Athletic Brewing Co. is a mid-sized craft brewing company based out of Milford, Connecticut. Like most craft brewing operations Athletic Brewing pumps out IPAs, Dark Beers, Lite Beers, Hazy, some special edition, maybe even a fruity offerings during the summer. Like other breweries you’ll find huge industrial barrels of hops and wheat, maybe a couple brewing awards displayed. But, the one thing you won’t find at Athletic Brewing is alcohol.
Fisker, the EV startup founded by renowned Danish car designer, Henrik Fisker, is struggling. The Fisker name became a cautionary tale for much of the automotive world after his first company, Fisker Automotive, ended in bankruptcy. Now, he is trying again, with a new company bearing an almost identical name and logo. The company and its founder are taking steps to strengthen the financials and reputation by selling cars through dealers, by licensing technology, and negotiating a potential investment from an unnamed large automaker. But so far, executive turnover, delivery bottlenecks, cash burn and other challenges have hampered the growth the EV maker was hoping for.
CNBC Marathon explores the decline of electric vehicle sales and its implications.
In August 2023, it took about twice as long to sell an EV in the U.S. as it did the previous January. Prices of EVs are down 22% year-over-year and that's mainly driven by Tesla. About two thirds of EVs sold are Elon Musk's brand. Companies like Ford have ramped up hybrid production as demand has leveled off.
Used EV prices are falling. Studies show that used EV prices fell somewhere around 30 percent in September and October 2023 from the same period in 2022. Used overall vehicle prices including internal combustion engines (ICE), hybrid and EVs declined by only around 5 percent.
In October 2021, Hertz publicly announced it intended to buy 100,000 Tesla vehicles. Newly emerged from bankruptcy, Hertz had a bold plan to lead the EV revolution in car rental. Shares of Hertz soared, as did Tesla’s - its market value hit $1 trillion. First mover advantage aside, it would help Hertz distinguish itself in an industry plagued by commoditization. But only a couple of years in, the rental company’s EV strategy is facing some serious challenges: pricing troubles, skyrocketing repair costs and low resale values. Meanwhile big rental rivals are holding back on EVs.
When investors think of the financial markets, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the stock market.
But there is a bigger, less-flashy counterpart to the equity market: the bond market. At the heart of the fixed income space lies U.S. Treasurys, one of the safest investments in the world.
"We have not paid attention to the Treasury market because it was a market for foreigners or for the Fed," said Priya Misra, fixed income portfolio manager at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "Now it's a market for all of us, and it's giving you better yield. So it's something which we should not ignore."
Buyers of U.S. Treasurys have been changing, with major players including China, Japan and the Federal Reserve seeing their respective holdings decline in recent years. The shift could have broad implications for the U.S. economy.
"What we're observing is that [the new buyers] are a lot more price sensitive," said Anders Persson, global fixed income chief investment officer at Nuveen. "They're just not quite as sticky."
Watch the video above to find out more about why major buyers are fleeing the U.S. Treasury market, the impact on yields and the economy at large, and how investors can best navigate the market going forward.
CNBC Marathon explores the business of airline amenities and how airlines are working to improve them.
Over the past couple of years, airlines and credit card companies like American, United, Chase and Capital One are investing millions into expanding their airport lounge networks for customers. However, lounges have become so popular that some face overcrowding, and companies like Delta are making it harder to get airline status.
Airlines have been spending big to add more space and comfort to seats on board planes. According to AeroDynamic advisory, airplane seats were a $2.6 billion dollar market globally in 2022, almost half of $6.2 aircraft interiors market. U.S. airlines like American, Delta and United have been adding more premium seats to their fleets. Delta estimates its premium revenue will be 35% of total revenue this year compared to 24% in 2014.
Food service on domestic airlines has drastically changed in recent years. Nearly 3 million passengers fly every day in the U.S. Post pandemic, airlines have seen an increase in passengers buying up to premium seats - putting pressure on airlines to offer better food options and more of them.
Airplane Wi-Fi has been around for decades but its reliability and speeds can vary widely depending on the airline, the route and the type and age of the aircraft. American Airlines, United and other U.S. airlines have been updating their fleets to provide better Wi-Fi. Delta has spent over $1 billion retrofitting its planes to bring free wifi to its customers.
Hyundai Motor Group is the 3rd largest automaker in the world by volume. In the 1990s, it suffered low sales and a reputation for low quality. Now its three auto brands - Hyundai, Kia and Genesis - are nipping at the heels of well established competitors, and winning award after award. While Tesla still dominates the EV industry, Hyundai and Kia are inching closer. But the company also wants to revolutionize manufacturing, invest in robotics, autonomous driving and flying taxis, ambitions that many rivals have abandoned. But the company has also faced setbacks: a plague of thefts, millions of vehicles at risk of catching fire, a looming union push and a snub from the U.S. government.
The ongoing migrant crisis is unprecedented, both in scale and the impact it’s had beyond the border states to cities located deep within the country. Major cities like New York, Denver, and Chicago are finding themselves under extreme financial pressure, exacerbated by the lack of federal funding or assistance. So just how long can cities withstand the recent surge of migrants and what do they need to end the crisis?