melissabrock1/iStock via Getty Images Commentators have been discussing the “K-Shaped Economy” for a few years, but as time has gone on, it's only gotten worse. What I naively thought would be a trend that we left behind post-2023 after the worst of the inflation woes ended has become a long-term trend. The upper end is doing okay, whereas the middle class and lower end are weakening. We've notice...
melissabrock1/iStock via Getty Images Commentators have been discussing the “K-Shaped Economy” for a few years, but as time has gone on, it's only gotten worse. What I naively thought would be a trend that we left behind post-2023 after the worst of the inflation woes ended has become a long-term trend. The upper end is doing okay, whereas the middle class and lower end are weakening. We've noticed it in wage growth primarily, but it's also in asset growth, as well as other factors like default rates. Apollo I've been covering this trend on Seeking Alpha, most recently in “ The Consumer is Tapping Out, ” where I discussed flatlining retail sales. Here's an excerpt making a point about the recent acceleration of the lower leg of the K. ....Placer Labs, which tracks foot traffic into retail stores...noted that discount and dollar stores like Dollar General ( DG ) and Dollar Tree ( DLTR ), among others, had [risen above superstore traffic]. It would seem that consumer spending was flat because they were trading down on the price chain to afford similar quantities. Placer Labs They noted similar trends among off-price retailers—above the dollar stores in the price-to-quantity ratio but below superstores—and thrift stores as well, with their traffic also spiking during the peak of this holiday shopping season compared to last year. Placer Labs The consumer becoming more money-conscious is not a good sign of their robustness. I was quick to dismiss the retail sales data being flat as noisy, especially considering that 2024 was an unusual year in wage growth, so comparisons are tough. But take in the data that off-price, thrift, and dollar stores are taking market share of consumers while the YoY rate is flat, and it looks like contraction to me. The question was put to me recently, asking what stocks I'd consider buying to benefit from this trend. Now that I think we're entering a zone of market support that will mark a near-term bottom , it's worth really considering. Lu...
Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. Th...
Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading […]
LOS ANGELES, March 25, 2026--ReFrame, the initiative launched in 2017 by Sundance Institute and WIF to advance gender equity in the screen industries, and IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, today announced that 26 of the IMDbPro 100 most popular films of 2025 will be awarded the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced production. The findings of the 2025 ReFrame Re...
LOS ANGELES, March 25, 2026--ReFrame, the initiative launched in 2017 by Sundance Institute and WIF to advance gender equity in the screen industries, and IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, today announced that 26 of the IMDbPro 100 most popular films of 2025 will be awarded the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced production. The findings of the 2025 ReFrame Report, which examines hiring across key roles on all 100 films based on IMDbPro data, can be viewed H
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) looks caught between fear and opportunity following a sharp pullback. Investors are worried the company's AI spending could pressure profits, but if Azure, Copilot, and cloud growth keep delivering, this weakness may look like a major mispricing in hindsight. Stock prices used were the market prices of March 18, 2026. The video was published on March 24, 2026. Continue rea...
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) looks caught between fear and opportunity following a sharp pullback. Investors are worried the company's AI spending could pressure profits, but if Azure, Copilot, and cloud growth keep delivering, this weakness may look like a major mispricing in hindsight. Stock prices used were the market prices of March 18, 2026. The video was published on March 24, 2026. Continue reading
Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. Th...
Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading […]