Potbelly () is a Zack Rank #1 (Strong Buy) that is a fast-casual restaurant chain known for its toasted sandwiches, soups, salads, and hand-dipped milkshakes.The stock has made significant strides since its COVID lows, with earnings momentum on the rise since the pandemic. Now, as it approaches levels not seen since 2018, is it time to dive in and grab some shares? About the CompanyPotbelly is valued at approximately $350 million and employs 5,000 people.The company started as an antique store in Chicago in 1977 before transitioning into a sandwich shop. Potbelly now operates both company-owned and franchised locations across the U.S., emphasizing a warm, neighborhood-friendly atmosphere with live music in some stores.The stock has a Zacks Style Score of “B” in Growth and “A” in Momentum. The stock has “C” in Value, with a Forward PE at 45. Q4 Earnings BeatPotbelly’s Q4 results came in stronger than expected, with a 60% earnings surprise to the upside. The company posted same-store sales (SSS) growth of 0.2-0.3% year-over-year, outperforming the company’s prior guidance of a decline between -2.5% and -0.5%.Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter also exceeded expectations, reaching $8.0-8.4 million versus the guided range of $7.0-8.0 million.Potbelly remains focused on accelerating expansion, with 38 new shop locations already in development for 2025 and an additional 30 new franchise commitments secured in Q4, bringing total open and committed locations to 727.While unit growth came in slightly below target for Q4, the company’s ability to manage costs effectively and drive profitability suggests a strong foundation […]

NZD/USD refreshes weekly high near 0.5700 as receding global trade war risks have improved the safe-haven demand. The USD strives to gain ground on the back of upbeat US ADP Employment data for January. The NZ economy will also face the consequences of the US-China trade war. The NZD/USD pair posts a fresh weekly high near 0.5700 in Wednesday’s North American session. The Kiwi pair gains as the US Dollar (USD) has remained under pressure due to receding risks of a global trade war.Investors expect the trade war to remain between the United States (US) and China as the latter has imposed tariffs on a few items from the US economy in retaliation to President Donald Trump’s decision of a 10% levy on all imports from China.The US  (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, refreshes weekly low to near 107.40. However, the Greenback has got some buying interest after the release of the United States (US) ADP Employment Change data, which showed that the private sector hired 183K workers in January, higher than estimates of 150K and the prior release of 176K, revised significantly higher from 122K.  US Dollar PRICE TodayThe table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Canadian Dollar.   USD EUR GBP JPY CAD AUD NZD CHF USD   -0.21% -0.26% -0.78% -0.19% -0.28% -0.51% -0.22% EUR 0.21%   -0.05% -0.59% 0.02% -0.06% -0.29% -0.01% GBP 0.26% 0.05%   -0.56% […]

Image Source:   Walt Disney ( – ) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.76 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.44 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.22 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 22.22%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this entertainment company would post earnings of $1.09 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.14, delivering a surprise of 4.59%.Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.Disney, which belongs to the Zacks Media Conglomerates industry, posted revenues of $24.69 billion for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.14%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $23.55 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.The sustainability of the stock’s immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management’s commentary on the earnings call.Disney shares have added about 1.8% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500’s gain of 2.7%.  What’s Next for Disney?While Disney has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors’ minds is: what’s next for the stock?There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company’s earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations […]

About a year ago, the SEC authorized the first Bitcoin ETFs. The early ETFs tracked the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies such as Ether. Another approach was to form ETFs that invest in companies involved in the cryptocurrency universe. The newest iteration of crypto ETFs are funds (now two of them) that use covered call strategies to pay great dividend yields and give investment exposure to the crypto industry.On January 27, the REX Crypto Equity Premium Income ETF () announced its first monthly dividend, hitting the ground with a 42% distribution yield. The ETFs own stocks invested in crypto-related activities. Here is the definition of the index tracked by the CEPI portfolio:The BITA Crypto Assets and Digital Payments Index (the “Index”) is a rules-based composite index that tracks the market performance of 25 companies, listed on recognized exchanges based in the US, that are actively engaged in crypto-related activities such as cryptocurrency mining, trading, custody, blockchain technology development, and the creation of digital payment solutions.The Index is weighted by modified free float market capitalization and is reconstituted quarterly and rebalanced monthly, providing a dynamic reflection of market trends.Here are the top holdings of CEPI:With a track record just two months old, CEPI’s results so far have little meaning; however, starting with a 42% yield from covered call trades is a great indication of what to expect.On January 13, the folks at YieldMax launched the YieldMax™ Crypto Industry & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF (). This ETF paid its first […]

 The EU Commission will soon lay out its ambitions on agriculture and food in a long-awaited Vision on the sector. It’s expected that some sustainability efforts will lose out to other priorities in the short term, which will affect food manufacturers – and could also reignite boardroom discussions on the feasibility of corporate sustainability targets.  Farmers and food security at the top of the listPresident of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has promised that her new Commission will publish its ‘Vision on Agriculture and Food’ in its first 100 days in office, expected on 19 February. In the lead here is Christophe Hansen, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, together with Raffaele Fitto, whose portfolio includes competitiveness of the food and farming sector and the regional economy.This signals a shift from to the Farm to Fork Strategy from the previous Commission, which was part of the broader Green Deal led by Frans Timmermans. Some of the priorities of the Vision will also be different due to shifts in the (geo)political landscape. We expect the document to be more farmer-centric and to focus more heavily on maintaining food security in the short term than the Farm to Fork Strategy.  Four topics that food and beverage manufacturers will be looking out forSince the Vision will set out the direction for EU agricultural and food policy in the upcoming years, it’s a very relevant document for food manufacturers. In this article we provide a preview on four relevant policy areas that will be featured […]

One of my favorite leading indicators is high yield credit or junk bonds.Junk bond investors are extremely sensitive to macro changes. The reason for this is that they are investing in an asset class that has a high likelihood of default. As a result of this, these investors need to be  extremely attuned to any changes in the economy/ fundamentals because failing to do so can result in losing most if not all of their money.For this reason, high yield credit tends to lead the stock market. I say “tends” because nothing in investing is flawless. But this indicator is about as good as it gets.Case in point, during the recent tariff tantrum, stocks (black line) collapsed while high yield credit (red line) held up beautifully. This was a clear signal that a prolonged tariff war was unlikely or… that it would have minimal damage to the U.S. economy. Sure enough… the tariff war was postponed by 30 days and stocks bounced hard. High yield credit was correct once again! And since that time, high yield credit is suggesting that new all-time highs are coming shortly. Consider that a “freebie” in terms of stocks insights.This is just one of the signals I use to take advantage of mispricing in stocks. Feel free to add it to your arsenal!To start receiving these kinds of actionable insights, join 56,000 readers in over 56 countries in receiving our daily market alert every weekday before the markets open (9:30AM EST).The Tariffs Will Unleash A Market […]