Â
Today we are watching…
1. Beyond Meat (#bynd)
Shares in Beyond Meat are up an insane 57% this January. A few months more of those kinds of gains and the company will break the global financial system! The momentum can be traced back to McDonald’s, which announced its commitment to veggie burgers in the new year. Starbucks did the same on Tuesday as part of its “resource positive” push, and so the upside may not be over yet. Of course, the winning investors will be those who can see beyond the bounce, and valuation has now gone out of the window for Beyond Meat. Consumers are clambering for its food alternatives as health and environmental concerns mount up. What could possibly stop that trend?
2. Starbucks (#sbux)
It’s all about being “resource positive” these days, and when you think about it, coffee chains have lots of little environmental faults in their business process. From water wastage to plastic cups, Starbucks can do all sorts to appease climate-conscious customers and raise its ESG (environmental, social, and governmental) score. Yesterday, the company pledged to conserve half the water taken for coffee production and reduce half of its waste. Investors will let Starbucks do Starbucks so long as those measures don’t hamstring the firm’s cost structure and leave them out of pocket. Luckily, cnsumers seem positively charged by the announcement on social media. This looks like a win-win for everybody!