CEO Watchlist: Week In Review

March 23, 2025

TOP NEWS AFFECTING THE STOCK MARKET THIS WEEK:

Tesla Shares Crashing! Elon Says "Hang Onto Your Stock", But His Brother's Actions Say Different!! (Source)

Stocks mentioned: $TSLA, $GOOG, $BYD

At a Tesla (TSLA) all-hands meeting, Elon Musk urged employees to hold onto their stock despite its steep decline this year, emphasizing the company’s future in robotaxis and humanoid robotics. He addressed recent backlash and vandalism against Tesla, jokingly telling critics to “stop being psycho,” while promoting upcoming innovations like the Cybercab and Optimus robot. Despite competition from companies like Boston Dynamics and Alphabet (GOOG) owned Waymo, Musk remains confident in Tesla’s tech leadership, promising employees early access to new products and a future of “abundance for all.”

Elon has been telling employees to "hang onto your stock" but employees are not listening! In recent filings, the insiders at Tesla are selling heavy. But it's not just insiders that are selling, Elon's own brother Kimbal Musk is also selling his shares. It's one thing when insiders are selling their shares, but it's another thing when your own brother is selling his shares in your company! This leaves investors with a poor taste in their mouths and a lack of confidence that even the Tesla insiders are not buying stock at these depressed levels. Instead, they continue to sell as recent as March 10, 2025. This is why investors are looking at other companies in the stock market that are Tesla's top competition. As we discussed, Alphabet's (GOOG) Waymo has been hitting the road across the country and is currently doing over 200,000 paid rides per week, while Tesla is still struggling to get their robotaxis fully operational and on the road. Now whether or not Waymo can beat Tesla in the long run has yet to be seen. Even overseas in China, Tesla has competitors like BYD Company (BYD) who are taking market share away from Tesla in Asia.
T-Minus 10 Days: Countdown To The Tariff-Apocalypse! (Source)

Stocks mentioned: $TGT, $FCX, $X

Trump's additional tariffs, which are set to begin on April 2nd, just 10 days away, aim to counter tarrifs imposed by other countries, including non-tariff measures like additional taxes on the United States. Trump mentioned plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as concerns grow over retaliatory tariffs and the potential for escalating trade tensions. Although the markets felt some relief on Friday when President Donald Trump said there will be “flexibility” in his upcoming reciprocal tariff plan, we could still shake things up heading into next week.

If Trump actually follows through with this tariff plan, certain stocks could get hit harder than others. I'm cautious around a name like Target Corp. (TGT), since they are a consumer-driven stock that relies heavily on other countries such as China for their goods, whether that's clothing, toys, or electronics. On the flip side, tariff induced trade wars can give a boost to U.S.-centric industrials like Freeport McMoran (FCX) or U.S. Steel Corp. (X), which benefit when foreign steel and metals get more expensive. Bottom line: if the additional tariffs go live on April 2nd, it’s time to think defensively by favoring stocks with strong U.S. supply chains, while being cautious on stocks that have a lot of international exposure.
Has The Next Crypto Bull Run Just Begun? (Source)

Stocks mentioned: $XRP, $BTC, $ETH, $COIN, $HOOD

The SEC has officially dropped its four-year lawsuit against Ripple, marking a major win for crypto and may be the start of easing regulation against the crypto industry as a whole. This legal victory, combined with a favorable 2023 court ruling, has helped shift momentum toward a more crypto-friendly regulatory environment under President Trump. The SEC, now led by Hester Peirce’s Crypto Task Force, is pivoting from enforcement to engagement, reversing anti-crypto policies and working with the crypto industry to establish clearer rules.

With this big win in court, crypto names like Ripple (XRP), Bitcoin (BTC), and even Ethereum ($ETH) could have a lot more room to run now that the SEC is stepping back. But it's not just cryptocurrencies that do well in this environment, it is also companies in the stock market that have exposure to cryptocurrencies that do well. Stocks such as Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD) allow their clients to invest and trade different cryptocurrencies. We have seen a direct correlation that when crypto does well, these stocks also do well. And when crypto does bad, these stocks also perform poorly. I personally prefer Robinhood over Coinbase because Robinhood has more of a diverse business model outside of cryptocurrency, which shields them slightly from volatility in the crypto space. Robinhood this past week announced a very exciting feature within their app called "prediction markets". This allows users to bet on many things from sports to politics. This just goes to show that Robinhood continues to innovate even during these volatile times which has attracted investors back to their platform despite their history of controversies, specifically their 2021 controversy regarding their financials and halting trading.

INSIDER TRADES FROM THE WEEK:

1. Adobe, Inc. (ADBE) - Daniel Durn, EVP & CFO, bought approximately ~$500,000 of Adobe stock on Mar. 20, 2025, but it was reported to the public on Mar. 21, 2025. (Source)

2. Digital Realty Trust (DLR) - Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. House Rep. in Georgia, bought between $1,001-$15,000 worth of Digital Realty stock on Mar. 17, 2025, but it was reported to the public on Mar. 18, 2025. (Source)

3. Hims & Hers, Inc. (HIMS) - Tony Wied, U.S. House Rep. in Wisconsin, bought between $115,000-$300,000 worth of Hims & Hers stock on Feb. 24-25, 2025, but it was reported to the public on Mar. 13, 2025. (Source)