Money
Nike, Adidas, ? – here’s the next big player
Nike and Adidas dominate the gym wear market, but there is a young UK company that is rivalling the global giants with strong sales and leading social media presence
Mat Cole form ACT Capital Partners says Adidas and Nike are the major players but there could be a third.
Say hello to UK gym wear company Gymshark
Who are they? Founded by teenager Ben Francis from his parents’ garage in 2012, Gymshark has grown an engaged fan base of millions followers on Instagram, thanks to its ability to leverage the power of social media and influencer marketing.
“It’s the three C’s, it’s community content, and then commerce and they nailed it,”
Mat Cole told ticker news
Cole says they built a really engaged community around the gym.
“People wanted, you know, comfortable, good looking now effective apparel, to wear to the gym, it was probably a really small niche when they started in terms of the serviceability of that entire suite of products from a Nike or an Adidas, and they saw that opportunity.”
The founder started in the back of his parents house packing the gear, shoving it in a box, driving it to the post office himself with an old waggon.
“He did a phenomenal job and, and he stayed in touch with his consumer. He stayed in touch with the influences. He stayed in touch with his community. And that’s the way that we’re able to iterate the products out that people wanted. They understood the products and the demand of their consumers. They built this really fast model to deliver products that people wanted really quickly,” Cole says on founder Ben Francis.
How is Gym Shark at an advantage over major players?
Cole says from day one, they don’t have big incumbent systems like a Reebok or like a Nike, so that’s a real advantage for them.
“I think there’s this huge amount of growth in their business,” he said.
“So direct to consumer, great influence and marketing campaigns, or young CEOs or young founders of startup, handing it over to a more mature CEO to really grow the brand. While he did an apprenticeship. He’s now taken back over as the CEO of Gym Shark.”
The company is based in Birmingham in the UK, it’s got over a billion dollar valuation.
“So it’s one of the first to emerge in that really sort of duopoly market, between Nike and Adidas”
Adidas offloading Reebok?
German sportswear giant Adidas has agreed to sell the struggling Reebok brand after buying the company in 2006.
The new owner is US company Authentic Brands Group who bought the Reebok brand for 2.1 billion euros ($US2.5 billion).
In February this year Adidas announced that it would offload the brand after struggling to lift its fortunes.
Adidas CEO said “Reebok has been a valued part of adidas, and we are grateful for the contributions the brand and the team behind it have made to our company,”
Authentic Brands Group owns a number of well known names including Fashion retailers JCPenney, Forever21 and Brooks Brothers, as well as the publication Sports Illustrated.
Money
Wall Street hits record highs on low inflation
Wall Street hits record highs on cool inflation and strong earnings ahead of key Federal Reserve interest rate decision
Wall Street hits record highs on cool inflation and strong earnings ahead of key Federal Reserve interest rate decision
– U.S. stocks rose to record highs on Friday due to lower inflation and strong corporate earnings.
– Key earnings reports from major companies are expected next week, influencing market trends.
The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index was slightly cooler than analysts’ predictions, easing concerns about inflation impacts from tariffs. This development suggests a likely interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its upcoming meeting.
Ryan Detrick from Carson Group noted the positive inflation news may facilitate forthcoming Fed rate cuts. Despite the ongoing government shutdown affecting data releases, this CPI report provided much-needed clarity.
Earnings reports are continuing, with 143 S&P 500 companies having reported results. Growth expectations for third-quarter earnings have risen to 10.4%. Detrick indicated a strong opening to the earnings season with a significant percentage of companies exceeding expectations.
This coming week, key earnings will be reported from Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Apple, alongside industrial companies like Caterpillar and Boeing.
The Dow rose 472.51 points to 47,207.12. The S&P 500 increased by 53.25 points to 6,791.69, while the Nasdaq gained 263.07 points, reaching 23,204.87.
Alphabet gained 2.7% following a deal expansion with Anthropic. Coinbase saw a 9.8% increase from a JPMorgan upgrade. In contrast, Deckers Outdoor’s shares fell 15.2% after lowering sales forecasts.
Market Trends
Advancing stocks on the NYSE outnumbered decliners by 2.18 to 1. The S&P 500 had 34 new highs, with the Nasdaq recording 124.
Trading volume was 19.04 billion shares, lower than the average of the past 20 days.
Money
US stocks face tests from Tesla, Netflix earnings
US markets brace for Tesla and Netflix earnings amid rising volatility and delayed inflation data
US markets brace for Tesla and Netflix earnings amid rising volatility and delayed inflation data
– Earnings reports from Tesla and Netflix might affect U.S. stock performance next week amid high inflation concerns.
– Increased market volatility arises from U.S.-China trade tensions and fewer S&P 500 stocks in an uptrend.
The S&P 500 entered its fourth year of growth amidst these fluctuations, having previously experienced a period of calm. Experts suggest market risks are intensifying as valuations reach peak levels.
Market Volatility
Concerns regarding U.S.-China trade relations escalated last week when the U.S. threatened to raise tariffs by November 1 over China’s rare-earth export policies. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping in two weeks to discuss these issues.
Despite these challenges, major stock indexes gained ground over the week, with the S&P 500 up 13.3% year-to-date. However, a noticeable decline in the number of S&P 500 stocks in an uptrend raises caution among investors about underlying market weaknesses.
The upcoming third-quarter earnings will be closely monitored, especially as the government shutdown halts economic data releases. Companies like Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, RTX, and IBM are due to report. The delayed U.S. consumer price index is also expected to provide crucial insights ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting on October 28-29.
Money
Australia’s unemployment rate rises to 4.5 per cent
Australia’s unemployment rate rises to 4.5 per cent in September, prompting calls for potential Reserve Bank interest rate cut
Australia’s unemployment rate rises to 4.5 per cent in September, prompting calls for potential Reserve Bank interest rate cut
– Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 4.5% in September, the highest since November 2021.
– Economists note a cooling labour market, with fewer job ads and increased participation rate amid rising living costs.
Economists suggest that the Reserve Bank should consider another interest rate cut next month. BetaShares chief economist David Bassanese noted a slowdown in employment demand as the labour market struggles to accommodate job seekers.
The number of officially unemployed rose by 33,900 in September, while the employment count increased by 14,900. The labour force expanded by 48,800 people, resulting in a participation rate rise of 0.1 percentage points to 67 per cent, returning to July levels.
In trend terms, the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3 per cent.
Labour Market
BDO chief economist Anders Magnusson stated that while the unemployment rate has increased, the labour market is cooling, not collapsing.
He pointed out that the 14,900 jobs added in September were slightly below the average for the past year.
A growing participation rate indicates that rising living costs are prompting more individuals to seek employment. Magnusson said the release confirms a gradual cooling of the labour market that keeps the Reserve Bank on track without necessitating immediate action.
He added that hiring activity is slowing, signalled by a 3.3 per cent drop in job advertisements in September, the largest monthly decrease since February 2024.
Despite this, he does not foresee a rate cut in November.
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