Inflation slowed its roll, but not by much...
[Advertisement] May 12, 2022 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( TOGETHER WITH [Battleface]( Good morning. If data is the new oil, then oil is the new school lunch Gushers. Due to the run-up in oil prices and techâs collapse, energy giant Saudi Aramco overtook Apple as the most valuable company in the world yesterday with a market capitalization of about $2.43 trillion. More proof of the changing of the guard: In October 2020, Zoom was worth more than Exxon Mobil. Now, Exxonâs market cap is 14x bigger than Zoomâs. âNeal Freyman, Jamie Wilde, Matty Merritt MARKETS Nasdaq 11,364.24 -3.18% S&P 3,935.18 -1.65% Dow 31,834.11 -1.02% 10-Year 3.001% +0.1 bps Bitcoin $28,512.18 -6.80% Carvana $30.00 -18.21% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 7:00pm ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: The Nasdaq dropping 3% in a day used to be an earth-shattering event on Wall Streetânow itâs simply called âMay 2022.â Tech stocks [continued their total collapse]( after another hot inflation reading yesterday morning. Carvana, which was labeled a pandemic winner, has crashed nearly 92% from its peak and laid off 12% of its workforce on Tuesday.
- Government: Democrats were [unsuccessful]( in passing a bill that would enshrine Roe v. Wade abortion rights protections into law. They needed 60 votes and got 49. ECONOMY [The government dropping Aprilâs inflation report](
[Meme showing a desktop image that invites users to join in suffering](Know Your Meme Yesterdayâs inflation report was like a doctor beginning their evaluation with, âWell, the good news isâ¦â It doesnât exactly make you excited to hear the rest. Either way, letâs start with the good news. Which is this: Inflation seems to have peaked. Consumer prices [grew 8.3%]( annually in April, down from the 8.5% pace in March. Thatâs the first time the rate of inflation has dropped in eight months. - The slowdown was driven in large part by a drop in energy costs, including a 6.1% monthly drop in gasoline prices.
- Used vehicle prices continued their descent, and apparel prices also dropped. Now for the âbutâ¦â Inflation is still uncomfortably high, and yesterdayâs report indicated that itâs not going down without a serious fight. Hereâs why: Core CPI, which strips out unpredictable gas and food prices, jumped from March to April. And while inflation in goods may be easing, surging prices in the services arena (rents, recreation, medical) have now become a major concern as employers hike wages to attract workers. Thatâs especially worrisome because, unlike inflation in goods, services inflation canât be solved by working out supply chain kinks. - In one dramatic example, airfares jumped 18.6% annually last month for their biggest gain on record.
- Shelter costs (aka rents) rose 0.5% for their third straight monthly gain. They account for one-third of the overall CPI. Big picture: Last month, a record share of Americans said that inflation was their No. 1 financial problem, and the people in charge are playing the blame game. President Biden blames external shocks like Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, Republicans pin it on the stimmy-happy Democrats, and others argue the Fed is at fault for misreading the situation and not hiking interest rates sooner. Or, like Fed Governor Chris Waller, you could simply not give a hoot how it came to be. âAt this point, I donât care what the reasons are. Inflation is too high and my job is to get it down,â he said this week.âNF Â Â Â mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=The%20government%20dropping%20April%E2%80%99s%20inflation%20report%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2F2022%2F05%2F11%2Finflation-dipped-but-stayed-red-hot-in-april%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Daily%20Brew%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A TOGETHER WITH BATTLEFACE [You deserve some (zero-stress, everythingâs-gonna-be-perfect) time off](
[Battleface]( Your PTO is approved, youâre finalizing your itinerary, and youâre rea-dyyyy for that long-overdue vacation. Youâve planned so well that itâs only logical to account for alllll the things you didnât plan for, too. You might be thinking, âThat terrible mishap would never happen to me.â Well, for many of us at the Brew, [we learned the hard way]( that travel doesnât always go according to plan. To help you learn from our mistakes, we teamed up with battleface to break down what can go wrongâand how travel insurance can protect your precious vacay. [battleface]( offers customized travel insurance plans to safeguard your getaways from any what-ifs. Trip cancellations? Check. Luggage with all those cute âfits goes MIA? Check. Medical emergency? Major check. Now [check out our article]( so you can plan for the unexpected and fully enjoy that (zero-stress, everythingâs-gonna-be-perfect) time off. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#)
[Photo collage from Airbnb]Airbnb Airbnb dropped its biggest redesign in a decade. As customers increasingly seek out longer-term rentals, Airbnb [introduced]( a search tool that sorts listings into categories such as tiny homes, âamazing pools,â and even caves. It also unveiled a feature that allows you to split time between two properties for stays of one week or longer. Drug overdose deaths set another record. More than 107,000 Americans [died]( from a drug overdose in 2021, a 15% increase from the year before (which was also a record high), per new CDC estimates. Experts attributed the jump to a rise in overdose deaths involving fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is often cut into other drugs including meth, heroin, and cocaine. Disneyâs a marvel: After Netflixâs Q1 debacle, everyone was anxious to see whether Disneyâs streaming empire would similarly downsize. Nope: Disney+ [added 7.9 million]( more subs last quarter, beating expectations. Across its three streaming services (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+), Disney has a total of 205.6 million subscribers, which is inching closer to industry-leader Netflixâs 221.6 million. CRYPTO [6 more weeks of crypto winter for Coinbase](
[Sid from Ice Age looking at ice](Ice Age/Fox via Giphy Coinbase shares skidded 26% yesterday after dropping a Q1 earnings report that showed [less stability]( than a stablecoin. As economic growth and the value of cryptocurrencies crater, traders on the exchange have stopped flinging around crypto like itâs glitter at a rave. Compared to the previous quarter⦠- Two million fewer monthly transacting users were on the platform.
