short squeez

Together With

โ

"No more paying consultants to do things like make Power Point slides and write meeting minutes!" โ€” VA Secretary Doug Collins

Good Morning! JPMorgan rebranded its diversity program to DOI. Yahoo sold TechCrunch to media PE firm Regent, and ticket reseller StubHub filed for an IPO.

Elon Musk reassured Tesla workers in an all-hands meeting, admitted it "feels like Armageddon," and urged them to hold onto their stock despite a 50% plunge. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang doesnโ€™t think tariffs will impact the companyโ€™s business.

Plus: Chaos at Londonโ€™s Heathrow could result in hundreds of millions in losses, some investors worry weโ€™re in a dot-com bubble 2.0, and why you may want to increase your exposure to bonds.

Invest in the future of smartphones with todayโ€™s sponsor Mode Mobile.

SQUEEZ OF THE DAY

Consulting is Cooked

For decades, consultants have feasted on corporate and federal budgets alike but now, some are starting to ask: do a few PowerPoint slides filled with words like โ€œsynergy,โ€ โ€œtransformation,โ€ and โ€œoperational excellenceโ€ really justify the millions of dollars?

The U.S. government spends roughly $65 billion on consulting contracts, and the Trump-Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is coming for every last cent.

A new crackdown from the General Services Administration (GSA)โ€”the agency that manages government procurement and contractsโ€”is demanding federal agencies justify their reliance on consulting giants like Booz Allen, Accenture, and Deloitte.

Booz Allen Hamilton, the most exposed of the bunch, gets a staggering 98% of its $11 billion revenue from U.S. government contracts. Since Trumpโ€™s election, its stock is down over 40%. Accenture, which gets 8% of its global revenue from federal work, told investors that โ€œongoing uncertaintyโ€ is already hitting revenues. Its stock is down 16% over the past month.

The GSA has asked each firm to submit a โ€œscorecardโ€ by March 31, outlining how their work creates measurable value, identifying waste, and offering pricing concessions. And no more buzzwords: โ€œa 15-year-old should be able to understand what service you provide and why it matters,โ€ the GSA letter stated.

The impact is already being felt. The Department of Veterans Affairs has canceled nearly $2 billion in contracts, stating theyโ€™ll no longer pay consultants to โ€œmake PowerPoint slides and write meeting minutes.โ€

Meanwhile, DOGE revealed the IRSโ€™s long-delayed modernization program is 30 years behind schedule and $15 billion over budget. Despite processing the same volume of data as a mid-sized bank, the IRS has 8,000 IT employees and spends $3.5 billion a year on operations, 80% of which goes to contractors.

Takeaway: DOGEโ€™s not just cutting contracts, itโ€™s got people questioning the industry as whole. Combine that with AI tools like OpenAIโ€™s Deep Research that can spit out a full consulting-style report in 10 minutes, and a lot of folks are wondering what exactly theyโ€™re paying consultants for.

Consulting is cooked.

And if your job involves โ€œempowering digital-first solutions via scalable frameworks,โ€ you might want to start updating your LinkedIn profile.

PRESENTED BY MODE MOBILE

Your Data Made Them Billionsโ€”Now Itโ€™s Your Turn to Profit

Apple just traded your privacy for $20 Billion, by keeping Google as the default search engine on iPhones.

And with smartphones collecting 1,000 datapoints on users daily, tech giants have had free access to their most valuable resourceโ€ฆ until now.

Mode Mobile is flipping the data industry on its head, splitting profits with their users by turning smartphones into an income-generating asset. Theyโ€™ve already:

Their EarnPhone could be considered the Uber of smartphones, and theyโ€™re gearing up for a potential IPO on the Nasdaq (ticker: $MODE).

And as companies desperately seek to extract more data, you can invest in Modeโ€™s pre-IPO offering at just $0.26/share.

HEADLINES

Top Reads

  • DOI is the new DEI at JPMorgan (Fox)

  • Yahoo sells TechCrunch to investment firm Regent (Axios)

  • He just bought the Boston Celticsโ€”and no one knows anything about him (WSJ)

  • Heathrow air travel chaos may cost hundreds of millions in losses (CNN)

  • Stumbling stock market raises specter of dot-com era reckoning (YF)

  • Nvidia CEO Huang: Tariffs won't have 'significant' impact (YF)

  • Why investors may want to increase exposure to bonds (CNBC)

  • Musk tells Tesla employees hang on to stock after 50% plunge (YF)

  • DOGE says IRS modernization is $15B over budget, 30 years overdue (Fox)

  • Ticket reseller StubHub files for an IPO (Axios)

  • X plans purchase of last $1.2 billion buyout debt held by banks (YF)

  • The Boston Celtics sale raises lots of questions (Axios)

  • Companies cut design departments (FC)

  • 5 years after Covid, the return-to-office push is stronger than ever (CNBC)

  • A possible $70,000 tariff bill has Americaโ€™s largest limoncello maker on edge (CNN)

  • Seniors won't complain if they miss a Social Security check, Lutnick says (Axios)

  • Wall Street uncertain over when Fed's balance sheet unwind will end (YF)

CAPITAL PULSE

Markets Rundown

Stocks Snap Skid with Late Rally Amid Mixed Signals

Stocks ended mixed Friday, halting a four-week slide despite early dips.

