🤖 Nvidia’s tough comparisons

…and Amazon’s precious show returns Glen Photo/Shutterstock Nvidia envy   Presented by Hey Snackers, Hi, Barbie Phone: Mattel and Nokia parent HMD [rolled out]( a $130 hot-pink Barbie-themed flip phone. They say the internet-free device is designed to help teens digitally detox. It only has calls, texts, and a pink “Snake” game. Maybe dumb phones really are Kenough. Markets closed [in the red]( yesterday as Wall Street braced for Nvidia’s earnings (spoiler: they were good). Still, the chip maker’s stock dropped after hours.   ENVIDIOUS [Nvidia unloads another quarter of feverish growth — but it wasn’t quite as good as usual]( Not very demure… Nvidia said that both its sales and its profit more than doubled last quarter from a year earlier. As the AI-computing frenzy raged, Q2 revenue came in at an expectation-topping $30B while profit was an eye-popping $16.6B. The chip titan’s sales forecast for the current quarter was also better than analysts had expected. Still, the stock dropped 7% yesterday after Nvidia reported. - Tough comparisons: Nvidia’s 122% sales growth was undeniably strong, but it was preceded by three straight quarters of 200%+ growth. In Q1, its revenue had more than 3x’d from a year earlier and profit had 6x’d. Womp. More chips in the bag… Nvidia, once known mostly for its sophisticated graphics cards for gaming consoles, is now estimated to control between 70 and 95% of the AI-chip market. Yet rivals are comin’ in hot: in November, Intel and AMD [announced]( their own genAI chips. And Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft all said they’d use AMD’s chip. Like Nvidia, AMD makes gaming GPUs that it’s adapting for AI. Microsoft said it’s using AMD’s processors to run its Copilot models. Meantime, China’s Huawei has reportedly [developed]( its own advanced AI chip, which could eat into Nvidia’s sales in the country. Even worse: Nvidia is competing against its own customers. - Google, Amazon, and Microsoft (aka Nvidia’s biggest buyers) are also cookin’ up their own AI chips. Google said it trained its Gemini AI model on its own processors. - Big Techies account for nearly 40% of Nvidia’s sales. If Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta start relying on their own chips, that’s bad news for Nvidia. THE TAKEAWAY The higher you go, the higher the bar… With investors used to Nvidia reporting triple-digit growth, the year-over-year comparisons are getting tougher to beat. And companies want alternatives to Nvidia’s pricey processors to help them keep up with the pace of AI expansion, and that could make it harder for Nvidia to keep surpassing the lofty standard it set. [Read this online](   Presented by EnergyX This Lithium Investment Opportunity Ends Oct. 3 The future was once powered by oil. It minted countless millionaires and reshaped the world. Now, much of tomorrow’s technology will be powered by lithium, the key component in batteries which power smart phones and electric vehicles. Demand is projected to increase 20X by 2040 — and securing the supply has created [an enormous opportunity.]( Prominent names are investing in EnergyX. GM led a $50M investment round to help secure the lithium they’ll need to meet their EV target, and POSCO [strategically invested in EnergyX]( as it seeks efficient solutions for lithium production. Now, you can stake your claim in this new boom — but you’ll need to act fast. [EnergyX is only accepting new shareholders through October 3. Become an early investor today.]( Presented by EnergyX This Lithium Investment Opportunity Ends Oct. 3 The future was once powered by oil. It minted countless millionaires and reshaped the world. Now, much of tomorrow’s technology will be powered by lithium, the key component in batteries which power smart phones and electric vehicles. Demand is projected to increase 20X by 2040 — and securing the supply has created [an enormous opportunity.]( Prominent names are investing in EnergyX. GM led a $50M investment round to help secure the lithium they’ll need to meet their EV target, and POSCO [strategically invested in EnergyX]( as it seeks efficient solutions for lithium production. Now, you can stake your claim in this new boom — but you’ll need to act fast. [EnergyX is only accepting new shareholders through October 3. Become an early investor today.](   PRECIOUS [Amazon’s “Rings of Power” returns as streamers hook viewers with tentpole shows]( Lord of the streams… The second season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” debuted on Amazon’s Prime Video today. The show’s first season was Amazon’s most-watched this week, signaling hype for part two of the Tolkien series’ five planned seasons. “The Rings of Power”’s first season is believed to be