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=E2=80=A6and McDonald=E2=80=99s and= Chipotle fry up earnings
=
 =

"The Last of Us" was = the most pirated show last year (FilmMagic/Getty Images)

 
=
La= st Week=E2=80=99s Market Moves
R= 02;
Dow Jones
38,654 (+1.43%)		S&P 500
4,959 Nasdaq
15,629 (+1.= 12%)		Bitcoin
$43,184 (+3.28%)=
Dow Jones<= br>38,654 (+1.43%)S&P 500
4,959 (+1.38%)
Nasdaq
= 15,629 (+1.12%)		= $43,184 (+3.28%)
<= /table>

Hey Snackers,

The Wiggles hired thei= r first CEO. The chi= ldren's-music group is a surprisingly big biz to take over: since 1991= , they=E2=80=99ve sold 30M albums and DVDs, plus 8M books =E2=80=94 and 30+= years in, they=E2=80=99re still doing arena tours (that rival Coldplay for= ticket sales). That=E2=80=99s some yummy, yummy financial salad.

The= S&P 500 hit another record high on Friday after Big Tech earnings came in hot. = Meta had the largest daily market-cap growth in stock-market histor= y after the company reported. The Fed kept interest rates steady, but hinte= d that cuts aren=E2=80=99t likely in March. US job growth surged in January= , providing more soft-landing optimism.

Btw... Do = you want to start getting Snacks daily? Or prefer to unsubscribe? Manage yo= ur subscription preferences here.

Ahoy
<= /table>
=
<= td align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:0px;padding:0;padding-top:18px;word-br= eak:break-word;">

Digital piracy is making waves= again, and streamers and record labels should be worried

Re-h= oisting the Jolly Roger=E2=80=A6 Online piracy is on the rise as some s= tream-fatigued consumers set sail for cheaper content waters. Stealing musi= c, movies, and shows was big in the early 2000s. But even as Netflix and Spotify<= /a> make content more accessible than ever, piracy is surging. Since 2019, visits to p= iracy sites are up 13%. That=E2=80=99s got entertainment execs (already str= uggling with profitability) shivering their timbers.

  • Yo Ho: Piracy costs= the US (fyi: the global leader in piracy) ~$30B/year in lost revenue. Mean= time, streamers including Disney and Netflix have hiked prices while = cracking down on password mooching.

  • Big bounty: The top three US piracy sites have 2M users paying = $5 to $10/month to consume illegally hosted content (pirates make $$ from a= ds too). A Philadelphia man behind a major TV-piracy scheme was sentenced l= ast year to over five years in prison and ordered to forfeit $30M in assets= .

  • A swift example: Taylo= r Swift=E2=80=99s albums were torrented 5M times last year, but the real fi= gure is likely much higher: torrents represent a fraction of music piracy.<= /p>

