The sell-off of U.S. stocks in 2022 gained intensity Monday as investors dumped risky assets like equities in anticipation of a less friendly Federal Reserve.

Monday’s pullback put the S&P 500 down roughly 10% this month, on pace for its worst January performance on record. The Dow was also headed for its biggest one-month loss since March 2020, falling more than 7%. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, has dropped about 14% in January and is on pace for its worst month since October 2008 — when it plunged 17.7%.

The sell-off of U.S. stocks in 2022 gained intensity Monday as investors dumped risky assets like equities in anticipation of a less friendly Federal Reserve.

Monday’s pullback put the S&P 500 down roughly 10% this month, on pace for its worst January performance on record. The Dow was also headed for its biggest one-month loss since March 2020, falling more than 7%. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, has dropped about 14% in January and is on pace for its worst month since October 2008 — when it plunged 17.7%.

The green M&M has a new look. Not everyone is impressed. 

The problem? The once-sexy cartoon candy seems to have been stripped of her mojo, some say.  

In photos and videos released by candy company Mars Inc., the humanlike green M&M no longer has her signature pose—one hand on her head, and another by her hip. The peachy skin tone on her legs and arms is now a cartoonish white. And her high-heeled boots have been swapped for sneakers, which the company said reflects what people are wearing during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ditching the heels gives Green a modern look, said Marissa Beck, senior director of brands and content at Mars. “We love this laid-back, post-Covid world that we live in,” she said. 

But others said the move was meant to water down Green’s sex appeal.

The green M&M has a new look. Not everyone is impressed. 

The problem? The once-sexy cartoon candy seems to have been stripped of her mojo, some say.  

In photos and videos released by candy company Mars Inc., the humanlike green M&M no longer has her signature pose—one hand on her head, and another by her hip. The peachy skin tone on her legs and arms is now a cartoonish white. And her high-heeled boots have been swapped for sneakers, which the company said reflects what people are wearing during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ditching the heels gives Green a modern look, said Marissa Beck, senior director of brands and content at Mars. “We love this laid-back, post-Covid world that we live in,” she said. 

But others said the move was meant to water down Green’s sex appeal.

As Inflation Bites, Power Lies Higher Up the Food Chain 

Specialist ingredient companies might have an easier time protecting profit margins from higher costs than food brands or supermarkets

The food companies with the best shot at beating inflation are those that investors are least likely to know.

Food-ingredient stocks such as cocoa seller Barry Callebaut BARN -0.72% are potentially more shielded from such pressures. Their costs are going up, too: Irish ingredients company Kerry Group KRYAY -1.67% reported raw-material inflation of 2% to 3% in its third quarter. However, their customers that turn ingredients into branded food are heavier users of packaging and transport, where prices are spiraling.

As Inflation Bites, Power Lies Higher Up the Food Chain 

Specialist ingredient companies might have an easier time protecting profit margins from higher costs than food brands or supermarkets

The food companies with the best shot at beating inflation are those that investors are least likely to know.

Food-ingredient stocks such as cocoa seller Barry Callebaut BARN -0.72% are potentially more shielded from such pressures. Their costs are going up, too: Irish ingredients company Kerry Group KRYAY -1.67% reported raw-material inflation of 2% to 3% in its third quarter. However, their customers that turn ingredients into branded food are heavier users of packaging and transport, where prices are spiraling.

Peloton executives and insiders sold nearly $500 million worth of their stock before its big decline, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Peloton stock is down more than 80% from its highs last year, and it hit a 52-week low of $29.11 on Tuesday. Yet the company’s CEO and other executives sold millions of shares at prices over $100 a share in the months leading up to the big declines.

“One of the most well-accepted facts from decades of research on insider trading is that corporate insiders buy near bottoms and sell near peaks,” said Daniel Taylor, an associate professor at the Wharton School.

Peloton executives and insiders sold nearly $500 million worth of their stock before its big decline, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Peloton stock is down more than 80% from its highs last year, and it hit a 52-week low of $29.11 on Tuesday. Yet the company’s CEO and other executives sold millions of shares at prices over $100 a share in the months leading up to the big declines.

“One of the most well-accepted facts from decades of research on insider trading is that corporate insiders buy near bottoms and sell near peaks,” said Daniel Taylor, an associate professor at the Wharton School.

Microsoft Corp. MSFT -1.20% agreed to buy Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI +28.11% in an all-cash deal valued at $68.7 billion, using its largest acquisition by far to grab a videogame heavyweight that has been roiled by claims of workplace misconduct.

The deal, if completed, would sharply expand Microsoft’s already sizable videogame operation, adding a stable of popular game franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush to Microsoft’s Xbox console business and its own games like Minecraft and Doom. Microsoft said the transaction would make it the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Japan’s Sony Group Corp.

Microsoft Corp. MSFT -1.20% agreed to buy Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI +28.11% in an all-cash deal valued at $68.7 billion, using its largest acquisition by far to grab a videogame heavyweight that has been roiled by claims of workplace misconduct.

The deal, if completed, would sharply expand Microsoft’s already sizable videogame operation, adding a stable of popular game franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush to Microsoft’s Xbox console business and its own games like Minecraft and Doom. Microsoft said the transaction would make it the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Japan’s Sony Group Corp.