Analysis that Drives Trading Activity

2023 could provide the spark that will ignite the next global recession. The recent crumbling of Silicon Valley Bank, one of the biggest banks in the US was one that many feared would happen sooner or later. But what actually happened and what does it all mean? Read on to find out. After that, we’ll list the top fundamental events that you can trade this week. Let’s go! image sourceVanished overnight You’d be forgiven for thinking that the second-largest bank collapse in US history couldn’t possibly happen overnight. Well, it actually did. Sort of. SVB stock, YTD Source: Google Until March 9, Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest US bank. Its speciality was supporting technology companies worldwide, that’s all before a bunch of poor investment decisions led to implosion. What actually happened to Silicon Valley Bank? To answer that, we need to hop in our time machine, fire up the flux capacitor and whirl back to 2020. Following the initial covid panic, the markets were well-placed for startups to thrive — Zoom (ZM) anyone? Essentially, people needed tech — a lot of it — and tech companies needed cash to expand in equal measure. Enter Silicon Valley Bank. SVB invested heavily in US government bonds — usually some of the safest things on the planet. As cool as they are, bonds have one kryptonite — interest rates. When rates rise, bond prices fall. So when the Federal Reserve started to push rates up rapidly to combat inflation, SVB’s bond portfolio started to slump, in a really big-bad way. As the market dipped over the last few months, SVB’s customers started needing their cash reserves. Quite simply, SVB didn’t have the cash to keep up with the withdrawals, so sold some of its bonds. Which freaked everyone out. 48 hours later — SVB was no more. What a difference two days makes! What could this mean for the wider market? Initially, everyone thought this might be it. The spark that ignites the next recession. Fortunately for SVB customers, the US government intervened in the nick of time, guaranteeing all the deposits that SVB couldn’t pay back. That’s a big deal because we’re talking about successfully protecting a lot of tech startups — and thousands of jobs — all over the world. Phew! HSBC bought the American bank’s British arm for 1 British pound in a deal facilitated by the Bank of England after its parent company collapsed in a social-media fueled bank run. The biggest issue with this whole thing though is that it was all so easy. Interest rates are rising all over the world in order to tackle inflation. Speculation is a wondrous thing for investors, but when that speculation turns sour and people start panicking, terrible things can happen. And this event shows that it can happen just about anywhere. The US Federal Reserve has now revealed a new program that will mean that banks can borrow funds backed by government securities to meet demands from deposit customers. However, it remains to be seen how effective this will be. The icing on the cake Get ready for the icing or the cherry on this cake. Silicon Valley Bank’s UK subsidiary gave $18 million + in bonuses last week — just days after HSBC swooped in to save the institution from insolvency. Payouts to staff, which included senior executives, were given the green light earlier this week by HSBC, SVB UK’s new owner, Sky News reported. Ummmm … right then. Penny for your thoughts? What did you make of this sorry saga? Were your investments affected by SVB closing? What do you think will happen next? Join the conversation by tweeting us at @_contentworks! Top fundamental events week commencing 20.03.23 Here are all of the main events coming up in what looks like a pretty busy week for the markets. Monday No major events are scheduled. Tuesday ● EUR — ZEW Economic Sentiment Index (MAR) ● CAD — Core Inflation Rate MoM (FEB); Core Inflation Rate YoY (FEB) Inflation Rate YoY (FEB) Wednesday ● GBP — Core Inflation Rate YoY (FEB); Inflation Rate YoY (FEB) ● USD — FOMC Economic Projections; Fed Interest Rate Decision; Fed Press Conference Thursday ● GBP — BoE Interest Rate Decision Friday ● USD — Durable Goods Orders MoM (FEB) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon! The Contentworks team