Actually, many would download a car=E2=80=A6 (that <= a href=3D"https://sg.robinhood.com/ls/click?upn=3D6fntGirSE5selsQKrSSUHhR-2= BJtZqu3JQ3HQ37GVgFG5Tnv86tW8RajOfqn-2FlAlxxDUMlABCrwt66lVnL8HhC4ms9jjOgP41U= InLpWf8J9NqjXQV-2F7NokAubiV6JKbykiLOPYvd5vLqSSBku6YhTk7GsHv3EQbRexIWZZ9Iaj4= Yg-3Ds-xs_y6r4Y-2Fjyz39fUgiIVZvxszI1-2BOksX762wK6L32M97xgJ-2FnBU-2Fpq1oGUBE= R66ULtndC83EJsDZjSWeftsN6Lup40-2Bw9DzM89k99Ep-2F9JNFEdX1XJD7oXduyZFd15OAaoy= -2FRPwdFUGWJdMl4WL3g-2Fx5OqkJy63AtL6Zw5sC9WodNziS2MgBNDltp9-2FRr7JY9HuoOFl0= RiggGpqItLIxUyU4k7bSTp6STaVbAJGNAXHhRe4o1XKd2cgfrUw8J14kJWyptRpawQY8SQa0XO7= gr2ct5UyGNimgwx6dl8Mz-2Fefz0eBYsQQc-2B-2FnA7LscgqDPmrLdptfiyQwiwF5E6-2FjVnu= mOxqUT-2FDZRNNBaY-2B5SDWuw31mPxKkUYmPk80BmCegweVoT1-2Bgusz1O7vuPTPAxhYaP0Dh= cbGCvrBCt9CxnhVVe2wjhZu-2FghlgnKsUP8sSPj8PPq0w2pWIeNMu6EH-2B3Yppxrf89h5Y-2B= 4BHo4GemlNm5-2BUNj-2FqkWEc2bgiRHUdz4sC1fe54qPiFrxrIWoQ25vMIIFs-2BsXs0Tqvmp-= 2Buh7B3dJRTkEGAanNWDeIKz9vmeVRzxxDkzuP5rOXCcrbsJyQq-2BqH88ivfr7StMpidtrYwaJ= Lw-2FcVh7-2FacGQA2mgmyIydbjC1qboXTsLmaYSaTsZJsyInZ04gpc0aBVDQnUBknYE-2BqewE= sLT-2Bj-2FEfiUcxXq4XQ8Q-2FqU-2F0QnribNJPwscX3smQ-3D-3D rel=3D"noopener" sty= le=3D"color:#26A19B;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;text-decorat= ion-thickness:2px;text-underline-offset:1px" target=3D"_blank" class=3D"css= -0">PSA didn=E2=80=99t work, btw). Research has shown that peopl= e who pirate tend to spend more on legit content than their peers =E2=80=94= =C2=A0but turn to piracy when content is unaffordable or too hard to access= . W= arner Bros.=E2=80=99 =E2=80=9CLast of Us=E2=80=9D was the most pira= ted TV show last year, and anime (which tends to drop on piracy sites far e= arlier than lawful streamers) accounted for 25% of all pirated content. Ant= i-piracy experts say the streaming industry=E2=80=99s ongoing price hikes w= ill likely lead to $113B in piracy losses by 2027.

= THE TAKEAWAY=

Walled gardens can still be pillaged=E2= =80=A6 Spotify (which reports this week) was born from founder Daniel E= k=E2=80=99s desire to create something =E2=80=9Cbetter than piracy.=E2=80= =9D Time=E2=80=99ll tell if streamers=E2=80=99 foray into cheaper ad tiers = and bundles can curb the rise of ripping by offering more for less. The thr= eat=E2=80=99s no joke: in the peak Napster and LimeWire era, total revenue = from US music sales more than halved.

<= /tr>
<= /tbody>
<= div style=3D"font-family: 'General Grotesque Bold', Arial; font-weight: 700= ; letter-spacing: 0.03em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #1C1C1C; paddin= g: 6px 19px; border-radius: 30px; border: 0; background-color:#62E5DA; disp= lay: inline-block;">Events
<= /table>

