Retail’s Russell Moment

Every June, Russell FTSE updates its indices’ holdings— this morning concluded the multi-week process. The Russell 1000, 2000, and 3000 look different to reflect the market.

Retail made its presence known. Memestocks like AMC and GameStop are very much present. AMC Entertainment became the largest holding in the Russell 2000. GameStop left the small-cap index to join the big boys in the Russell 1000. 🎮 🚀 🚀

AMC towers above others in the Russell 2000’s rebalance. According to the largest Russell 2000 ETF, the four next-largest holdings are Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Ovintiv, Lattice Semiconductor, and II-VI INC. 

The large-cap Russell 1000 index had few surprises. Tesla and JPMorgan Chase hopped into the top ten. 🏆

Additions to the Russell 2000 (which also appear in the Russell 3000) include Asana, fuboTV, Fisker, AppHarvest, QuantumScape, Lordstown Motors, WIX.COM, and others. The full list of additions is available here

Musk Threatens Tesla’s AI Ambitions

The primary bull case for Tesla is that it’s not an automobile company but a technology one. Part of the reason it’s able to command such a high valuation relative to its peers is because of that technology’s potential business impact way down the line, especially as it introduces newer developments like artificial intelligence (AI).

However, that bull case is facing an unlikely opposition…from Elon Musk himself. 🤦

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JetBlue Jumps As Icahn Accumulates

It’s been a rough few months for JetBlue shareholders after the airline’s merger with Spirit Airlines was blocked by U.S. regulators. However, the stock is popping after hours on news that a billionaire hedge fund manager is dumpster diving and sees value in the stock. 💸

Activist investor Carl Icahn reported a nearly 10% stake, which he’s accumulated on the belief that the stock is undervalued following its recent selloff. He’s already had discussions with the company regarding possibly attaining board representation.

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Apple Drains EV Resources For AI

After ten years of research and development, Tim Apple is finally pulling the plug on Apple’s electric vehicle (EV) project. Because as we all know, EVs have lost their luster and given way to the business world’s new savior…artificial intelligence (AI). 😇

Bloomberg broke the news today, saying the tech giant disclosed the strategy shift internally and surprised the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project. Executives told staffers the project would begin winding down and that many of the car team’s employees would be shifted to its artificial intelligence division, focused on generative AI. 

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Only Some EV-Makers Delivered

Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers came out with their fourth-quarter delivery numbers today, sending their stocks all over the place. 📊

First, let’s start with everyone’s favorite, Tesla, which delivered mixed news to investors. It managed 1.81 million EV deliveries around the globe in 2023, meeting its full-year guidance and narrowly topping the consensus estimates. That was up 38% YoY but slowed from 2022. 

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