With the visit of the Easter bunny just around the corner, we’re going to dig into some top stock picks for the season. After that we’ll hop on over to this week’s fundamental market events! Easter’s impact on the market Good Friday isn’t a universally recognised public holiday, but the markets are closed on the Friday before Easter — so there’s already some impact for you right there. Historically, the stock market has risen following Easter weekend. Since 1989, in the week following Easter, the S&P 500 has seen a positive return 60% of the time. So, statistically speaking, Easter is a stock market egg-stravaganza! Top stocks for Easter Okay, so — shock — confectionary and flower companies will likely be the biggest winners. Let’s see who stands to do well specifically. 1. Hershey (HSY) Price 01.01: 226.93 USD Price 10.03: 237.74 USD YTD performance: +4.76% Easter 2022 performance: +4.98% Source: Google Well, this one needs little introduction. Hershey is one of the largest and most recognisable confectionary companies on the planet, with $10.4 billion of sales in 2022 (+16% YoY). It owes those sales to the huge brand recognition it has cultivated since being founded in 1894. Hershey has had a strong year so far, with stock rising almost 5% since the start of January. To show how important Easter is for the company, last year, stock rose 4.98% in the week leading up to Easter alone. Such figures make HSY definitely one to watch. 2. Mondelez (MDLZ) Price 01.01: 66.25 USD Price 10.03: 64.90 USD YTD performance: -2.04% Easter 2022 performance: +3.46% Source: Google One of Hershey’s many competitors is the more international brand, Mondelez. The company has even mightier sales figures, scoring net revenues of a whopping $31 billion in 2022 (+9.7% YoY). It’s been a stuttery start to the year for Mondelez International, with the stock price dipping by over 2% over the last 3 months. The company is blaming high inflation and rising costs for its drop in sales — which sounds realistic, to be fair. The company’s performance during Easter 2022 will likely encourage business leaders and investors alike. Could Easter ’23 help kick-start the year for the choco-champ? We’re egg-cited to see! 3. 1–800 Flowers (FLWS) Price 01.01: 9.55 USD Price 10.03: 9.63 USD YTD performance: +0.84% Easter 2022 performance: +13.63% Source: Google So, we tried to find a publicly listed flower company because we had a hunch that they might do well. It turns out, there aren’t actually many of them around! But, 1–800 Flowers is a good example of flower companies benefiting from this holiday. The New-York based company has been operating since 1976. As you can see, the company had a rocky 2022, but things are looking up this year. That spike in February was down to the company receiving investment from Russell Investments Inc., who bought up 145,980 shares in the company. Gulp! Easter 2022 was a boom for 1–800 Flowers, with the company’s stock climbing over 13.5% in the week preceding the big day. The company will be hoping it’s stellar 2023 will continue to be in bloom come April! Will you be trading more than eggs this Easter? What do you make of our list? Will you be trading anything else? Let us know by tweeting us at @_contentworks. Top fundamental events week commencing 13.03.23 Let’s see what’s coming up this week.. Monday No major events are planned. Tuesday ● AUD — Westpac Consumer Confidence Index (MAR) ● GBP — Employment Change (DEC); Unemployment Rate (JAN) ● USD — Core Inflation Rate YoY (FEB); Inflation Rate YoY (FEB) Wednesday ● USD — Retail Sales MoM (JAN); PPI MoM (FEB) ● NZD — GDP Growth Rate YoY (Q4) Thursday ● AUD — Employment Change (FEB); Unemployment Rate (FEB) ● USD — Building Permits Prel (FEB) ● EUR — ECB Interest Rate Decision; ECB Press Conference Friday ● EUR — Core Inflation Rate YoY Final (FEB) ● USD — Michigan Consumer Sentiment Prel (MAR) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon! The Contentworks team

Dragon’s Den has become essential British TV viewing and is now so popular that multiple spin-offs of the pitch-invest show are airing all over the world. As we continue to celebrate International Women’s Month, today we’re going to look at some of the most successful female pitchers (and Dragons) in Dragon’s Den history. Side note — we are big Dragon’s Den fans! 4 Female Dragon’s Den millionaires To date, around 1,800 people have pitched in the Den, with wildly varying success. (That’s the best bit, right?) Here are 4 women who have really aced it — whether they got the investment they were looking for or not. Rachel Lowe Net worth: £96 million A Dragon’s Den reject, but a multi-millionaire nonetheless, Rachel Lowe is the brains behind Destination London — a location-based boardgame. Rachel entered the Den in 2004 but failed to get