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Hey friends - happy Friday!
Welcome back to the weekly Scoops Spotlight, where we’ll serve up a little summary of the week with the company scoops that got the most community reactions.
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🌎 The Big Picture
There was a tangible shift in the vibes on Wall Street this week.
The market marched to new record highs every single day. There wasn’t any groundbreaking news, but the incremental trade deals with Japan and other major nations, the improving consumer sentiment, and the slight pickup in spending/business activity in July all seem to have pushed investors into a much more unabated optimism.
Uncertainty has been the biggest thing holding businesses back so far this year. What’s going to happen with changing regulations, government funding, tax rates, government debt, tariff costs, and the trade war?
Now, we have clarity on most of that - good or bad. Investors are hoping that’s enough of a light at the end of the tunnel to make business leaders a little less cautious about hiring, spending, and investing.
The trade deals rolling in have given investors confidence that this trade war madness may be over soon. The 15-20% tariff range, where many of these deals have landed, is significantly lower than the proposed rates that tanked the market in the spring. However, it's still a significant new cost burden for businesses. Early signals (and common sense) point to tariffs driving prices higher, but there’s a chance the price increases aren’t widespread.
Some businesses simply can’t pass those higher costs on to customers. And it's going to create a divergence in the economy.
Who's going to have the most trouble passing on higher tariff costs to their customers? Small businesses. The relationships businesses that think it's too soon to go ask customers for another big price increase.
People are trading down and buying less. Some industries, like travel and fast food, might not even be able to maintain their current prices, let alone raise them. That means shrinking profits and bigger losses.
That will create a separation between the giants and everyone else.
Whether it's consumer goods giants who own every brand in the aisle or a mega platform like Amazon that dominates in accessibility, however they get their pricing power, if you can raise prices and people keep buying, you survive. If not, you’re forced to absorb costs or cut prices just to stay alive.
We’re in the middle of a shakeout. The companies with real pricing power will pull ahead. The rest? Times may get tougher.
We’ll watch how this plays out.
How are you feeling about the economy? |
Get the full breakdown of all the trends affecting your home, wallet, and career in the new Weekend Scoop on the Scoops app!
🏭 The Companies Everyone’s Talking About
 Tesla, Inc. 👍 61% 👥 41% | 🌏 54% | 💰 69% | Breaking Down Tesla's main car business is struggling, with vehicle sales and overall revenue dropping for the second quarter in a row as it faces tougher competition from more affordable electric vehicles. Still, its Supercharging stations are boosting profits. The tech giant is betting big on self-driving robotaxis and advanced humanoid robots, but expects some rough quarters ahead as government electric car incentives disappear and new tariffs affect its supply. |
 Alphabet Inc 👍 67% 👥 53% | 🌏 55% | 💰 61% | AI Paying Off Google reported another blowout quarter, earning even more money than investors expected, with its total revenue growing 14%. Its Cloud business is booming, with sales jumping 32%, driven by demand for AI. Its main search and advertising businesses are still growing, with YouTube ads performing well. The tech giant plans to spend much more money, $85 billion this year, building out new data centers and AI tech |
 Intel Corporation 👍 57% 👥 50% | 🌏 50% | 💰 48% | Cleared in Court Intel recently scored a win in court, getting a lawsuit dismissed that accused the company of hiding problems within its foundry business, a new unit created in 2021 to make chips for outside customers like Amazon. Shareholders had claimed Intel concealed a significant $7 billion operating loss in this specific business, but a judge found its reporting clear about when full details for the foundry would be available. |
 Uber Technologies, Inc. 👍 45% 👥 45% | 🌏 46% | 💰 47% | Safer Rides Uber introduced a new feature allowing women drivers and riders to request to avoid being paired with men, starting next month in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit. The rideshare giant has taken more steps to address safety concerns and provide more comfort and control for its users. |
 Meta Platforms, Inc. 👍 56% 👥 41% | 🌏 47% | 💰 53% | Teen Safety Meta introduced new safety features for teens, including enhanced direct messaging protections, and removed over 600,000 accounts linked to predatory behavior. The move is part of a broader push by Meta to protect teens and children on its platforms, following mounting scrutiny from policymakers who accused the company of failing to shield young users from sexual exploitation. |
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❔ The Big Question of the Week
Do you feel like rideshares are safer than they used to be? |
Challenge your perspectives and learn from the community voting on the Scoops app!
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