Daily Sector Snapshot — 5/12/25
Chart of the Day: Don’t Chase
Bespoke’s Morning Lineup – 5/12/25
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“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” – Cormac McCarthy
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US equity futures are up 3% pre-market on news that the US and China would be pausing tariffs for 90 days after meetings between the two in Geneva over the weekend.
As shown below, SPY is set to open above its March highs and back in positive territory since Election Day last November.
Stocks most dependent on China for cheap imports are soaring this morning. Below is a look at the pre-market moves for stocks in some of the “tariff losers” baskets we’ve highlighted in the last five weeks. Wayfair (W) is up the most at 16.2%, followed by RH (+15.6%) and elf Beauty (+10.2%). Best Buy (BBY), Yeti (YETI) and SharkNinja (SN) are all up 8%+ as well.
Brunch Reads – 5/11/25
Welcome to Bespoke Brunch Reads — a linkfest of some of our favorite articles over the past week. The links are mostly market-related, but there are some other interesting subjects covered as well. We hope you enjoy the food for thought as a supplement to the research we provide you during the week.
Kasparov and the Computer: On May 11, 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue, a supercomputer designed specifically for chess, defeated Garry Kasparov, widely considered the greatest chess player of all time, in a six-game match. It was the first time a computer beat a reigning world champion, which ended 2-1 with three draws.
Kasparov had held the world title since 1985. He had previously played and beaten an earlier version of Deep Blue in 1996, winning 4–2 after a brief scare in Game 1. But IBM upgraded the machine substantially for the 1997 rematch, doubling its processing power to evaluate around 200 million positions per second. It also included a team of grandmasters who helped fine-tune its evaluation algorithms between games.
The 1997 match began in New York City, where Deep Blue took Game 1, but Kasparov rebounded with a win in Game 2. In Game 2, Kasparov believed the machine had made a move so nuanced that it must have been aided by a human. The turning point came in Game 5, a tense draw in which Kasparov, showing uncharacteristic nervousness, offered an early draw in a promising position. Then, in Game 6, Deep Blue shocked the world by dismantling Kasparov in just 19 moves. Visibly agitated, Kasparov accused IBM of foul play and demanded access to the computer’s logs and a rematch. IBM declined and disbanded the Deep Blue project shortly after. While the victory was not proof of consciousness or human-like thought, it was symbolic in the sense that a machine had outplayed a human at the apex of intellectual competition.
AI & Technology
Zuckerberg Says in Response to Loneliness Epidemic, He Will Create Most of Your Friends Using Artificial Intelligence (Futurism)
Mark Zuckerberg says the average American has fewer than three friends and sees AI chatbots as a way to fill that social gap. In a recent interview, he floated the idea that people might one day bond more with bots than with other humans, even as Meta’s own AI tools are criticized for crossing serious ethical lines and exposing underage users to inappropriate content. Is the push for AI “friends” about solving loneliness, or just Meta’s latest attempt to monetize human disconnection? [Link]
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Q1 2025 Earnings Conference Call Recaps: Affirm (AFRM)
Bespoke’s Conference Call Recaps use AI to summarize lengthy earnings calls. The commentary below is AI-generated and then edited by Bespoke for quality control. As always, none of these summaries should be construed as recommendations to buy or sell any securities, and investors should do their own research and/or consult with a financial professional before making any investment decisions.
Our latest recap available to Bespoke subscribers covers Affirm’s (AFRM) Q3 2025 earnings call.
Affirm (AFRM) is a fintech company in the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) space, allowing consumers to split purchases into installments, with no late fees or hidden charges. It partners with major merchants across industries like retail, electronics, travel, and fitness to provide both 0% APR promotional financing and interest-bearing loans at checkout. Affirm also issues the Affirm Card, a hybrid debit-credit product that extends the brand’s reach beyond merchant integrations to make it a challenger in consumer payments. The company delivered 36% GMV growth YoY and saw its strongest month of growth in March (+40% GMV), driven by rising demand for 0% APR financing and broad-based merchant traction. Management highlighted strong repayment trends and increased prepayments, signaling healthy consumer credit. The Affirm Card added features like foreign transactions. Executives emphasized the app’s dual role in repayment and offer discovery, while AI investments are improving dispute resolution and contract review. New partnerships with Costco and a renewed Shopify deal further strengthened Affirm’s network. The stock fell 14% on 5/9 despite the stronger-than-anticipated results on weaker guidance…
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Q1 2025 Earnings Conference Call Recaps: Cloudflare (NET)
Bespoke’s Conference Call Recaps use AI to summarize lengthy earnings calls. The commentary below is AI-generated and then edited by Bespoke for quality control. As always, none of these summaries should be construed as recommendations to buy or sell any securities, and investors should do their own research and/or consult with a financial professional before making any investment decisions.
