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Market Overview
Read time 1.6 minutes

Year To Date Performances:

1. Contrary to what many might assume, the best-performing stock over the past three decades is not a tech giant but Monster Beverage, an energy drink company. With sales growing consistently for 31 years, Monster's stock has appreciated about 200,000% since February 1994, turning a $1,000 investment into roughly $2 million today. Analysts attribute this remarkable success to a combination of right timing and astute business management by co-CEOs Rodney Sacks and Hilton Schlosberg, who capitalized early on the burgeoning energy drink market. Monster Beverage, originally a family juice company named Hansen’s, founded in 1935, was transformed completely after Sacks and Schlosberg acquired it and went public in 1990 following its bankruptcy in 1988. The company's breakthrough came with the launch of the Monster Energy drink in 2002, adopting a methodical approach to distribution and brand building, especially resonating with younger, blue-collar demographics through sponsorships in action sports. In 2015, Monster Beverage entered a strategic partnership with Coca-Cola, which acquired a 16.7% stake for over $2 billion, enhancing Monster's global distribution and trading several beverage brands between the two companies. This collaboration has been pivotal in Monster's global growth and stock performance.

2. Amazon, alongside SpaceX and Trader Joe’s, has made a bold legal claim, challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an action that poses a significant threat to national worker protections. In a legal filing, Amazon argues that the NLRB's structure and the insulation of its administrative law judges from presidential oversight violate the separation of powers principle. This stance is part of Amazon's ongoing efforts to combat union organizing within its fulfillment centers, extending beyond its workforce to potentially erode nearly a century's worth of workplace protections for American workers. Legal experts and union representatives, like Seth Goldstein from Trader Joe’s United and the Amazon Labor Union, dismiss these claims as baseless attempts to undermine unions. They argue that judicial protections are crucial for maintaining independence and that the NLRB's decisions are subject to court jurisdiction, ensuring accountability. The current pro-worker stance of the NLRB under President Joe Biden highlights the agency's susceptibility to the political inclinations of the incumbent administration, with concerns that a future shift could favour corporate interests in weakening labour laws.

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4. Headlines

   1. DoorDash exceeded expectations with a 23% increase in orders in Q4.

   2. Coinbase made its first profit since 2021 in Q4 2023.

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