February 9, 2025
Good Morning. In this newsletter, I discuss some recent controversial government initiatives. I highlight both the good and bad of the initiatives. The point is not to say something inflammatory. Instead, I hope whatever side of the aisle you are on, you can at least begin to understand where the other is coming from. Think about it this way, I would hope as an American you wouldn't want to destroy America, so keep in mind both sides think they are doing what is best for our great country.
Don't worry though, there will still be some dank memes and references.
- Alex Blackwood
š§āš¼ In the words of Rihanna, āwork, work, work, work, workā Ā - 143k jobs were added in January, which was lower than the analyst-projected 169k. However, revisions to the November and December reports added a combined 100k jobs to the total jobs counts. As mentioned in previous newsletters, the Fed will cut interest rates based on one of two things happening: 1) inflation rate comes down to their target 2% 2) the job market softens. With unemployment lowering from 4.1% to 4.0%, the most recent report should not distract the Fed from their āwait and seeā mode when it comes to rates.
šļø Well, well, well. How the turntablesā¦ - Didnāt realize this hadnāt happened already. Amazon is set to pass Walmart in revenue for the first time. For the past 12 years, Walmart held the crown of top revenue generator each quarter. Ā But on Thursday, Amazon announced it is expected to report revenue of $187 billion for Q4 2024, and Walmart is expected to really phone it in with $180 billion. Pretty weak.
š Not totally tubular - Liberated Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last weekend. So? So, so, so it's home to brands like Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom, which will be shut down. This is just one of many brands suffering from the shift from retail to online shopping. I havenāt seen the skate community take this big of an L since we lost the skate park in my home town to make way for a high rise.
No, this section is not about the 2019 viral clip in which an angry old man loses his mind at someone that tells him to āchillā (clip to video here). While it may not be appropriate or even relevant, I canāt help but relate to both sides of the video as I read the news each day about the latest monumental shift in government that happens overnight. I am not arguing for or against, but more so working through them so you can make an informed decision when investing (yes, that was a plug). This week, I want to focus on the efforts to cut government spending.
President Trump ran his presidential campaign on a major promise to cut down on government inefficiencies and reduce unnecessary spending. He even started a department helmed by Elon Musk focused on this very mission, aptly named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Two major initiatives aimed at cutting costs that really came to light over the past week include:
On the hiring freeze and resignation initiative:
On the USAID initiative:
On the hiring freeze and resignation initiative:
On the USAID initiative:
When I began writing this section, I had thought we would also cover the tariffs and international relations changes over the past week. However, the government cost cutting initiatives have people for and against it, and if you walk into your Super Bowl party without both sides of the argument, the chicken wings might not taste so good as people either scold you for not knowing or call you a bigot for saying one off-the-cuff thing. We as a nation are incredibly divided, but most people have no idea what they are talking about. I donāt claim I know anything about Shinola, but I try to stay as informed as possible so I can understand where both sides are coming from.
If youāve been waiting for the right opportunity to invest in Houstonās thriving real estate market, here it is. The Wags is delivering the kind of upside that doesnāt come around often: 7.6% starting yield, 15-20% projected annual IRR, and $88.8K in annual revenue potential.
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Secured at list price and packed with high upside, The Wags is poised to potentially surpass its already robust expectations.
I am writing this review from an airplane and cannot believe how crazy the Wright brothers must have been. Think about their world, they had managed to create an airplane, but the slightest gust of wind, and they could have crashed into pieces. We had all heard the stories of the bike shop brothers turned inventors of the airplane, but I had never realized their work ethic & vision. They would work relentlessly, taking one day off per week to focus on anything but work. The segmentation in their lives led to the birth of the airplane.
McCullough is considered one of the greatest historical writers ever, and this book was one of my first forays into his work. Whether you are a history buff or not, he does an excellent job of not just stating the facts but weaving them into the story of the Wright brothersā lives.
ā 4.76 / 5.0 in my book (no pun intended)
Thereās a species of jellyfish that is biologically immortal! šŖ¼
The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish has the ability to revert its cells back to an earlier stage of development, essentially starting its life cycle over and avoiding death from aging. It can theoretically do this indefinitely, making it the closest thing we know to an immortal creature!
Written by Alex Blackwood & Thomas Horcel
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