Raphael Stevens

Home prices in February jumped 6.4% year over year, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index.
It marked another increase after the prior month’s annual gain of 6%, and the fastest rate of price growth since November 2022.
Prices in San Diego saw the biggest rise among the 20 cities in the index, up 11.4% from February of 2023. Both Chicago and Detroit reported 8.9% annual increases.

A Redfin sign in front of a home for sale in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022.
Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Strong demand and tight supply continue to push home values higher, even though mortgage rates are now moving higher again.
Home prices in February jumped 6.4% year over year, another increase after the prior month’s annual gain of 6%, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index. It was the fastest rate of price growth since November 2022.

The 10-city composite rose 8%, up from a 7.4% increase in the previous month. The 20-city composite saw an annual gain of 7.3%, up from a 6.6% advance in January.
“Following last year’s decline, U.S. home prices are at or near all-time highs,” said Brian Luke, head of commodities, real and digital assets at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “For the third consecutive month, all cities reported increases in annual prices, with four currently at all-time highs: San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York.”
Prices in San Diego saw the biggest gain among the 20 cities in the index, up 11.4% from February of 2023. Both Chicago and Detroit reported 8.9% annual increases. Portland, Oregon, saw the smallest gain in the index of just 2.2%.
“The Northeast region, which includes Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., ranks as the best performing market for over the last half year. As remote work benefitted smaller (and sunnier markets) in the first part of the decade, return to office may be contributing to outperformance in larger metropolitan markets in the Northeast,” according to Luke.
“Since the previous peak in prices in 2022, this marks the second time home prices have pushed higher in the face of economic uncertainty. The first decline followed the start of the Federal Reserve’s hiking cycle. The second decline followed the peak in average mortgage rates last October,” he added.

This index records prices on a three-month moving average, so they go back as far as December, when mortgage rates hit their recent lows. There was also a strong expectation then that the Federal Reserve would lower interest rates. That may have driven buyers to jump in.
Since that time, however, mortgage rates have jumped nearly a full percentage point. In addition, stubborn and persistent inflation has lowered expectations that the Fed will cut rates significantly this year.

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McDonald’s missed quarterly earnings estimates as same-store sales fell short of expectations.
Boycotts over the conflict in Gaza weighed on the chain’s Middle East sales again.
Higher prices have helped McDonald’s revenue, but scared away some low-income customers.

McDonald’s french fries
Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images

McDonald’s reported mixed quarterly results Tuesday as its reorganization weighed on its profit and boycotts hurt its Middle Eastern sales.
The company also continues to see consumers worldwide pull back on their restaurant spending.

“Consumers continue to be even more discriminating with every dollar that they spend as they faced elevated prices in their day-to-day spending, which is putting pressure on the [quick-service restaurant] industry,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said on the company’s conference call.
He added that McDonald’s has to be “laser focused” on affordability to attract diners.
Shares of McDonald’s fell more than 3% in premarket trading.
Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Earnings per share: $2.70 adjusted vs. $2.72 expected
Revenue: $6.17 billion vs. $6.16 billion expected

McDonald’s reported first-quarter net income of $1.93 billion, or $2.66 per share, up from $1.8 billion, or $2.45 per share, a year earlier. The company recorded a pretax charge of $35 million tied to its reorganization, which was announced more than a year ago.

Excluding restructuring charges, the fast-food giant earned $2.70 per share.
Net sales rose 5% to $6.17 billion. The company’s global same-store sales increased 1.9% in the quarter, falling short of StreetAccount estimates of 2.1%.
McDonald’s reported U.S. same-store sales growth of 2.5%, missing expectations of 2.6%. The chain said that the average check grew thanks to higher menu prices. But by raising prices, McDonald’s has also scared away some of its low-income customers.
Kempczinski said the company is working on a national value deal in the U.S. While the strategy could attract more customers, franchisees may push back because those promotions can cut into their profits.
“Our U.S. leadership team is working really closely with our owner-operators,” CFO Ian Borden said.
Additionally, the chain has rolled out an improved version of its burgers nationwide, with advertising featuring its Hamburglar mascot, as it tries to convince customers that its prices are worth it. The company’s chefs have also been working on a larger burger, which it plans to test in several markets later this year before a global launch.
A month into the second quarter, McDonald’s U.S. same-store sales are roughly flat, executives said.
Demand in the company’s international developmental licensed markets was even weaker. McDonald’s said the segment’s same-store sales fell 0.2%, marking the first time since the pandemic that one of the chain’s divisions reported a same-store sales decline.
The segment includes restaurants in the Middle East, which have been roiled by the Israel-Hamas war and related boycotts, which started after McDonald’s Israeli licensee offered discounts to soldiers. Earlier this month, McDonald’s bought the 225 restaurants operated by its Israeli franchisee.
However, the company said that same-stores sales in other licensed markets, like Japan and Latin America, grew for the quarter. McDonald’s international operated markets segment, which includes Germany and the United Kingdom, reported same-store sales growth of 2.7%. France’s same-store sales declined in the quarter.

