Wealth Management News & Insights
Southwest Airlines Outlines Changes to Drive Revenue Growth, IOC and Comcast NBCUniversal Agree on Groundbreaking Partnership, 21 Nonfiction Books to Read This Spring
Primary Sources
- Federal Reserve National Summary – Overall Economic Activity: Overall economic activity rose slightly since mid-January. Six Districts reported no change, four reported modest or moderate growth, and two noted slight contractions. [FRB]
- Southwest Airlines Outlines Changes to Drive Revenue Growth and Reward its Most Loyal Customers: Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is evolving rapidly, implementing new initiatives that support business objectives and create choice for current and future Customers of America’s largest domestic carrier. [Southwest Airlines Co.]
- IOC and Comcast NBCUniversal Agree on Groundbreaking Partnership for the New Digital Era, Including an Extension of their Olympic Media Rights Agreement Until 2036: The partnership, which was approved by the IOC Executive Board (EB) yesterday, will start in 2025 and takes the longstanding partnership between the IOC and Comcast NBCUniversal to a new level, from media rights-holder to strategic partner. [Comcast]
- USDA – Egg Markets Overview: Negotiated wholesale prices for graded loose eggs continued on a sharp downward trajectory as no significant outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been reported in March to date and the supply situation is rapidly improving. [USDA]
Financial Markets
- China’s AI Boom is Reaching Astonishing Proportions – What Might Derail It?: Manus is but the latest example of the mania that has swept over China since January, when DeepSeek, the country’s hottest AI startup, shook the world. [The Economist]
- Shares of DocuSign Surge 14% on Strong Earnings: Docusign beat on the top and bottom lines, due in part to last year’s launch of its AI-enabled content. CEO Allan Thygesen said the company is partnering with Microsoft and Google. [CNBC]
- What the Dot-Com Bust Can Tell Us About Today’s AI Boom: This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Nasdaq peak, but all wasn’t lost in the ensuing downturn. [WSJ]
- Tesla’s Stock Still Isn’t Cheap: EV maker has shed nearly half its value but still looks expensive compared with tech and auto peers. [WSJ]
Financial Planning
- As Tax Season Nears Halfway Point, IRS Data Shows Taxpayers Still Not Rushing To File: For the fifth week in a row, IRS filing season statistics shows that taxpayers are not rushing to file. Are taxpayers actually on pause—or is it something more? [Forbes]
Retirement Planning
- Want to Save More for Retirement? First, Imagine Your Future Self: Researchers find that people who set savings goals after picturing their retirement are more likely to be financially prepared. [WSJ]
The slide above presents real time data on airline revenue changes year-over-year for Delta, American, and Southwest Airlines. It highlights factors impacting each airline’s performance such as consumer confidence, weather, etc.
Business Strategy
- Intel Names New Chief Executive Amid Turnaround Efforts: The semiconductor pioneer appointed Lip-Bu Tan, a well-known tech investor and executive, as its new leader. [NYT]
- Stranded Astronauts’ Rescue Mission Lays Bare Boeing’s Struggles in Space: Pair who flew to ISS in group’s Starliner capsule are returning to Earth — but nine months late and in a SpaceX Dragon. [FT]
- Etsy, eBay Aim to Imitate Social Media With Hyper-Personalized Shopping: Companies are starting to emulate some of the tactics popularized by Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest to help boost sales. [WSJ]
- Ad Spending on Women’s Sports More Than Doubled Last Year: A new report by EDO found TV advertisers spent $244 million on women’s sports in 2024, a year-over-year increase of 139%. [CNBC]
- Goodyear Tire’s Transformation Plan is Underway — In the Sky and On the Ground: The question now is if the 127-year-old company can transform itself to be more efficient, profitable and competitive. [CNBC]
Life & Work
- 21 Nonfiction Books to Read This Spring: A posthumous collection of Joan Didion’s diaries, biographies of Yoko Ono and Mark Twain, a history of The Onion — and plenty more. [NYT]
- New Zealand Modern: Architecture Connecting With the Landscape: With their sleek, low-lying profiles, isolated locations and connections with nature, forward-looking homes are pushing the country’s design codes — and turning local and international heads. [FT]
- 6 Spectacular North American Train Trips: The trains are destinations in themselves, offering a mix of spectacular sightseeing, onboard dining and glorious open-air observation cars. [NYT]
- Vroom! Touring Italy’s Supercar Factories: In the country’s “Motor Valley,” racecar enthusiasts can admire, and even drive, Maseratis, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and more. [NYT]
- They’re Going to March Madness—but Only After Circumnavigating the Planet: The Oregon Ducks are headed to the NCAA Tournament. It took a 27,000-mile road trip to get there. [WSJ]