🥊 Meta starting a new war

Good morning investors! Tesla is set to announce earnings today, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Today we cover:

• Facebook against Apple?

• Tesla hits a new low.

• A look at crypto

📊 Economy and News 

Facebook heats up the VR space

Meta will partner with external hardware companies, including Lenovo, Microsoft and Asus, to build virtual reality headsets using the company’s Meta Horizon operating system.

The move will create new hardware devices that run on the same operating system and software as Meta’s current first-party virtual reality hardware, such as the Quest 3 and Quest Pro.

A new battle: This will essentially recreate the “Android versus iOS” dynamic in smartphones — only for virtual reality headsets.

This follows a few months after Apple launched its $3,500 virtual reality headset, Vision Pro.

Apple's VR product will continue to be higher-priced and vertically integrated. However, it will face competition from a variety of hardware devices at different price points, all running on top of Meta's operating system.

More partners? Zuckerberg has requested that Google bring its Google Play app store to Horizon-based headsets.

He also stated that Meta would enable Steam and Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming to operate on its operating system. Meta Horizon is built on a version of Android, making it easier to adapt apps from phones to virtual reality.

What else? Meta did not provide specific information about its business arrangements with hardware partners or its software's business model.

For example, Google's Android operating system for phones is offered for free. Google monetizes its research and development by directing user searches to Google and selling ads alongside those searches.

Global hits:

• Luxury real estate sales increased more than 2%, posting their best year-over-year gains in three years.

• Global military spending hit all-time high in 2023 after 7% jump.

• Donald Trump set to receive $1.25 billion worth of Trump Media stock in DJT earnout bonus.

📈 Stocks

S&P 500 5,010.60 (+0.87%)
DJIA 38,239.98 (+0.67%)
NASDAQ 17,210.88 (+1.02%)
BRENT CRUDE 87.01 (-0.33%)
* Prices as of Apr 23rd, 12:20 AM UTC

Market closes higher as Tesla hits a 15 month low

Tesla’s stock dropped for a seventh straight day Monday, reaching its lowest price since January 2023. It went as low as $140 yesterday before bouncing back.

This was for a seventh straight day that the company closed in red.

Wall Street is not happy about recent price cuts and layoffs. All eyes will now be on Tesla’s earnings report tomorrow.

Analysts are expecting a 5.1% drop in revenue, which would be the first year-over-year decline since the second quarter of 2020, when the Covid pandemic disrupted operations.

On the other hand, the market ripped higher Monday, recovering their footing after a tough week, as tech shares rebounded and tensions in the Middle East dimmed.

Good news: Delta Air Lines gives staff another 5% raise, hikes starting wages to $19 an hour.

🔐 Crypto

Bitcoin $66,794 (-0.10%)
Ethereum $2,300 (-0.44%)
Total market cap $2.46T (-0.032%)
* Prices as of Apr 23rd, 12:20 AM UTC

Bit about crypto

Bitcoin rose slightly to start the week after the network on Friday completed its fourth halving, which reduces the incentives paid to bitcoin miners.

Moreover, shares of public cryptocurrency miners climbed, after rallying into the close Friday before the halving, which took place later that day. The biggest miners, Marathon Digital jumped 6% while Riot Platforms surged 23%. CleanSpark and Iris Energy increased by about 11% each.

Also, Bitcoin gas fees have dropped almost 10x after halving.

Lastly, XRP rallied past $0.50 as Ripple prepares for response to SEC requirement for $2 billion in penalty.

💵 Personal Finance

Use AI to make money – Part III

Here’s a bit more on how you can use AI to make money:

Use AI to generate content

AI can be used to generate all kinds of content from written blogs to audio posts to images. Some argue that AI is making people jobless but we argue that it is only offering more opportunities to make money.

Here are some of the best tools to get started:

• Writing: ChatGPT can be used to write everything from blogs to eBooks to YouTube scripts. The basic version of the tool is free to use but you can also get your hands on the paid version to get access to the latest information and come up with even better content. Those who want something different can try GrowthBar, which is said to be suitable for marketing and SEO content such as product descriptions and sales emails.

• Graphics: Starting at $20.99 per month, Adobe FireFly comprises a collection of AI design tools capable of generating stunning text effects, transforming text into images, and recoloring vectors to create a wide range of color variations. Those who want a free tool can try MidJourney, which also has a paid version. It works in a similar fashion but isn't as neat as FireFly.

• Audio: The first AI audio tool, LANDR is an AI-powered audio tool that allows you to create, collaborate, master, distribute, and promote your music. Used by names like Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, and Seal, it can automatically create personalized masters based on your music with amazing precision. Those who want to concentrate on podcasts can try Descript. Another of our favorites is Listnr, which can convert text to speech and speech to text. Plus, it even comes with voice cloning capabilities.

• Video: Pictory is an AI video generator that enables you to easily create and edit high-quality videos. This powerful tool can even turn articles into videos. Those who want something more authentic can try Synthesys with 69 real Humatars and more than 140 languages.

Content created through these tools can be sold on Amazon, uploaded to your website, put up on social media, etc.

Also, don’t forget to visit our YouTube channel for more on making and saving money. Here’s the latest video:

💰 Be a Better Investor

👩🏽‍⚖️ Legal Stuff
Nothing in this newsletter is financial advice. Always do your own research and think for yourself.

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