Layoffs ongoing, Stacked acquires The Funnel, 20 years inflation data report

December 6, 2023 | Visit Past Newsletters Online

Here’s what the macro environment looks early in December:

• The Fed keeps the interest rates in place. I covered the past 20 years of inflation rates and while results vary, there’s a tendency for elevated rates in Q4 during the shopping season. Whether we’ll sustain this quarter or not, we’re yet to see - but we’re not out of the danger zone yet.

• Layoffs are still ongoing. Spotify slashed 1,500 jobs, Twilio another 400, Bill.com some 378 members - and that’s just the beginning of the week. The stock markets respond positively to similar changes, indicating that investors are still looking for cost optimizations and efficiency.

• Knowledge workers still rely on search engines and social networks and influencers to step up their knowledge. My limited survey of 116 respondents voted 35.3% social media and influencers and 33.6% for Google and industry blogs for honing their professional craft. ChatGPT represented only 16.4% of all accounts.

One of the good news (personally and for the general marketing landscape) is the acquisition of The Funnel under Stacked Marketer. SM is a favorite read of mine, I’ve worked with Emanuel and team earlier and joined as an investor this summer. I’m glad that the audience is growing and the newsletters will be infused with more practical know-how going forward.

December is a slower month for many, though the current economic turbulence also means active budgeting, forecasting, and roadmap planning for Q1. We’re busy at work developing business plans and pitches across all businesses here, and the lead flow is strong as well.

What does December look like for you?

Yours,Mario

My Take 

✍️ De-escalating Workplace Confrontation - 80% of employees with unresolved conflicts are disengaged from their jobs. That's only a part of the impact of workplace confrontations. A tough December and lack of clarity going forward - leading to tension and possible escalations. So, how do we de-escalate workplace confrontations? After all, conflicts are nothing if not learning opportunities.

✍️ The WordPress Universe: Must-Listen Podcasts - Have a look at many of the WordPress Industry’s best podcasts, including a podcast I did regarding WordPress for SMEs and High-Scale Platforms.

Newsletter Recommendations 

📧 Stacked Marketer - One of my go-to newsletters and a business that we’ve worked with a while ago on the DevriX front. It is loved by marketers who get hands-on with campaigns, who need to stay up-to-date with frequently changing platforms., who need to get an edge, and who need to achieve outsized results with limited resources, aka performance-focused marketers.

📧 The Average Joe - Market trends & insights that are simple, concise, and impactful. This newsletter stands out to me due to the 200,000+ audience that go through market trends and ideas together.

📧 Boldpush - А special newsletter for those interested in marketing intelligence and strategy to the most ambitious brands. Props to Julius Solaris for creating one of my top newsletter reads for GTM strategies and actionable content.

📧 Morning Brew - Аn absolute classic, the Morning Brew delivers top news from a business-minded angle, and deliver it in a short, easy-to-read, actionable, and entertaining way.

 Business Strategy 📄 New Meta bidding strategies - Meta updated its bidding strategies for manual purchases campaigns, introducing a Cost Per Result Goal to set a desired spending limit per optimized action and a Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) goal for prioritizing ad spend efficiency. These updates allow advertisers more control over their budget, focusing on either conversion volume or overall value, but may also lead to underutilization of budget and uncertainties about how Meta will enhance overall value.

📄 The AI Alliance - Meta Platforms Inc. and IBM, along with over 40 other companies and organizations, have formed the AI Alliance, a group committed to open source artificial intelligence. This alliance aims to responsibly develop AI, focusing on safety, security, and increasing open source AI models, while also collaborating with academia and industry leaders like Oracle, AMD, Intel, and Stability AI. This initiative, emphasizing transparency and accessibility in AI development, contrasts with proprietary models and aligns with Meta's recent open source releases of its language models.

📄 Bitcoin went up? - Bitcoin's price surged past $41,000, marking a significant recovery since its decline in May 2022, with total gains exceeding 154% for 2023. This upswing coincides with optimistic market sentiments about the Federal Reserve potentially ending its interest rate hikes, alongside developments like the possible approval of the U.S.'s first spot Bitcoin ETF. Ethereum has also seen gains, though less pronounced.

📄 Amazon VS Affordable - In 2023, Amazon's app downloads decreased amidst rising competition from affordable shopping apps like SHEIN and Temu. While the overall shopping app market saw a modest 6% growth, Amazon experienced a significant 27% drop in downloads. Contrarily, Temu led with a 16% increase, reaching 7.2 million downloads, and SHEIN also saw a notable 26% rise.

📄 US Destroyer and Commercial Vessels attacked - The USS Carney and three commercial ships were attacked by drones and ballistic missiles in the Red Sea, attributed to Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. The Pentagon warned of a potential U.S. response, highlighting Iran's role in enabling these attacks, which threaten international maritime security and commerce.

Global News

📈 Stock futures are pushing lower, with bond yields also dipping. Gold is up 0.6% to $2,054 an ounce after pulling back from a fresh record on Monday. Also on a recent tear, bitcoin (BTCUSD) is slightly lower at $41,453.

• S&P: 4,556 (+0.42%)

📈 Mortgage rates moved higher for all types of loans compared to a week ago, according to data compiled by Bankrate. Rates for 30-year fixed, 15-year fixed, 5/1 ARMs and jumbo loans increased. The central bank decided to hold firm at its November meeting, indicating it expects rates to stay on the higher side for the foreseeable future.

• 30-year mortgage rate: 7.53%

• 15-year mortgage rate: 6.80%

📈  The Fed is behind the curve when it comes to cutting rates, said Paul Gambles, managing partner at MBMG Group. Traders are now pricing in a 25 basis point cut as early as March 2024. Veteran investor David Roche says “almost certain that the Fed is done raising rates,” and inflation will not go down to 2% anymore.

📰 This week we see a return to old layoffs trends and a development in the Gaza conflict.

• Moody's downgrades China's credit outlook to negative, citing downside risks to the country's fiscal strength.

• Music streaming business Spotify will lay off 17% of its staff, equalling around 1,500 employees, in third round of job cuts in less than a year

• Israel is expanding ground operations across the whole of Gaza, IDF says.

Investing Updates

• Alcatraz AI - A startup I’m an investor of as well! They are expanding their biometric authentication technology, raising a Series A extension after securing new deals with top Fortune500 companies.  

• Capital Cell - is raising a Series A round to become Europe’s leading Biotech & Healthcare equity crowdfunding platform. 

• InteroCloud - provides a digital healthcare management platform for small and medium clinics in CEE. 

Note: Got a round going that you want to feature - your own business or a portfolio company? Get in touch.

Seller needed: Skincare or Vitamin D2C- There is a buyer mandate for a skincare or vitamin and supplement D2C. If you have a seller, please message me or Blake Hutchison if they meet this approximate criteria:

• Revenue: $3MM to $100MM

• Years in operation: 5+

Camping Survival Kits FBA - A leading brand in its niche, with 13K+ 4.4-star reviews and an outstanding revenue growth of 79% YoY.

• Monthly Profit: $60.3K

• Average Order Value: $15

• Age: 6 years

Bathroom Products Ecom Store - Easy to run, complete with a strong SEO profile, and offering great opportunities for growth. 

• Monthly Profit: $3.9K

• Average Order Value: $104

• Email Subscribers: 2.3K

Need my Help? I'm involved with a number of initiatives - here's what I can do to help you:

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📈 Looking to start a US company? Check out doola and their “Business in a Box” model. Suitable for both foreigners and US citizens and both for residents and non-residents.

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