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Top stories today:
- Super Bowl LVIII reached record 123M viewers in U.S.
- CPI expected at 0.2% MoM / 2.9% YoY
- Bitcoin crosses $50K for 1st time since 2021
- Arm stock +29% without clear motive, after Thu's earnings
0. Data and calendar
All values as of 6 AM ET / 3 AM PT, other than S&P500 and NASDAQ close (4 PM ET / 1 PM PT).
All times are ET.
1. Super Bowl LVIII reached 123M viewers in U.S., ahead of last year’s 115M
Now it’s just behind the moon landing’s estimated 125M-150M viewers:
The 2022 World Cup attracted 1.5B (global) viewers.
Gambling in Nevada also hit a new record
Temu spent an estimated $52M on 6 Super Bowl + a $10M giveaway, aiming at reversing falling sales since Dec.
Temu spent $1B+ in advertising outside Asia in 2023.
Temu and Microsoft Copilot jumped on the iOS charts after their Super Bowl ads
Apple App Store.
2. CPI expected at 0.2% MoM / 2.9% YoY, as inflation stalls at ~3%, out today at 8:30 AM ET
CPI: exp. 0.2% MoM / 2.9% YoY in Jan., from 0.3% / 3.4% in Dec.
Core CPI: exp. 0.3% / 3.7%, from 0.3% / 3.9%.
LEV Foundation was co-founded by Dr. Aubrey de Grey, one of the early pioneers in the longevity field.
Their 2 main projects are Robust Mouse Rejuvenation and Transplants on Demand.
Your donation can literally save your life, or the life of your closed ones. - Donate to the LEV Foundation.
*Sponsored.
4. Bitcoin crosses $50K for 1st time since 2021, as Founders Fund’s $200M repurchase revealed
Founders Fund invested $200M in Bitcoin and Ethereum (50% each) in late summer/early fall 2022.
In 2014, the fund had bought Bitcoin, but they sold before the 2021/2022 crash, making $1.8B.
5. Arm stock +29% without clear motive, continuing post-earnings rally
Stock +93% since Thursday’s earnings.
Thursday’s report was good, but not exceptional:
Q4 revenue was +14% YoY to $824M.
Net income margin of 11%, with $87M in profits.
Arm now trades at a 46 P/S, above even NVIDIA’s
6. Vision Pro-only apps: 52% are paid, vs. 5% for wider App Store
Small but rich userbase likely explains this.
14K installs: what one of the most popular apps (JigSpace) got.
13% of Vision-only apps have subscriptions, and 35% are fully free.
Average price of $6, highest $98.
$1,089: cost to buy all apps.
7. X announces Creator Targeting: video ads targeted at specific creators’ audiences
80K creators eligible.
Revenue split unknown.
8. Median customer acquisition cost (CAC) at software companies falls in H2 2023, after rising since 2021
SaaS sales difficulty appears to have topped:
9. China building 51% of world’s ships, potential advantage in global war
The U.S. may still have a technological advantage, but China has the numerical one:
10. Poland leads NATO in defense spending as % of GDP, as most countries stand below 2% commitment
11. Interesting videos, posts, and memes
12. Other headlines
Tech
10K video game workers lost their jobs in 2023.
Xbox: Microsoft plans to launch some games for PS5, Switch.
Thu event to discuss Xbox’s vision for the future.
Bolt buys back shares at $300M valuation, after raising at $11B in 2021.
Threads testing news-related trending topics in U.S.
Homebrew targets $50M for new fund, after promoting evergreen model.
Top sales teams: 11 things that set them apart.
MindStudio: free webinar to start building AI apps in a single afternoon.*
Masterworks: invest in shares of paintings by Banksy and Picasso.*
*Sponsored.
Tech & law
Biotech
Hevolution announces $115M in longevity grants.
Bankruptcies in biotech reach 2010 high.
Business
Carl Icahn reports 9.9% stake in JetBlue.
Crypto
*Sponsored.
U.S. politics
$95B Ukraine, Israel aid expected to be passed by Senate today.
House speaker Johnson again criticizes Senate version.
Trump asks Supreme Court to keep D.C. election criminal trial on hold.
Lara Trump endorsed by Trump to be RNC co-chair.
Kamala Harris “ready to serve” as Biden faces age scrutiny.
World
Israel proposes Rafah evacuation, says Hamas, hostages there.
6-week ceasefire for hostage release proposed by Biden.
Hezbollah, Israel ceasefire proposed by France.
Ukraine says Russia fired advanced hypersonic missile for 1st time.
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