Coming up th= is week

Up in smoke=E2=80=A6 Folks are smoking less tobacc= o, but Big Tobacco=E2=80=99s far from getting stubbed out. Marlboro maker <= a href=3D"https://sg.robinhood.com/ls/click?upn=3D6fntGirSE5selsQKrSSUHjMA5= 9bDfCWW6qZNCvrM0fI9hPXWS-2F300riZ9zV7G2vvgZpo_y6r4Y-2Fjyz39fUgiIVZvxszI1-2B= OksX762wK6L32M97xgJ-2FnBU-2Fpq1oGUBER66ULtndC83EJsDZjSWeftsN6Lup40-2Bw9DzM8= 9k99Ep-2F9JNFEdX1XJD7oXduyZFd15OAaoy-2FRPwdFUGWJdMl4WL3g-2Fx5OqkJy63AtL6Zw5= sC9WodNziS2MgBNDltp9-2FRr7JY9HuoOFl0RiggGpqItLIxUyU4k7bSTp6STaVbAJGNAXHhRe4= o1XKd2cgfrUw8J14kJWyptRpawQY8SQa0XO7gr2ct5UyGNimgwx6dl8Mz-2Fefz0eBYsQQc-2B-= 2FnA7LscgqDPmrLdptfiyQwiwF5E6-2FjVnumOxqUT-2FDZRNNBaY-2B5SDWuw31mPxKkUYmPk8= 0BmCegweVoT1-2Bgusz1O7vuPTPAxhYaP0DhcbGCvrBCt9CxnhVVe2wjhZu-2FghlgnKsUP8sSP= j8PnYBdtb5khZUxOPyrALeSc3lr9YV2ogtGl3G93Wlv-2BrA784SBXjVk0wJ4Hn7vI2ImDQqdBU= btefZplbUE47PDcvQXKdi4h0hBzReyL7-2BDz5Ha5v-2FfkhBM6xNGMhUyOFjg6KD3znQYRauEw= oylSr9EZgTU0AZhp-2FWfowNZU8I7kHni-2FAeZSks4aPVgtJQpnBYD-2FGbk6ZUXSN9ztGSxTX= PRjv0PQ2lNMrUxn7cM6tDykaF7WH056uIz7jNY3r-2FuGst1EBqYy4Skw-2BXBIJysbit8yg-3D= -3D rel=3D"noopener" style=3D"color:#26A19B;font-weight:bold;text-decoratio= n:underline;text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-underline-offset:1px" target= =3D"_blank" class=3D"css-0">Philip Morris International, which r= eports Thursday, has leaned into smokeless-nicotine products like vapes and= heated tobacco sticks to usher in a =E2=80=9Csmoke-free=E2=80=9D future. C= ustomers are buying it: smoke-free products now account for a third of the = company=E2=80=99s sales. A recent boom in nicotine pouches like Zyn have bo= osted PM=E2=80=99s profit outlook. In its last reported quarter, the biz so= ld 105M+ Zyn tins =E2=80=94=C2=A0a 66% jump on the year.

Big Macs = and burrito bowls=E2=80=A6 McDonald=E2=80=99s and Chipotle are expected to se= rve up hearty earnings this week. In October, the fast-food biggies saw dou= ble-digit revenue growth and topped estimates. Both have benefited from pri= ce hikes and their beefy mobile-order businesses, as fast-food spending sta= yed resilient despite #quesoflation. Proof: Chipotle=E2=80=99s looking to h= ire 19K new workers as it preps for its busiest time of year: =E2=80=9Cburr= ito season.=E2=80=9D

<= div style=3D"font-family: 'General Grotesque Bold', Arial; font-weight: 700= ; letter-spacing: 0.03em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #1C1C1C; paddin= g: 6px 19px; border-radius: 30px; border: 0; background-color:#62E5DA; disp= lay: inline-block;">Zoom out
<= /table>

Stories we= =E2=80=99re watching

#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt=E2=80=A6 TikTok= really wants #ForYou to shop. The app is reportedly opening live studi= os for creators to film QVC-style livestreams and testing a feature that co= uld make any post shoppable. It=E2=80=99s estimated that TikTok Shop, launc= hed in September, lost $500M+ last year. But parent co ByteDance sai= d TikTok=E2=80=99s ecomm biz could become as big as Chinese sister app D= ouyin=E2=80=99s, which raked in $208B in 2022. Social shopping has fail= ed to take off in the US the way it has in China (Meta=E2=80=99s = tried), and TikTokers=E2=80=99 initial reaction has been * bombastic si= de-eye *.

A heated hearing=E2=80=A6 Bipartisan lawmakers blast= ed the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X, Snap, and Discord during= a hearing on child safety online. Senators condemned them for not doing en= ough to prevent child sexual exploitation and contributing to a mental-heal= th crisis. Sen. Lindsey Graham told the CEOs: =E2=80=9CYou have blood on yo= ur hands.=E2=80=9D Last year, tech companies flagged a record 36M+ instance= s of child sexual abuse content. Despite lawsuits, holding social platforms= legally accountable is tough because of protections that give them immunit= y from being liable for users=E2=80=99 posts.

What else we're Snackin'

  • JRE: Joe Rogan nabbed a fresh deal with S= potify estimated to be worth up to $250M. Unlike his previous Spotify e= xclusive, the new deal allows the top podcaster to be on other platforms li= ke YouTube<= /a>.

  • IOUs: The Biden admi= n said it=E2=80=99ll try to forgive student loans for borrowers experiencin= g financial hardship. Since SCOTUS struck down Biden=E2=80=99s universal fo= rgiveness plan, the admin has sought narrower cases for nixing debts.

