The Best One Yet - ☄️ “The 4 Frontiers” — Space Inc.’s Trump jump. X’s Venmo-y Visa deal. Royal Caribbean’s value meal.

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Wednesday, Sanjewy Wednesday, January 29th. And today's part is the best one yet. This is a T-boy. Here's the top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Well, Jack, we're back, baby. Stocks rebounded Tuesday after freaking out on Monday. Yeah, the panic from China's deep-seek AI app has eased a bit. Now Yeti's Nvidia stock is still down 10%. But the rest of the market thinks a low-cost AI provider, even from China, is a potential good thing. Just like we said in yesterday's pot, actually. But in the meantime, Jack and I found three fantastic stories for you. Jack, what's on today's T-boy? For our first story, Twitter just turned into a financial firm. Yes, they did. Because X is partnering with Visa. But there is one golden anchor that everyone in finance really wants.

Starting point is 00:00:47 And X doesn't have it yet. No, they don't. For our second story, there's one stock beating Bitcoin since the pandemic. And it's Royal Caribbean Cruises. Americans are going gaga for cruises because the cruise is the value meal of vacations. And our third and final story is the biggest winner of the Trump presidency so far, the space industry. Space. Trump has started a new space race, so we need to tell you about the four final frontiers. But yet, he's before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

Starting point is 00:01:17 How's that for alliteration? We got three Fs in that final one, Jack. Not too shabby. Could we buy a consonant? But Nick, right now, every family I know has at least one sick person in it. Well, Jack, it makes sense at his peak runny nose season. Schools are teaming up with tissues these days. So chances are you could use a bowl of soup or maybe a cough drop right now. But yeties, if that's the case, Jack and I have some fantastic practical news for you. And what is it, Jack? Progressive soup company just invented soup drops. Get this. It's not a cough drop and it's not a soup. It's a soup drop. Let's explain.

Starting point is 00:01:51 It's a lentil lozage. It's a corn chowder cough drop. It's a matzabal of menthol. We'll take two more. Now, Progressive is selling these things starting with their chicken noodle flavor. But you open up the aluminum can of soup with a can opener, and instead of soup, you got two dozen candies in there. They're a little like cough-drop-y kind of candies, but it's soup. Basically, this soup company turned chicken noodle into a sucking candy. But we actually think there's a bigger market here. Jack and I were talking before the pot, and we're thinking cough drops with Kleenex tissues as the packaging.

Starting point is 00:02:22 Yeah, you open up the cough drop and you have a tissue ready for the next time you sneeze. Or Jack, could re-collic. come out with a grilled cheese cough drop? Would that kill them over there? Only if it came with a side of tomato soup cough drops. Okay, Jack, here's what I'm thinking. An oatmeal-flavored day quill cough syrup. Would you buy that? If it knocks me out and has me sleep through the night, I would buy that. Again, we'll take two. So besties, if you're sniffling, wiping your nose or sneezing right now, you don't actually need a spoon to solve your physical problems. You can just suck on a soup drop instead. Tissue sold separately, Jack, let's in our three stories.

Starting point is 00:02:57 Two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm They had an idea to cause a cultural storm It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm Jack Nick, that's it I don't even think they need to practice 50% that's a fat tip T-boy City on your at list If you know you know because we're ready to go

Starting point is 00:03:14 We can't wait no more so just start the show First, a quick word from our sponsor For our first story X, formerly known as Twitter, just announced a partnership with Visa for peer-to-peer Venmo-like payments. Is X on its way to becoming the Everything app? Or is it a nothing app? And why does this remind us of Beyonce?

Starting point is 00:03:52 I haven't told you this part, Jack, but it just did remind me of Beyonce. You ready? I'll save it for the takeaway. Okay. I got you. But Yeties, have you ever heard of Goldman Musk? How about JP Twitter or Morgan Stanley tweet? Well, now you will because Elon's ex, finally announced their first big payments feature powered by Visa.

Starting point is 00:04:11 It's called X Money. It's basically a Wall Street and social media love child. Yeah, which got its daddy's credit card. And it's been a long time coming because financial payments, that is a regulated space. So in the two years since Elon has own Twitter, he's been quietly gaining approval from all the states to do something with finance. And he's up to 41 states that have approved it. Well, here's the news. Instead of securing the... the final nine states to build out his own finance network on social media, Elon is partnering with Visa. Everyone with an X account will soon be able to send money to other X users

Starting point is 00:04:48 through their Visa debit card. And then X users could actually transfer money to their bank accounts using X. Your move, Instagram. So if you just had brunch with buddies, you can tweet a picture of the pancakes and then pay Timmy on X for everyone to see. Because the ultimate millennial flex really is. is telling people what you just spent money on indirectly through emoji. All right. So Elon has always wanted X to become the everything app, right? I like that that got a little chuckle out of you, Jack.

Starting point is 00:05:18 It wasn't a huge chuckle, but it was a little bit of a chuckle. Well, back to Elon. Soon, with this news, you can buy anything on X, right? Well, Jack, I got to pause the pod on you right there. And you know why, don't you? Internally, Nick and I call this section of the story, the caveats. Because first of all, X money isn't a thing yet. They only announced that it will launch, and I quote, this year. Yeah, you got to bring a huge grain of salt the size of the Atlantic to this thing. Because Elon said back in 2022 that he would have payments on X by 2023. And with Tesla, everything he announces ends up being five years late.

Starting point is 00:05:53 Like the cyber car. So it wouldn't be a surprise if X money launches way later than this year. Also, we should point out that Visa didn't actually say anything about this new deal at all. either. And the entire announcement from X was just one tweet by the CEO, Linda Yaccarino. Sixty-one words total. We were looking for a press release. We couldn't find one. And finally, Jack, when you look at what this product is, what is X actually launching here? They're just launching a copycat of Venmo, which has been around for 16 years already. We would call this Venmo 2.0, but it kind of was just Venmo 1.0. Yeah, 16 years after Venmo.

Starting point is 00:06:28 So this news doesn't really make X the everything app, kind of makes X the like maybe something, anything more app. We'll see. But we've said that Elon practices round up marketing. When he's not quite done with a product, he always just rounds it up. Well, the new Venmo version of X is the perfect example of it. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies over in finance? The real measure of success in finance is direct deposit.

Starting point is 00:06:54 Ah, yeties. For X to really become the everything app or a finance app, it has got to get your direct deposit, your weekly paycheck. ultimate anchor product in banking is where your paycheck goes. Yeah, that's the direct deposit. Basically, if all your financial things, products, and accounts are destiny's child, then the direct deposit is the Beyonce. You see what I'm saying, Jack? Basically, whatever bank account gets your direct deposit, that's where you link your credit cards. That's where you make most of your transactions. If you request a loan, it's probably from that bank. It's the anchor of your financial existence.

Starting point is 00:07:30 The fintech industry is so desperate to get your customer direct. direct deposit that they offer bonuses just to move it over there. And when we worked at Robin Hood, a fintech company, it was a key internal goal. They were always asking, how can we get people to send their paychecks to their Robin Hood account? So yeah, it is this visa announcement? It could be the start of a respectable financial business for the social media platform X. But the real measure of success in finance and payments, it's direct deposit. Because if finance is destiny's child, then direct deposit is the Beyonce. Okay. That's pretty good. It's pretty good.

Starting point is 00:08:04 It's pretty good. Yeah, yeah. For our second story, the comeback stock since the pandemic is Royal Caribbean Cruises. Royal Caribbean is now expanding from oceans to rivers. America is absolutely Gaga for cruises because it's the value mail of vacations. Jack, let's whip out the calendars here. Take us back to March 9th, 2020. What did we see when we looked out the window?

Starting point is 00:08:35 March 9th, 2020 is when the pandemic symbolically arrived in the United States via cruise ship. That's right. The ship was quarantined in San Francisco Bay. A hundred people were on board who had COVID. And Jack and I were recording an episode in San Francisco. Remember, we waved to the ship. I saw it go under the Golden Gate Bridge. Yet he's no industry was more hurt during the pandemic than the cruise industry. Stock in Royal Caribbean fell from January to March of that year? Just two months by 85%. Airlines got a bailout, but cruises down. did not. Crew stocks were all in the dumpster for three full years. Investors avoided them like the plague because they kind of had the plague on board potentially. Literally. But since 2022,

Starting point is 00:09:17 Jack and I have been keeping track and no stock has recovered more from its pandemic lows than one particular cruise stock. Royal Caribbean. Yeah. If you bought stock of Royal Caribbean in mid-2020, congratulations, because it has eight X'd in value since then. That's right. This crew stock is outperforming Bitcoin over there. And Royal Caribbean just put a cherry on top of the self-served ice cream Sunday. You did on the poop deck. Right next. They're now expanding to a new body of water. Here's the news, Yetis. Royal Caribbean is launching Lake cruises. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I read that wrong. Pond cruises. I'm sorry, Jack, I read that wrong. Royal Caribbean is launching river cruises. Starting with Europe. This is bad news for Viking River

Starting point is 00:10:00 Cruises, which we've all seen the commercials targeting senior citizens. That's true. They fell 12% on news of new competition from Royal Caribbean. But it is great news for Royal Caribbean, whose stock jumped to a new all-time high on news they are moving to a different body of water. And it's not just that Royal Caribbean stock has recovered from the pandemic. Their stock today is twice as high as it was ever before the pandemic. Jack, do you still own Norwegian crew stock over there? No, I bought Carnival for a short period. How did that go? I should have hung on to it, but I felt guilty about it. Story for another pot. In the meantime, yet he's top. on your tankinis because Americans have gone gaga for all sorts of cruises these days.

Starting point is 00:10:40 Pre pandemic, Royal Caribbean could charge $150 per person per night to ride on their cruise ships. All right, Jack, what's it going to cost you now if you want to get the unlimited shrimp buffet on a Royal Caribbean? They've jacked up prices by 48%. They're now charging $223 per person per night on average. That's not even the best part, is it, man? Satisfied cruisers are telling Royal Caribbean, they would do a river cruise with them, too, if they would offer it.

Starting point is 00:11:03 So Royal Caribbean ordered up 10 new riverboat, and they're making their maiden voyage down the Danube River in 2027. The next MTV Spring Break, maybe on a Royal Caribbean Mississippi River cruise going down to like Panama City Beach. Yeah, heads up if you live on the bayou, because apparently Royal Caribbean is going to do an Oki-Fanokey swamp trip the next time. Did you say Wampy-Swompy? I said Oki-Finoki, and if you know, Jack, you know. So what's the takeaway for our buddies over in the freshwater cruise industry? Cruises are the value meal of vacations. Yeti's back in May of last year, Viking cruises IPOed.

Starting point is 00:11:45 We covered it on this pot. They were capitalizing on record demand for cruises. Then in December of last year, we covered news that Disney is doubling their cruise ship fleet from six vessels to 12 vessels. Suddenly now, Royal Caribbean is racing to the Rhine with River Cruises 2. What's going on, men? The reason is easy. Cruises are a cheap vacation with one clear price. It's an all-inclusive ticket. Full disclosure, not a cruise guy. I like a land spa, Jack. I want to be seated during my massage.

Starting point is 00:12:13 You're not a cruise guy because you love planning vacations. No, that's true. And cruises are the opposite of that. You don't plan at all. No, I would jump off in the middle of the ocean. But with a cruise, you don't need to fly because the cruises now depart from 51 different port cities. Pretty appealing. So you can bring the family on a vacation just by driving to your nearest port. Yeah, cruises have gotten more expensive as cruise lines have more pricing power right now, but... But there's still an affordable choice overall in the $2 trillion global tourism market. Besties, in this inflation ravaged economy, there is value in offering value meals. Donald's offers a value meal that's one low price and includes everything you need. So does

Starting point is 00:12:53 Royal Caribbean with their cruise tickets. And that is why cruises are at all-time highs right now. They've always been a value meal of vacations. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story, 10 days into the Trump presidency, one industry has taken off. And that industry is space. Space stocks and space startups are popping right now. So we have to talk about the four final frontiers.

