Highlights:

It’s All In The Voice…

Amazon has cut a deal to sell voice-controlled TVs at Best Buy, in the latest attempt by the online retailer to bring traffic into its stores. Best Buy will begin selling 10 models of the Fire TV in the U.S. this summer and later this year in Canada. Remote controls for the TV’s will have Amazon’s Alexa voice-assistant built in them, so you can press a button and say out loud the movies you want to watch, or what channel the users would like to switch to. The TV’s can also be paired with Amazon’s smart speakers, so users don’t even have to pick up the remote control they can say a command and the speakers will be able to pick it up. Best Buy already sells Amazon Kindle and other gadgets however, the deal will make it the only electronics retailer that customers can walk in and buy a TV powered by Amazon’ Fire TV software.

Good-Bye…

Toy maker Mattel announced current CEO Margo Georgiadis, is stepping down to pursue a new opportunity in the tech sector. The toy giant’s board has named Ynon Kreiz, a Mattel director since June 2017 as Georgiadis replacement. The departure comes after the former Google executive, who has been in the post since February 2017, hasn’t been able to turn the company around. Mattel, who makes American Girl dolls and Fisher-Price, has suffered from weak sales in recent year and a range of cost cuts, including a suspension of the company’s dividend.

Markets:

Asia: Asian indexes closed out the week lower as a negative hand off from Wall Street spoked investors.

Europe: European shares closed mixed on Thursday as investors reacted to corporate earnings and rising oil prices.

U.S: U.S. markets closed lower on Thursday as corporate earnings reports put a damper on investor’s spending spree.  DJIA: -83.18 24,664.89 Nasdaq: -57.18 7238.06 S&P: -15.31 2693.13

Word of The Day:

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)

A price-weighted average of the 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.  Invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.

Dinner or Drink:

Blueberry Mint Julip

• 2 parts  Bourbon
• 1 1/2 parts  Blueberry Schnapps Liqueur
• 1-part Simple Syrup
• Fresh Blueberries
• Fresh Mint Sprig

• Muddle together 1/3 cup fresh blueberries, DeKuyper® Blueberry Schnapps and simple syrup. Add the Bourbon, stir well and top with lots of crushed ice. Garnish with fresh mint.
• (Optional Mint Simple Syrup: Bring equal parts sugar, water and a handful of mint leaves to a boil, stir frequently. Turn off heat, set aside to cool and strain / remove the fresh mint.)

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Have a safe and wonderful weekend, Ya’ll!

Highlights:

Home Run…

Netflix released solid first-quarter earnings on Monday, showing a boost to subscriptions despite price hikes. The company added 7.4 million subscribers during the first three months of the year well surpassing analyst expectations of 6.5 new subscribers. Most of the new subscribers were international however, the streaming service did add 1.96 million new U.S. accounts. Revenues for the first three months of 2018 increased 43 percent from the same period last year.

Halt…

Tesla will temporarily suspend production of its Model 3 cars as part of a planned downtime for the its assembly line. The brief production halt at the Fremont, California facility will last around four or five days and is the second halt since February. Production of Tesla’s Model S sedan and Model X SUV will continue during the Model 3 shutdown. According to the company, the planned shutdown will help the company work out kinks in their production process. The move comes as many investors and analysts worry the electric car company will not be able to switch from limited production to mass production of their electric cars.

Markets:

Asia: Asian shares closed mostly lower on Tuesday as investors digested a raft of China data.

Europe: European stocks finished in negative territory, as investors kept an eye on the latest geopolitical events.

U.S: U.S markets rallied on Monday as better than expected corporate earnings had investors feeling more confident and ready to buy.  DJIA: +212.90 24573.04 S&P: +21.54 2677.84 NASDAQ: +49.63 7156.28

Word of The Day:

Beta

The measure of volatility or systemic risk of a security in comparison to the market as a whole.

Dinner or Drink:

Downward Facing Daiquiri

• 1-part Watermelon Schnapps
• 1 part Aged Dark Rum
• Juice of 1 Lime
• Watermelon Wedge
• Mint Sprig

Blend with ice and serve. Garnish with a watermelon slice and a sprig of mint.

Highlights:

Mo’ Money….

Goldman Sachs has bought personal finance startup, Clarity Money in an effort to bolster its Marcus online lending business. The move is expected to add over 1 million customers to the financial service firm’s Marcus business. Clarity Money, is a free app that helps customers manage their personal finances and was started by Adam Dell, brother of Michael Dell of Dell Computers. Over time the company will rebrand the app under the company’s Marcus unit. Goldman launched Marcus in October 2016 as a way to court Main Street tomorrows, offering loans from $3,500 to $30,000 and targets customers who want to consolidate their credit card debt into a single loan with a lower interest rate.

Deliver Straight To You…

Domino’s announced it will add delivery to the great outdoors. The pizza chain announced its drivers can now meet customers at U.S. beaches parks, and landmarks. Want a pizza as you visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis or by the Las Vegas Welcome sign, you can now have it courtesy of Domino. The concept was tested last fall in Miami, where customers could order outside hotels and the Zoo. Franchisees will choose the hotspots customers can pick for delivery. Customers will let drivers know what they are wearing when they order on the app and drivers will pull up to the curb for the customers to pick up their food.

Markets:

Asia: Asian markets closed mostly higher on Monday as investors reacted to U.S. led airstrikes on Syria over the weekend.

Europe:  European stocks closed higher on Friday after comments from President Trump about the TPP had investors feeling more optimistic about global trade.

U.S: U.S shares closed lower on Friday as investors took earning reports from the big banks as a chance to take some profits off the table. DJIA: -122.91 NASDAQ: -33.60 7106.65 S&P: -7.69 2656.30

Word of The Day:

Core Inflation

A measure of inflation that excludes certain items that could have temporary price which diverge from the overall trend in inflation and give a false measure of inflation.

Dinner or Drink:

Coffee Nip

3/4 oz. Vincent Van Gogh® Dutch chocolate vodka
1/4 oz. butterscotch liqueur
1/4 oz. hazelnut liqueur

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake and strain into a shot glass and serve.