  • TokOff<= b>: TikTok said it had removed all songs from artists repped by Univ= ersal Music Group (including Taylor Swift, Drake, BTS, and Olivia Rodri= go) after failing to reach a new licensing agreement. The beef was over art= ist royalties.

=
Get fresh takes on financial news every week day. Try a sample:
=
Want your Snacks daily?
The Daily Newsletter

=F0=9F=A4=96 Big Tech earning= s wrap =E2=80=A2 Feb 2, 2024
=E2=9D=A4=EF=B8=8F=E2=80=8D=F0=9F=94=A5= Tinder woos Gen Z =E2=80=A2 Feb 1, 2024
=F0=9F=8C=98 GenAI=E2=80=99= s dark side =E2=80=A2 Jan 31, 2024

Subscrib= e to the Daily
=
<= /table>
Snack Fact Of the Day

Ha= rriet Tubman was the first woman to lead a major US military operation

<= /div>

<= /table>
This Week

  • Monday: Earnings expec= ted from Caterpillar, McDonald=E2=80=99s, Est=C3=A9e Lauder, Tyson Foods= , and Palantir

  • Tu= esday: Annual trade-deficit report. Earnings expected from Eli Lilly= , Spotify, Hertz, BP, Toyota, Snap, Ford, Chipotle, Elf Beauty, Amgen, VF C= orp, Gilead, H&R Block, and MicroStrategy

  • Wednesday: Earnings expected from Alib= aba, Uber, CVS, Roblox, Hilton, and Yum Brands

  • Thursday: Earnings expected from Auror= a Cannabis, ConocoPhillips, Cloudflare, Expedia, Philip Morris Inter= national, Spirit Airlines, Hershey, Affirm, Take-Two Interactive, and <= b>Pinterest

  • Friday: = Super Bowl weekend kicks off. Earnings expected from Canopy Growth, = Pepsi, and Enbridge

Authors of this Snacks ow= n shares of: CVS, Disney, Eli Lilly, Snap, Uber, and Yum Brands

<= /div>

=
Sherwood Media, LLC produc= es fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully o= wned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do= not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate... See more
--ab6a7ae09f03e9129928cba2a07d3120ec394b54c82ad551fcb8f95bdd4a Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 @media only screen and (min-width:480px) { .mj-column-per-100 { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100%; } .mj-column-per-50 { width: 50% !important; max-width: 50%; } }
=E2=80=A6and McDonald=E2=80=99s and= Chipotle fry up earnings
 
=

"The Last of U= s" was the most pirated show last year (FilmMagic/Getty Images)

 
=
Last Week=E2=80=99s Market Moves
 
Dow Jones
38,654 (+1.43%)		S&P 500
4,959 (+1.38%)		Nasdaq
15,629 (+1.12%)		Bitcoin
= Dow Jones
38,654 (+1.43%)		S&P= 500
4,959 (+1.38%)
= Nasdaq
15,629 (+1.12%)		Bitcoi= n
$43,184 (+3.28%)
<= /table>
=

Hey Snackers,

The Wiggle= s hired their first CEO. The children's-music group is a surprisingly big b= iz to take over: since 1991, they=E2=80=99ve sold 30M albums and DVDs, plus= 8M books =E2=80=94 and 30+ years in, they=E2=80=99re still doing arena tou= rs (that rival Coldplay for ticket sales). That=E2=80=99s some yummy, yummy= financial salad.

The S&P 500 hit another record high on Friday a= fter Big Tech earnings came in hot. Meta had the largest daily market-cap growth i= n stock-market history after the company reported. The Fed kept interest ra= tes steady, but hinted that cuts aren=E2=80=99t likely in March. US job gro= wth surged in January, providing more soft-landing optimism.

Btw... Do you want to start getting Snacks daily? Or prefer to un= subscribe? Manage your subscription preferences here.

=
Ahoy
<= /table>

Digital piracy is m= aking waves again, and streamers and record labels should be worried

Re-hoisting the Jolly Roger=E2=80=A6 Online piracy is on the ris= e as some stream-fatigued consumers set sail for cheaper content waters. St= ealing music, movies, and shows was big in the early 2000s. But even as Netflix and Spoti= fy make content more accessible than ever, piracy is surging.= Since 2019, visits to piracy sites are up 13%. That=E2=80=99s got entertai= nment execs (already struggling with profitability) shivering their timbers= .

