Economy
22 April 2022
The 'Becky' investment strategy
PrivCo's The Daily Stack spotlights an unlisted ETF that demonstrates the purchasing power of women.
The Becky ETF tracks companies like Lululemon. (Image via Lululemon)
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This article originally appeared in The Daily Stack, a daily private market insights newsletter by PrivCo, a private company intelligence platform.
I just had a rather unfortunate reality check reviewing my idly-managed 401K account.
Day trading and investing in target date funds and ETFs have turned iffy with recent events rocking the markets. “Think long term” is the advice we receive at such times. But there’s also the other side with respect to giving financial advice that’s less Wall St. and more suburban basement, with the wacky world of meme stocks and Reddit subthreads.
Warren Buffett made his billions betting on the American dream with Coca-Cola, Bank of America, and Apple. The Becky ETF is built around a typical kind of consumer within that American dream. Think Lululemon, Starbucks, Etsy, and Ulta. According to TrackInsight, “the strategy stems from an article called "Female Economy" published in the Harvard Business Review that shows women make the purchasing decisions for 94% of home furnishings, 92% of vacations, 60% of automobiles, and 51% of consumer electronics.”
The unlisted ETF was tracked between 2015 and 2020 and boasted an impressive gain of 1079% compared to the S&P’s +84%. Yowza.
Here’s a few private companies that might make the Becky ETF one day:
- Fabletics and Outdoor Voices for trendy leisure & fitness wear.
- Supergoop and Glossier for beauty picks.
- Athletic Greens and Daily Harvest for convenient health.
- Obé and Ergatta for at-home fitness.
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Operations
08 June 2023
US imports expected to fall 22% in first half of 2023: NRF
Labor disputes on the West Coast could cause further disruption heading into peak season.
Photo by Venti Views on Unsplash
When the first half of 2023 is complete, imports are expected to dip 22% below last year.
That’s according to new data from the Global Port Tracker, which is compiled monthly by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The decline has been building over the entire year, as imports dipped in the winter. With the spring, volume started to rebound. In April, the major ports handled 1.78 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units. That was an increase of 9.6% from March. Still it was a decline of 21.3% year over year – reflecting the record cargo hauled in over the spike in consumer demand of 2021 and the inventory glut 2022.
In 2023, consumer spending is remaining resilient with in a strong job market, despite the collision of inflation and interest rates. The economy remains different from pre-pandemic days, but shipping volumes are beginning to once again resemble the time before COVID-19.
“Economists and shipping lines increasingly wonder why the decline in container import demand is so much at odds with continuous growth in consumer demand,” said Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett, in a statement. “Import container shipments have returned the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 and appear likely to stay there for a while.”
Retailers and logistics professionals alike are looking to the second half of the year for a potential upswing. Peak shipping season occurs in the summer, which is in preparation for peak shopping season over the holidays.
Yet disruption could occur on the West Coast if labor issues can’t be settled. This week, ports from Los Angeles to Seattle reported closures and slowdowns as ongoing union disputes boil over, CNBC reported. NRF called on the Biden administration to intervene.
“Cargo volume is lower than last year but retailers are entering the busiest shipping season of the year bringing in holiday merchandise. The last thing retailers and other shippers need is ongoing disruption at the ports,” aid NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “If labor and management can’t reach agreement and operate smoothly and efficiently, retailers will have no choice but to continue to take their cargo to East Coast and Gulf Coast gateways. We continue to urge the administration to step in and help the parties reach an agreement and end the disruptions so operations can return to normal. We’ve had enough unavoidable supply chain issues the past two years. This is not the time for one that can be avoided.”
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