Notes From All Over -- October 22, 2020

Why won't you see Charlie Brown specials this year? Link here to The LA Times. 

Apple: the other day I mentioned that Apple TV+ was signing the biggest icons in Hollywood:

• more proof: Apple TV+ now owns Snoopy, Peanuts; link here;
  
• exclusive on Apple TV+ for the holidays; folks won't be seeing the classic Peanuts movies at Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas this year -- this is a big, big, big deal
• I'll come back this later; how married men can play this;

Apple: another example -- Apple buys rights to "The Velvet Underground" documentary. Link here.

Haynes' documentary follows 1960's band "The Velvet Underground," which was headlined by Lou Reed and once managed by artist Andy Warhol. "The Velvet Underground" was known as the "house band" at the Factory, which was Warhol's studio that served as a hangout for artists and a venue for legendary parties.

"The Velvet Underground" will feature never before seen performances and recordings, Warhol films, experimental art, and in-depth interviews with key players of that time.

On twitter this morning, straight from the blog! Pretty cool. Graphic:

 

Jobless claims, link here: 

• prior: 898K
• revised:842K
• consensus: 865K
• actual: 787K

Market:

• ATT tops 3Q20 forecasts, link here;
• "all" numbers here; adjusted profit matched expectations but revenue beat;
• earnings: 76 cents; down 19% from same period last year; matched consensus;
• company estimated that earnings took a 21-cents-per-share hit due to Covid
• revenue: fell 5.2% y-o-y to $42.3 billion but that beat analysts' estimates of $41.6 billion
• in big scheme of things: pretty much in line with forecasts
• now owns HBO Max streaming: with 38 million in the US, that puts it ahead of the company's 2020 target
• wireless network added a much stronger-than-expected 645,000 new subscribers who pay a monthly bill
• for the archives: this comes before the iPhone 12 rollout
• forecast from the company:
• free clash flow of $26 billion or higher
• full-year dividend payout ratio in the high 50s%

Boom! Demand continues to boom for US consumers' two biggest ticket items -- new houses (in the suburbs, in the midwest, anywhere but in the big cities; and new cars (anything other than EVs); link here;

• despite huge demand for new cars, manufacturers can't keep up
• Tesla registrations plummet in California in 3Q20; Model S prices slashed two, maybe three times; hard to keep up with price cuts; still a $70,000 luxury car;

Investors:

• wow, for retirees complaining about dismal opportunities in the market, is anyone paying attention? disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.
• AT&T
  
• T pays almost 8%; looks like that is guaranteed for the next year
• T sold off this past week; up 5% today in early morning trading

Others:

• Chipotle books record sales from online orders; WSJ;
• Quibi is shutting down barely six months after going live; WSJ;
• the streaming service, which served up shows in 5- to 10-minute “chapters” formatted to fit a smartphone screen, has been plagued with problems since its April debut, facing lower-than-expected viewership

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. 

Apple: I mentioned earlier that I've never seen so many positive reviews about Apple products as I'm seeing now. I could be biased, seeing things that aren't there, cherry picking, but here's yet another review: "new iPad Air reviews: 'the best table for most people' with new Pro-like design and features at a low price." Link here.