⚠️ Don't overlook AMD

Target overshot everyone's expectations | Car sales kept climbing in Europe | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for May 18th in 3:15 minutes. 🗺 Ditch the blueprint and redraw the real estate investing map. Join Kuflink's Narinder Khattoare for [Alternative Ways To Invest In Real Estate]( on Thursday, and find out why alternative property investing is charting its own course these days. [Get your free ticket]( Today's big stories - Target overshot expectations, even with consumers tightening their purse strings - Here’s why everyone’s suddenly talking about AMD – [Read Now]( - April’s car sales kept climbing in Europe Trade Carefully [Trade Carefully] What’s going on here? Target's results on Wednesday [showed]( that stores were chock full of shoppers – but there were still a few warning signs dotted about. What does this mean? Navigating the retail world might not have been a walk in the park last quarter (looking at you, Home Depot) – but it seems that discount retailer Target managed to hold its own despite the headwinds. Sure, the firm’s barely-there sales growth didn’t set the world on fire, but there were positives given the grim backdrop. After all, while nice-to-haves were out of style, the firm saw customers flock to its stores for groceries and household offerings – with store traffic actually up compared to last year. What’s more, gross profit margins climbed too, thanks to dipping transportation costs and less overstocked inventory in need of discounting. That meant the savvy firm took a well-earned bow, with revenue and profit both overshooting expectations. Why should I care? Zooming in: Decline and fall. Target’s sales trajectory showed the truth of the consumer spending environment right now: starting decently in February, the numbers dipped in March, and then took another nosedive in April. And although Target’s no stranger to adapting to customers’ habits – it’s already leaning into the popularity of cheap essentials – that dropoff could spell trouble. The firm, then, is keeping expectations in check, warning that the quarter ahead could be a slow one and maintaining its pretty conservative full-year outlook. But hey, better safe than sorry… The bigger picture: Penny-wise and dollar-foolish. Target’s outlook might send shivers down the spines of investors concerned about weakening consumer spending – something that makes up a hefty chunk of the US economy, and one of the only factors standing between the US and looming economic shrinkage earlier this year. And those all-too-valid worries might explain why Target and Walmart’s shares have been struggling lately, trailing behind the S&P 500 so far this year. You might also like: [Keep an eye on these three big real-world recession indicators.]( Copy to share story: [/over-target]( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Trade Carefully&utm_campaign=daily-global-18-05-2023&utm_source=email) Analyst Take Why Advanced Micro Devices Just Might Be The Next Big Thing In AI [Why Advanced Micro Devices Just Might Be The Next Big Thing In AI]( By Paul Allison, Analyst Investors have been buzzing about [artificial intelligence (AI)]( all year. And for the most part, that’s meant swarming around Microsoft, the software titan that’s bringing [OpenAI’s ChatGPT]( into its suite of products, and [Nvidia, the semiconductor behemoth]( that’s been designing the stuff that’ll power this new tech. But lately, another name’s been popping up that you might want to pay attention to: [Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)](. So that’s today’s Insight: [why everyone’s suddenly talking about AMD – and what you need to know about it.]( [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY CME You could turn volatility into your portfolio’s tailwind Market volatility doesn’t need to be a turn-off. Instead, you could use it to get your portfolio going. You could do that by using [futures](: investors use them to hold a stake in a variety of markets, manage their risk, and hedge their bets. The thing is, they can be tricky to wrap your head around. But our new [Finimize and CME Group guide]( aims to demystify the whole process for retail investors, breaking down [what futures are, how to trade them, and their pros and cons](. Then you can put your newfound know-how to work. You’ll find countless [fresh, quality options]( with unmatched liquidity at [decent value]( at CME Group, plus any [tools you’ll need]( along the way. So, if you want to start using volatility to your advantage, you can brush up on futures with the [Finimize and CME Group guide](. DisclaimerCME Group futures are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of loss. Copyright © 2023 CME Group Inc. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. Good Carma [Good Carma] What’s going on here? Patient European carmakers were rewarded with [jumping]( sales again last month. What does this mean? Carmakers have been wrestling with supply shortages for quite a while now – but with supply chains finding their feet at last, they might have finally broken free from that pesky chokehold. After all, overcoming those snags helped clear through some pesky order backlogs, letting VW, Renault, and Stellantis sell 32%, 40%, and 8% more cars respectively in April than at the same time last year. That saw European car sales overall climb 16% in April, marking a stone-cold nine-month winning streak. But there’s a catch: despite that year-on-year headway, deliveries during the first four months of the year are still about 20% below pre-pandemic levels. And with a faltering economy threatening to dent demand, reaching those heights again could be a long uphill slog. Why should I care? Zooming in: Carmageddon. Carmakers are facing a double whammy. They’re bracing for demand dips just as supply chains revive and a wave of new vehicles (including high-tech electric offerings) hits the market – a supply-demand picture that could erode any pricing power carmakers have managed to cling onto. And maybe call it a “triple whammy” – because Tesla’s price war is sending shockwaves across the industry too. That tough, three-punch combo could push customers to hold off on buying cars – creating a vicious cycle of falling sales for carmakers. Any way you slice it, then, there seems to be trouble up ahead. The bigger picture: Ad astra. Tesla is cranking up the pressure on competitors in a surprising way: launching ads for its EVs. See, while the car industry is notorious for splashing out on advertisements, Tesla’s typically swerved away, relying on word of mouth and referrals instead. This about-face suggests it’s ready to throw down the gauntlet and snatch market share from rivals – meaning that we could be entering a new era of fierce auto competition. You might also like: [What investors are getting wrong about the EV market right now.]( Copy to share story: [/good-carma]( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Good Carma&utm_campaign=daily-global-18-05-2023&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day "Only the shallow know themselves." – Oscar Wilde (an Irish poet and playwright) [Tweet this]( Calling all fintechs, founders, and fed-up execs You probably know that content can be a game-changing way to [keep customers engaged](. But you might not know that the Finimize API can bring a world of [expert writing and audio]( to your platform right away – for a fraction of what producing it in-house would cost. With access to our [entire content library](, we've made sharing our world-class analysis, news, and educational content with your customers a total breeze. Millions of [engaged investors]( already get smarter with Finimize every day: now your customers – and your [engagement rates]( – can level up too. [Book A Demo]( 🌍 Finimize Live 🥳 Coming Up In The Next Week... All events in UK time. 🏠[Alternative Ways To Invest In Real Estate](: 1pm, May 18th ✅ [Three Industries That Thrive In A Downturn](: 5pm, May 23rd 🚀 [A Guide To Prop Trading](: 5pm, May 25th 👀 And After That... 3️⃣ [Three Reasons To Invest In Crypto Right Now](: 5pm, 30th May 💥 [A Guide To Impact Investing 2.0](: 1pm, June 1st 🌎 [The ESG Revolution: Investing with Purpose](: 6pm, June 8th 🙋‍♀️ [Finimize Ladies Investing Club](: 6.30pm, July 13th 🎉 [Modern Investor Summit 2023](: 12pm, December 5th & 6th 🎯 On Our Radar 1. The world’s most unusual neighborhood. These Dutch folk live in [giant concrete spheres](. 2. Introducing the eggheads. You already know our work – so get to know the [Finimize team members]( who create it. 3. The boom of broke. With VICE biting the dust, we could be in for a [wave of bankruptcies](. 4. High-climbing canine. This [dog had to be rescued]( after scaling England’s highest mountain. 5. Aging and on the ball. 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