Starting point is 00:13:25 This is Major Tom to ground control. I'm buying shares of SpaceX. I love that song by David Bowie. Reminds me with that scene from Walter Middy, if you know, you know. We already said if you know you know on the show, Jack. You can't say it twice now. Too many people won't know. Yet he's one overlooked detail about President Trump's first term as president.

Starting point is 00:13:45 He actually established the sixth branch of our military, the Space Force. 50 years after we landed on the moon, the Space Force was established in 2019. And it immediately took over the Space Command from the United States Air Force. And guess what? That means the Space Force already has a space base base. And guess where it is? Where is it, Jack? The very northern tip of Greenland.

Starting point is 00:14:05 That's right. We've already got a military base in Greenland, and it's the Space Force. Now, everyone knows that Trump loves tariffs and attention, but his favorite industry may be space. After all, Trump's first buddy, Elon Musk, is the planet's top space entrepreneur with SpaceX. And at his inauguration, Trump said that he will, and I quote, pursue our manifest destiny into the stars and place the stars and stripes on the planet Mars. Jack, aren't you reading like a little kid's spacebook to the pod? Sun right now? Yeah, I'm reading a National Geographic book about space. Are you learning anything? I'm

Starting point is 00:14:35 learning more than the kids are. Get this. One day on Mars is almost exactly equal to one day on planet Earth. Can I explain? Hit me. What do we got? Earth takes 24 hours to spin around, i.e. one day. Mars takes 24 hours as well, plus 37 minutes. What are the chances we have the same day length with Mars? Those Martians

Starting point is 00:14:56 are the same age as us. You really are similar. Yeah. But yet, here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this. story. Donald Trump's JFK-style race to Mars mission, it's actually brought the attention of Wall Street to space. We found six Pure Play outer space stocks that are all up double digits so far this year. To quote the movie Wicked, all these space stocks are defying gravity right now. Intuitive machines, for example. They're making vehicles that can drive on the moon and on Mars. They're up double digits or Jack Rocket Labs. They provide rocket launch services to NASA and other space groups. How about this

Starting point is 00:15:31 company called Redwire. They're developing infrastructure that we would need if we wanted to live on Mars or the moon, including space farming. Besties, they're like four or five other satellite building companies we found two publicly traded all up double digits so far this year. Oh, in the startup scene, they're buzzing too. That's true. Last week, two space startups filed to IPO, Voyager and Carmen. That's big. We haven't had IPOs in so long. If SpaceX IPO, that'd be like the wildest IPO of the decade. And now you're we do have a problem we should point out, shouldn't we, Jack? All those companies and all those stocks, Nick and I just mentioned, they are very risky investments. After all, they depend on Earth colonizing Mars, something that's not exactly guaranteed to happen. And that's why in the last two years there's kind of been a black hole in the space industry. All the stocks have been down sucked away, and only now are they reemerging. One small step for my portfolio, one giant leap for my risk profile. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies over in the space industry?

Starting point is 00:16:36 We are entering the final four frontiers. Yeties, most people think that everything has been discovered, that the days of exploration are over behind us. But there are four frontiers ripe for exploration still in our lifetimes. Space, the deep seas, the Arctic, and artificial intelligence. Yeties, those four frontiers are the new Wild West. They are the new world that are still open for us to explore. They're the new new world. Yeah, they are, Jack, because no one nation fully controls any of them, nor does any nation fully understand their potential. And yet, each is filled with economic opportunity and resources and power. And with the power-loving president in the United States and the disruption of global norms and alliances, there is a new land rush literally into this 21st century.

Starting point is 00:17:26 Space, the Arctic, the deep seas, and the unknowns of artificial intelligence. Those Yetis, those are the four final frontiers. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Saviche Wednesday? X just announced X money with 61 words and a tweet. It's a partnership with Visa. It's basically Venmo. But the real measure of success in finance is getting your direct deposit, the Beyonce of banking. For our second story, it's Royal Caribbean.

Starting point is 00:17:56 Their stock hitting an all-time high yesterday on record earnings and an expansion to rivers. Because cruises have always been the value meal of vacations. And our third and final story. The space industry is buzzing after Trump's goal to put an American flag on Mars. Space, it's one of the four final frontiers. But Yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, we got an update on Deepseek.

