Thursday, August 21, 2025

Hey Nutters 🌞 — If Target’s struggling to hit the bullseye, dating apps are losing their spark, and the Fed is still clutching its pearls over inflation, you know it’s been a week. Let’s get cracking.

💡 Cash Nut Quick Crunch

• Target’s stuck in the retail middle — never a good place to be.

• Dating apps are bleeding users, but Hinge is the surprise glow-up.

• Hertz on Amazon is… weirdly on-brand?

🏭 Retail Woes: Target Misses the Mark

Shoppers are spooked, and the middle market’s shrinking.

American consumers are pulling back even with steady paychecks, opting for bulk buys, store brands, and fewer impulse splurges. Translation: retailers are getting squeezed — and Target ($TGT) is feeling it the hardest.

• 📉 Shares fell 6.3% after Target named insider Michael Fiddelke as CEO and guided for another year of declining sales.

• 🛒 Comparable sales dropped 1.9%, traffic slid 3.2%, and gross margins shrank to 29%.

• 💄 To make things worse, Target loses its Ulta Beauty partnership in 2026.

Meanwhile, rivals are thriving:

• TJX ($TJX) hit record highs on $14.4B in revenue, riding bargain-hunting momentum.

• Lowe’s ($LOW) raised 2025 forecasts, leaning on steady contractor demand.

👉 The “retail realignment” is clear: value-first chains are thriving, while mid-market giants like Target are stuck in no man’s land — not cheap enough for discount shoppers, not premium enough to justify higher prices.

💔 Dating Apps: Love Is a Battlefield (and a Money Pit)

Americans want a $100K partner but a $2 date.

Surveys show Americans expect six-figure earners as partners, while refusing to splurge on dating. That paradox is crushing dating apps, with Bumble ($BMBL) and Match ($MTCH) trimming staff and losing users.

• 💔 Tinder shed 400K paid subs for two straight quarters.

• 🟡 Bumble axed a third of staff; shares are down 18.2% YTD.

• 📉 Grindr ($GRND) is off 12.1% YTD despite niche strength.

But it’s not all heartbreak:

• ❤️‍🔥 Hinge (owned by Match) is up 18% in users, powered by AI matchmaking.

• 📈 Grindr grew Q2 revenue 27% by targeting its core loyal base.

Even with “swipe fatigue,” people still want help finding love. The question is whether they’ll pay for it — or just settle for speed dating and social clubs.

Together with Money

Gold Can’t Stop Breaking Records

Gold has been on a hot streak lately, increasing by 40% from the start of the year (and it doesn’t look like it’ll slow down). Why? Gold has historically thrived in uncertain markets, and you may have noticed we’re living in pretty uncertain times. Luckily, experts say there’s still plenty of room to grow. If you want in on the gold rush, check out Gold IRAs – they’re a good way to own physical gold, with the added IRA tax benefits. Here’s how it works:

• You can fund it by rolling over or transferring money from an existing IRA or 401(k).

• The metals are stored in an IRS-approved depository.

• Gains are tax-deferred (Traditional) or tax-free on qualified withdrawals (Roth).

📰 Other Nuts You Should Know

🦅 Fed Hawks Still Circle

The Fed minutes show officials holding rates at 4.25–4.5%, with two dissenters itching for cuts. Inflation anxiety > job market worries — at least for now.

🚐 Hertz Sells Cars on Amazon

After its failed EV pivot, Hertz is now offloading used rentals through Amazon Autos. Yes, you can impulse-buy a 2022 Nissan Sentra while stocking up on paper towels.

💾 Databricks Shoots for $100B

CEO Ali Ghodsi wants a $100B valuation — putting Databricks in the league of SpaceX, ByteDance, and OpenAI. Critics warn of AI bubble risks, but investors might not care.

🥥 Starbucks Gets Tropical

The coffee giant is testing Coco Matcha and Coco Cold Brew across 400+ U.S. stores. The drinks, first trialed in NYC, pair coconut water with foam toppers.

🤖 DeepSeek Bets on China Chips

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek unveiled its upgraded V3 model, optimized for domestic chips. A sign Beijing’s chip-independence push is reshaping the AI landscape.

🦬 Wyoming’s State Stablecoin

The Frontier Stable Token launches as the first state-backed U.S. stablecoin. Fully collateralized, it’s sparking debate about whether states should play central banker.

Science Links Mitochondria & Muscle Strength

As we age, our muscles naturally lose mass, strength, and functionality, which can lead to fatigue and weakness beginning as early as our 30s. Recent studies indicate that our mitochondria—the cellular powerhouses that generate 90% of our energy—play a crucial role in this decline, contributing to reduced muscle function as we age. A new way to support and improve muscle health as we age, Mitopure® by Timeline is clinically shown to meaningfully boost our mitochondrial health to improve muscle strength and endurance, without any change in exercise required. Ready to feel stronger, for longer with Mitopure? [NEWSLETTER] readers can take 30% off their first month with code 30NEWSLETTER for a limited time. While supplies last.

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💡What else are we reading and seeing?

• Why Nvidia’s earnings report is a must-watch

• Bill Ackman pours billions into new bets, shaking up markets

• Wall Street piles into Meta’s AI story despite valuation worries

• Palantir stock selloff raises questions about AI hype cycle

• Goldman Sachs says we’re on the verge of a stablecoin gold rush

• Teen prodigy Kairan Quazi is ditching SpaceX for billionaire Ken Griffin’s Citadel Securities

• US IPO day-one surges are being fueled by retail “superfans,” study shows

Thanks for cracking open today’s Cash Nut 🥜.
See you tomorrow with more business bites — no dial-up required.