The Weekend Brief (TWB) Newsletter: A Series of Business Trends & Classic Tunes

Summary

The Weekend Brief (TWB) Newsletter provides insights into recent business trends and pairs them with classic rock and rap tunes, covering topics from company earnings and wage increases to partnerships in electric vehicle battery production, right-to-repair legislation, global licensing deals, and legal cases involving financial fraud and corruption.

Abstract

The Weekend Brief (TWB) Newsletter is a unique compilation that connects current business trends with classic music. It highlights Wal-Mart's wage hike and McDonald's strong Q4 earnings, drawing inspiration from the rock band Creed. The newsletter also discusses the memorandum of understanding between John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation regarding the right to repair, suggesting a win for farmers while acknowledging potential regulatory challenges. It explores the joint venture between TotalEnergies, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz to produce EV batteries, aiming for significant industrial capacity by 2030, and likens this partnership to the success of the 1970s band The Raspberries. Additionally, TWB examines the global licensing deal between Nestle and Starbucks, noting the exclusive rights to Starbucks Frappuccino and Doubleshot products, and recommends listening to West Coast rap for a festive twist. The newsletter delves into the FTX legal case, offering insights into the charges against its founder and associates, and reflects on the implications for digital asset regulation. Lastly, it covers Glencore's guilty plea to the DOJ's claims of FCPA violations and commodity price manipulation, drawing a parallel to Mötley Crüe's recent tour announcement with John 5.

Opinions

The author perceives a connection between successful business trends and the emotive power of classic music, using it as a thematic backdrop for the newsletter.
There is an optimistic view of the partnerships and collaborations in the tech and commodities sectors, particularly in the context of EV battery production and global licensing deals.
The newsletter expresses support for the right to repair legislation, considering it a significant victory for American farmers.
The author seems critical of the FTX case, highlighting the severity of the financial fraud charges and the broader impact on the regulation of digital assets.
Glencore's legal troubles are presented with a sense of gravity, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges and the company's response.
The choice of music for each segment suggests the author's belief in the power of music to enhance the reader's engagement with current business affairs.

The Weekend Brief (TWB) Newsletter: A Series of Business Trends & Classic Tunes

I was inspired to put this compilation together after the awesome Motley Crue concert at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey this weekend! Motley Crue joined up with John 5 on their latest tour. Watch all of the footage from the latest concert on Metal Injection.

The Weekend Brief (TWB) newsletter is looking at publicly-traded companies operating in the global markets (including stock markets) at the nexus of tech, industrials and global commodities.

Here are a list of business trends I compiled with some classic tunes:

1. Wal-Mart & McDonald’s have both been hot topics on CNBC in the first month of the new year. McDonald’s reported stronger earnings than Wall Street expectations for Q4 2022 and Wal-Mart announced it was raising its minimum wage payroll to $14/hour for in-store associates. The Weekend Brief (TWB) is inspired by the late ’90s rock band Creed. I suggest listening to their song With Arms Wide Open as you read TWB. You can also check out an interview with Creed’s lead singer Scott Stapp who discusses the song’s origins and writing process with The Ringer.

2. John Deere and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and on 8 January 2023 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) over the right to repair (R2R) law. The outcome of this agreement was a big win for American farmers, but also calls into question future regulatory barriers that could prevent John Deere from following through on the deal. The Weekend Brief (TWB) is inspired by characters and musicians Cheech & Chong. I recently watched the movie Up In Smoke, a 1978 classic about two care-free individuals travelling from Los Angeles to Mexico during the times of hippie and free-love culture in United States. I suggest listening to their song Searchin’ as you read TWB.

3. In 2020, a new partnership emerged in the form of a joint-venture to design and produce electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Led by TotalEnergies and Stellantis, the Automotive Cells Company (ACC) brought on a new partner, Mercedes-Benz, in 2021 to become an equal shareholder in the venture. To produce top-grade battery cells and modules, they agreed to increase industrial capacity to approximately 120 GWh by 2030. The Weekend Brief (TWB) is inspired by 1970’s era American rock-pop band The Raspberries. A Cleveland-based band, they were known for being one of the American success stories of the British Wave during the ’70s golden era of music. I suggest listening to a Sunset Strip-recorded live version of the song Go All The Way as you read TWB.

4. Nestle and Starbucks are two of the world’s most recognizable global food and beverage brands. In 2018, the two companies signed a global licensing deal that gave Nestle perpetual rights to sell and promote packaged coffee and food products under the Starbucks brand in global markets. But more importantly for the licensing deal, Nestle has been given exclusive access to Starbucks Frappuccino and Starbucks Doubleshot. The Weekend Brief (TWB) is inspired by American West Coast rap. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Warren G, The Dogg Pound and Wiz Khalifa just put out a new Christmas jam. I suggest listening to their latest song High Christmas as you read TWB.

5. The FTX legal case is an extensive story. Let’s start with the events occuring on 21 December 2022 when founder of FTX and Alameda Reseach, Sam Bankman-Fried (SFB), and two of his associates, Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang, are all facing charges of financial fraud at the federal level. SFB gave in to US authorities in The Bahamas by agreeing to be extradited to the US to face his crimes, while Ellison and Wang both plead guilty to defraduing crypto investors on the FTX crypto exchange platform. With the US Dollar (USD) seen by many consumers as losing its value over the decades to come, the scrutiny of gold assets and cryptocurrencies will be crucial to how the US authorities regulate commodity markets and digital assets. The Weekend Brief (TWB) is inspired by Eminem’s and Snoop Dogg’s latest collaboration. I suggest listening to From The D 2 The LBC as you read TWB.

6. On 24 May 2022, Glencore International A.G. (herein referred to as “Glencore”) pled guilty to the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) claims that the Swiss mining and commodites trading company violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and engaged in a commodity price manipulation scheme while the company was being run by former CEO Ivan Glasberg. This was part of a multi-government effort from the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil — resulting in Glencore setting aside $1.5 billion for potential settlements over the corruption and bribery investigations into their oil trading schemes. The Weekend Brief (TWB) is inspired by American rock band Mötley Crüe who just announced a new tour with rock guitarist, John 5. I suggest listening to the song Wild Side as you read TWB.

TWB newsletter is published in the publication Areas & Producers.

Read more about the purpose of the publication with this story about ESG Stories & Global Mining Projects.