any offers. Since then, the board game has gone on to outsell Monopoly and even has 21 different variants. Lowe also went on to receive an MBE for services to business. The hyper-successful entrepreneur is now wealthier than many of the Dragons! Chika Russell Net worth: £10 million Another one that slipped through the net. In 2015, Chika Russell actually turned down Peter Jones’ 30,000 investment in her African snack company, Chika’s Foods. Nigerian-born Russell moved to the UK when she was five as the youngest of seven siblings. Watching her mother balance a hectic job, with raising children inspired Russell to develop a strong work ethic. The entrepreneur is now worth £10 million and she owns six houses, including a Notting Hill mansion. Yes girl! Louise Ferguson and Kate Cotton Net worth: £5 million each Louise and Kate are the inventors of SkinnyTan, a tanning brand that’s designed to make the wearer look tanned and slim, too. So it’s not just a clever name! When the duo went to the Den in 2013, they boasted profits of £600k in the company’s first year, which got all of the Dragons excited enough to make an offer. Former Dragons, Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney were the lucky ones, having their 60,000 offer for 10% of the company accepted. SkinnyTan then went from strength to strength and Ferguson and Cotton sold the company to InnovaDerma in 2015. What about the Dragons? Of course, we shouldn’t forget the two amazing businesswomen Dragons. Who are they and how did they get there? Let’s see. Deborah Meaden Net worth: £49.8 million image https://startups.co.uk/dragons-den/deborah-meaden/Originally earning her wealth in textiles, Deborah Meaden entered the Den in series 3, filmed in 2006. She’s now the second-longest serving Dragon behind Peter Jones. Deborah is well known in the construction/DIY industry, often specifically targeting inventions in that sector. She’s also known for her green credentials and knowledge of environmentally friendly business spaces. Her most successful investment has been the Magic Whiteboard, invented by husband and wife duo Neil and Laura Westwood. Meaden joined fellow Dragon Theo Paphitis in investing £100,000 in the business. To date, that’s brought in almost £1 million in returns. That’s actually the most successful investment in Dragon’s Den history. Well done, Deborah! Sara Davies Net worth: £37 million image https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/dragons-den-entrepreneur-sara-davies-19974684Sara Davies joined Dragon’s Den in 2019 and is a British businesswoman, entrepreneur, and television personality. She’s the founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion, a company she started while a student at the University of York. By the time she had graduated, her business was turning over £500,000 and it has only increased since then. That business now ships to 40 countries worldwide. We love Sara for her kind, but very direct business approach, and applaud her for being an excellent female role model. Let us know what you think! What’s your favourite Dragon’s Den pitch? Let us know by tweeting us at @_contentworks. Top fundamental events week commencing 06.03.23 This week looks like plain sailing until we hit Friday and a lot of important things go down! Have a good week, everyone! Monday ● USD — ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (FEB) Tuesday ● AUD — RBA Interest Rate Decision ● USD — Fed Chair Powell Testimony Wednesday ● EUR — GDP Growth Rate QoQ 3rd Est (Q4); GDP Growth Rate YoY 3rd Est (Q4) ● CAD — Balance of Trade (JAN); BoC Interest Rate Decision ● USD — Fed Chair Powell Testimony Thursday ● JPY — GDP Growth Annualised Final (Q4) ● CNY — Inflation Rate YoY (FEB) Friday ● JPY — BoJ Interest Rate Decision ● EUR — German Inflation Rate YoY Final (FEB) ● GBP — GDP 3-Month Avg (JAN); GDP YoY (JAN) ● CNY — New Yuan Loans (FEB) ● CAD — Employment Change (FEB); Unemployment Rate (FEB) ● USD — Non-Farm Payrolls (FEB); Unemployment Rate (FEB) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon! The Contentworks team

