NYC’s $315 Million Bus Problem

Hundreds of investing and finance newsletters hit my (and maybe your) inbox every week. This is the best of the best.

This week, we bring you

Guitar Strings Revolutionize Blood Pressure Monitoring

​via New Atlas​

Scientists from Caltech and Esperto Medical have developed a novel, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring system inspired by guitar string tuning.

This “resonance sonomanometry” technique uses ultrasound pulses to measure arterial vibrations, potentially replacing risky catheter-based methods and inaccurate arm-cuff devices, promising ​continuous, accurate readings without recalibration​.

Shake Shack’s Robot Revolution

​via The New Money​

Fast food giant Shake Shack is teaming up with Serve Robotics to bring autonomous robot delivery to customers in Los Angeles who order through the Uber Eats app.

Serve’s AI-powered robots can navigate urban environments without human supervision, marking a significant step forward in commercial autonomous delivery.

The partnership shows the accelerating adoption of autonomous robotics, ​with Uber and Nvidia both increasing their investments in Serve​.

NYC’s $315 Million Bus Fare Evasion Problem

​via The Average Joe​

New York City’s bus system is facing a staggering fare evasion crisis, with nearly half of all riders failing to pay.

This surge in fare-dodging has led to a $315 million loss for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2022 alone. Despite the severity of the issue, officials have primarily focused on curbing subway fare evasion, ​which pales in comparison at 14% of riders​.

Chick-fil-A Cooks Up a Streaming Service

​v​​ia Short Squeez​

Chick-fil-A is reportedly venturing into the crowded streaming landscape, collaborating with Hollywood studios to create original, family-friendly content.

The fast-food giant plans to invest up to $400,000 per half-hour episode of unscripted content, with a potential rollout as early as this year. This move comes as the company seeks new ways to appeal to younger generations, ​particularly Gen Z​.

US Air Force Take On Electric Aircrafts

​via The New Money​

Archer Aviation has made history by delivering its Midnight electric aircraft to the US Air Force.

This milestone marks the first-ever delivery under their $142 million AFWERX Agility Prime contract.

The Midnight aircraft, capable of reaching speeds up to 150 mph, is optimized for short trips between ​20-50 miles with minimal charging time​.

Decoding the Job Numbers Revision Drama

​via Noahpinion​

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently revised its job growth estimates for the past year, lowering them by 818,000. While this may sound alarming, it doesn’t necessarily mean the economy is in trouble or that the government is manipulating data.

The revisions are part of a regular process to improve accuracy, and even with the adjustments, ​the U.S. is still adding enough jobs to keep up with population growth​.

What I’m reading

I get a lot of mail asking where I find all this good stuff. Here are a few of my favorite newsletters, all of which are free to subscribe to:

​Bullseye Trades​

Daily trading ideas, strategies, and alerts from trading veteran Jeff Bishop.

​Techpresso​

The most important tech news and insights. Join 80,000+ early adopters staying ahead of the curve, for free.

​Unicorner​

2-minute rundowns of exciting startups every Monday morning.

Stock ideas

Here are three of my favorites from this past week.

Analysis provided by ​public.com​.

Remember to always DYOR.

Burford Capital (​$BUR​)

Bullish Case

  • Impressive Track Record: Burford’s 15-year history boasts a 27% gross IRR and 1.8x ROIC on realized investments.
  • Growth Potential: With $7 billion in assets and a long investment runway, Burford is primed for market dominance.
  • YPF Case Upside: The $16 billion YPF case against Argentina represents a substantial potential windfall.

Bearish Case

  • Lumpy Cash Flows: The nature of legal finance can result in irregular cash flows, which may create short-term volatility and uncertainty for investors.
  • YPF Case Uncertainty: While the YPF case presents significant upside potential, its outcome remains uncertain.

​Full analysis​

ClearPoint Neuro (​$CLPT​)

Bullish Case

  • Rapid Growth and Expansion: ClearPoint Neuro is set to surpass 100 sites by 2025, fueled by OR and LITT systems.
  • Pharma Partnerships: With seven FDA fast-tracked clients and royalty-based deals, CLPT could capitalize on drug commercialization.
  • Competitive Advantage and Data Moat: CLPT’s CGMP-compliant facility, expanding data collection, and strategic FDA partnerships are solidifying a strong competitive edge in the biotech sector.

Bearish Case

  • Cash Flow Concerns: Despite being ahead of schedule, the company is not expected to reach cash flow breakeven until Q4 2025.
  • Dependency on Pharma Partnerships: Partnerships boost growth but also create dependency, setbacks in drug development or FDA approvals could hit CLPT’s revenue hard.

​Full analysis​

Paycom (​$PAYC​)

Bullish Case

  • Market Leadership: Paycom’s single-platform payroll and HR solution gives it an edge in the growing $63 billion HCM market by 2032.
  • Strong Financial Performance: With $1.78 Billion in revenue, $450 Million in profit, and impressive metrics like 33% ROIC and 20% EPS growth.
  • Diversified Client Base: Paycom’s 36,800 clients, none exceeding 1% of revenue, show a stable, diverse base and SMB growth potential.

Bearish Case

  • Intense Competition: Despite its integrated approach, Paycom faces stiff competition from industry giants like ADP, Oracle, and SAP.
  • Slowing Client Growth: Slower customer growth, especially with larger clients, could affect short-term revenue and free cash flow.

​Full analysis​

That’s it for this week.

If you write amazing content and want to be featured, please send it through for consideration.

Cheers,

Wyatt

Disclosures

  • There are affiliate links above; we’ll get a couple of bucks if you take action after you click.
  • Nothing above is financial advice. DYOR, you filthy animal.

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Author

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Wyatt Cavalier

With a background in finance & intelligence analysis, Wyatt has an unhealthy obsession with finding the best blue chip investment opportunities. His previous newsletter, Fractional, resonated deeply with subscribers, bringing actionable insights and unconventional trading strategies. His rare book collection specializes in banned editions. He currently lives in Spain with his beautiful wife, three young boys, and dog Monty.

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