FedEx and Nike tankedโ€”FedEx cut guidance on inflation and weak demand, Nike flagged profit hits from U.S. tariffs on China and Mexicoโ€”while Boeing soared on a fighter jet deal.

After a 10% correction from mid-Februaryโ€™s $6,318 peak, markets steadied, with tech reclaiming the lead.

Europe paused after Germanyโ€™s fiscal package cleared, boosting its outperformance.

Tariff uncertainty loomsโ€”April 2โ€™s trade policy reveal could jolt volatilityโ€”but no news this week calmed nerves.

Jobless claims at 223,000 and rising profits signal resilience, not recession.

The Fed held at 4.25%-4.5%, slowing QT, eyeing two 0.25% cuts in 2025 despite trimming GDP to 1.7% and nudging core PCE to 2.8%.

Powell sees tariff inflation as a blipโ€”rates may hit 3.5%-4% by year-end.

Diversification remains king in this sector-shuffling, tariff-shadowed market.

Movers & Shakers

  • (+) Alnylam Pharmaceuticals ($ALNY) +12% after the FDA approved its injectable heart disease drug.

  • (+) Super Micro Computer ($SMCI) +8% because of an upgrade from JPMorgan.

  • (โ€“) Micron Technology ($MU) -8% after the chipmakersโ€™ investorsย  were expecting higher earnings per share.

Private Dealmaking

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NEIGHBHORHOOD WATCH

Real Estate Digest

Mortgage rates remained relatively flat this week even amidst heightened uncertainty in the stock market and the impact of tariffs on the overall economy. For the ninth consecutive week, the 30-Year Fixed-Rate mortgage has stayed below the 7% mark creating stability for buyers in and inventory short marketplace.

Latest News

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BOOK OF THE DAY

The Business of Tomorrow

At the turn of the last century, the Guggenheim family ran the most powerful mining conglomerate on earth. Decades later came the Guggenheim museum, which became the hub of the worldโ€™s most powerful art brand.

In between, the Guggenheim name was uttered in every field from aviation to politics, from journalism to rocketry.

But who was behind this epic sphere of influence? It took three generations of Guggenheims to build the wealth in its first era. Yet it was the singular force of Harry Guggenheim who would guide the familyโ€™s next generation of businesses into modernity.

Part angel investor, part entrepreneur, part technologist, Harry launched businesses whose impact on 20th century America went far beyond the Guggenheimsโ€™ mines or museum.

His visionary investments continue to profoundly influence our world and hold valuable business lessons for billionaire dynasty builders like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

A flawed but brilliant man, Harry Guggenheim was the confidante to five American presidents and a key financial force behind commercial aviation and space exploration, two innovations that catapulted the nation into the future.

With unprecedented archival access, Dirk Smillie astutely examines Harryโ€™s business acumen, intellectual curiosities, and the world he lived in.

Whether it was his paradoxical friendship with Charles Lindbergh or his dynamic and ambitions family members, Smillie puts Harryโ€™s life and work in rich context. Epic and intimate, The Business of Tomorrow reveals the fascinating life of an American icon.

โ€œA veteran Forbes journalist brings to life the brilliant and complex Harry Guggenheim in the first-ever biography on this groundbreaking American figure.โ€

DAILY VISUAL

Americans' job anxiety at 10-year high

Source: Axios

PRESENTED BY FINANCEBUZZ

The Credit Hack Everyone Should Know

If thereโ€™s one thing Wall Street knows, itโ€™s leverage. But while you're busy structuring LBOs, have you ever thought about leveraging your own debt?

Enter the 0% intro APR balance transfer cardโ€”a cheat code for anyone with a hefty Amex tab or a Chase Sapphire bill thatโ€™s looking a little too steep.

Hereโ€™s the play:

  • 0% interest until nearly 2027 โ€“ Move your high-interest debt and pay it down on your own terms.

  • 2% cash back on purchases โ€“ Finally, a card that pays you back for those client dinners.

  • No annual fee โ€“ Because adding another card fee is rookie behavior.

Finance is all about strategyโ€”why not use the same mindset on your personal balance sheet? Thankfully, FinanceBuzz did the research so you donโ€™t have to. Hereโ€™s the card that helps you do it.

DAILY ACUMEN

Leadership

Inspiring leadership hinges on one small, potent act: offering choice.

Handing people optionsโ€”like picking between two deals or leading a meetingโ€”flips the script from control to autonomy, sparking engagement over resentment.

Research shows itโ€™s not just feel-good; it slashes suspicion, boosts trust, and turns tense moments cooperative.

Micromanaging kills drive, but delegating real stakesโ€”like a seat at the tableโ€”lights a fire of ownership.

Choice and involvement donโ€™t just manageโ€”they transform, balancing freedom with just enough guardrails to keep the ship steady.

ENLIGHTENMENT

Short Squeez Picks

  • The best management tips on strategic thinking

  • The best Omakase spots in NYC

  • 4 leadership principles not taught in business school

  • How to leverage conversational doorknobs to build trust

  • 9 situations in life where the best thing to do is remain silent

MEME-A-PALOOZA

Memes of the Day

*Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.

*The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.

*Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.