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Hey friends - are you feeling these early hints of summer? So nice.
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
Wages are outpacing inflation, and new home prices are falling, offering some relief for budgets and buyers.
But slower hiring, a shrinking economy, and rising layoffs signal that the job market is cooling as trade-driven uncertainty ripples across industries.
With the economy slumping for one quarter, the questions about recession are rolling in. The technical definition for a recession is two quarters of negative economic growth. So, if the same contraction happens in this quarter, this will likely be defined as a recession.
The thing about recessions though, is you only really know you’re in them for sure until afterward.
As we look for signs of trouble, I shared this thought online this week that recession signals don't show up on Wall Street. They show up at the drive-thru.
McDonald's just posted its worst sales drop since 2020.
Domino's? Down.
Pizza Hut? Same story.
At first glance, execs point to tariffs or "uncertainty."
But who really thinks about trade policy before ordering a pizza?
This is a function of a longer trend.
It's a story about who's spending money.
And the middle class isn't.
▶️ Middle-class budgets still haven't recovered from the last crisis.
▶️ Last year, HALF of all US consumer spending came from the top 10%.
And now we see the impact, even in low-cost staples like fast food.
But not everyone is losing:
KFC is holding strong.
Taco Bell? Crushing it—same-store sales up 9%.
Why?
Challenging environments separate quality companies.
I'm a little biased as a guilty pleasure TB fan.
🔥 (Crunchwrap, Locos, & frozen Baha blast)
But maybe that's just a function of their execution.
They're investing heavily in branding and tech.
Taco Bell's saying their AI doesn't just take orders.
It's so advanced that it can recommend shift changes, inventory moves, and drive-thru staffing on the fly.
Some scenarios they shared:
🤖 An AI assistant noticed a team member hadn't clocked in and offered to cover the drive-thru.
🤖 The system flagged that a competitor down the street reduced hours, so it suggested staying open later to capture demand.
In a tough market, average brands retreat.
Great ones double down.
And honestly?
I kind of love watching Taco Bell become a tech company that sells tacos.
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
 Microsoft 👍 76% 👥 61% | 🌏 56% | 💰 61% | AI Rewards Microsoft recently reported bringing in significantly more money than experts thought they would last quarter. Their cloud service, Azure, grew much faster than predicted thanks to strong demand for artificial intelligence features. The tech giant feels good about its outlook despite the economic uncertainty, as it continues to spend heavily building AI infrastructure. However, they also just announced higher prices for their Xbox consoles and some new games. |
 Meta Platforms 👍 56% 👥 41% | 🌏 47% | 💰 53% | AI Paying Off Meta had a very strong quarter, bringing in much more money than expected, partly because more people are using their apps every day. They are also making more money from each ad shown and are spending heavily on building facilities for artificial intelligence, with plans to spend up to $72 billion this year. However, new regulations in Europe could cause some issues for their business in that region later this year. |
 United Parcel Service 👍 69% 👥 51% | 🌏 50% | 💰 52% | Job Cuts UPS announced 20,000 job cuts to lower costs in anticipation of economic challenges ahead from the US trade war and tariffs. The company is taking actions to reconfigure its network and reduce costs across its business. |
 Merck & Co 👍 76% 👥 61% | 🌏 64% | 💰 64% | American Drugs Merck will invest $1 billion in a Delaware plant to expand its US manufacturing footprint, ensuring a domestic supply of biologic drugs, including cancer drug Keytruda The investment comes amid potential tariff concerns and aims to create at least 500 on-site jobs, with the new facility expected to produce a more convenient version of Keytruda by 2030 |
 Eli Lilly and Co 👍 57% 👥 51% | 🌏 49% | 💰 53% | Growth Surge Eli Lilly reported a massive 45% jump in sales last quarter, reaching about $12.7 billion, mostly because demand for its diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound is incredibly high. Mounjaro sales more than doubled. The drugmaker is spending billions building new factories to keep up with demand for its blockbuster weight-loss drugs, while also seeing positive test results for a potential new pill version of its popular medicine. |
Dig into more scoops and vote on company approval ratings in the Scoops app!
❔ The Big Question of the Week
Should AI be as heavily regulated as banking or healthcare? |
Challenge your perspectives and learn from the community voting on the Scoops app!
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