Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for July 23rd in 3:15 minutes.

🌿 The future of the cannabis industry is pretty hazy, but waft away the smoke and you’ll suddenly see one heck of an opportunity. It’s why we asked WebJoint CEO Christopher Dell’olio to join us for How To Invest In The Future Of The Cannabis Industry on Friday. Get your ticket here

Today's big stories

Telecoms and media giant AT&T announced a strong second-quarter update
You could make big gains if you invest in the right “megatrend”, so our analyst has looked into which to back – Read Now
The European Central Bank left eurozone interest rates where they were, but there are big questions on the horizon

Stand By Your LAN

What’s Going On Here?

AT&T revealed an encouraging second-quarter update on Thursday, as the telecoms and media giant’s customers realized a life without WiFi isn’t much of a life at all.

What Does This Mean?

AT&T recorded more net new subscribers last quarter than investors were expecting, partly because it managed to hold on to so many. It’s not exactly convenient, after all, to switch your cell phone or internet provider when you need to log in to the boardroom from your bedroom. AT&T’s marquee acquisition pulled its weight too: Warner Media saw its revenue climb a better-than-expected 30% from the same time last year. Between those two triumphs, the company beat revenue and profit expectations for the quarter, while also pushing up its earnings estimate for the rest of the year – and investors duly sent its stock up on Thursday.

Why Should I Care?

The bigger picture: You’re gonna need a bigger bundle.
For years now, global telecoms and media providers have been teaming up to provide services that one has and the other doesn’t. The thinking is that bundling together a variety of products – including phone services, television packages, mobile data, and broadband – will make customers less likely to leave, as well as give companies more room to hike prices over time. AT&T has been following this strategy to the letter, and it seems to be paying off – so much so that investors and rivals alike might want to take note.

For markets: Not all deals are created equal.
The success of Warner Media – bought by AT&T in 2018 – is a reminder of how effective a well-executed acquisition strategy can be. But it’s also pretty rare: the majority of mergers and acquisitions can take years to pay off, even if companies talk a big game about the extra revenue they’ll earn once they team up. If you only have a short-term investing horizon, then, it’s worth being aware that you stand to lose out.

You might also like: How you can profit from AT&T’s gameplan.

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🙋 Ask a question

2. Analyst Take

Which “Megatrends” Should You Be Backing?

What’s Going On Here?

If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have taken one giant leap for space tourism recently.

But that’s just one of the megatrends set to shape the next decade and beyond.

Megatrends – from the green revolution to cyber security – represent the potential for huge gains if you can make the right investment at the right time.

That’s where it gets tricky: it can be hard to know which of them are all they’re cracked up to be, and how to buy into their potential even if they are.

So that’s today’s Insight: which megatrends to watch out for, and how you can invest in them if you think they’re onto something.

Read or listen to the Insight here

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Safe Haven

What’s Going On Here?

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced in an update on Thursday that it won’t be tweaking interest rates, but it will keep being agonizingly cautious.

What Does This Mean?

You’d be hard-pressed to find an economist who was expecting the ECB to adjust key interest rates on Thursday. And spoilers ahead for any contrarians still out there: the central bank said it won’t increase rates until inflation hits its new target of 2% and stays there for a while (tweet this).

Still, the ECB did announce that it’ll keep buying bonds for as long as needed to support the eurozone economy. In fact, the central bank said it’ll probably spend more in the next few months than it did in the first few of this year. That demand should keep bond prices high and yields – and, by extension, effective interest rates – low, which should encourage economy-boosting borrowing.

Why Should I Care?

For markets: The ECB’s plan is working.
The ECB basically promised in March to do whatever it takes to limit European borrowing costs, and Italy’s 10-year government bond yield is a good way to track how well investors think it's keeping its pledge. That yield has fallen from highs of almost 1% earlier this year to just 0.66% now. So if the ECB’s bond-buying has enabled Italy – the riskiest eurozone economy – to borrow so cheaply, the rest of the bloc must be paying even less. And that should help boost growth once we’re well and truly out the other side of this pandemic.

The bigger picture: How long is the ECB’s piece of string?
The ECB has dubbed its current spending plan its “pandemic emergency purchase programme”, which begs the question: when will the “emergency” be over? The answer will determine when and how quickly the central bank withdraws its bond-buying – and it’s one investors need to know if they want to avoid a severe case of whiplash.

You might also like: Why central banks have so much power over your portfolio.

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🙋 Ask a question

💬 Quote of the day

“There is a lot more to life than just struggling to make money.”

– Ann Richards (an American politician)

Tweet this

Swings and roundabouts

Swings: traditional savings accounts aren’t what they used to be.

Roundabouts: a crypto account with YouHodler is better than it’s ever been.

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🌏 Finimize Live

👀 How much?!

If you’ve noticed your weekly shop get a little more expensive recently, you ain’t wrong: prices are most definitely on the rise. And that’s not just hitting your pocket, but your portfolio too. So it’s time to bring in the big guns: Toroso Asset Management’s Michael Gayed and our How To Protect Yourself From Rising Prices event.

🌿 How To Invest In The Future Of Cannabis: 6pm UK time, July 23rd
📈 How To Protect Yourself From Rising Prices: 6pm UK time, July 26th
👑 How To Invest Like The Ultra-Wealthy: 5pm UK time, July 28th
🌎 How To Profit From Emerging Markets: 6pm UK time, July 28th
🏙 Investing In A Sustainable Metropolis: 11am UK time, July 29th
💰 How To Make Money From Money: 3pm UK time, August 4th
🔥 How To Invest In The Next Big Thing: 5pm UK time, August 11th
🤔 Are You An Investor Or A Trader?: 12pm UK time, August 25th
♻️ How To Turn Your Portfolio Green : 6pm UK time, Sep 23rd

🎯 On our radar

A different kind of essential worker. The pandemic was documented in street view.
It all makes sense now. Self-control is just empathy with your future self.
Bet you didn’t see this one coming. The unstoppable rise of pork rinds.
What year are we living in? Female athletes are still fighting to wear what they want.
I got new rules, I count ‘em. How Dua Lipa conquered pop.

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Finimize - 🔥 Here comes the next megatrend

Today's big stories

Stand By Your LAN

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Which “Megatrends” Should You Be Backing?

Get your fair share of the forex market

Safe Haven

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Swings and roundabouts

👀 How much?!

Older messages

📉 Monday's selloff might be just the start

😨 Whoops, Netflix

😬 Zoom's expensive call

📈 American retailers aren't here to play

🧐 Take that, investing elites

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