Welcome to another week in trading! As we look ahead to March, which is International Women’s History Month, we’re discussing the Gender Pay Gap and how it impacts the economy in 2023. Hint — as a women led marketing agency we’re not keen on getting paid less. After that, we’ll give you the lowdown on market events this week. What is the Gender Pay Gap? The Gender Pay Gap is the difference in pay between male and female workers. Insanely, and for no valid reason, women are generally found to be paid less than men. One study on historical gender wage differences found that women in Southern Europe earned half that of unskilled men in the 500 years between 1300 and 1800. Since then, the wage gap has started to close. In a report by the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress, women’s median earnings in the country are said to have increased to 79% of men’s. There’s still a long way to go, however. According to one study, genders in the US won’t reach parity until 2059. Recently, the gender pay gap bot on Twitter has been causing a stir (which we love). It’s been retweeting ccompanies who celebrate #WomensDay #WomensRights and #EqualPay with some truths about their inequal pay gaps. How does this impact the economy? In a big way! According to the EU, the reversal of the gender pay gap would lead to the following. It will create 6 million jobs as a result of more women entering the economy because wages are more attractive. A larger workforce would lead to a big boost in production output capacity. A 5.5% increase in GDP per capita by 2050, worth €1,490 billion. GDP fluctuations would be much less impactful, with an estimated 0.2% increase in GDP per capita over the 2030–2050 period. Lower poverty rates, especially among the elderly. Increased confidence for women to move into leadership roles — which is obviously good for business. So, all good! The EU calls this policy Gender Mainstreaming and, fortunately, it’s gaining momentum. 3 companies trying to close the gap The tech sector is one of the largest and most competitive industries on the planet. Companies like Google and Amazon released reports on the pay gap in December 2022. The conclusion of which was that pay in their companies tended to be skewed in favour of men because of the lack of women in highly paid roles. However, that doesn’t stop such companies from addressing the problem and trying to fix it. Here are 3 companies that have pledged to do exactly that. #1 Airbnb The company is aiming to have women represent half of its global staff by 2025. As an interesting side note, Female Airbnb hosts in the United States earn on average about 25% less per year than their male counterparts for their rentals, according to our new study. That’s more than US$4,000 in lower earnings per year. #2 Stripe As of June 2022, Stripe’s hourly mean gender pay gap was 0.3%, while the median was 3.3%. At the present moment, 45% of Stripe’s staff are female. #3 TikTok Where Stripe’s four pay sectors are all skewed very slightly in favour of men, TikTok’s lower and lower middle pay bands are slightly dominated by women. For the mean hourly pay gap, the percentage was 5% in favour of men, while the median was 1.4%. The company said it is “fully committed” to building on its progress so far to improve its diversity and inclusion. Thoughts? How do you feel about the gender pay gap? Can it be reversed faster than the 2050s? What else can be done? Let us know at @_contentworks, and please start following us while you’re there! Top trading events week commencing 27.02.23 There’s a fair bit going on this week, here’s when and where you need to tune in. Monday ● USD — Durable Goods Orders MoM (JAN) Tuesday ● CAD — GDP Growth Rate Annualised (Q4); GDP Growth Rate QoQ (Q4) ● USD — CB Consumer Confidence (FEB) Wednesday ● AUD — GDP Growth Rate YoY (Q4) ● CNY — NBS Manufacturing PMI (FEB) ● EUR — German Unemployment Change (FEB); German Unemployment Rate (FEB); German Inflation Rate YoY Preliminary (FEB) ● USD — ISM Manufacturing PMI (FEB) Thursday ● EUR — Core Inflation Rate YoY Flash (FEB); ECB Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts Friday ● USD — ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (FEB) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon, The Contentworks team

On February 6, 2023, another tragedy struck as Turkey and Syria experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The human cost of this is, of course, the most important factor and is absolutely incalculable. Today, though, we’re going to look at how such natural disasters can impact a national economy. Following that, we’ll give you the lowdown on market events this week. 1% GDP drop Most national economies are struggling at the moment and before the earthquake, Turkey was no different. The pandemic hangover continues, while logistical challenges hit trading volumes, and the coming recession looms ever larger. The energy crisis and war in Ukraine have further dented the