Our latest recap available to Bespoke subscribers covers Cloudflare’s (NET) Q1 2025 earnings call.
Cloudflare (NET) is a global cloud services provider that secures and accelerates everything connected to the Internet. Its platform offers content delivery, DDoS mitigation, Internet security, and edge computing solutions through a globally distributed network spanning over 310 cities. Cloudflare’s customer base ranges from startups to some of the world’s largest enterprises and government agencies. The company sits in front of roughly 20% of Internet traffic, providing unique insights into global web activity and cyber threats. NET reported revenue up 27% YoY to $479.1M and record growth in large customers. The quarter was highlighted by the company’s largest-ever deal (over $100M) due largely to its Workers developer platform, and record signings in both $1M+ and $5M+ cohorts. Workers and AI products saw explosive usage growth, with inference requests up 4,000%. Cloudflare also closed its longest SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) deal and noted that tariffs and hardware complexity are accelerating changes to its software-defined solutions. After beating revenue estimates, NET shares rose 7.5% on 5/9…
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Daily Sector Snapshot — 5/9/25
The Bespoke Report – 5/9/25 – Limbo
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Q1 2025 Earnings Conference Call Recaps: Carvana (CVNA)
Bespoke’s Conference Call Recaps use AI to summarize lengthy earnings calls. The commentary below is AI-generated and then edited by Bespoke for quality control. As always, none of these summaries should be construed as recommendations to buy or sell any securities, and investors should do their own research and/or consult with a financial professional before making any investment decisions.
Our latest recap available to Bespoke subscribers covers Carvana’s (CVNA) Q1 2025 earnings call.
Carvana (CVNA) is an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars online, with the purpose of simplifying and modernizing the car-buying process through fully digital transactions, home delivery, and a vertically integrated logistics and reconditioning network. The company owns and operates inspection centers, delivery infrastructure, and the ADESA wholesale auction network. CVNA serves retail consumers across the US and positions itself as a differentiated alternative to traditional dealerships by offering greater selection, convenience, and transparency. CVNA delivered record results in Q1 with 133,898 retail units sold (+46% YoY) and $4.23B in revenue (+38%), driven by gains in selection, brand trust, and efficiency. The company unveiled an ambitious goal to reach 3 million annual units over the next 5–10 years. Management hit on reinvesting gains into customer experience while leveraging existing infrastructure, including ADESA and underutilized inspection centers. Macro topics like tariffs and recession risks were addressed, with Carvana discussing adaptability and resilience in its model. Finance GPU was notably strong, aided by wider spreads and growing securitization support. The stock was up more than 12% on 5/8 after posting stronger results than expected…
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Q1 2025 Earnings Conference Call Recaps: Zillow (ZG)
Bespoke’s Conference Call Recaps use AI to summarize lengthy earnings calls. The commentary below is AI-generated and then edited by Bespoke for quality control. As always, none of these summaries should be construed as recommendations to buy or sell any securities, and investors should do their own research and/or consult with a financial professional before making any investment decisions.
Our latest recap available to Bespoke subscribers covers Zillow’s (ZG) Q1 2025 earnings call.
Zillow (ZG) is a leading online real estate marketplace that helps consumers navigate buying, selling, renting, and financing homes. Its platform includes tools like Zillow Home Loans, the Premier Agent network, and the Housing Super App, which streamlines the moving process through integrated touring, financing, and agent support. With over 2 million active rental listings and 227 million monthly users, it remains one of the most influential players in US housing. ZG beat expectations in Q1 with $598M in revenue (+13% YoY), driven by strong growth in Rentals (+33%) and Mortgages (+32%). The Rentals segment hit a record $129M in revenue, fueled by a 47% increase in multi-family revenue and a 60,000-property count. Enhanced markets now account for 24% of connections and are expected to reach 35% by year-end. Showcase listings delivered a 30% higher agent win rate and 2% price premium. Despite a flat housing market, management reiterated 2025 goals for low to mid-teens revenue growth, citing momentum in rentals, product innovation, and integrated experiences. ZG shares were up modestly on 5/8…
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