the priciest TV show ever made, costing $715M. 25M Tolkienites tuned in for S1’s first episode on its first day, making it Amazon’s most-viewed premiere. Prime’s chasing the fiery success of Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Game of Thrones.” - Fantasy feud: “The Rings of Power”’s first two episodes got way more views than S1 “House of the Dragon”’s first two. But RoP had a steep dropoff between its first episode and finale, while HoD gained viewers between its first and last episodes. One show to rule ’em all… Streamers are spending big on exclusive content, from original shows to live-sports deals. Amazon splurged nearly $19B on movies, shows, and Amazon Music tunes last year, up 14% from 2022. It thinks Prime Video can become profitable because it keeps investing in exclusive shows. Netflix plans to spend $17B on content this year, a more than $4B bump from last year, and most of it’s earmarked for exclusives. (Netflix’s top shows have consistently been original hits like “Emily in Paris”). Apple TV+ has spent $500M+ on making award-winning movies like “Flowers of the Killer Moon.” THE TAKEAWAY Exclusive hits hook viewers… and licensed oldies like “Seinfeld” anchor them. Streamers are trying to strike a balance between splurging on originals and reserving some $$ for licensed classics that Disney+ and Max already have stockpiled. New seasons drive sign-ups, but it’s the shows viewers want to watch while they’re washing dishes that keep them from hitting “unsubscribe.” So come for “Stranger Things,” stay for “Sex and the City.” [Read this online](   REDACTED Which revenue stream brought in $7B for US airlines last year? ([Answer here]() ([Answer here]()   ON SHERWOOD [MrBeast is losing his edge]( An army of mini-Beasts is eating his lunch. [Read more.](   What else we're Snackin' - [Stitch](: Abercrombie posted record Q2 sales as younger shoppers splurged on summer dresses and back-to-school denim. But the stock sank 15% after the mall staple said costs were up and margin growth was cooling. - [Pawrent](: Chewy shares spiked after the online pet retailer more than 10x’d its quarterly profit. Chewy shoppers spent more than ever on premium food and health services for their furry friends. - [Soleful](: Foot Locker topped estimates, unboxing its first same-store-sales growth in six quarters. The sneaker retailer said its investment in store makeovers had attracted more foot traffic. - [Stacked](: Lego’s sales jumped 13% to $4.6B in the first half of the year, bucking the toy-industry slowdown. The Danish block maker saw healthy demand for its “Fortnite” collection and themed sets (“Star Wars,” “Harry Potter”). - [Plugged](: BYD, the world's second-biggest EV seller after Tesla, said its profit jumped 33% last quarter, even as EV demand in China stalled. It expects nearly half of future sales to come from outside China.   Snack Fact of the Day [Berkshire Hathaway just became the first non-tech US company with a $1T market cap](   Thursday - US weekly jobless claims and pending home sales - Earnings expected from Best Buy, American Eagle Outfitters, Dollar General, Birkenstock, Burlington Stores, Campbell Soup, 1-800-Flowers.com, Polestar, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Dell, Lululemon, Ulta Beauty, Marvell, Autodesk, and Gap Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Alphabet, Amazon, AMD, Apple, Disney, Nvidia, Microsoft, Tesla, Ulta, and Warner Bros. Discovery Advertiser's disclosures: This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX’s Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the [offering circular]( and [related risks]( at [invest.energyx.com]( Start-up investments are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. Those investors who cannot afford to lose their entire investment should not invest in start-ups. Companies seeking startup investment tend to be in earlier stages of development and their business model, products and services may not yet be fully developed, operational or tested in the public marketplace. There is no guarantee that the stated valuation and other terms are accurate or in agreement with the market or industry valuations. Further, investors may receive illiquid and/or restricted stock that may be subject to holding period requirements and/or liquidity concerns. DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA's BrokerCheck.   [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [Sherwood Logo]( Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate... [See more]( [Sherwood Terms and Conditions]( [Our Editorial Standards]( [Contact Us](mailto:hello@snacks.robinhood.com) [Advertise With Us](mailto:advertising@sherwoodmedia.com) [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy](