💼 The 9-to-2 boom

…and Nvidia’s chip-petition (Jordan Siemens/Getty Images) Only one of these jobs is part-time   Sponsored by Last week's market moves Dow Jones 40,004 (+1.24%) S&P 500 5,303 (+1.54%) Nasdaq 16,686 (+2.11%) Bitcoin $66,854 (+9.82%) Dow Jones 40,004 (+1.24%) S&P 500 5,303 (+1.54%) Nasdaq 16,686 (+2.11%) Bitcoin $66,854 (+9.82%) Hey Snackers, New Zealand’s [sheep-to-people]( ratio fell again last year to below 5-to-1, far from the peak-sheep year of 1981 (22 sheep/person). What a ewe turn. The Dow crossed 40K for the first time last week (#DowFortyThou) and the major US indexes notched [record-high]( closes. Investors cheered reports that showed cooling inflation, which boosted rate-cut hopes.   SHE-CONOMY [Part-time work hits a record in the US as more women enter the labor force]( In for breakfast… out by lunch. More Americans than ever are working less than 35 hours a week, fresh Labor Department stats have shown. In March there were a record 29.2M part-time employees, making up over ~17% of the workforce — the biggest slice of the job market since 2020. As companies still struggle to fill pandemic-depleted openings, some are offering part-time options and flexitime. FYI: there are still 1.7M fewer Americans in the workforce than prepandemic. - Side hustle: As inflation eats into budgets, more than half of Americans have taken on a side gig (in addition to their main job) in the past year, a recent study said. - Part-time pref: Most American part-timers are doing it for reasons like childcare, education, or family obligations — not necessarily because they couldn’t find a full-time job. Moms on duty… While teens and retirees have long made up the bulk of part-timers, prime working-age women are taking the lead. After millions of women dropped out of the workforce during the pandemic “[she-cession](,” a record share of women ages 25 to 54 are now participating. Women typically shoulder most childcare duties, but in March the rate of employed women with a child under age 5 rose to nearly 70%. Part-time work has boosted women’s labor-force participation, with around a fifth now working part-time as childcare costs soar. Last year the costs of childcare services in the US grew at more than double the rate of inflation. THE TAKEAWAY 9-to-2 is the new 9-to-5… Many who lost their jobs or retired early during the pandemic aren’t rushing back to work full-time. A 2022 survey by the US Chamber of Commerce said about half of working-age Americans were turning down positions that didn’t offer WFH options. People age 25 to 34 said they were prioritizing personal development over a 9-to-5 grind. Meanwhile, a record 4.1M Americans could retire this year. Women — and increasingly immigrant workers — are helping fill the labor gap. Sponsored by EnergyX The Lithium Boom Did you know It takes 10,000 iPhone batteries worth of Lithium to make 1 EV? With over 350 million EVs projected to be sold globally by 2030 demand for Li is projected to soar and current extraction methods, won’t be able to meet the demand. So when [EnergyX]( revealed that their technology could extract 300% more lithium than traditional methods, investors everywhere took note. They’ve inked deals with top lithium producers including POSCO who is building a 100k ton/year plant, secured a $50M strategic investment from GM, and won a $5M DOE grant. Most recently, they acquired a 90,000-acre mining asset with ~5.5M tons of lithium. Now, [EnergyX]( is accepting shareholders for a limited time. This is a unique opportunity to invest on the ground floor as the company is set to unlock a massive lithium supply. [Learn more about becoming an EnergyX shareholder here.](1 Sponsored by EnergyX The Lithium Boom Did you know It takes 10,000 iPhone batteries worth of Lithium to make 1 EV? With over 350 million EVs projected to be sold globally by 2030 demand for Li is projected to soar and current extraction methods, won’t be able to meet the demand. So when [EnergyX]( revealed that their technology could extract 300% more lithium than traditional methods, investors everywhere took note. They’ve inked deals with top lithium producers including POSCO who is building a 100k ton/year plant, secured a $50M strategic investment from GM, and won a $5M DOE grant. Most recently, they acquired a 90,000-acre mining asset with ~5.5M tons of lithium. Now, [EnergyX]( is accepting shareholders for a limited time. This is a unique opportunity to invest on the ground floor as the company is set to unlock a massive lithium supply. [Learn more about becoming an EnergyX shareholder here.](1   EVENTS Coming Up This Week Plenty of chips in the sea?…. Nvidia stock has tripled over the past year as its AI chips have become the gold standard for large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In February, Nvidia announced record quarterly sales of $22B, up nearly 4x from a year ago. But the competition’s catching up: last week Microsoft said it planned to offer its cloud customers an AMD alt to Nvidia’s AI processors. Last year AMD and Intel intro’d their own AI chips (which Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft said they’d use). Still, Nvidia has lofty expectations to live up to when it reports Wednesday. There be gold in the shoe rack… A pile of clothing retailers report this week, including off-rack icons Ross and TJX (parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods). Both reported strong same-store sales growth last quarter (folks love finding $20 Michael Kors bags among accent pillows). “Dress for less” is trending as inflation-pinched consumers scour aisles for deals. Last year, shoppers treasure-hunting for shoes, bags, and $5 Levi’s drove TJX to a record $50B+ in sales. Both retailers are expected to see double-digit earnings growth as shoppers trade down.   ZOOM OUT Stories We're Watching I think it’s gonna be a long, long time… While Boeing deals with 737 issues on earth, its first crewed spaceflight is tentatively scheduled to blast off on Saturday after years of delays that cost it $1.5B. It’s Boeing’s final hurdle before NASA can certify its Starliner spacecraft for routine flights to the International Space Station. Despite NASA giving it $4.8B, Boeing’s still grounded while SpaceX (awarded $3.1B from NASA) has been flying to the ISS since 2020. On the touristy side, Blue Origin launched its seventh crewed spaceflight yesterday, and Virgin Galactic has its seventh coming up. Lookin’ for that Eth-TF… Crypto’s spotlight is on the SEC as the regulator is on deadline to make decisions that could supercharge the industry. On Thursday and Friday, the commission is set to approve or deny spot ethereum ETF applications from VanEck and Ark Invest/21 Shares. Experts say ether ETFs could draw up to $45B in investment into the second-largest coin in the first year (recall: the spot bitcoin ETF approval [boom](). But analysts see slim odds for approval this month, with one from Coinbase saying that ethereum’s [proof-of-stake]( nature might be a sticking point.   Sponsored by Rocket Mortgage Chartr, Ltd. is part of the Sherwood Media Group. Home for the summer Seasonality is a housing market mainstay, as existing home sales data from the National Association of Realtors shows. Higher demand means getting ahead of the game — which is where [Rocket Mortgage® is on your side](. For buyers who want to strike while the iron's hot: Rocket Mortgage can bring you closer to home. [Receive a $1,000 lender credit*]( and [start an application today](.2 Sponsored by Rocket Mortgage Chartr, Ltd. is part of the Sherwood Media Group. Home for the summer Seasonality is a housing market mainstay, as existing home sales data from the National Association of Realtors shows. Higher demand means getting ahead of the game — which is where [Rocket Mortgage® is on your side](. For buyers who want to strike while the iron's hot: Rocket Mortgage can bring you closer to home. [Receive a $1,000 lender credit*]( and [start an application today](.2   FEED [Facebook feeds are full of viral religious content]( Since December, a Catholic fundamentalist page has been the single largest publisher on Facebook — outperforming news orgs like the BBC and celebs such as Taylor Swift. Turns out, a Meta algorithm change meant to compete with TikTok ended up [favoring]( religious content. Now, even Facebook can’t keep up with fast-spreading pictures of “Shrimp Jesus.” [Here’s why.](   What else we're Snackin' - [Austout](: Austin was primed to become the next big US tech hub as Tesla and Oracle HQ’d in the Texas capital and WFHers relocated there. But as housing costs spiked and the ATX bargain faded, growth has been fizzling. - [SE-No](: Google’s “AI Overviews” could hurt any biz that depends on search-engine traffic. With so much AI-generated context up top, there’s less incentive to click links. By 2026, search traffic could drop 25%. - [BigData](: Companies are so [desperate]( for data centers they’re leasing them before they’re even built. Data-center construction is at a record high as corporations scramble for server space to run genAI. [Greek life](: There’s a wealth of information in options metrics. Even if you don’t trade options, [options data powered by Nasdaq]( can provide a more holistic understanding of the markets.3 Ad   Snack Fact of the Day [A Nepali sherpa has scaled Mount Everest 29 times in 30 years](   This Week - Monday: World Bee Day. Earnings expected from Palo Alto Networks, Trip.com Group, and Zoom - Tuesday: World Meditation Day. International Tea Day. Earnings expected from Lowe’s, Macy’s, AutoZone, and Urban Outfitters - Wednesday: Existing-home sales. Fleet Week New York begins. Bitcoin Pizza Day. World Goth Day. Earnings expected from Nvidia, Target, TJX Companies, Synopsys, E.l.f. Beauty, and Williams-Sonoma - Thursday: World Turtle Day. Earnings expected from Ralph Lauren, Intuit, Workday, Deckers Brands, TD Bank, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Ross Stores - Friday: F1 Monaco Grand Prix weekend begins. Earnings expected from Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. Authors of this Snacks own bitcoin and ethereum and shares of: Alphabet, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla Advertiser's disclosures: 1 This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX's Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the [offering circular]( and [related risks]( at [( 2 *Clients will receive a lender credit of $1,000 when they lock a loan on or after October 20th, 2023, utilizing the Snacks Newsletter application link. Offer cannot be retroactively applied to previously closed/locked loans. Offer does not apply to new loans submitted through non-retail loan originators, including brokers. Additional restrictions apply. Rocket Mortgage reserves the right to cancel/modify this offer/terms/conditions at any time. Acceptance of this offer constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions. Offer is nontransferable. This is not a commitment to lend. Offer not valid with any additional discounts or promotions. ©2000-2024 Rocket Mortgage, LLC. All rights reserved. Lending services provided by Rocket Mortgage, LLC. NMLS #3030; [www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org](. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in 50 states. For additional information please visit [rocketmortgage.com/]([legal/disclosures-licenses](. Chart source: [ 3 Nasdaq® is a registered trademark of Nasdaq, Inc. The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular security, digital asset or an overall investment strategy. Neither Nasdaq, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any security or digital asset or any representation about the financial condition of any company. Statements regarding Nasdaq-listed companies or Nasdaq proprietary indexes are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. 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