📍 X marks Musk's spot

Musk inched Twitter toward his dream | US inflation chilled a little | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 13th in 3:13 minutes. 💵 Cash holds a special place in all our wallets, sure, but that doesn't mean it has to stay there. Join Raisin's Kevin Mountford for [Should You Save Your Cash Or Invest?]( this Thursday, and discover whether cash truly reigns supreme. [Get your free ticket]( Today's big stories - Elon Musk brought Twitter one step closer to his much-vaunted vision of an "everything app" - Here's how you can adopt the simple theory that's made billions for George Soros – [Read Now]( - The latest US inflation data swept in under expectations Solving For X [Solving For X] What’s Going On Here? Twitter's [inching]( towards Musk's "everything app" vision, but getting there could be a puzzle. What Does It Mean? When Elon Musk bagged Twitter for $44 billion last year, he nailed his colors to the mast: his ultimate ambition was to turn the platform into an "everything app" named X, inspired by China's digital Swiss Army knife, WeChat. With over a billion users relying on Tencent’s WeChat for everything from payments to booking event tickets, Musk spied an opening to replicate its success globally. And now he seems to be taking a significant step in that direction – ending Twitter’s life as an independent firm and merging it with a shell company named X Corp. Why Should I Care? Zooming in: Too small for its boots. Musk's cost-cutting strategies have [helped]( Twitter reach a break-even point – but the crash diet he put the firm on has shrunk Twitter's workforce from around 8,000 to a mere 1,500. That probably played a role in the six major outages that have struck the platform since the year began. And those wrinkles have got folks questioning the feasibility of any potential plans to add e-commerce and payment features, especially when tech titans with much more manpower – like Alphabet and Meta – are struggling with similar goals. The bigger picture: Debunking Musk. If Twitter wants to outpace those behemoths, it’ll need to get its own house in order first. After all, one of Musk’s main goals was to make the platform more trustworthy – and while he’s claimed that his crusade against bots and automated accounts has helped clamp down on misinformation, studies suggest otherwise. In fact, engagement with misinformation spreaders actually seems to have [spiked]( post-takeover. That’s left Musk with egg on his face, but he’s [doubling down]( on his favorite solution – a payment barrier, which would just so happen to top up company coffers while supposedly waging war on misinformation. You might also like: [Three investment ideas that Elon Musk and Warren Buffett actually agree on.]( Copy to share story: [/solving-x]( 🙋 [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=Solving For X&utm_campaign=daily-global-13-04-2023&utm_source=email) Analyst Take How To Use The Theory That Made George Soros An Investing Legend [How To Use The Theory That Made George Soros An Investing Legend]( [Photo of Stéphane Renevier] Stéphane Renevier, Analyst Most of us are never going to beat [legendary fund manager George Soros](, one of the best investors of all time. He achieved annual returns of more than 30% a year, for over 30 years – and he famously pocketed [a cool $1 billion]( in a single investment in a single day. But you [could improve your own returns]( by adopting his “reflexivity” theory, which he credits for his success. That’s today’s Insight: [how you can use Soros’s simple, mind-blowing theory to your advantage.]( [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY KUFLINK Property investments that don’t cost as much as a house Plenty of rich folk buy properties, switching a mansion for a mansion and pocketing the change. And that’s not just because they fancy a tenth bathroom: [property investments]( can be a savvy way to potentially grab higher returns than you’d get from saving – but they don’t come cheap. You can, though, invest in individual projects – [backed by UK property]( – from [just £100]( with [Kuflink](, an [award-winning peer-to-peer lending platform](. If you’re new to the world of real estate, there’s no need to worry: [Kuflink’s experienced team]( is on hand to help you find investments and finance solutions that [suit your budget and goals](. Or if you want to go completely hands-off, you can use [Kuflink’s Auto Invest tool]( to automatically spread your funds across [a diversified portfolio of projects]( around the UK. You can find out more about asset-backed loan investments on [Kuflink’s secure, simple platform](. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. Land Of The Freeze [Land Of The Freeze] What’s Going On Here? Data out on Wednesday [showed]( America looking red, white, and cool, with prices chilling out a little last month. What Does It Mean? As the Federal Reserve (the Fed) nears the end of its most aggressive rate-hiking campaign since the 1980s, it’ll be glad that March's inflation report has gone and given it a little thumbs up. US prices for goods and services inched up by just 5% compared to last year, slowing down from February's 6% and marking the smallest climb in nearly two years. Energy and used car prices took a dip, and food prices stayed flat on a monthly basis – but services like transportation and shelter did keep marching ahead. Interestingly that meant core inflation (which leaves out volatile factors like energy and food) hit 5.6%, outpacing the overall measure for the first time in over two years. Why Should I Care? For markets: Hikewatching. Sure, the data isn't perfect, but there’s a hint that price increases are softening like the Fed's been wishing they would. And while a 0.25 percentage point hike still seems to be on the cards for May, this data could reduce the chances of more economy-squeezing hikes when June rolls around. That could explain why US stock markets perked up after the news. Still, Europe and the UK are poised to keep hiking, which could lure investors to their currencies and, [according]( to UBS, darken the US dollar’s shine from here on out. The bigger picture: Patience is a virtue. Inflation might be easing up, but it's still a long way from the cozy 2% target that most Western central banks have in their sights. And that’s where things get dicey: sticky inflation might keep interest rates higher for longer, unveiling hidden vulnerabilities in the global economy. After all, the IMF warned that could dramatically boost the odds of a dreaded "[hard landing](" just this week. You might also like: [The economy’s walking a tightrope: here’s how to prepare for both a crash and a soft landing.]( Copy to share story: [/land-freeze]( 🙋 [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=Land Of The Freeze&utm_campaign=daily-global-13-04-2023&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “Any idiot can face a crisis: it's this day-to-day living that wears you out.” – Anton Chekhov (a Russian playwright and short-story writer) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY LEGION WORKS You’re invited to mingle with five Regulation A+ alternative startups With the stock market all topsy-turvy, investors are looking for [fresh, diversified opportunities](. And that level of interest might just be why [alternative investments]( are expected to hit a combined worth of [$23 trillion by 2026](. Tons of [buzzing opportunities]( are in the [Regulation A+ stage]( (basically like a mini-initial public offering), but that high-risk, high-reward period means you need to be selective when you pick. Well at [Dalmore’s Demo Day](, you can engage directly with [an all-star lineup of five Regulation A+ firms](, working in everything from real estate to marketplace tech to smart window shades. So if you want to get the inside scoop on Regulation A+ investing from five alternative opportunities, you can [sign up for the webinar here](. [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. 💸 [Should You Save Your Cash Or Invest?](: 1pm, April 13th 🌎 [How To Invest Like A Venture Capitalist](: 6pm, April 17th 💰 [How To Build Wealth In The New Tax Year](: 1pm, April 18th 👀 And After That... 🙋‍♀️ [Women And Investing: Powering Up Your Pension](: 5pm, April 25th 🚀 [Meet The Founder: Selina IPO](: 5pm, May 3rd 💥 [Investing 101: The DIY Investor](: 1pm, May 4th 🎉 [Modern Investor Summit 2023](: 12pm, December 5th and 6th 🎯 On Our Radar 1. Cities live on. Maybe the [demise of cities]( has been hyped up too much. 2. Alternative investments could be worth $23 trillion by 2026. This online event can help you [separate the up-and-comers from the has-beens](.* 3. Move over, Ron Burgundy. TV channels are launching [AI-generated news presenters](. 4. The smartest kids in class. Find out what gives [tech luminaries]( their edge.* 5. It’s not just supply and demand. A new study found that only one particular type of consumer [dictates prices](. When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. ❤️ Share with a friend Thanks for reading {NAME}. If you liked today's brief, we'd love for you to share it with a friend. You stay classy, {NAME} 😉 We’d love to hear your thoughts. [Give feedback]( Want to advertise with us too? 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