🗓️ This Week in The Markets
Macro/Market News
Wholesale inflation spikes: U.S. producer prices (a measure of wholesale inflation) surged 6% annually, marking the biggest increase since 2022 and blowing past estimates.
Consumer inflation hits 3-year high: U.S. consumer prices rose 0.6% in April, pushing annual inflation to 3.8% and slightly exceeding expectations, largely driven by rising energy costs.
Consumer sentiment drops to record low: U.S. consumer sentiment plummeted to a record low of 48.2 in May, weighed down by elevated gas prices and tariff-related cost concerns.
Company Specific News
Cloudflare ($NET ( ▼ 1.13% )) announced plans to cut more than 1,100 employees, shifting its focus toward an AI-first operating model despite beating revenue and EPS expectations.
Cerebras ($CBRS ( ▼ 10.08% )) completed the largest tech IPO of 2026, raising $5.55 billion. The AI chipmaker's stock vaulted 68% on its market debut, valuing the company at $67 billion.
GameStop ($GME ( ▼ 0.09% )) made a $56 billion takeover offer for eBay ($EBAY ( ▲ 2.55% )), which eBay promptly rejected as not credible, potentially setting up a proxy fight.
🛒 What the Haul?
Out of 437 TikTok hauls analyzed, these companies appeared the most:
SHEIN - 52 Appearances (11.9%)
Zara - 39 Appearances (8.9%)
H&M - 23 Appearances (5.3%)
Brandy Melville - 19 Appearances (4.3%)
Hollister - 17 Appearances (3.9%)
Edikted - 15 Appearances (3.4%)
Bershka - 14 Appearances (3.2%)
Nike - 12 Appearances (2.7%)
Chanel - 11 Appearances (2.5%)
Garage - 10 Appearances (2.3%)
Aritzia - 9 Appearances (2.1%)
Aerie - 9 Appearances (2.1%)
PacSun - 9 Appearances (2.1%)
Rhode - 9 Appearances (2.1%)
Cotton On - 8 Appearances (1.8%)
Stradivarius - 8 Appearances (1.8%)
Free People - 8 Appearances (1.8%)
Abercrombie & Fitch - 8 Appearances (1.8%)
Amazon - 8 Appearances (1.8%)
Alo Yoga - 8 Appearances (1.8%)
Old Navy - 7 Appearances (1.6%)
Victoria's Secret - 7 Appearances (1.6%)
Hermès - 7 Appearances (1.6%)
Cider - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Princess Polly - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Lululemon - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Target - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Alo - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Fashion Nova - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Coach - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Walmart - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
Primark - 6 Appearances (1.4%)
TJ Maxx - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
Glassons - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
White Fox - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
ASOS - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
Louis Vuitton - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
Adidas - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
Prada - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
New Yorker - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
Aeropostale - 5 Appearances (1.1%)
Key Takeaways
Two new brands cracked the top 10 this week, Edikted and Nike ($NKE ( ▼ 0.33% )), signaling the data is picking up fresh demand signals. Edikted's ~50 items and physical presence at The Grove positions it as a rising DTC brand crossing into brick-and-mortar, while Nike's appearance (even at only 14 items) reflects the brand's persistent cultural relevance across athletic, casual, and community. Both entries displace brands that have held consistent spots, suggesting the competitive landscape is more fluid than the weekly rankings imply.
Brandy Melville is now being adopted as maternity wear, and that's a demographic expansion nobody expected. A third-trimester creator sourcing a full loungewear haul and calling it "bump approved" over dedicated maternity brands is a product-market fit discovery happening organically. The brand didn't design for this use case, but 100% cotton basics and stretchy silhouettes are solving a real problem for pregnant shoppers who want to feel like themselves, not like they're wearing "maternity clothes."
Bershka is now drawing direct comparisons to Balenciaga and Birkenstock at €6-€23 price points. That's the most aggressive dupe positioning in the haul data to date. When creators are explicitly calling out luxury brand similarities at fast-fashion prices with a "run to the store" urgency, it suggests $IDEXY's Bershka is successfully capturing the aspiration-without-the-price-tag shopper that previously defaulted to Zara.
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🤖 This Week in AI
Elon Musk announced that xAI will dissolve and integrate into SpaceX as a new division called "SpaceXAI". The division will handle AI projects like Grok and the social media platform X, streamlining operations and aligning AI efforts with SpaceX's broader goals.
Google ($GOOG ( ▼ 0.97% )) introduced its first new laptop concept in 15 years, which runs a new OS built from the ground up around Gemini AI. The laptop features "Magic Pointer," an AI-powered cursor that can summon the chatbot anywhere on the screen.
Anthropic rolled out Claude for Small Business, a new package of agentic workflows and connectors that embed Claude directly into tools like QuickBooks, PayPal, and DocuSign. The feature is designed to automate administrative tasks such as payroll, invoicing, and campaign launches.
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