Turkish economy over the last 12 months. But now, due to the devastating earthquake, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has estimated that the tragedy could lead to a loss of up to 1% of the country’s gross domestic product this year. The EBRD highlighted that this number factored in the probable boost that reconstruction efforts will likely bring to the economy later in 2023. Lira dips to record lows News of that potential big drop came alongside a very real one, with the Turkish Lira hitting a record low on Wednesday. Before the disaster, Erdogan’s government had been suppressing interest rates, even in the wake of rising inflation, which has further damaged the lira’s position against the dollar. The Turkish currency has lost 27.5% of its value against the dollar over the last 12 months, severely damaging Turks’ purchasing power. TRY/USD, 12 months Source: Google Election looming All this comes in a crucial year for Turkey and incumbent President Erdogan who is up for re-election in mid-May. Many are now looking to the president to explain why so many buildings were so poorly constructed and maintained and therefore not resistant to such disasters . There’s a lot to be said for preserving the status quo, and Erdogan has not been a boat rocker in that sense. However, his regime’s strangling control over many aspects of Turkish life remains controversial. He’s also constructed a difficult economic scenario in which inflation is running at 80%, but he needs to keep the currency stable between now and the election. Such a situation is not sustainable, of course, and is actually digging a very deep hole for the Turkish economy. Whether Erdogan, who has been in power since 2014, remains in power or not, will likely have a huge impact on Turkey’s political, economic, and diplomatic future. Thoughts? What do you think of Turkey’s economic outlook? Let us know at @_contentwork. Top trading events week commencing 20.02.23 There’s a fair bit going on this week, here’s when and where you need to tune in. Monday No major events are planned. US Market closed for President’s Day Tuesday ● CAD — Core Inflation Rate MoM (JAN); Core Inflation Rate YoY (JAN); Inflation Rate YoY (JAN) Wednesday ● NZD — RBNZ Press Conference ● EUR — Germany Inflation Rate YoY Final (JAN); Germany Ifo Business Climate (FEB) Thursday ● EUR — Core Inflation Rate YoY Final (JAN) ● USD — GDP Growth Rate QoQ 2nd Est (Q4) Friday ● JPY — Inflation Rate YoY (JAN) ● EUR — Germany GDP Growth Rate YoY Final (Q4); GfK Consumer Confidence (MAR) ● USD — Core PCE Price Index YoY (JAN); PCE Price Index YoY (JAN); Michigan Consumer Sentiment Final (FEB) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon, The Contentworks team

Buy Now, Pay Later — What’s The Deal? Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a service that’s becoming increasingly popular as inflation and the cost of living crisis kicks in. Today we’re going to explore this industry, before giving you our usual rundown of the fundamental market fun that we all have in store this week. What is Buy Now Pay Later? Buy Now, Pay Later or BNPL is a short-term financing service allowing consumers to buy goods over a set period of time with no (or a very low) interest rate. These services are popping up all over the place, playing into the hands of people that want to maintain their way of life and purchasing power, yet also have to grapple with rising inflation, and interest rates that are creating a cost of living crisis, as we sit at the start of what many think is the next recession. So, a point-of-sale short-term loan with no interest. Really? How does that work? How does BNPL actually work? Generally, these services offer short-term loans with fixed payments and no interest. You may make a small down payment, say 10–15% of the total cost, and the remaining balance is split into even payments spread out over a specific time period, e.g. over a few weeks or months. Additionally, most BNPL companies only run soft credit checks, which don’t affect your credit score. It really sounds too good to be true. But, nope — generally speaking, that’s how it works. Like all loan agreements, consumers should pay close attention to what they’re signing up for, though. If the payment schedule is weekly, then that’s when you need to pay. Missing a payment could result in late fees. BNPL loans don’t add to a consumer’s credit card debt, but they do add to their personal loan debt. Who are the biggest players? Here are a few of the BNPL industry’s heaviest