Self-care during turbulent times

Between bear markets, tumbling consumer confidence and that run of miserable All Blacks games, we’re feeling about twice as unhappy in this new, post-covid ‘upside down’ than before. ?? Many of us are running on (expensive) fumes and inflation ain’t helping. Yep, there are direct links between the state of the economy and our mental health. So it feels like we could all do with a bit more self-care right now.

And look, if your idea of self-care involves treating yourself to two double Big Macs, a large Coke and a McFlurry Sandwich, we’re not here to argue. ?? Nor is McDonald’s (MCD). They reported global same-store sales growth of nearly 10% year-on-year for the second quarter of 2022. Coca-Cola’s (KO) hoping to get us fizzing too, and they’ve delivered a 12% increase in sales year-on-year in the second quarter. Getting outside and into greenery may elevate our mental health, but Coke says they’re ditching the green… that is, Sprite bottles, to make them, erm, even more green? ??

Exercise is another proven mood booster. And we’ll have to wait until next week to see if the good vibrations can swing to gym bunnies Planet Fitness’ (PLNT) earnings. ?? But seems it’s been all pain and no gain so far for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch at F45 Training (FXLV). Last week the Mark Wahlberg backed gym revised down their estimates of future earnings, and announced that founder and CEO Adam Gilchrist will be stepping down. The company’s share price has cramped up, falling 82% this year, while shares in Planet Fitness, by contrast, are down just 14%, roughly in line with the S&P 500 index. ??

With so much going on - and stress-watching Kiwis in the Commonwealth Games and the All Blacks set to kick off The Rugby Championship this weekend - be kind to yourself, and take time for self-care. ??

We don’t Google now, we TikTok ??

It might not have daily doodles, but when we’re looking for fluffy pancake recipes, fresh cleaning hacks, or monthly money tips, TikTok is fast becoming our first port of call.

More of us are turning to TikTok for our everyday searches, and that could be making Google nervous. Google, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL), made 81% of its revenue from advertising in the second quarter of 2022, up 12% year-on-year as people use their search for, well… everything. But could that start to come under pressure? Google’s own research shows that almost 40% of young people don’t go to Google Maps or Search when they’re looking for a place for lunch… they hit up TikTok or the ‘gram. ??

This makes a lot of sense. A picture is worth a thousand words. So actually seeing a restaurant experience can be a lot more help than a typical Google search. ?? It’s the same reason Nike (NKE) has started putting photo booths and green screens in their stores. They want us to show the world. More concerning for Google though could be that TikTok has nabbed the top spot as the most popular web domain. Or that the increasing saturation of ads in search results means, actually, Google search just ain’t what it used to be.

Meta (META) may be nervous too. The company’s been trying to give Instagram the TikTok treatment by forcing us to watch more month-old reels from people we don’t know, instead of baby pictures from people we at least sorta know. ?? The outrage was kwick, and enough to prompt Instagram to walk back some of the changes. But with Zuck vowing to double the number of AI generated videos forced onto our feeds, it may only be a matter of time before feeds as we know them are a thing of the past.

The health care revolution ??

As Dr Ashley Bloomfield swaps being pulse of the nation for luxury robes and erotic fanfiction, seems Redditers agree on something; shopping may be our collective addiction. And Amazon’s (AMZN) not mad about it. ?? The tech giant and shopping mecca last week surpassed even analysts’ ‘rosy’ expectations. This despite a turbulent year that included a 20-for-1 stock split and new CEO Andy Jassy’s first year on the tools. But could it be Amazon’s own add-to-cart moment that’s caught investors attention???

Since announcing Amazon’s proposed purchase of app-based primary care provider One Medical (ONEM) for US$3.9 billion in an all-cash deal this July, both companies' share prices have lifted. While the deal’s being triaged behind screens, the Amazon Health Services team has hinted at defibrillating the US’s endemic health delays, with health care ‘high on the list of experiences that need reinvention’. More rural MRIs ahead, perhaps? ?? ???

So is Teladoc Health (TDOC) reaching for the laughing gas? Following another disappointing earnings quarter, and having slumped 87.5% from their February 2021 high, Amazon’s proposed cash injection in the health sector may have hearts racing. ?? Yet despite Teladoc’s plummet stinging, ARK doesn’t plan to amputate the largest US virtual healthcare provider from their Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG). And Cathie Wood continues to back problem-solving innovation in the ‘genomic age’. ??

While the ETF hasn’t had investors in stitches, falling 56.32% since August last year, it rallied this June thanks to top contributors, biochemical analysis tech company 908 Devices (MASS) and gene-editing companies Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) - which this year secured ‘renowned’ Harvard stem cell researcher Doug Melton to head up type 1 diabetes research. ??? Only time will tell if they’re enough to cure the dis-ease.

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