🎉 Amazon’s surprise party

Amazon amazed | The US slammed on the brakes | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 28th in 3:08 minutes. 🧠You need to know the rules in order to break them. So join industry-disrupting Rafael Museri at [Meet The Founder: Selina IPO]( on May 3rd, and find out what the innovator knows about everything from startup journeys to the ever-changing world of digital nomads. [Get your free ticket]( Today's big stories - Amazon's results got investors all goggle-eyed - This real estate sector looks like it’s ready to roll again – [Read Now]( - US growth is getting a whole lot slower Amaze-on [Amaze-on] What’s going on here? Amazon’s impressive results [had]( investors reaching for their wallets late on Thursday. What does this mean? Amazon's businesses were all systems go last quarter. Faster and more efficient logistics helped drive strong e-commerce revenue growth, in a win for the behemoth’s biggest segment. And its high-flying cloud business kept the momentum going, with sales rising by 16% from the same time last year – the fifth straight quarter that metric's slowed, sure, but still ahead of expectations. Add in an advertising surge – thanks in part to ramped-up investments in machine learning – and it’s little wonder that overall revenue grew by a better-than-anticipated 9%. Once investors learned that operating expenses crept up by the smallest proportion in over ten years, they’d heard enough, sending shares up 8%. Why should I care? The bigger picture: Clouding the issue. Corporate belt-tightening is raining on Amazon's cloud parade, and the firm's wonder-segment is now [shedding]( the most weight in the latest round of layoffs. And there might be even more rain coming soon: Amazon and Microsoft dominate the market, controlling as much as 70% of the cloud industry by some estimates – and that’s got British regulators sniffing around. Plus, those very authorities showed they’re not afraid to act earlier this week, [putting]( the kibosh on Microsoft’s Activision purchase. With regulators taking potshots like that, the cloud might be next in the firing line. Zooming out: Jewel in the crown. Amazon’s new big plan involves [diving]( into the world of lab-grown gems, with the help of diamond miner de Beers – in a bet that the shiny things are poised to revolutionize computer networks. The ultimate goal is to harness tailor-made diamonds for quantum computing, an emerging technology that could transform data security. And let’s not forget: diamonds are forever, so putting a ring on the finger of cloud computing might help keep Amazon’s trailing rivals at bay. You might also like: [Here’s what investors are getting wrong about tech stocks.]( Copy to share story: [/amaze-]( 🙋 [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=Amaze-on&utm_campaign=daily-global-28-04-2023&utm_source=email) Analyst Take The Real Estate Logistics Sector Will Deliver Again [The Real Estate Logistics Sector Will Deliver Again]( The past few years have been a rollercoaster ride for [logistics real estate](. First there was the [surging demand]( over the pandemic period and the [rapid reconfiguration]( of supply chains. Then there was the stomach-dropping [fall in values]( in the second half of 2022, after interest rates clicked up to nervous-making heights. And though the sector wouldn’t be immune to [a recession](, right now, it’s starting to roll along more smoothly. That’s today’s Insight: [a look at what’s next for the logistics real estate sector, from our partners at abrdn.]( [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY REALVISION Your last chance to tap into expert investing experience When it comes to investing, [experience]( may be the best tool you could have in your kit. But if you haven’t faced certain challenges, you won’t have gleaned those [valuable insights](. You can, though, hear from experts who have been there and done that at the [Real Investing Course](. You’ll find out how to [forge a hardy portfolio](, [hone your investing style](, and [avoid pitfalls and blunders]( by listening to industry experts with [real-world experience](. All that, in [just ten hours](. Plus, you’ll discover new ways to [refine your holistic investing strategy]( by exploring market truths, emotional self-awareness, and information diets. But you’ll need to act fast: [The Real Investing Course from Real Vision is only available for a limited time](. So if you want to sharpen your investing insights, and nab a 40%-off discount, you’ll want to [act now]( before it disappears. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. Red, White, And Bruised [Red, White, And Bruised] What’s going on here? Data [showed]( the stars and stripes staggering, with the US economy falling short of expectations last quarter. What does this mean? The US has been weathering interest rate hikes and red-hot inflation quite well in recent quarters, but it seems that the economy’s finally showing some cracks. Sure, a key measure of consumer spending on goods and services picked up nicely, and exports did their part too. But not everything was fine and dandy: business investment in equipment saw the largest drop since the pandemic, inventories dragged on growth, and the housing market kept on struggling. Add that all up, and the economy slowed to an annualized growth rate of 1.1% – well below the previous quarter’s 2.6% and far short of the 2% folk expected. Why should I care? The bigger picture: Tip of the iceberg. This might not look like anything more than a slowdown, but the situation could be worse than it seems. Remember, this data looks back in time – and consumer spending, which propped up these numbers, has been on the slide recently. That’s got economists predicting that the economy will pretty much stall this quarter, with just 0.2% growth. And the outlook doesn’t brighten from there: further slowdowns, tightening credit conditions, and another expected interest rate hike next week have many economists bracing for a full-blown recession. For markets: Easy does it. If a recession does come knocking, the stock market might be in for a pretty unpleasant surprise. It's been standing strong so far this year, with anticipated rate cuts fueling [visions]( of an ideal “[soft-landing](” scenario. But those dreams could easily be off the mark – and as soon as that becomes clear, markets might nosedive. That’s why it could be wise to keep some cash on the sidelines, instead of going all in right now. You might also like: [Market fears and the investment everyone’s using to beat them.]( Copy to share story: [/red-white-and-bruised]( 🙋 [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=Red, White, And Bruised&utm_campaign=daily-global-28-04-2023&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day "Where facts are few, experts are many." – Donald R. Gannon (Lance Corporal in the US Marines) [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. 🎯 On Our Radar 1. Invisible ink. Here's why iMessage is perfect for all [the gossipers]( out there. 2. Alternative investments are big business. Listen into [ten-minute pitches from five alternative startups](.* 3. Never put your foot in it again. This [GPT-powered monocle]( will keep you suave and smooth talking. 4. Background checks, reversed. Dig up the dirt on [your landlord]( before you sign a lease. 5. A Mac for muscles. Apple’s reportedly working on an [AI health coach](. When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌍 Finimize Live 🥳 Coming Up In The Next Week... 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