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Coca-Cola reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street’s expectations.
The beverage giant also raised its outlook for its full-year organic revenue.
Coke reported that its global unit case volume increased 1%.

A Coca-Cola building in Zagreb, Croatia, Nov. 8, 2023.
Denis Lovrovic | AFP | Getty Images

Coca-Cola on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations.
The beverage giant also raised its full-year outlook for organic revenue.

Shares of the company fell less than 1% in premarket trading.
Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Earnings per share: 72 cents adjusted vs. 70 cents expected
Revenue: $11.30 billion vs. $11.01 billion expected

Coke reported first-quarter net income attributable to the company of $3.18 billion, or 74 cents per share, up from $3.11 billion, or 72 cents a share, a year earlier.
Excluding items, the beverage giant earned 72 cents per share.
Net sales rose 3% to $11.30 billion. Organic sales, which strip out the impact of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign exchange, climbed 11% in the quarter.

Coke reported its global unit case volume increased 1%, but its North American volume was flat for the quarter. The metric excludes pricing and foreign currency.
Coke’s sparkling soft drinks division, which includes its namesake soda, reported volume growth of 2%.
The company’s juice, dairy and plant-based drinks segment saw volume grow 2% in the quarter, fueled by demand in North America.
Only Coke’s water, sports, coffee and tea division reported declining volume. The segment’s volume fell 2% in the quarter as bottled water, sports drinks and coffee all saw demand weaken.
Coke’s overall prices were up 13% compared with the year-ago period, but about half of that came from hyperinflation in certain markets, like Argentina.
For the full year, Coke is now expecting organic revenue growth of 8% to 9%, up from its prior range of 6% to 7%. The company said it anticipates price hikes in certain markets experiencing “intense inflation,” leading in part to its new outlook.
Coke reiterated its outlook for full-year comparable earnings growth of 4% to 5%.
In the second quarter, the company expects that its comparable revenue will include a 6% currency headwind and a 5% to 6% hit from acquisitions, divestitures and structural changes. Currency fluctuations are also expected to pose a 8% to 9% headwind to its comparable earnings per share.

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Dave & Buster’s will begin offering loyalty members the ability to bet on its games.
Adults age 18 and older will be able to place real money wagers on arcade games with friends.
The technology is expected to be available in the coming months.

Arcade giant Dave & Buster’s is taking its games to a new level by offering social wagering on its app.
Customers can soon make a friendly $5 wager on a Hot Shots basketball game, a bet on a Skee-Ball competition or on another arcade game. The betting function, expected to launch in the next few months, will work through the company’s app.

Dave & Buster’s, started in 1982, now has more than 222 venues in North America, offering everything from bowling to laser tag, plus virtual reality. The company says it has five million loyalty members and 30 million unique visitors to its locations each year. The company’s stock is up more than 50% over the past year.
As a boom in betting increases engagement among sports fans, digital gamification could have a similar effect within Dave & Buster’s customer base by allowing loyalty members to compete with one another and earn rewards. Ultimately, it could mean people spend more time and money at the venues.
Dave and Buster’s is using technology by gamification software company Lucra.

A general view of the atmosphere during The SDI Takeover @ Dave & Buster’s in Los Angeles on June 23, 2022
Tiffany Rose | Getty Images

“We’re thrilled to work with Lucra to bring this exciting new gaming platform to our customers,” said Simon Murray, senior vice president of entertainment and attractions at Dave & Buster’s. “This new partnership gives our loyalty members real-time, unrivaled gaming experiences, and reinforces our commitment to continuing to elevate our customer experience through innovative, cutting-edge technology.”
Lucra, created in 2019 by then-Stanford Graduate School of Business classmates Dylan Robbins and Michael Madding, is a software platform that allows users to compete for real money on friendly competitions. Robbins and Madding previously worked together at Goldman Sachs.

