🌳 The Gov v. greenwashing

… and senators avert debt-astrophe. [Disclosures](   This storm looks expensive [Rapideye/E+ via Getty Images]   Last Week’s Market Moves   Dow Jones 34,746 (1.22%) S&P 500 4,391 (0.79%) Nasdaq 14,580 (0.09%) Bitcoin $54,701 (13.58%) Dow Jones 34,746 (1.22%) S&P 500 4,391 (0.79%) Nasdaq 14,580 (0.09%) Bitcoin $54,701 (13.58%) Hey Snackers, White Vans and green jumpsuits: Possibly the hottest new fashion trend, also Netflix’s “Squid Game” uniform. Vans sales have jumped [7,800%]( since the show’s debut. Stocks ticked up for the week, buoyed by Senators' move to temporarily raise the debt-ceiling (more on that below). Plus, Bitcoin climbed back up over $50K. Now, we're heading in to earnings season, when investors will be watching for the impact of labor shortages and supply chain crunches. Want to start getting Snacks daily? Or prefer to unsubscribe? Manage your subscription preferences [here](. Scrub The Green Sheet: The Fed and SEC plant seeds for better corporate climate reporting Climate-change stress… is getting financial. Risks related to climate change could affect global markets in a big way, and US officials are taking note. Last week, the Fed moved closer to launching climate-risk safety checkups. And the SEC is trying to amp up rules for corporate climate reporting. The disclosures could change company valuations, and how investors view entire industries. The details: - Climate checkup: The Fed wants to require Big Banks to tally climate risks — aka how much $$ is threatened by intensifying wildfires and floods. - Climate filings: The SEC wants public companies to share how climate change could affect their business (think: fossil-fueled lawsuits), demand for carbon-heavy products, and what they’re spending to stay compliant. - Targets: The SEC might also make companies share five-year plans for cutting emissions, plus net-zero goals. Late to the climate rally… The US is playing catch-up with countries like England and France, which have already set corporate climate-reporting standards. Meanwhile, companies have been making their own rules: - Neutralize: Tech giants like [Amazon]( and [Microsoft]( made plans to go carbon-neutral. [Google]( says it’s been carbon-neutral since 2007. - Transition: Oil companies [Exxon]( [Shell]( and [BP]( have made multibillion-dollar plans to shift to renewable energy. - Clean-vest: Investment firms like [BlackRock]( have prioritized renewables to de-risk funds. Green filter... About 90% of S&P 500 companies share voluntary climate reports. But they’re usually not regulated, and sometimes “greenwashed” to inflate progress: - Facts: Most Fortune 500 companies have emissions targets, but only 20% are based on science. - Dally: Amazon committed to carbon neutrality by 2040 in 2019, but its emissions have actually grown 15%+ annually since. - Lip service: Companies like [Netflix]( and [Costco]( have said they want to reduce their footprints, but haven’t set targets. THE TAKEAWAY Goodbye, greenwashing… Because climate accounting is about to be clearer. Standardized climate reporting through the Fed and SEC will likely make it harder for companies to fudge their environmental impact. US officials say better reporting will drive more capital to greener industries, and help countries reach net-zero emissions. Big money is at stake too: Extreme weather has cost the US [$1.9T]( since 1980, and $95B last year alone. Zoom Out Stories we’re watching... Leaky roof… Last week the Senate raised the $28T debt ceiling by $480B, preventing a historic and [“catastrophic”]( default, for now. Lawmakers will need to go back to the drawing board to make a long-term plan in December. One solution: The President could order the Treasury to mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin to help offset the nation’s debt. The idea emerged a decade ago but was nixed over inflation worries. TBD if it will happen. Lifting off... Flights to Cabo still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, but US airline travel is poised to rev up during the holidays. [United Airlines]( said it planned to offer 91% as many domestic flights in December as it did the same month in 2019. [Delta]( said US business traffic is starting to grow, and next year could be its best year since before the pandemic. Flight searches for holiday trips are also up 16% compared to 2019. We’ll see if Delta concerns change airlines’ outlook. Events Coming up this week... Banks’ big week... [Citigroup]( [JPMorgan Chase]( [Morgan Stanley]( and [Wells Fargo]( all report this week. Earlier this year, banks profited from strong consumer spending (thanks, [stimmy]( checks) and by moving billions of “rainy day [funds]( to reserves. [Goldman Sachs]( and other top IPO underwriters have benefited from a [record]( year for market debuts. Now, investors are watching loan revenue from products like mortgages. Loan growth has been stagnant, and makes up [more]( than half of the banking industry’s revenue. Dough-eyed… America’s biggest pizza chain saw sales skyrocket during lockdown when more people munched from their couch. Domino’s sales growth has slowed down this year, but the chain is still growing sales in places where Covid restrictions are lifting. Small price hikes for delivery fees and menu items have helped. When [Domino’s]( reports on Thursday, we’ll see whether the labor shortage impacts results (the chain hires its own delivery [drivers]( and if the pizza fever is still going strong as more cities reopen. ICYMI Last week's highlights... - [Global]( Netflix’s South Korean hit “Squid Game” didn’t become the top TV show in 90 countries by accident — it’s part of the ’Flix’s strategy to go global. - [Levi’s]( The denim icon's sales blew past pre-pandemic levels last quarter thanks to “casualization” (think: baggy), plus a sturdy supply chain behind the seams. - [Robotaxi]( [GM]( isn’t only doubling down on EVs to catch up to [Tesla]( —– it’s launching a robotaxi fleet in a push to zoom past it. What else we're Snackin' - [Breakthrough]( A new “pacemaker for the brain” could help treat severe depression. Magnet to download brain activity included. - [Pivot]( Burnout and [Zoom]( fatigue: Why some millennials are quitting their jobs without a plan B. - [Mine]( See all the metals we pull out of the Earth each year in one picture. Spoiler: There’s tons of iron. 🍪 Want to start Snacking daily? Sign up [here]( for our daily market newsletter. The Snacks Daily Podcast Tesla HQ is following Elon from Silicon Valley, CA to Austin, TX. [Tune in]( to hear why Tesla dumping CA is a bigger deal for every other company. Snack Fact Of the Day [Cuban-born Roberto Goizueta became the first Latino CEO of a Fortune 500 company in 1981, as leader of Coca Cola]( This Week - Monday: Indigenous Peoples’ Day - Tuesday: Earnings expected from Fastenal - Wednesday: September Consumer Price Index. Earnings expected from JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, BlackRock, Infosys, Progressive, and Delta - Thursday: Weekly jobless claims. Earnings expected from UnitedHealth, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, US Bancorp, Walgreens, Domino’s, and Del Taco - Friday: September retail sales. Earnings expected from Goldman Sachs, JB Hunt, Prologis, and PNC Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Google, Netflix ID: 1869667 Robinhood Snacks newsletters and podcasts reflect the opinions of only the authors who are associated persons of Robinhood Financial LLC (Member [SIPC]( and do not reflect the views of Robinhood Markets, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. They are for informational purposes only, and are not a recommendation of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any security, digital asset (cryptocurrency, etc) in any account. They are also not research reports and are not intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision. Any third-party information provided therein does not reflect the views of Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, or any of their subsidiaries or affiliates. 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