to deal with them: [The Motley Fool]( believes you could use the bear market to your advantage, since you might be able to pick up [some major stocks]( for cheap. [Motley]( isn’t alone: billionaire investor Rob Baron called the bear market a “huge, monstrous opportunity”, while Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives described it as a “generational buying opportunity”. So if you believe the market will eventually return to – or surpass – its highs, then you might want to explore The Motley Fool’s latest [bear market stock picks](. And as luck would have it, you can [check them out right here](. [Read The Report]( Frequent Flyers [Frequent Flyers] What’s Going On Here? American Express (Amex) [reported]( impressive quarterly results on Friday. What Does This Mean? Maybe unplanned delays aren’t so off-putting when you can spend them in a snazzy members’ lounge: Amex said spending on global travel and entertainment surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time last quarter – despite mass cancellations and delays at airports. That – plus healthy spending by Amex customers across the board – helped boost the value of transactions made on its network up to nearly $400 billion. And in turn, that contributed to upping revenue by a better-than-expected 31% versus the same time last year, enough to hit a new record. So sure, Amex paid higher costs when all those vacationers made use of their travel perks, but the company’s overall profit still came in higher than expected. And it looks like it’s expecting that to continue: the credit card giant upped this quarter’s forecasted revenue growth from 20% to 25%, and announced plans to spend more on marketing to attract even more customers. Investors couldn’t complain: they initially sent Amex’s stock up 7%. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: Thanks, inflation. Credit card companies like Amex have generally benefited from the record high inflation in the US. After all, stores pay them a percentage of the purchase price every time a customer uses their card, so higher prices mean bigger payments. Thing is, some analysts believe those higher prices will eventually prevent a bunch of customers from paying back their debts. Seems like Amex agrees: it put aside $410 million last quarter to cover any losses. Zooming out: Finally, some good news. Still, there’s a chance that some of those inflation pressures will let up soon. Russia and Ukraine [agreed]( a deal on Friday that'll allow Ukraine to start exporting grain again, with a goal of meeting pre-war levels in the coming weeks. And since Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters, the agreement could help bolster global supply, cool down prices, and help prevent famine in developing countries. You might also like: [How to find the companies shrugging off inflation.]( 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=Frequent Flyers&utm_campaign=daily-global-25-07-2022&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It’s very simple.” – Paulo Coelho (a Brazilian lyricist and novelist) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY THE MOTLEY FOOL Want to invest in the bear market? You just found out that [The Motley Fool]( sees great opportunity in the bear market. And don’t worry, it doesn’t stop there: [Motley]( has also written an article all about [how you could trade]( in the current climate. For one, [Motley]( stresses the importance of creating [a long-term strategy](, rather than focusing on short-term wins and losses. And for another, it recommends [a few stocks in particular]( that could benefit from the bear market – all handpicked by [Motley’s own Stock Advisor team](. [Check out The Motley Fool’s top picks today](. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌍 Finimize Live 🎉 Coming Up This Week… All events in UK time. 🤺 [How To React No Matter What The Fed Throws At You](: 5pm, July 25th 🍷 [Is Wine The Perfect Recession-Proof Investment?](: 1pm, July 27th 🙌 [The Power Of Investing In Web3 Communities](: 1pm, July 28th 🥳 And After That… 👉 [The Three Most Important Trading Signals](: 5pm, August 1st ♻️ [Building A Crypto ESG Framework](: 6pm, August 2nd 🧐 [The Next Six Months For Stocks And Crypto](: 5pm, August 3rd 🎉 [What’s Next For NFTs: Innovations, Utility, And Trends](: 5pm, August 4th 📈 [A Case For DAO Treasury Diversification](: 6pm, August 9th 💻 [How To Spot The Best Tech Stocks](: 6pm, August 16th 🎯 On Our Radar - Inflation, meet Costco. Here’s the story of the [inflation-proof rotisserie chicken](. - Sharks might not be hungry for humans. Turns out they’re just [attracted to feet](. - Another blow for Musk. Neuralink’s cofounder just [walked out](. - Instagram’s launched another update. Google Maps just doesn’t [have enough selfies](. - Three’s a crowd. But that crowd could help you [overcome your biggest fears](. ❤️ 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. 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: Allexxandar - Shutterstock | Kundra, ViDI Studio - 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](