“Lucra helps our partners drive user adoption, increase retention and engagement and add new monetization streams to their business,” said Robbins, Lucra’s CEO.
Robbins and Madding saw the incredible growth of legal sports betting, but sought to capitalize on the recreational wagers taking place between peers. The company has raised about $14 million with investors that include billionaire investor Marc Lasry, former and current professional athletes John Isner and Julie and Zach Ertz, along with the Raptor Group and SeventySix Capital.
“We’re creating a new form of kind of a digital experience for folks inside of these ecosystems,” said Madding, Lucra’s chief operating officer. “We’re getting them to engage in a new way and spend more time and money,” he added.
Lucra says its skills-based games are not subject to the same licenses and regulations gambling operators face with games of chance. Lucra is careful not to use the term “bet” or “wager” to describe its games.
“We use real-money contests or challenges,” Madding said.
Lucra’s contests are only available to players age 18 and older. The contests are available in 44 states.
The social betting category is a $6 billion industry, according to gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik. Several companies such as Fliff and ReBet have emerged, hoping to mimic the success of the gambling industry and capture a younger market.
Lucra recently signed a deal with Dupr, the pickleball ratings system, and TennisOne, a tennis app, to allow players to compete against one another for real money. Lucra’s app has been downloaded 150,000 times, facilitated more than one million unique contests on the platform and collected more than $20 million of handle, according to the company.
“Whether you’re playing pickleball with your friends or playing golf on the weekend, we help to amplify that and digitize that experience with our partners,” said Robbins. More

Walmart is launching a new grocery brand called Bettergoods.
More retailers are stepping up their private label offerings, as shoppers seek new flavors and lower prices.
Plus, the growth of low-priced grocery chains like Aldi, Lidl and Trader Joe’s has increased customers’ willingness to stray from national brands.

People talk outside a Wal-Mart Pickup-Grocery store in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Rick Wilking | Reuters

Walmart is debuting a new grocery brand, as the discounter tries to retain the shoppers it has attracted during a period of high inflation.
On Tuesday, the big-box retailer said it will roll out a private label called Bettergoods, a line of more trend-and chef-driven foods. Most items will be priced at less than $5.

Walmart is already the country’s largest grocer by revenue. Nearly 60% of the company’s sales in the U.S. came from its grocery business in the most recent fiscal year.
Walmart’s large food business has helped it drive store and online traffic, especially as customers have watched their discretionary spending during a time of high inflation. And its low-priced reputation has helped the company attract higher-income grocery shoppers as inflation pinches budgets.
In the most recent fiscal year that ended in late January, Walmart’s net sales for groceries in the U.S. rose nearly 7% year over year to $264.2 billion.

An employee restocks frozen food products at a Walmart Inc. store in Burbank, California.
Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

But Walmart, like other grocers, has seen room to grow its private-label business as shoppers seek new flavors and lower prices. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some national brands’ products ran low at stores and caused customers to start buying the retailers’ own brands.
Later, inflation pushed prices of food and housing higher and inspired more shoppers to try store brands, which are often cheaper. Plus, the growth of low-priced grocery chains like Aldi, Lidl and Trader Joe’s — which prominently feature their own private labels rather than national ones — and the popularity of Costco’s Kirkland has changed customers’ perception of store brands.

Grocers have also overhauled their private-label approach. Instead of relying on basic items like canned peas or copycat items like a lower-priced box of cereal that resembles Cheerios to make up their store brand, retailers began debuting more unique food items.
For example, Target launched a new grocery brand called Good & Gather in 2019 with a wide range of items including bagged salad kits, peanut butter spreads and frozen veggies. Another grocery brand it debuted, Favorite Day, is made up of creative takes on ice cream bars and trail mixes.
Other retailers have introduced new private brands in their grocery aisles focused on affordability and fending off discounters like Aldi or Dollar General. Kroger, for example, launched Smart Way two years ago. The brand offers low-priced basics like mayonnaise and sliced bread.
Walmart’s new grocery brand, Bettergoods, will be made up of items across many categories including frozen foods, dairy and snacks ranging from under $2 to under $15. The products will fit within one of three major areas, the company said: items with more of a culinary flair, such as a jarred creamy corn jalapeño chowder; items that are plant-based, such as a pint of oat milk nondairy frozen dessert; or items that exclude certain ingredients, such as gluten- and antibiotic-free chicken nuggets.
Bettergoods will join Walmart’s existing collection of private brands in the grocery department, which includes Great Value — the country’s largest private grocery brand by revenue, according to Numerator, a market research firm.

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Eli Lilly reported first-quarter adjusted profit that topped Wall Street’s expectations.
The company also hiked its full-year guidance on strong sales of its blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro and newly launched weight loss treatment Zepbound.
Zepbound reported $517.4 million in sales for the first quarter, even as most doses of the drug slipped into shortages in the U.S. that are expected to last through June.

Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company’s offices in San Diego, California, U.S., September 17, 2020. 
Mike Blake | Reuters

Eli Lilly on Tuesday reported first-quarter adjusted profit that topped Wall Street’s expectations and hiked its full-year guidance on strong sales of its blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro and newly launched weight loss treatment Zepbound.
The drugmaker now expects full-year adjusted earnings of $13.50 to $14.00 per share, up from previous guidance of $12.20 to $12.70 per share. Eli Lilly also expects revenue for the year to come in between $42.4 billion and $43.6 billion, an increase of $2 billion at either end of the range.

Analysts surveyed by LSEG expected full-year adjusted earnings of $12.50 per share and sales of $41.44 billion. 
The company said the boosted guidance is in part due to “greater visibility” into its production expansion of Zepbound, Mounjaro and similar drugs for the rest of the year.
The results and guidance raise reflect Zepbound’s first full quarter on the U.S. market after winning approval from regulators in early November. The drug reported $517.4 million in sales for the first quarter, even as most doses of the drug slipped into shortages in the U.S. that are expected to last through June.
Analysts say the weekly injection could post more than a billion dollars in sales in its first year on the market and potentially become the biggest drug of all time.
Eli Lilly noted that demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound — treatments known as incretin drugs, which mimic hormones produced in the gut to suppress a person’s appetite and regulate their blood sugar — outpaced increases in supply during the quarter.

The company said it is continuing to expand its manufacturing footprint, with the most significant production increases expected in the second half of the year.
“Our top priority is making more product, and we’re doing everything we can to do that,” Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks said in an interview Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “We’re ramping that aggressively. But it’s capital intensive, it’s technically complex and highly regulated.”
Ricks added that Mounjaro and Zepbound are among the “most complicated medicines we’ve ever made.”
Here’s what Eli Lilly reported for the first quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG: 

Earnings per share: $2.58 adjusted vs. $2.46 expected
Revenue: $8.77 billion vs. $8.92 billion expected

Eli Lilly posted net income of $2.24 billion, or $2.48 a share, for the first quarter. That compares with a profit of $1.34 billion, or $1.49 a share, a year earlier. 
Excluding one-time items associated with the value of intangible assets, among other adjustments, the company posted a per-share profit of $2.58 for the first quarter of 2024.
The pharmaceutical giant booked first-quarter revenue of $8.77 billion, up 26% year over year.
Shares of Eli Lilly jumped almost 7% in premarket trading Tuesday. They’re up 26% this year after surging almost 60% in 2023 due to the insatiable demand for the company’s weight loss and diabetes drugs. That’s despite their hefty price tags, spotty insurance coverage and intermittent supply shortages. 
With a market cap of about $700 billion, Eli Lilly is the largest pharmaceutical company based in the U.S. 

Mounjaro, Trulicity results

Both of the company’s top-selling diabetes drugs missed Wall Street’s expectations for the first quarter.
Mounjaro brought in $1.81 billion in revenue in the first quarter, more than triple the $568.5 million it booked during the year-earlier period. However, analysts were expecting sales of $2.11 billion, according to StreetAccount. 
Eli Lilly said higher prices for Mounjaro helped drive up revenue, specifically citing decreased use of savings card programs for the drug in the U.S.

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But the company said those savings card dynamics should “cease to have a notable effect on realized price comparisons” because the $25 monthly coupon for patients who don’t have insurance coverage for Mounjaro expired in June. 
Meanwhile, sales of Eli Lilly’s older diabetes drug Trulicity plummeted 26% during the first quarter to $1.46 billion. That’s lower than the $1.59 billion that analysts were expecting, according to StreetAccount. 
In the U.S., declining sales were primarily due to supply constraints and competition with other diabetes treatments, according to Eli Lilly. Revenue outside the U.S. also decreased, driven by lower demand and realized prices, as well as tight supply.

Other drugs miss expectations

Revenue growth was also driven by sales of Eli Lilly’s breast cancer pill Verzenio, which rose 40% to $1.05 billion for the quarter due to increased demand. 
Those results came in under analysts’ expectations, however, which called for $1.11 billion in sales for the period. 
Sales of Jardiance, a tablet that lowers blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes patients, climbed 19% to $686.5 million for the first quarter. Analysts had expected $718.3 million in sales from Jardiance. 
Jardiance, which Eli Lilly shares with Boehringer Ingelheim, is among the first 10 drugs selected to face price negotiations with the federal Medicare program.

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