  • Yo Ho: Piracy costs the US (fyi: the global leader in piracy) ~$30B/ye= ar in lost revenue. Meantime, streamers including Disney and Netflix have hiked prices while crac= king down on password mooching.

  • Big bounty: The top three US piracy sites have 2M users paying $5 t= o $10/month to consume illegally hosted content (pirates make $$ from ads t= oo). A Philadelphia man behind a major TV-piracy scheme was sentenced last = year to over five years in prison and ordered to forfeit $30M in assets.

  • A swift example: Taylor Sw= ift=E2=80=99s albums were torrented 5M times last year, but the real figure= is likely much higher: torrents represent a fraction of music piracy.

    <= /li>

Actually, many would download a car=E2=80=A6 (that <= u>PSA didn=E2=80=99t work, btw). Research has shown that people who= pirate tend to spend more on legit content than their peers =E2=80=94=C2= =A0but turn to piracy when content is unaffordable or too hard to access. <= a href=3D"https://sg.robinhood.com/ls/click?upn=3D6fntGirSE5selsQKrSSUHjMA5= 9bDfCWW6qZNCvrM0fJAnVqsOdcdhJp1Y36oPaCdA-xp_y6r4Y-2Fjyz39fUgiIVZvxszI1-2BOk= sX762wK6L32M97xgJ-2FnBU-2Fpq1oGUBER66ULtndC83EJsDZjSWeftsN6Lup40-2Bw9DzM89k= 99Ep-2F9JNFEdX1XJD7oXduyZFd15OAaoy-2FRPwdFUGWJdMl4WL3g-2Fx5OqkJy63AtL6Zw5sC= 9WodNziS2MgBNDltp9-2FRr7JY9HuoOFl0RiggGpqItLIxUyU4k7bSTp6STaVbAJGNAXHhRe4o1= XKd2cgfrUw8J14kJWyptRpawQY8SQa0XO7gr2ct5UyGNimgwx6dl8Mz-2Fefz0eBYsQQc-2B-2F= nA7LscgqDPmrLdptfiyQwiwF5E6-2FjVnumOxqUT-2FDZRNNBaY-2B5SDWuw31mPxKkUYmPk80B= mCegweVoT1-2Bgusz1O7vuPTPAxhYaP0DhcbGCvrBCt9CxnhVVe2x5810G-2FruB2t-2FOQLpbo= bJrcpzBp0xFF5e7qhWQpXJT7LTeawVihuuQk3hyGNZlcuwc4OM2YrmWaDdOD7aKMXjUYlCGplk5= FD5I7tKpK2HP-2BEIQ-2FrQHcAYpZxnwc8lrHkl4n7mmdVekwp87HFWu-2FgGXDa36VFAFEUdX8= rfoVTlVjEal03E-2BCOFPmNDRQYpqly75ywouFw7IPf3TcuHq-2BDy7lKvVwCtKdlzUgb7ujVSe= eVGXBL5ORzxyxaifrkQWRsYAX8DmB8Oh0CLSh4l6-2B2ccMZLFAyAR42RxcpZb1R1w6A-3D-3D"= rel=3D"noopener" style=3D"color:#26A19B;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:u= nderline;text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-underline-offset:1px" target=3D= "_blank" class=3D"css-0">Warner Bros.=E2=80=99 =E2=80=9CLast of = Us=E2=80=9D was the most pirated TV show last year, and anime (which tends = to drop on piracy sites far earlier than lawful streamers) accounted for 25= % of all pirated content. Anti-piracy experts say the streaming industry=E2= =80=99s ongoing price hikes will likely lead to $113B in piracy losses by 2= 027.

THE TAKEAWAY

Walled gardens can still be pillaged=E2=80=A6 Spotify (w= hich reports this week) was born from founder Daniel Ek=E2=80=99s desire to= create something =E2=80=9Cbetter than piracy.=E2=80=9D Time=E2=80=99ll tel= l if streamers=E2=80=99 foray into cheaper ad tiers and bundles can curb th= e rise of ripping by offering more for less. The threat=E2=80=99s no joke: = in the peak Napster and LimeWire era, total revenue from US music sales mor= e than halved.