hitters ZIP Zip is an Aussie BNPL that also offers its services in the US. It’s one of the largest BNPLs around and offers consumers a simple four-instalment plan. Big-boy platforms like Amazon, Zara, and Apple allow the option as a payment method on their platforms. In case you’re wondering — why Australia? Well, interestingly Australia is the epicentre of BNPL. The market has developed rapidly there and the nation leads the world in terms of uptake. It makes sense, then, that all the biggest players are present in that market. Share price 01.01.2023: 0.56 AUD Share price 10.02.2023: 0.60 AUD YTD change: +6.3% Source: Google Splitit (SPT) Splitit was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in New York. It also has subsidiaries in Australia and the UK. It’s an interest-free BNPL service that specifically targets the education, automotive, and jewellery industries. The company offers up to 36 monthly instalments. Share price 01.01.2023: 0.17 AUD Share price 10.02.2023: 0.19 AUD YTD change: +11.7% Source: Google Sezzle (SZL) Sezzle’s HQ is in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This BNPL targets cosmetics, apparel, health, furniture, and other purchases. Sezzle offers 0% APR, but missing a payment will lead to a $15 late fee. Share price 01.01.2023: 0.41 AUD Share price 10.02.2023: 0.56 AUD YTD change: +37.8% Source: Google PayPal (PYPL) Yeah, that’s right. PayPal, one of the world’s largest payment platforms, also offers a BNPL service. PayPal offers many different payback options which depend on the cost of the goods you’re buying. For purchases less than $1,500, you’ll receive 0% APR over four instalments. Purchases up to $10,000 can be charged as high as 29.99% though. Share price 01.01.2023: 74.58 USD Share price 10.02.2023: 80.80 USD YTD change: +8.34% Source: Google Affirm (AFRM) Headquartered in San Francisco, like PayPal, Affirm offers different types of BNPL products that range from 0% APR — when making up to 4 instalments — to up to 36% APR. Share price 01.01.2023: 9.10 USD Share price 10.02.2023: 12.52 USD YTD change: +37.5% Source: Google Let us know what you think! How do you feel about BNPL? Have you used a similar service? Let us know by tweeting us at @_contentworks. Top fundamental events week commencing 13.02.23 This week looks busy in the middle, with little else planned at the beginning or end. Tuesday will be a particularly busy Valentine’s Day — you’re welcome for the reminder, by the way. Monday No major events are planned. Tuesday ● AUD — Westpac Consumer Confidence Index (FEB) ● JPY — GDP Growth Annualised Prel (Q4) ● GBP — Employment Change (NOV); Unemployment Rate (DEC) ● EUR — GDP Growth Rate QoQ 2nd Est (Q4); GDP Growth Rate YoY 2nd Est (Q4) ● USD — Core Inflation Rate YoY (JAN); Inflation Rate YoY (JAN) Wednesday ● GBP — Core Inflation Rate YoY (JAN); Inflation Rate YoY (JAN) ● USD — Retail Sales MoM (JAN) Thursday ● AUD — Employment Change (JAN); Unemployment Rate (JAN) ● USD — Building Permits Prel (JAN); PPI MoM (JAN) Friday No major events are planned. Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon! The Contentworks team

These guys have the tendency to be some of the most divisive instruments in trading. Meme stocks are always interesting, regardless of how you feel about them. Today, we’re sharing some of the Meme stocks that may bounce back in 2023. After that, we’ll review this week’s hottest trading events for your calendar. Let’s get to it! What’s a meme stock? Meme stocks are stocks that rise in popularity thanks to “going viral” on social media platforms. Conversations on Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, Tiktok, etc. essentially stir up the hype and generate Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) that compels retail investors to invest en masse, decreasing supply and pushing up prices These price rises are largely artificial, in that they are not usually based on tangible or credible business information like earnings reports. Sometimes the information is completely baseless. Scary territory for investors. 5 meme stocks to watch in 2023 Here are some of our top meme stock picks right now. 1. Tesla (TSLA) Does this really need an intro? This king of Meme Stocks is, of course, led by a one-man-meme factory. Tesla had recently been facing a very public lawsuit about a 2018 tweet in which Elon Musk publicly announced that he was planning to take the company private. Last week, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. But the next drama is never far away and that always attracts intrigue… and investment. Back to business, Tesla did manage to deliver a record 1.3 million EVs in 2022, up 40% from 2021 levels, despite the Chinese downturn and lingering pandemic issues. 