Good Morning! Stocks are eking out small gains after last week's volatile sessions - with July’s inflation numbers set to be released tomorrow. Blink Fitness, the Equinox-owned, lower-end gym chain, just filed for bankruptcy. Trump marked his return on X by being interviewed by Elon Musk (full interview). The SEC has questions for venture capitalists about Uniswap, and a top Wall Street exec thinks there could be social unrest thanks to AI. Plus how JD Vance’s venture investments fared and the $10 pasta trend taking over NYC’s East Village.

We recently collaborated with the Wall Street Journal on an article about working conditions on Wall Street. Check out the full piece here.

Good news: You no longer have to be a wealthy elite to invest in high-caliber agriculture. Learn how you can score potential stable returns and passive income with Harvest Returns.

_{SQUEEZ OF THE DAY}

Gen-Z Shaking Up LinkedIn

LinkedIn has always been one of the last social media apps of buttoned-up professionalism - or so we thought. Lately, it’s looking more like Facebook’s younger cousin - all thanks to Gen Z. Lately, LinkedIn has become home to pet pics, vacation snapshots, and “authentic” overshares - and it begs the question of is this really what networking has come to?

For example, some entrepreneurs rely on LinkedIn for business, and they’re getting worried that the quality of LinkedIn could hurt their businesses.

One Gen-X entrepreneur says they’re fed up with the performative hustle culture posts, AI-generated “thought leadership,” and, of course, the scroll of personal pics. Despite a social media expert advising her to jump on the personal content bandwagon to boost engagement, she says that feels really inauthentic to her.

With unemployment ticking up and recession fears on the rise, LinkedIn has become the go-to for job hunters dusting off their resumes. Add AI into the mix, and you’ve got candidates applying to hundreds of roles, desperately trying to stand out. Enter Gen Z, with their open-book approach to life, treating LinkedIn like Facebook circa 2005. The result? A full-blown identity crisis for the platform’s older users.

LinkedIn, older than Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, was supposed to stay in its own lane. But Gen Z is shaking things up, using it less for career updates and more for sharing life’s ups and downs. Some older users, seeing the success of younger folks, are trying to imitate but end up looking out of place.

Takeaway: Scroll through LinkedIn today, and you’ll find a bizarre mashup of gym selfies, haikus, and wannabe wellness gurus from Gen-Z especially. It’s no surprise there’s an entire Reddit forum dedicated to mocking the most cringe-worthy offenders. Yet, despite the backlash, some believe there’s value in getting personal. There’s a fine line between sharing relatable content and chasing vanity metrics. And with more people building their own brand on LinkedIn—maybe the key is knowing your audience... or at least knowing how to use a filter.

_{PRESENTED BY HARVEST RETURNS}

Our World’s Greatest Problem = Your Greatest Opportunity

“In the next 30 to 40 years, we will need to produce as much food as was produced in the last 10,000 years of human history.” - Jack Bobo, Food Futurist

But while that sounds like a major problem, the savvy among us recognize it as a major opportunity. 

With Harvest Returns, you can invest in the farms, ranches, and agribusinesses solving our food shortage–and grow your portfolio.

Once reserved for the wealthy, high-performing ag investments have little correlation with the stock market (AKA they offer potential stable returns, inflation protection, and passive income).

Sign up for Harvest Returns today for no cost.

_HEADLINES

Top Reads

• How Bank of America ignores its own rules meant to prevent dangerous workloads (WSJ)

• Blink Fitness, Equinox-owned gym chain, files for bankruptcy (CBS)

• 3-year inflation outlook hits record low in New York Fed consumer survey (CNBC)

• The SEC has questions for VCs about Uniswap (Axios)

• Top Wall Street exec predicts ‘social unrest’ due to AI (NYP)

• How JD Vance's venture investments fared (WSJ)

• The $10 pasta trend taking over the East Village (NYE)

• Starbucks, Elliott in talks over a settlement (YF)

• Macy’s closures will set off a wave of change at shopping malls (CNBC)

• Customers didn’t stop spending. Companies stopped serving (CNN)

_{CAPITAL PULSE}

Markets Rundown

Stocks closed slightly higher ahead of key inflation data.

Movers & Shakers

• (+) Nvidia ($NVDA) +4% after Bank of America says the chipmaker’s slump is overdone.

• (–) Trump Media ($DJT) -5% after Trump returned to X.

• (–) JetBlue ($JBLU) -21% after the airline began a $2.75 billion debt sale; downgraded by S&P and Moody’s.

Private Dealmaking

• Bharti Enterprises bought a stake in BT Group for $4 billion

• Scotiabank bought a $2.8 billion stake in KeyCorp

• Crown Laboratories bought Revance Therapeutics for $924 million

• Halda Therapeutics, a solid tumor drugs developer, raised $126 million

• DevRev, a customer relationship software provider, raised $100 million

• Anysphere, an AI-powered coding assistant, raised $60 million

For more PE, VC & M&A deals, subscribe to our Buysiders newsletter.

_{BOOK OF THE DAY}

In Any Lifetime

A devoted husband defies fate and risks everything to find the one universe where his beloved wife is still alive in this bold and thought-provoking novel.

Dr. Jonas Cullen has spent his career as a groundbreaking physicist defying the odds. But on the best night of his life—the night his wife, Amanda, tells him they’re finally having a baby—everything is taken away when a tragic car accident claims the lives of Amanda and their unborn child.

Gutted by pain, Jonas sets out to find a way to bring back Amanda—or rather, find a parallel universe in which she’s still alive. But that’s easier said than done. As Jonas comes to understand all too well, the universe favors certain outcomes…and Amanda’s death is one of them.

Guggenheim’s novel takes readers on a suspenseful journey, intercutting scenes of Jonas’s frantic, present-day search across multiple realities with glimpses from the past of his unfolding romance and eventual marriage. Will Jonas and Amanda reunite in some other world, or will fate succeed in taking her from him forever?

“Freedom,” she said, “is hard for some people. I suppose it’s hard for most people. Life is easier when there’s someone above you telling you what to do.”

_{DAILY VISUAL}

Deadpool & Wolverine Breaks Through $1 billion

_{PRESENTED BY KALSHI}

July Inflation Print

July’s inflation report is scheduled for release tomorrow at 8:30 AM ET.

Prediction market Kalshi pegs July CPI at a 2.9% annual rate currently, indicating a continuation of the disinflation trend in the U.S.

However, any unexpected shifts in the CPI data could alter market expectations and impact the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decisions. There's a 46% chance that July’s inflation rate could surpass the 2.9% mark.

What's your take? Trade your thoughts on Kalshi now.

_{DAILY ACUMEN}

Asking For Help

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom.

It shows self-awareness and a commitment to growth.

Yet many of us struggle with it.

What areas of your life could benefit from asking for help?

Great leaders like Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey didn't achieve success alone.

They knew how to leverage others' strengths.

Recognize your limitations.

Build a support network.

Be willing to be vulnerable.

Remember, no one is self-made. 

We all stand on the shoulders of others.

_{ENLIGHTENMENT}

Short Squeez Picks

• 3 reasons why working from home isn’t as easy as it seems

• How aesthetics can boost your mood and cognition

• How being present can boost your life

• What your relationship anxiety is telling you

• How a few minutes of exercise can unleash creativity

_{MEME-A-PALOOZA}

Memes of the Day