🍿 Netflix’s sneak-peek strategy

…and EU countries decide on a Russian price cap [Disclosures](   “Don’t Look Up” got a fan remix (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)   Yesterday’s Market Moves   Dow Jones 34,395 (-0.56%) S&P 500 4,077 (-0.09%) Nasdaq 11,482 (+0.13%) Bitcoin $16,966 (-1.21%) Dow Jones 34,395 (-0.56%) S&P 500 4,077 (-0.09%) Nasdaq 11,482 (+0.13%) Bitcoin $16,966 (-1.21%) Hey Snackers, A stocking stuffer for your favorite fast-food lover: Chick-fil-A’s first merch [collection]( includes sauce-themed blankets, nugget pillows, and “Chicken for Breakfast” hats. Stocks slipped yesterday after news that consumer spending spiked in October. Investors are eyeing today’s November jobs report for fresh unemployment #s. Preview Netflix expands its Preview Club to boost engagement by letting viewers shape content Sneak previews get serious… If you hate the ending of [Netflix’s]( next show, you might be able to change it. Netflix reportedly [plans]( to expand its Preview Club, which lets viewers watch shows and movies early if they provide detailed feedback. The club has 2K members, but Netflix could expand it to tens of thousands by early next year. - “We take your feedback seriously”: Netflix launched the club over a year ago, and it’s used viewer feedback to update several original movies and shows. - Data-driven do-overs: Netflix said it added more humor to the Leo DiCaprio flick “Don’t Look Up” after viewers deemed it too serious and changed “The Sandman” after noticing that few finished the series. Preview and review… For decades studios have screened movies to “test audiences” to predict how well they’ll perform. But Netflix is notorious for using data to make decisions (think: recommendation algos), though critics say data shouldn’t determine which IP to acquire or which shows to renew. Now it’s expanding Preview Club to boost engagement (this year it posted two consecutive quarters of subscriber losses for the first time). - Not just Netflix: [Amazon]( uses an “Amazon Preview” program to gather feedback on its original content, and [Disney]( has a similar “Hulu Brain Trust.” THE TAKEAWAY The customer knows best… That’s why Netflix is tapping into its audience, instead of only relying on industry professionals and algorithms. Critics can disagree over whether a movie is good, because art is subjective. But subscriber-engagement numbers are not subjective — and they’re a priority at Netflix. By the numbers, “Don’t Look Up” succeeded: though the movie wasn’t a hit with critics, it holds Netflix’s record for most streaming hours in a single week. Gassy The world’s oil supply is at stake as EU countries decide on a Russian price cap Looking for the oil cap… not the one for your car. EU countries have been [struggling]( to agree on a price cap for Russian oil. Refresher: back in June, the 27 EU nations agreed to ban purchases of Russian oil starting on December 5. The goal was to slash Russia’s oil revenues, which are fueling its war on Ukraine. But the oil-ban plan was scrapped over concerns it would send global crude prices soaring, since Russia is a top exporter. Now: - The US is pressuring the EU to agree on a cap, which would set a max purchasing price on Russian oil, meaning G-7 countries would end up buying it at a lower price (still hurting Russia’s coffers, but not as much as a ban). - This week, a proposal suggested a $62/barrel limit. But Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania knocked it down, arguing it was too high to dent Russia’s income. - Yesterday, EU governments [reportedly]( agreed to a $60 cap, with a provision to adjust it to 5% below the current market price. But it needs to be formally approved. Cap it off… The cap would make it really hard for Russia to sell oil at a higher price, since the world’s key shipping and insurance companies are headquartered in G7 countries — which could block those companies from handling Russian crude shipments if they violate the cap. But it’s not as simple as that: - No cap: Russia has repeatedly said it won’t sell oil to countries who implement a price cap. That could wreak havoc on global supply and spike prices. - Wild card: The cap can be successful only if China and India agree to support it, since they buy the bulk of Russian oil. THE TAKEAWAY “Sideline players” can hold frontline sway… China and India boosted their purchases of Russian oil after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and have benefited from lower prices. If they keep loading up on Russian oil, it’s unlikely that the G-7 cap would really hurt Russia. And it doesn’t seem like they’ll support it. This September quote from India’s petroleum minister isn’t encouraging: “We will buy oil from Russia, we will buy from wherever.” HEATED The Crypto Catch-Up… - 🤔 Sus… Sam Bankman-Fried has been on a press tour, giving [two]( [interviews]( where he talked about the collapse of FTX and said he "did not try to commit fraud on anyone." Meanwhile, authorities say a prison sentence is possible for the former CEO. - 📱 Techy… [Coinbase]( [removed]( users' ability to send NFTs through its iOS app, saying [Apple]( blocked its latest app release until it disabled the feature. The sticking point: Apple’s 30% “app tax,” which Coinbase says won't work with NFT gas fees. - 🌶️ Spicy… The Senate [grilled]( Rostin Behnam, chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, over FTX's bankruptcy and pending crypto regulation. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen [called]( for stricter crypto oversight, citing (you guessed it) FTX. What else we're Snackin' - [Freight]( The Senate passed bipartisan legislation to avert a nationwide rail strike that could’ve wreaked havoc on US deliveries during the holidays. The tentative agreement is being sent to the president to sign. - [Testruck]( [Tesla]( is moving beyond passenger cars: the EV icon delivered its first all-electric semi (dubbed “Semi”) to [Pepsi]( five years after Elon Musk announced the concept. - [ESGone]( Florida's CFO (yes, it has a CFO) said the state would [yank]( $2B from [BlackRock's]( management. Officials said they’re opposed to BlackRock’s environmental, social, and corporate governance investing policies. - [Cartful]( Party in aisle four? [Kroger's]( quarterly sales beat expectations, and the grocery chain raised its annual forecast as prices for must-haves like eggs and milk stay elevated. - [Brainy]( Musk said that his company Neuralink could start testing its brain-implant tech on humans in six months (think: connecting your brain to a computer). But experts questioned the biz's progress. 🍪 Thanks for Snacking with us! Want to share the Snacks? Invite your friends to sign up [here](. Snack Fact Of the Day India could become the third-largest economy by 2030, overtaking Japan and Germany [Read more]( Friday - November jobs report released - Earnings expected from Cracker Barrel Authors of this Snacks own: shares of Amazon, Apple, Disney, Netflix, and Tesla ID: 2619873 Robinhood Snacks newsletters reflect the opinions of only the authors who are associated persons of Robinhood Financial LLC (Member [SIPC]( and do not reflect the views of Robinhood Markets, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. They are for informational purposes only, and are not a recommendation of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any security, digital asset (cryptocurrency, etc) in any account. They are also not research reports and are not intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision. Any third-party information provided therein does not reflect the views of Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, or any of their subsidiaries or affiliates. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal and past performance does not guarantee future results. [Robinhood Terms and Conditions]( • [Disclosure Library]( • [Our Editorial Principles]( • [Contact Us]( • [FAQ]( [Manage Your Subscription Preferences](