2023 has, so far, been a different story. Tesla lowered its prices in China and instantly saw EV registrations in China up 500% in just one week. That’s pretty electric! Shares could soar as the drama continues and the company’s stock climbs back up the price ladder. Price 01.01: 108.10 USD Price 03.02: 189.98 USD YTD: +75.73% Source: Google 2. Silvergate Capital (SI) Perhaps a surprise inclusion, Silvergate Capital is a bank specialising in fintech and cryptocurrency. Which is exactly why it’s made our mini-list. Fintech and crypto were two of the hardest-hit sectors in 2022. Silvergate dropped with them. SI stocks lost almost 83% of their value in just 12 months. But why should investors treat this differently than any other crypto bank? Well, Silvergate Capital ain’t your usual bank. It’s a spin-off of Silvergate Bank, whose stock has been profitable for each of the last 24 years. Which, in case you needed telling, is staggering. Excellent pedigree and a genuine shot at potential double-digit growth make this one a bit more interesting. Price 01.01: 17.27 USD Price 03.02: 18.83 USD YTD: +9.03% Source: Google 3. Palantir (PLTR) Palantir builds products that use machine learning and data analytics to detect potentially suspicious patterns in large data sets. Data is an increasingly important commodity and accurately sorting it by authenticity is something that most companies need at some level. Enter Palantir. 2023 has started well for the company as they recently announced a strategic partnership with Cloudflare. The move is designed to help companies slash their cloud storage costs — and what company doesn’t want to cut costs right now? Shares are up 9% already this year and many analysts are predicting that 2023 could be a breakout year for the American tech company. Price 01.01: 6.39 USD Price 03.02: 8.41 USD YTD: +31.61% Source: Google 4. Virgin Galactic (SPCE) Virgin Galactic was founded by Richard Branson and is part of a new billionaire’s space race vs. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. SPCE stock had a rough 2022, with the stock dropping 29% in the last 12 months, but 2023 has started off strongly with a 74% rise in value. The key to the success of this one will be getting its commercial space programme off the ground (pun intended). This is planned for the second half of 2023. Virgin Galactic is making stellar ticket sales (we’re getting good at these), selling them much cheaper than their rivals. Could SPCE be heading for the moon in 2023? Didn’t they go there already? (opinions welcome!) Price 01.01: 3.49 USD Price 03.02: 6.08 USD YTD: +74.21% Source: Google 5. Blackberry (BB) Well, this is a blast from the past! You may not have heard of Blackberry in a while but nowadays the Canadian techie provides endpoint security and other Internet of Things management products. It seems to be doing pretty well at it, too. With share growth this year totalling 34%. That’s a big win considering that the company saw 55% of its stock value wiped out last year. Blackberry is making big plays for the automotive industry this year and if it pulls that off, it might well be payday for investors who get in while the stock is below $6. Price 01.01: 3.31 USD Price 03.02: 4.46 USD YTD: +34.74% Source: Google How about you? Do you have another favourite Meme stock? Or, perhaps you can’t stand them! Whichever side of the fence you’re on, we’d love to continue this over at @_contentworks. Top fundamental events this week This week looks quite light until we hit Friday. Get ready for some major events at the end of the week. Here are all the deets. Monday No significant events are planned. Tuesday ● AUD — RBA Interest Rate Decision ● CAD — Balance of Trade (DEC) Wednesday No significant events are planned. Thursday ● EUR — German Inflation Rate YoY Prel (JAN) Friday ● AUD — RBA Statement on Monetary Policy ● CNY — Inflation Rate YoY (JAN) ● GBP — GDP 3-Month Avg (DEC); GDP Growth Rate YoY Prel (Q4); GDP YoY (DEC) ● CNY — New Yuan Loans (JAN) ● CAD — Employment Change (JAN); Unemployment Rate (JAN) ● USD — Michigan Consumer Sentiment Prel (FEB) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon! The Contentworks team

