🍾 Coca-Cola results tasted more like champagne

Coca-Cola's results were well worth a toast | The US fired up tensions with China | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 25th in 3:11 minutes. 🙋‍♀️ Investing's a feminist topic: societal pressures on British women mean they retire with roughly £130,000 less in their pots than men. So join Maike Currie for [Women And Investing: Powering Up Your Pension]( at 5pm UK time today, and find out how you can bridge the gap. [Get your free ticket]( Today's big stories - Coca-Cola’s results sparkled, fizzed, and popped through expectations - Here’s why money market funds are suddenly so popular – [Read Now]( - The US just heated up semiconductor tensions with China Champagne Results, Coca-Cola Budget [Champagne Results, Coca-Cola Budget] What’s going on here? Coca-Cola [reported]( sparkling quarterly results on Monday. What does this mean? Consumer staples companies like Coca-Cola sell products that folk tend to buy come hell or high water. So even though this year feels like the former, the beverage firm’s results were heavenly. Coca-Cola coughed up more for raw materials and shipping, sure, but it pulled up prices to help plug the gap. And soft-drink-aficionados were willing to spend big on the sweet stuff: they guzzled the drink, especially at public venues like restaurants and events. So even though the firm’s drinks were 11% more expensive on average, Coca-Cola sold 3% more. Tumblers were likely switched for champagne glasses in the boardroom: the company’s revenue and profit both smashed through expectations. Why should I care? The bigger picture: Buffett’s beverage. Mind you, Coca-Cola must’ve done something right besides simply being a consumer staple. After all, Procter and Gamble’s results last week revealed slipping demand, despite the firm boasting expectation-beating results. There will be a, ahem, secret formula to the beverage firm’s success, for sure, but one key ingredient will be its dominance in the carbonated drinks industry, with only PepsiCo keeping it company. Add on its world-famous brand and a dependable dividend, and it’s no wonder why Warren Buffett’s long been a fan of the fizzy stuff. For markets: PepsiOhNo. Still, Coca-Cola’s stock has only crawled up 2% this year, languishing far below the S&P 500’s 8% pick-up – and rival PepsiCo’s in the same boat. There might be a couple of reasons for that. For one, the sector’s trading at a valuation around 25% higher than its historical average, so it’s far from a bargain. And for another, safety-seeking investors have a whole bunch of lower risk, higher yield alternatives now that interest rates are floating higher. You might also like: [How you can work out what Coca-Cola’s stock is worth.]( Copy to share story: [/champagne-results-coca-cola-budget]( 🙋 [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=Champagne Results, Coca-Cola Budget&utm_campaign=daily-global-25-04-2023&utm_source=email) Analyst Take Bank Worries, Market Fears, And The Investment Everyone’s Using To Beat Them Both [Bank Worries, Market Fears, And The Investment Everyone’s Using To Beat Them Both]( [Photo of Reda] Reda, Analyst Money market funds (MMFs) have been enjoying some newfound popularity – and [record inflows]( – lately. See, with the banking mini-crisis and recession fears still hanging over markets, investors have been on the hunt for [safe assets that also offer attractive returns](. And as it turns out, MMFs [fit the bill](. So that’s today’s Insight: [why money market funds are suddenly popular, what it might mean for the economy, and why you might want to include them in your portfolio](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY SWEATER The investing scene might have a new hottest accessory It’s not a silk shirt, Gucci loafers, or a super-smart watch… it could just be a humble Sweater. But this one’s a bit special: see, you can [invest in some of the world’s most exciting startups]( – an opportunity often ringfenced for the uber-wealthy – with [Sweater’s venture capital fund](. The fund could give you the chance to pick up potentially [industry-shaking startups at much lower prices](, meaning you can invest like the best of ‘em without bankrupting yourself. And since [Sweater’s expert venture capital team]( manages the fund, you can sit back and relax. But if you do fancy checking in, you can access your account straight from your smartphone. So if you’re ready for a style change, you can [check out Sweater’s fund](. -- Disclaimer: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by calling 1-888-577-7987 or by visiting the Fund's website at . Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. All investments involve risks, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. Chip Wars [Chip Wars] What’s going on here? The US just played its latest move in the US-China chipmaking tech-off. What does this mean? The US has been doing everything it can to stay ahead in the tech race, including placing tough export controls on China to stop the country from getting its hands on the market’s most advanced chips. Well, the world’s second-biggest economy retaliated earlier this month, announcing a national security review into US chipmaker – and one of three memory chip market leaders – Micron. But since Chinese sales make up about a quarter of the chipmaker’s sales, banning the firm could cause it a major headache. The US jumped at that chance to go tit-for-tat, asking South Korea to tell its chipmakers not to plug the supply gap if China ends up banning Micron. That’s certainly the right place to ask: South Korea’s home to the other two market titans, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Why should I care? Zooming in: It’s all in the timing. That’s a tough ask for South Korea: its chipmakers’ jaws would drop at the mere thought of fulfilling a Chinese supply gap, especially now that the industry’s facing a massive glut and falling prices. Thing is, the US has timing on its side. South Korea’s president is taking a trip to Washington this week, and it’ll be hard to forget that the country’s exemption from tight US chip export controls will be up for renewal – or not – later this year. The bigger picture: Lucky for some. Now, some analysts doubt that China will replicate its push against US-based Micron in the more specialized sectors of the chip market, since the country’s currently too reliant on western tech. But either way, you can bet China will be ramping up its domestic tech development in a bid to become more self-sufficient. That would light a fire under Chinese chipmakers, which explains why news of the Micron probe [sent]( other chipmaking stocks to the heavens earlier this month. You might also like: [Here's what’s driving semiconductor stocks now](. Copy to share story: [/chip-wars]( 🙋 [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=Chip Wars&utm_campaign=daily-global-25-04-2023&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day "Home is any four walls that enclose the right person." – Helen Rowland (an American journalist and humorist) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY KUFLINK You don’t need millions to invest in real estate [Bricks-and-mortar opportunities]( can provide the, ahem, building blocks of future wealth. However, plenty of the [most promising investments]( in the space could cost you as much as a small mansion. No surprise, then, that it’s usually big-time investors and institutions buying in. Well, not anymore. You don’t need to buy the whole house with [Kuflink](: instead, you could [invest in individual project loans]( that are each funding specific, detailed property developments. And if you want to save your brain power, [Kuflink’s Auto Invest tool]( can automatically diversify your investment across [a well-spread portfolio of projects](. What’s more, you can start investing with the [award-winning peer-to-peer lending platform]( from [just £100](. Take that, institutional high rollers. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌍 Finimize Live 🥳 Coming Up Soon... All events in UK time. 🙋‍♀️ [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. Get your lucky numbers ready. College admission could – and maybe should – [work like lottery tickets](. 2. You haven’t missed your chance to hear from five buzzing startup CEOs. You can size them up by [watching the webinar recording](.* 3. Amsterdam's cracking down. Other [legal high hotspots]( are ready to step up. 4. Forget about the club. [Italian bakeries]( are the real afterparty. 5. Pay the extra few bucks to pick your seat. Here's where you [do and don't want to sit on a plane](. 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? [Get in touch]( Image Credits: Image credits: Shutterstock – Somchai Som | Shutterstock – Charles Taylor Preferences: [Update your email]( or [change preferences]( [View in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( from all Finimize Emails 😴 Crafted by Finimize Ltd. | 280 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4AG 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](