Sounds of Silence

Suddenly, nobody's talking about weight loss drugs. Also, a quick update on Danaher

Hear that?

Of course you don’t, because it’s the sounds of silence...

Suddenly, as if somebody pulled a switch, nobody is talking about the miracle of the new weight-loss drugs, and the impact they’re having on medtech, healthcare, restaurants... and even jet fuel.

That’s what happens with these stock market frenzies: they’re insanely loud until one day you look up and realize they’re gone...

Like generative AI, which was hot until it was not... knocked out of the spotlight by the narrative that new weight-loss drugs would take a chunk out of the Golden Arches.

I contributed to the noise myself with a few thoughts of my own, including this one and this one.

And even though we finally appear to be at that point when nobody cares anymore, I’m about to do it one last time...

You see, all of that hoopla about how everybody getting skinny would hurt restaurants was little more than Wall Street being Wall Street... taking a narrative to the outer reaches of reality.

I’m not saying that at some point the success of these drugs won’t possibly impact restaurant sales, I’m simply saying that if they do I’m not sure it will be in my lifetime. (Keep in mind that I’m 71, so I very well may look smart by default. But I digress…)

That’s because when it comes to restaurants and the food industry, anybody who has been around for more than a cycle has seen variations on this theme.

Just ask veteran restaurant industry analyst Roger Lipton...

He’s founder of Lipton Financial Services, which publishes Roger’s (unfiltered) Hospitality, Restaurant, Franchise Review.

I first started quoting Roger when I was covering restaurants a few decades ago for the Chicago Tribune. He wasn’t shy with opinions then, and he isn’t now… this time about what has happened to restaurant stocks in recent weeks. This is a case where perspective matters. As Roger writes...

For the rest of the story, and an update on Danaher, which posted earnings today, please click here....