In the MACROECONOMICS:

China-America trade talks sputter into nothingness. But besides the short-term agitas for the stock market, how much does a political settlement actually mean against the structural entanglements between both economies. 

In the BUSINESSES: 

Uber stumbles epically in its first day on the block after IPO, losing 7% in a single day despite attempts to open conservatively. In the context of LYFT's woes, what does this suggest about prospects for Rideshare? We tell you why we're geniuses. 

And in one final earnings season round-up, Google tastes the bitter pill of mortality, as its growth slows amid fiercer advertising monetization pressure. But let us explain to you why you should not lose faith and why it has everything to do with Rideshare.

In the MACROECONOMICS:

We return to the topic of the closed economy in China and how Chinese foreign nationals actually gobble up real estate in the West despite capital controls. Do we have all the answers? Absolutely not. 

GDP growth in 1Q annualizes to 3.2% growth in 2019, beating forecast of 2.5%. But is any of it real, or merely cosmetic?

In the BUSINESSES: 

Earnings season is upon us. Let's highlight some key themes and outcomes so far:

• The Cloud is killing it
• The world is addicted to social media
• Tesla is a dumpster fire
• China crushes 3M
• Boeing stock proves resilient in the face of mass cancellations

In the EASTER WEEKEND super edition:

Greg and Roberta honor the greatest comeback artist of all time, Jesus of Nazareth, by cataloguing the greatest business comebacks of all time.

In BUSINESSES: 

Netflix sandbags 2nd quarter guidance, completely a volatile week on the back of the Disney+ incursion. I ask again, are we at peak Netflix? And if we are, what is the right short-term investment strategy?

Pinterest and Zoom sandbag their IPOs to achieve artificial growth. But let's return to themes that  matter. Consumer tech stocks are nothing next to the Cloud. Since 2016, business-software companies have seen their shares rise 126% vs 15% for consumer tech companies. 

In MACROECONOMICS: 

Semi-professional economist James Lin schools us on the yield curve, the national debt and the so-called Great Oil Crisis of 2020. In turns out all the world is debt, not oil. But we're definitely right about the oil crisis, aren't we?

In BUSINESSES: 

Disney soars on the news of its firm streaming service launch in November priced at $6.99 / month. The company telegraphed a hilariously wide ranging forecast of 60-90M subscribers by 2024. What doom does this spell for Netflix and the SVOD landscape?

In MACROECONOMICS: 

Jobless claims reach their lowest level since 1969, superficially allaying concerns about the doomed macro-economy. 

The Wall Street Journal finally catches up with us, publishing a story about the Oil crisis in global shipping that will follow the maritime laws for clean fuel in 2020. But what did they get wrong? And is there another way to crack beta out of the barrel?

In BUSINESSES: 

TESLA airballs on deliveries in Q1, building on its storied history of dumpster fires and over-promises. Has the market finally baked in the insanity of Elon Musk into the stock price? And is it the most polarizing stock on the street? 

LYFT comes back to earth and inherits its rightful place as one of the most shorted stocks of all.

Boeing has come back from the depths, despite ongoing revelations about the crash in Ethiopia. 

DOW INC spins out of its parental unit, DWDP. Money is made for those who listened to us. But Greg tells the tale of his wretched trade execution. Or was he swindled by Merrill Edge?

In MACROECONOMICS: 

Quick update on the yield curve, it reverted back from inversion! Good news, I guess?

The US Committee on Foreign Investment orders Chinese company Beijing Kunlun to jettison its majority stake in Grindr. Why you may ask? The answer could blow apart tenuous trade talks between the US and China.

In BUSINESSES: 

LYFT enters the public markets, popping to 87$ a share in a frenzy of exuberance before nestling down to $78 at the bell, but still up near 9% on the day. What did we learn from the LYFT IPO that we didn't know already?

Bayer AG pays the piper for another bundle of lawsuits related to blood-thinner Xarelto to complement its hellish ordeal with Monsanto subsidiary's Round-up. If Bayer is destined to founder in an ocean of liability lawsuits, what is the play for us?  

In MACROECONOMICS: 

The storms clouds are gathering!

The great yield curve hath inverted as long term rates fall below short-term rates, signalling the doom of the economy. But according to the experts, it must remain inverted for some time before we can reliably say the next recession shall come. What does it all mean and why?

The deficit balloons even more, growing 39% in the first 5 months of 2019. Should the worst happen, and the government must spend its way out of a recession, will the strain on the deficit prove too great for the American Commercial Empire?

In BUSINESSES: 

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal aka Shaq aka Kazaam joins the board of Papa John's promising to rejuvenate its marketing efforts amidst the ruins left by founder John Schnatter. Fun fact: Shaq has a stake in 9 Papa John's locations, a Krispy Kreme outlet, a restaurant in Vegas, a restaurant in LA and previously 27 Five Guys locations. This begs the question, who are the greatest athlete businessmen of all time?

The turbulence abounds for Boeing, facing its first order cancellation from an Indoensian carrier and elevated scrutiny over its 737 MAX failures. Have we reached the bottom of the safety debacle?

In MACROECONOMICS:  

What was once the greatest empire in commercial and maritime history has now degenerated into a European backwater that can't manage basic monetary policy. The UK shot down the measly agreement Theresa May negotiated with Europe and barely agreed to seek more time with the bureaucrats in Brussels. Does any of this actually save the British elites from massive capital flight and relegation to the junior leagues of Global Finance? And how can we profit from the chaos?

In BUSINESSES: 

Speaking of chaos, Boeing takes a nose dive after two crashes on its next generation aircraft, the 737 Max, losing 14% of its market cap in short order. In the teeth of the crisis, is now the time to buy?

Our Degenerate Champion of the Week: Morrie Tobin. Morrie Tobin, a Finance dude living in LA, tipped off federal prosecutors in the wide-ranging College admissions bribery scandal in exchange for leniency in a securities fraud charge. Morrie wore a wire in 2018 to entrap the Yale women's soccer coach, who was seeking a $450,000 bribe. 

In BUSINESSES:

Facebook pretends to care about privacy despite all evidence to the contrary, introducing a private messaging platform that will merely allow them to collect yet more data. When will the hawkery of Facebook's business model stop surprising people?

Tesla's distribution strategy starts in the dumpster. 

And back after a 1 week hiatus, the award for Degenerate Champion of the week goes to Martin Shkreli, who used a contraband cell phone to work from home in prison. 

In MACROECONOMICS:  

Hiring growth stalls in February, throwing shade on the winning streak we droned on about last week, but still within the volatility range of the last 4 years. 

In the big picture this week, we dive into crude oil. On January 1, 2020 the International Maritime Organization will enforce new emission standards for cargo ships that will sunder the global economy. But how?

In MACROECONOMICS:

The US has added jobs in 100 consecutive months. Unemployment is near a 49 year low.
Wages & employment are up across nearly all segments of the population except farm people and coal miners.
But when will the Robots destroy it all?

In BUSINESSES:

AMAZON sets to launch a new grocery store chain in parallel with WHOLE FOODS. But what, we ask, is the point? For this is not in the Cloud? It's in the Earth.

TESLA  accomplishes the near death of its retail footprint and pivots to online-only distribution to subsidize a cheaper price point for the Model 3, now $35,000.
Do we applaud its already radical approach to distribution getting more radical?
And does it change your outlook on the company's future?