Good morning. It’s Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and here’s the no-BS rundown you actually need before your first coffee.

1. MARKET RECAP

Prime Day hijacked the tape yesterday. Ecommerce names flirted with fireworks on the hope of blowout deals, then cooled off when consumers realized “deep discounts” weren’t exactly universal. Big online retailers rallied early, then gave back ground as shoppers parsed the fine print. Meanwhile, legacy retail still hasn’t figured out how to compete with free two-day shipping. Translation: if you thought Prime Day would save Main Street, think again.

2. CORPORATE POWER PLAYS

• Hershey taps Wendy’s boss as its new CEO. Nestlé and PepsiCo execs have run candy companies before. But plucking a fast-food operator? Bold move. Expect a leaner chocolate giant, with more co-brand tie-ins and digital ordering. Sweet? Maybe. But don’t bet on margin miracles overnight.
• Dacora emerges as the first female-founded, female-run car company. Car markets are brutal. If you can build brand buzz and eke out profits in that jungle, congratulations—you’ve earned it. Keep an eye on their EV lineup and whether they can secure supply chain partners without government bailouts.

3. POLITICS & GLOBAL FLASHPOINTS

• Trump publicly calls for Fed Chair Powell to “resign immediately.” Fed independence is supposed to be sacrosanct—even Wall Street flinched at this one. Central bankers don’t bow to Twitter mobs, and investors hate policy uncertainty. This spat could drag on, so buckle up for volatility whenever Fed speak pops back on the calendar.
• Tonight, Trump meets Netanyahu to hash out Gaza developments. Geopolitical shocks are never good for risk assets. Oil flickered on headlines of Middle East tensions yesterday. If these talks don’t calm nerves, expect another round of safe-haven flows.
• Haiti’s iconic Hotel Oloffson destroyed by gang violence. Not market-moving, but a stark reminder: political breakdowns crush local economies and siphon off foreign investment faster than you can say “risk premium.”

4. WHAT TO WATCH TODAY

• Fed signals: Any hawkish pushback or dovish reassurance will set the tone.
• Retailers report post-Prime traffic. Will shoppers keep splurging or hit snooze on holiday spending?
• TSA’s new shoe-on security lines start testing—small convenience, but another incremental win for efficiency over pointless procedure.

BOTTOM LINE

Government and institutions love to posture, but capital doesn’t care about your press release. Stay nimble. Hunt for real discounts in companies with actual earnings growth, not headline grabs. And trust me, buying political drama won’t outpace a solid free-market play in the long run.

That’s your wake-up call. Now go make some money.

Market Commentary: Prime Day Whiplash & Political Firestorms

Let’s cut the crap: Prime Day was supposed to be the money shot for ecommerce, but as The Verge points out in “Some Prime Day deals on robot vacuums that suck — and mop,” you got plenty of hype and spotty execution. Then NBC News reminds us in “Not All Amazon Prime Day Deals Are Worth It But We Found 71+ That Are” that the “deep discounts” are like hay in the desert—rare and overhyped. If you loaded up expecting margin miracles, you’re getting dunked, plain and simple.

Meanwhile, the political arena is tossing grenades at the Fed—Bloomberg’s “Trump Says Powell Should ‘Resign Immediately’ If Congress Misled” is the latest episode in a circus no one asked for. You think Powell’s bowing to Twitter mobs? Fat chance. And while the bears circle, Hershey’s bizarre play by yanking in Wendy’s boss (WSJ) and Dacora’s female-run EV gamble (Fortune) get airtime, but none of it moves real money like earnings and efficient supply chains.

Here’s the contrarian call: stop chasing BS discounts and political drama. Load up on companies with real free-cash-flow growth and forget headline hunting. If the Fed even whispers hawkish, expect the tape to puke before it rallies again. My play? Lean into the names crushing it on EPS, not those selling snake oil on Prime Day or staging soap operas in DC.

📈 Breaking Financial News

🔍 Market Analysis & Insights

💰 Investment Opportunities