Starting point is 00:18:22 On Tuesday, we told you how China's AI app did AI at a fraction of the cost. It wasn't just chip stocks that fell as a result of that news. A bunch of big energy stocks fell over 20 percent, too. Big energy companies expected a surge in demand on electricity because of AI's electricity needs, but China's app shows they may not need that. Deepseek showed that AI doesn't require expensive chips, and it doesn't require lots of energy either. Also, quick correction to yesterday's show, we said that Deepseek does AI without Nvidia chips. However, three eddies pointed out DeepSeek does have Nvidia chips, just their older, less advanced chips. DeepSeek bought Nvidia's H-800 chips before export restrictions kicked in.

Starting point is 00:19:07 Second, Google is changing the name Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in Google Maps. Google said they will follow the U.S. government's lead when it comes to the naming of places. To users in Mexico, it will still be called the Gulf of Mexico. And finally, Starbucks earnings are out, and the theme was back to barista. Fells fell, but not as bad as expected with Starbucks turn around. And as of this week, Starbucks has brought back the condiment counter so you can pour your own damn half and half in your coffee. Oh, and they brought back mugs with free refills like porcelain mugs if you're taking a latte. For here, please, for here.

Starting point is 00:19:40 They're also encouraging baristas to go full Picasso. They're encouraging baristas to make latte art. I know how much you love coffee jack. One of my life goals is to hand you a macchiato with a hummingbird in it. I love hummingbirds. I know you do. No one else knows that about you. but I know you do.

Starting point is 00:19:56 Now time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Brian Kane from lovely Cheyenne, Wyoming. We just discovered, thanks to Brian, there is a musical road over in Hungary. Get this, near the town of Tapios and Martin in Hungary. There are grooves in the pavement that create vibrations that play a song, usually a Hungarian folk song,

Starting point is 00:20:17 while you drive at just the right speed. It's basically a rumble strip, but they're spread out in certain distances and have different, like, texture so that it makes a song as you rumble over them, but only when you drive the right speed. Right. So, Jack, if you go 50 miles per hour in Hungary on that highway, you will hear this song. Musical road. It's not good for the wear and tear on your tires, but it is good for keeping people driving the speed limit. Yetties, you look fantastic today. And if you're sucking on a

Starting point is 00:21:15 soup cough drop, all the more power to you. You look even better. And as always, we'd love if you shared the show with a friend, because that's how we grow. H-Y-H-T-B-O-I, have you heard the best one yet? And Jack and I will see tomorrow. If you know, you know. And there's the third one. And before we go, a happy birthday to Yeti Jack Gonzalez over in Chicago doing logistic. Happy birthday to Felipe Scalette in St. Louis, Missouri, who listens with Dad in the car.

Starting point is 00:21:45 And Brooklyn Barco down to Phoenix, huge Abba fan is a dancing queen for the birthday celebration. And I just have one question. for birthday girl Amanda Balsay in Vancouver, British Columbia. Who is the current quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers? We heard that you know more NFL quarterbacks than the rest of your game. It's not a challenge. It's a birthday celebration. Happy birthday.

Starting point is 00:22:05 And to the Kansas Yetis out there, happy Kansas Day. Big day for Kansas. Well, Super Bowl Sunday is a big day for Kansas. True, true, true. They got two. And Chris Marslender 3V and the Chia Network team, congratulations on launching a brand new financial product, Permuto. Permuto, cool name. This is a cool name, Jack.

Starting point is 00:22:22 Cool. money. And if you want to get a shout out on this podcast, all you got to do is fill out the form in our episode description. This is Jack. Nick and I both own one Bitcoin. And his name is Ben. Somebody recently asked me, who likes it alliterations more? Nick or you? I was like, that's a tough race. I couldn't tell you. It works. It works every time.

The Best One Yet - ☄️ “The 4 Frontiers” — Space Inc.’s Trump jump. X’s Venmo-y Visa deal. Royal Caribbean’s value meal.

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