TOGETHER WITH
Hey there weekday warrior,
Here’s what’s on the agenda today…
China just made it even harder to get rare earth metals, Pepsi just won’t go away, and Ferrari had a worse day than you.
Enjoy the next 4 minutes and 34 seconds of blue-chip news and commentary.
Keep on snapping necks and cashing checks,
PS, loving The Water Coolest? Forward it to someone who prefers Pepsi to Coke (so I can report them to the authorities). If you CC me ([email protected]), I’ll send you both something.
PPS, did someone with great taste forward this to you? Subscribe here.
That’s so (rare earth) metal
Live look at the Fed…
President Xi out here putting the “rare” in “rare earth minerals”…
Beijing has plans to make it harder to get rare earth metals out of the People’s Republic. And this is how drug metal mules become a thing.
From here on out, foreign entities (so, the US) will have to get a license to export anything that contains rare earths worth more than 0.1% of its value. So anything that’s so much as looked at Yttrium (no, that’s not a made up word). Oh, and you’ll also need a license if you use any Chinese tech related to extraction or refining the materials.
This is a big f*cking deal considering it’s a major sticking point in the ongoing trade war between China and the US (read: the US needs these more than the average American needs some self-control, or at the very least, a GLP-1). And it’s an even bigger f*ck you to POTUS, who is expected to meet with President Xi later this month.
As you might expect, investors started hoovering up domestic rare earth metal miners without regard for human life. Shares of MP Materials $MP ( ▲ 15.12% ), USA Rare Earth $USAR ( ▲ 14.48% ), and Trilogy $TMQ ( ▲ 8.09% ) all popped on the news. If those sound familiar, that’s because the US government either recently took a stake in them or is in talks to make an investment.
WTF could it mean for us?
F*ck it, let’s predict the headlines we could be talking about in future TWCs, shall we? Go ahead, name a newsletter that’s out here predicting the godd*mn future…
🔮 October 28, 2025: POTUS has got a fever and the only prescription is more rare earth metals. Ahead of his meeting with President Xi, Donny Politics announced investments in three additional rare earth metal miners… and has proposed “CHIPS Act, but make it rare earth metals.” Shares of miners went parabolic on the news.
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+ “No daughter of mine is going to date a Pepsi drinker” - me, in like 15 years
Third-rate cola maker Pepsi $PEP ( ▲ 3.64% ) just refuses to go away. Coke Jr. beat the Street’s expectations on the back of international sales that offset dropping N. American volume. And I can sleep easy knowing the American palate remains undefeated…
+ Eat the rich, amirite?
Just an all-time day for all the Nissan Altimas and Honda Accords out there. Ferrari $RACE ( ▼ 1.21% ) got bodied after disappointing investors during its Capital Markets Day. Not only did its full-year expectations leave the Street saying “where’s the rest?” but its 2030 expectations were kinda meh, too. The drop marked the stock’s worst day ever.
It probably didn’t help that all eyes were on the carmaker for people who can’t afford a Lambo. You see, it also debuted the tech that will power its first EV.
Is now a bad time to bring up Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari?
+ Now you can invest in the future disappointment of employers everywhere. The owner of the University of Phoenix went public yesterday, and, you’re not going to believe this, but shares popped nearly 20%. At the close, the Harvard of For Profit Online Universities was valued at $1.35B.
+ Wake up, babe… new tax brackets just dropped…
BREAKING: The IRS announced new 2026 federal income tax brackets. The top 37% rate will apply to income above $640,600 for individuals and $768,700 for joint filers.
— #unusual_whales (#@unusual_whales)
4:17 PM • Oct 9, 2025
+ First Brands: “Well, things certainly can’t get much worse…”
The DOJ: “Hey, uh, we need to talk.”
First Brands, which makes automotive parts (think: Callahan Auto Parts, minus the lovable founder’s son who saves the town of Sandusky), filed for bankruptcy last month after its lenders started pointing out some (ok, a lot of) f*ckery in its financial reporting.
Now for the fun part: the fallout. All the financial institutions with massive exposure being dragged publicly (sup, Jefferies and UBS) and the Department of Justice would like a word.
+ Is that a lot?
According to OpenAI, Sora has been downloaded more than 1M times in less than 5 days. Those are Taylor Swift-type numbers.
Not that it’s a contest, but Sora hit 1M users quicker than ChatGPT (perhaps you’ve heard of it?). Did I mention that ChatGPT now has more than 800M users?
+ US stocks “pulled back from fresh all-time intraday highs on Thursday, with both indexes taking a breather from their gains in the previous session as the U.S. government shutdown continues on.” (CNBC)
+ The 10-year yield was “relatively unchanged on Thursday as investors continued to wait for a breakthrough on the ongoing government shutdown.” (CNBC)
+ Oil “settled lower on Thursday after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement to cease fire in Gaza.” (Reuters)
+ The “smart” money (prediction markets) thinks there’s a 69% chance Tesla will beat earnings expectations this quarter. (Polymarket)
⏪ Yesterday…
+ Pepsi, Delta Air Lines, and Tilray reported before the close
+ Applied Digital Corporation and Levi’s reported after the bell
+ Ferrari revealed its first-ever all-electric vehicle during its Capital Markets Day
+ J-Poww gave welcome remarks before the Community Bank Conference
⏩ Today we’re keeping an eye on…
+ Electronic Arts' Battlefield 6 launches. Imagine if it sucks… the Saudi Public Investment Fund will “eliminate” half of HQ
+ The University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey for October drops
Yesterday, I asked, “If someone says they make "low six figures," how much do they actually make?”
45.9% of you said “$100,000.“
Here’s what some of you guys had to say…
$100,000: “If you are saying you make "six figures" or "low six figures" I always assume you make $103,000 before taxes.”
$99,999: “The old saying goes if anyone talks about how much money they make, they are lying.”
$150,000: “Anything less than $250K is probably "low" six figs. Someone who makes $100K won't qualify it - they make six figures.”
$100,000: ““I make six figures with overtime”… my base is 60K and my kids barely recognize me when I come home… my wife also goes to lunch with her personal trainer a lot for some reason.”
$99,999: ““I’m 6 feet (5’10.5”) tall””
Here’s today’s question…
Agree or disagree with Connor Roy in this scene from Succession?
Connor: You can't do anything with five [million dollars], Greg. Five's a nightmare.
Greg: Is it?
Connor: Oh, yeah. Can't retire. Not worth it to work. Oh, yes, five will drive you un poco loco, my fine feathered friend.
Tom: The poorest rich person in America. The world's tallest dwarf.
Connor: The weakest strong man at the circus.
Boomers when you suggest they leave something for their descendants so they can have the same standard of living that boomers had.
— #Raven (#@raven_brah)
12:54 AM • Oct 9, 2025
Oh, and one more thing…
What did you think about today's newsletter?
Sent from my Amazon Fire Phone. Please excuse any mistakes and typos.
Does this look like the face of a guy you should take financial advice from?
No, it’s the face of an individual who is financially irresponsible/dumb enough to be talked into spending money on a family photo shoot that he could have just done with his iPhone. So, act accordingly...
This is not financial advice. Nothing in this newsletter is an investment recommendation. All content is created for entertainment, educational, or informational purposes only. Do your own research, or do yourself a favor and hire a professional.