- Trading volume fell 44% and transaction revenue decreased 56%. The company doesnât expect a speedy bounceback. Instead, it set a lower bar for the next quarter, predicting its numbers will only get worse as investors become more bearish. But CEO Brian Armstrong still believes weâre all gonna make it. âIronically, Iâve never been more bullish on where we are as a company,â he said in the earnings call. He also assured users via tweet that âwe have no risk of bankruptcyâ (thatâs good) after users were surprised by new terms and conditions announcing that their Coinbase assets could be seized in that event. Bottom line: Coinbase is shrinking faster than Lake Mead. It was trading at a valuation of more than $112 billion on its first day as a public company; now, itâs valued at less than $12 billion.âJW Â Â Â mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=6%20more%20weeks%20of%20crypto%20winter%20for%20Coinbase%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2F2022%2F05%2F11%2Fcoinbase-trading-volumes-revenue-are-down%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Daily%20Brew%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A GOVERNMENT [Young Americans say abortion access matters for future moves](#)
[How important is abortion access in deciding where you'll live in the future? Survey of 813 young people nationwide taken May 5-8. 26% said very important, 28% somewhat important, 16% said a little important, 30% said not important at all.. Source: Morning Brew/Generation Lab]Grant Thomas The majority of young people surveyed in a Generation LabâMorning Brew poll responded that abortion access is at least âsomewhat importantâ in determining where theyâll live in the future. Check out the full poll results [here](. ENTERTAINMENT [Rapper Young Thugâs lyrics could be used against him](
[ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 13: Gunna and Young Thug attend 2021 Revolt Summit at 787 Windsor on November 13, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia](Rappers Gunna and Young Thug, who were both arrested this week. Prince Williams/Getty Images Itâs been a wild week for hip-hop fans who are still recovering from Kendrick Lamarâs deepfake into Will Smith. On Monday, popular Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was [arrested]( as part of a broad indictment targeting 28 people for gang-related activity. - Georgia prosecutors allege that Williams is one of the organizers of the Atlanta gang Young Slime Life (YSL), which has been accused of a number of violent crimes, including a 2015 murder. Behind the charges is a 1970s statute created to take down mobsters, known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Prosecutors are using the stateâs RICO law to charge Williams and his associatesâincluding rappers Yak Gotti, Gunna, and Williamsâs brother Unfoonkâwith crimes they may not have committed, but were involved in vis-a-vis YSL. The law allows the state to find multiple parties guilty if it can prove that everyone in the organization committed two or more serious crimes that were part of a larger racketeering plan. Big picture: A critical part of the stateâs argument [hinges]( on using Wiliamsâs own lyrics as evidence, a tactic that isnât necessarily new in the world of rap. In the indictment, prosecutors named nine songs that they claim are evidence of Williamsâs criminal activity. Williamsâs lawyer told the LA Times the claims were âfrivolousâ and that they will âfight it and litigate it ethically, and lawfully and zealously.ââMM Â Â Â mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=Rapper%20Young%20Thug%E2%80%99s%20lyrics%20could%20be%20used%20against%20him%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2Fyoung-thugs-own-lyrics-could-be-used-against-him%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Daily%20Brew%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A GRAB BAG [Key performance indicators](#)
[Poker scene from The Simpsons]The Simpsons/Fox via Giphy Stat: In March, every day was the world series of poker. US casinos had their [best month ever](, recording $5.31 billion in revenue (and that doesnât even include revenue from casinos run by Native American tribes). This related stat kinda broke our brain: Gamblers spent $8.19 billion on slot machines alone in Q1. Quote: âMy pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane.â Not exactly what you want to hear as an air traffic controller, but miraculously a passenger with no flying experience managed to [land a plane safely]( in Palm Beach on Tuesday after the pilot suffered a medical emergency. Read: An illustrated history of the iPod and its massive impact. ([Cult of Mac]() WHAT ELSE IS BREWING - [Prominent Al Jazeera journalist]( Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin. The media outlet and reporters who witnessed the scene said Israeli forces shot Abu Akleh, while Israelâs defense minister said he did not know who was responsible.
- [Google]( unveiled its first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch, as well as a bunch of new/upgraded gadgets.
- [Cleaner air]( is associated with a rise in Atlantic hurricanes, a government report found.
- [Manhattan office update](: Just 8% of office workers are back in the office 5x a week. 28% are fully remote.
- [Real news](: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment bought movie rental company Redbox in an acquisition valued at just $31 million. TOGETHER WITH LINCOLN FINANCIAL
[Lincoln Financial ]( Todayâs moves tomorrowâs security. Lincoln Financial products and solutions can help shape your desired financial future, all while helping you achieve the freedom to live life your way, right now. From protecting your loved ones to building a diversified portfolio with tax-advantaged benefits, find your sweet spot with Lincoln Financial. [Learn more here](. BREW'S BETS Eggs do it all: [24 egg recipes](, from frittatas to burritos. A playlist for tough times: [Songs to listen to]( while checking your portfolio in 2022. ICYMI: the Vineyard Vines x Brew Collection is here. Thatâs right, we collabed with Vineyard Vines to bring the Brew a bit of the Good Life. [Shop the Collection](. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Brew Mini: Any geography buffs in the house? [This Mini is for you](. Three headlines and a lie Three of these news headlines are real and one is faker than your friendâs âsoft yesâ in the groupchat for a Memorial Day cabin trip. Can you guess the odd one out? - Man accused of killing his wife [wins]( GOP primary from jail
- Dolly Parton and Doja Cat [team up]( with Taco Bell for Mexican Pizza: The Musical
- Canada MP [regrets]( calling into debate from toilet
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