Check this out. 2024 GDP looks bad- This should ensure we get easing of Fed rates but wow we are skirting 3 qtre below 1% that's dangerous. Anything goes wrong we are in recession. Forecasted U.S. Annualized Real GDP Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and Morningstar. Data as of Dec. 18, 2023.
The Ozempic "ripple effect" Experts expect to see a resurgence in weight loss-focused trends in 2024 prompted by drugs like Ozempic becoming more mainstream. Celebrity endorsements helped the new weight-loss drugs gain traction. Their popularity also appears to have spurred interest in supplements making weight-loss claims, like berberine, touted online as "nature's Ozempic" — even though the evidence doesn't really back it up. "Ozempic will create even more ripple effects throughout food, beverage and dietary supplement markets in 2024," says Frank Jaksch, CEO at bioactive ingredient company Ayana Bio. "I expect that we'll see an increase in products that contain berberine." He also expects that "snack-makers and fast-food chains will offer smaller portions and more nutritious, wholesome ingredients that match the preference changes with Ozempic and piggyback off of this latest wave of health-conscious consumers." After a few years of chipping away at diet culture and leaning into movements like body positivity, attitudes may be shifting. A recent Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found the top New Year's resolution for 2024 is back to physical health — with the majority of respondents citing fitness as a top resolution — after a few years of mental health occupying the top spot. -----> Fitness plays and not XPOF. Folks I made good money on XPOF but it feels dirty. I have read an article that paints a very very bad picture of this co and I am embarrassed I ever invested in this name. Pelaton<------- not dead yet. Fitness means running shoes and that means ONON. I guess that also means pickelball.
Our bet on Massimo sits right in the middle of this 24' trend-- Smart tech takeover While millions of Americans have been sporting smartwatches to track their exercise,sleep and other health metrics for a few years now, experts predict 2024 will bring a new level of wearable health tech. "Wearable devices and smartwatches will continue to move beyond monitoring and add more screening features to warn us of health issues before they become bigger problems," predicts Christine Lemke, co-founder and CEO of health data company Evidation. "The functionality of these devices will continue to transition from passive to proactive." Artificial intelligence, which is already being incorporated into some health settings, will also become a bigger player next year. "Your 'second opinion' may come from a computer instead of a physician, as our ability to analyze vast datasets and harness AI advances," Lemke adds.
All this focus on experiences in travel.. Orient express? Linblad Cruises (Antartica) and soon wellness... Rest and recovery are even making their way into the travel industry with "wellness tourism," the idea of travel focused on health and well-being. "We see more people seeking out trips focused on things like yoga, breathing techniques, skill development, recreation, self-care, aging gracefully and incorporating joyful and stress-free activities," Chesworth says. I have to re find my Spa stock One Spa on cruises...
I'm thinking more and more about AI // it can't be the major idea two years in a row can it? Last year I super nailed AI's importance before anyone else. (you can check)- The moment Chat GPS was released I started typing here that everything would change... Now what.... my gut says space. I wonder if a plethora of space stocks will double and triple as rates come down.
-Joy:Researchers tell us that experiencing happiness is within our reach with “micro-acts of joy.” The team found that “daily micro-acts of joy, like making a gratitude list or practicing positive reframing, helped participants experience a 25% increase in emotional well-being, 34% boost in levels of coping perception, and 12% jump in self-reported sleep quality over the course of a week.” Is this not what HOUSE OF GUMMY provides- “daily micro-acts of joy"
Concerning Space stocks. RKLB has been our play off and on a few times. We like the name. Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB), a California-based space firm, has been leading the way with rocket launches and returns. Peter Beck, the CEO of Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:RKLB), recently highlighted, during the third quarter earnings call, some of the growth plans of his firm moving into 2024. He also shed light on the performance of his company during the 2023 fiscal year. “Starting with Electron, in July, we launched a mission with several satellites for NASA and others, which was the first of the two back-to-back reusability focused missions. After successfully deploying the first Mission 7 spacecraft, Electron’s first stage was bought back to Earth and recovered from the ocean. Then we followed that up with our 40th Electron launch and even more recovery milestones, including a return for stage and thea first launch, reflowing Rutherford engine previously flown on our 26 Mission, There and Back Again. The engine performed flawlessly like a new one, completely validating our pursuit of reusability for Electron and setting us up well to refly an entire engine set as our next major reusability goal. Next, I will provide a bit of an update for Electron. Following those two successful flights, as you know, we unfortunately experienced an anomaly on our 41st Mission. It’s important to remember that up until this launch, we have had 37 successful orbital missions to place 171 satellites in orbit. And the past two years have been flawless, with a record of 20 successful missions one after the other." What I am thinking is SPAC X goes public in 2024 and ignites this sector.
We own KTOS which has a thriving space bizz. the firm had recently delivered a modest beat, supported by continued strength within the Space portfolio that continues to grow through the proprietary OpenSpace platform. A down and out name we might consider: Justus Parmar, CEO of Fortuna Investments, a venture-capital and advisory company currently focused on space investments, sees Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (SPCE) as particularly worthy of attention, pointing to the company's market cap of $1.06 billion and its cash balance of $1.1 billion. "The reality is that the market is not valuing them at all," he said. "This would be interesting to watch in terms of 'does that change over the course of the year?'" "If they are able to execute via cost cutting, successful launches, new iteration of rocket, they could surprise some folks," Parmar added. For Virgin Galactic, 2024 is about focusing on its new Delta Class spaceships, KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Michael Leshock told MarketWatch. "It really could be a gamechanger for the company in terms of shifting from burning to generating cash," he said. Last month Virgin Galactic fleshed out its near-term growth strategy, laying out the roadmap for the new Delta Class. The spacecraft will begin flight tests in 2025 and enter service in 2026. Unlike the company's current Unity spacecraft, which has four seats for paying passengers, the Delta spacecraft will have six seats, and will be capable of making up to eight spaceflights a month, significantly more than Unity's one spaceflight a month.
But earlier this month Virgin Galactic's stock fell after founder Sir Richard Branson ruled out further investment in the space-tourism company. This, however, should not be an issue for the company, according to Leshock. "In reality it doesn't change much in terms of the capital that they need to complete their operations," he told MarketWatch. Nonetheless, he thinks that Virgin Galactic may undertake a capital raise to develop the Delta Class spaceships. "We wouldn't be surprised if there was a $200 million to $500 million capital raise before 2026," he said. "We don't think that it's necessary, but it is possible." Virgin Galactic's stock has fallen 32.2% in 2023, compared with the S&P 500 index's SPX gain of 22.4%.
Rocket Lab USA Inc. (RKLB) is well positioned to benefit from growing demand for its launch capabilities, according to Parmar of Fortuna Investments. "A lot of folks are happy and comfortable using SpaceX ... but some folks would rather not use SpaceX, and Rocket Lab has emerged as a bona fide launch provider," he said. "They have developed a strong cadence for their launches." Rocket Lab also acquired bankrupt satellite-launch company Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc.'s 144,000-square-foot aerospace production and manufacturing facility in Long Beach, Calif. earlier this year and is working to meet key milestones for its new Neutron rocket in 2024. These include an engine test and Neutron's first simulated flight orbit with hardware connected to flight computers.