<= /tr>
<= /tbody>
<= div style=3D"font-family: 'General Grotesque Bold', Arial; font-weight: 700= ; letter-spacing: 0.03em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #1C1C1C; paddin= g: 6px 19px; border-radius: 30px; border: 0; background-color:#62E5DA; disp= lay: inline-block;">Events
<= /table>

Coming up th= is week

Up in smoke=E2=80=A6 Folks are smoking less tobacc= o, but Big Tobacco=E2=80=99s far from getting stubbed out. Marlboro maker <= a href=3D"https://sg.robinhood.com/ls/click?upn=3D6fntGirSE5selsQKrSSUHjMA5= 9bDfCWW6qZNCvrM0fIxWmgAIH3sHpksz-2F6zngbC6tm4_y6r4Y-2Fjyz39fUgiIVZvxszI1-2B= OksX762wK6L32M97xgJ-2FnBU-2Fpq1oGUBER66ULtndC83EJsDZjSWeftsN6Lup40-2Bw9DzM8= 9k99Ep-2F9JNFEdX1XJD7oXduyZFd15OAaoy-2FRPwdFUGWJdMl4WL3g-2Fx5OqkJy63AtL6Zw5= sC9WodNziS2MgBNDltp9-2FRr7JY9HuoOFl0RiggGpqItLIxUyU4k7bSTp6STaVbAJGNAXHhRe4= o1XKd2cgfrUw8J14kJWyptRpawQY8SQa0XO7gr2ct5UyGNimgwx6dl8Mz-2Fefz0eBYsQQc-2B-= 2FnA7LscgqDPmrLdptfiyQwiwF5E6-2FjVnumOxqUT-2FDZRNNBaY-2B5SDWuw31mPxKkUYmPk8= 0BmCegweVoT1-2Bgusz1O7vuPTPAxhYaP0DhcbGCvrBCt9CxnhVVe2wqlnA4gMC35KgGjeHnaec= wTfM-2F-2Bi8sUnGLszBPbAc0Ef2qf0c9CIYZxBvj022Na4VB6de1ygYcpDwKQesEsqS4zI7n3m= 20EYpqzY1EELney0nrzgNjGLaCw97P0KJEwElppB00VJ7dojF6gwwxFDSVzNCjf746ux-2BkIX5= wPxhaf7E1b-2BBuAoF3S0nVwnCrpdl6HtCgf3uBcbFRLUqLSpdzcftTuLgW-2FYXRUDqAQgo7yq= nLsS6cDWv6hsFOEda8AoYB0IbbiQLKfvdflkOea8aRUqTI9V7YZtsyBcSq6ckQFQ-3D-3D" rel= =3D"noopener" style=3D"color:#26A19B;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:under= line;text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-underline-offset:1px" target=3D"_bl= ank" class=3D"css-0">Philip Morris International, which reports = Thursday, has leaned into smokeless-nicotine products like vapes and heated= tobacco sticks to usher in a =E2=80=9Csmoke-free=E2=80=9D future. Customer= s are buying it: smoke-free products now account for a third of the company= =E2=80=99s sales. A recent boom in nicotine pouches like Zyn have boosted P= M=E2=80=99s profit outlook. In its last reported quarter, the biz sold 105M= + Zyn tins =E2=80=94=C2=A0a 66% jump on the year.

Big Macs and bur= rito bowls=E2=80=A6 McDonald=E2=80= =99s and Chipotle are ex= pected to serve up hearty earnings this week. In October, the fast-food big= gies saw double-digit revenue growth and topped estimates. Both have benefi= ted from price hikes and their beefy mobile-order businesses, as fast-food = spending stayed resilient despite #quesoflation. Proof: Chipotle=E2=80=99s = looking to hire 19K new workers as it preps for its busiest time of year: = =E2=80=9Cburrito season.=E2=80=9D

<= div style=3D"font-family: 'General Grotesque Bold', Arial; font-weight: 700= ; letter-spacing: 0.03em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #1C1C1C; paddin= g: 6px 19px; border-radius: 30px; border: 0; background-color:#62E5DA; disp= lay: inline-block;">Zoom out
<= /table>