As the UK’s industrial strikes roll into their ninth straight month, we’re assessing the impact they’re having on the economy. Today, we’ll check out why these are happening and what they really mean. After that, we’ll outline the week’s hottest trading events for your calendar. Strike 1, 2, and 3! Since June last year, a whole bunch of labour strikes and industrial disputes have been taking place in many industries that make up the UK economy, including rail, healthcare, and education. Most of the complaints from workers are over pay and working conditions. When will things improve? Well, here’s the rub — it’s about to get much worse. Wednesday this week is set to be the single-worst day of strike action so far, with teachers, civil servants and train staff all set to protest at the same time. Strictly speaking, the strikes won’t end until the demands of the unions are met and the government has so far shown very little willingness to compromise and give into their various demands. On the flip side they don’t have too much to bargain with as the UK economy struggles to recover from the impact of lockdowns, Brexit and sits on the precipice of the next global recession. Rock and a hard place, anyone? How have the rail strikes affected the economy? Well, unfortunately, the direct impact of the strikes on the UK economy is a bit tricky to measure in real-time. If you take the UK’s latest GDP data, it actually looks quite positive, rising 0.1% MoM — something that really took analysts by surprise! The knock-on impact of the football World Cup on the hospitality sector is being touted as the main reason for that bump, but there’s also a significant lack of slump from rail strikes. According to the Office for National Statistics, 467,000 working days were lost in November, the most since 1990. National Rail has said that lost ticket sales now amount to a whopping £400 million! But rail travel has only ever returned to 80% of pre-pandemic levels. So, people have essentially found a way to cope with life without taking trains. Or perhaps the work from home transition has played a role in the changes. Arguably the largest impact could be felt in the hospitality sector, especially in city centres, yet that’s likely to be balanced out by higher spending in the areas that people usually commute from. What about the other strikes? An estimated 30,000 hospital procedures were postponed due to the nursing strikes in December. For the first time in history, tens of thousands of nurses took part in strikes to demand fair pay and improved patient safety. And then there are the teacher strikes. The National Education Union (NEU) says teachers have experienced a real-terms pay cut over the past 12 years. It expects around 23,000 schools in England and Wales to be affected in the first of its seven planned walkouts. Teacher salaries in England fell by an average of 11% in real terms between 2010 and 2022. The impact of teaching strikes will be felt by parents and ultimately businesses losing labour due to childcare concerns. Strike action results in less productivity, which in turn means less profits. Labour Law expert, Ivan Israelstam confirms that; “The employer is likely to lose money due to delayed service to clients or to lost production time. The employees will lose their pay due to the no work, no pay principle.” Analysts say that the UK economy will face a prolonged recession with declining growth and increased unemployment in 2023–24, causing deflation. This is in sharp contrast to Sunak’s pledge to boost economic growth. What do you think? How do you think the UK economy will weather the storm? Are you worried? Drop us a tweet at @_contentworks. Top fundamental events for week commencing 30.01.23 It’s going to be a busy week in the markets. Here are all of the main events that you won’t want to miss. Monday ● EUR — German GDP Growth Rate YoY Flash (Q4) Tuesday ● CNY — NBS Manufacturing PMI (JAN) ● EUR — Germany Unemployment Change (JAN); Germany Unemployment Rate (JAN); Germany Inflation Rate YoY Prel (JAN) ● USD — CB Consumer Confidence (JAN) ● NZD — Employment Change QoQ (Q4); Unemployment Rate (Q4) Wednesday ● EUR — Core Inflation Rate YoY Flash (JAN) ● USD — ISM Manufacturing PMI (JAN); Fed Interest Rate Decision Thursday ● GBP — BoE Interest Rate Decision ● EUR — ECB Interest Rate Decision; ECB Press Conference Friday ● USD — Non-Farm Payrolls (JAN); Unemployment Rate (JAN); ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (JAN) Here at Contentworks we closely follow market movements and prep content that we think your traders would love to read. Let’s get you started right here. Speak soon! The Contentworks team