Stories we= =E2=80=99re watching

#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt=E2=80=A6 TikTok= really wants #ForYou to shop. The app is reportedly opening live studi= os for creators to film QVC-style livestreams and testing a feature that co= uld make any post shoppable. It=E2=80=99s estimated that TikTok Shop, launc= hed in September, lost $500M+ last year. But parent co ByteDance sai= d TikTok=E2=80=99s ecomm biz could become as big as Chinese sister app D= ouyin=E2=80=99s, which raked in $208B in 2022. Social shopping has fail= ed to take off in the US the way it has in China (Meta=E2=80=99s = tried), and TikTokers=E2=80=99 initial reaction has been * bombastic si= de-eye *.

A heated hearing=E2=80=A6 Bipartisan lawmakers blast= ed the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X, Snap, and Discord during a he= aring on child safety online. Senators condemned them for not doing enough = to prevent child sexual exploitation and contributing to a mental-health cr= isis. Sen. Lindsey Graham told the CEOs: =E2=80=9CYou have blood on your ha= nds.=E2=80=9D Last year, tech companies flagged a record 36M+ instances of = child sexual abuse content. Despite lawsuits, holding social platforms lega= lly accountable is tough because of protections that give them immunity fro= m being liable for users=E2=80=99 posts.

What else we're Snackin'

  • JRE: Joe Rogan nabbed a fresh deal wi= th Spotify estimated to be worth up to $250M. Unlike his previous Sp= otify exclusive, the new deal allows the top podcaster to be on other platf= orms like <= b>YouTube.

  • IOUs: The Bid= en admin said it=E2=80=99ll try to forgive student loans for borrowers expe= riencing financial hardship. Since SCOTUS struck down Biden=E2=80=99s unive= rsal forgiveness plan, the admin has sought narrower cases for nixing debts= .

  • TokOff<= /u>: TikTok said it had removed all songs from artists reppe= d by Universal Music Group (including Taylor Swift, Drake, BTS, and = Olivia Rodrigo) after failing to reach a new licensing agreement. The beef = was over artist royalties.

<= /tr>
Want your Snacks daily?
<= img src=3D"https://cdn.robinhood.com/marketsnacks_assets/v2/news@2x.png" wi= dth=3D"24" height=3D"24">The Daily Newsletter
=
Get fresh takes on financial news every week day. Try a sa= mple:

=F0=9F= =A4=96 Big Tech earnings wrap =E2=80=A2 Feb 2, 2024
=E2=9D=A4=EF=B8= =8F=E2=80=8D=F0=9F=94=A5 Tinder woos Gen Z =E2=80=A2 Feb 1, 2024
= =F0=9F=8C=98 GenAI=E2=80=99s dark side =E2=80=A2 Jan 31, 2024

Subscribe to the Daily
<= /table>
Snack Fact Of the Day

<= /table>
This Week

  • Monday: Earnings expec= ted from Caterpillar, McDonald=E2=80=99s, Est=C3=A9e Lauder, Tyson Foods= , and Palantir

  • Tu= esday: Annual trade-deficit report. Earnings expected from Eli Lilly= , Spotify, Hertz, BP, Toyota, Snap, Ford, Chipotle, Elf Beauty, Amgen, VF C= orp, Gilead, H&R Block, and MicroStrategy

  • Wednesday: Earnings expected from Alib= aba, Uber, CVS, Roblox, Hilton, and Yum Brands

  • Thursday: Earnings expected from Auror= a Cannabis, ConocoPhillips, Cloudflare, Expedia, Philip Morris Inter= national, Spirit Airlines, Hershey, Affirm, Take-Two Interactive, and <= b>Pinterest

  • Friday: = Super Bowl weekend kicks off. Earnings expected from Canopy Growth, = Pepsi, and Enbridge

Authors of this Snacks ow= n shares of: CVS, Disney, Eli Lilly, Snap, Uber, and Yum Brands

<= /div>

=
<= /td>
Sherwood Media, LLC produc= es fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully o= wned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do= not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate... See more
--ab6a7ae09f03e9129928cba2a07d3120ec394b54c82ad551fcb8f95bdd4a--