Hi! However you slice it… Domino’s is rebranding for the first time in 13 years, with the pizza giant rolling out a “thicker and doughier” font and tapping artist Shaboozey for a new “audio and visual expression” of the brand’s name. Today we’re exploring: |
- Born to scroll: American children are racking up screen time from just two years old.
- Horse-powered: Ferrari's is scaling down.
- The IBIT factor: BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF is on the cusp of $100 billion in assets.
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Nearly 40% of kids under 2 interact with smartphones, according to their parents |
As parents in 2025 know, they really do grow up so fast. First words today, first Google query tomorrow. Then, before you know it, they’re asking ChatGPT to read them a bedtime story...
On Wednesday, Pew Research Center published a survey assessing how parents in the US with children under 12 manage their kids’ screen time, which revealed that 61% of respondents reported that their child ever uses or interacts with smartphones — including 38% of those with children under 2 years old.
Much of this smartphone screen time is likely made up by parents streaming kid-friendly cartoons for their little ones to watch on the go: the study also found that YouTube use among children under 2 has risen sharply from 45% to 62% over the last five years. But it appears that most American toddlers only need to wait a few years before they can get devices of their very own.
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The same survey showed that almost one in four US parents overall allow their children aged 12 and under to have their own smartphones, and this ballooned to nearly 60% when just looking at kids aged 11-12 years old. Indeed, even with statewide smartphone bans spurring an old-school iPod revival, most parents — the vast majority of whom (92%) reported being concerned about staying in contact with their children — are allowing their descendants who’ve barely hit double digits to have devices to use in their free time. |
While traditional cable viewership continues to sink, TV remains the screen of choice for kids’ entertainment, permitted by 90% of parents surveyed. However, moms and dads may now be faced with a whole new hotbed of childcare worries: the study also found that some 8% of kids aged 5-12 have interacted with AI chatbots.
As an overwhelming majority of parents (80%) still harbor concerns over the harms of social media, the negative consequences of this relatively novel, extremely powerful tech for a whole cohort of young people may become even more stark in years to come — through screens or otherwise.
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Ferrari scales back its electrification plans |
After years of electrification promises, as well as reported delays, iconic carmaker Ferrari finally announced more details about its first electric car on Thursday… while simultaneously announcing that it will be dialing down its plans for further electrification, focusing instead on its petrol and hybrid lineup over the next five years.
In an event at its headquarters in northern Italy, the company lifted the hood on its new, production-ready “Elettrica” model, finally offering a tangible look into the company's progress on its EV plan, which was announced back in 2022. The new fully electric vehicle is due to be delivered from late 2026, per the company’s 2030 strategic plan.
Still, as Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna was keen to emphasize, “The EV is an addition, not a transition,” suggesting that the electric model will complement, rather than replace, the company’s existing lineup.
In its new plan, Ferrari disclosed that it aims for a lineup made up of 40% internal combustion engine models, 40% hybrid, and 20% fully electric cars by 2030 — a shift from its 2022 ambitions, when the targets for EVs and ICE models were flipped. Indeed, though Ferrari has ramped up its hybrid production since 2022, shipments have plateaued in recent quarters. |
While Ferrari's (now slimmed-down) electrification efforts received mixed reviews, what was more decidedly negative was the company's financial outlook, which contributed to Ferrari's shares having their worst day in history on Thursday.
The company expects revenue of ~9.0 billion euros and EBITDA of at least 3.6 billion euros by 2030 — the latter implying a 6% compound annual growth rate, well below the 10% rate implied by the company’s 2022 outlook, according to an equity analyst at RBC Capital Markets. |
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An evolution in aviation is taking flight |
Surf Air Mobility (NYSE: SRFM), a leading air mobility platform, is seeking to transform the future of air mobility through AI-enabled software and electrification.
As the owner of one of the largest regional commuter airlines in the US, Surf Air Mobility aims to reinvent short-haul flying, creating a faster, more efficient transportation solution that saves travelers time and money. Follow along as Surf Air Mobility leads an evolution of air travel. |
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BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF is growing at a blistering pace |
In the ETF wars, VOO has finally toppled SPY as king of the S&P 500 Index ETFs, amassing an eye-watering $770 billion in assets.
While VOO might be the largest ETF in the world, IBIT — BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF — is the fastest-growing. And the bitcoin-centered product is on the cusp of a major milestone, reporting that it now holds approx. 802,257 BTC, putting it within a whisker of hitting $100 billion in assets (worth roughly ~$97 billion in good old-fashioned US dollars at the time of writing).
Considering that IBIT only launched 637 days ago, that’s a remarkable speedrun, as individual and institutional investors have increasingly embraced cryptocurrency via the exchange-traded fund. For context, VOO took over 2,900 days to hit the same milestone (about eight years). |
As noted in a great piece by Robin Wigglesworth for the Financial Times, IBIT is now a major money-spinner for one of the biggest stalwarts of traditional finance. As the largest exchange-traded product in the crypto space, and with a not insignificant expense ratio of 0.25%, the ETF is pulling in somewhere in the region of $250 million of revenue for its asset manager parent company. As Wigglesworth put it:
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“Anyway, it’s heartwarming to see that one of the companies profiting the most from an anarchical, decentralised invention supposedly designed to reorder the global financial system is... BlackRock.” |
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Data from Equilar shows that the median expense spent on private air travel by America’s largest companies jumped 66% from 2020 to 2024.
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On Wednesday, Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” notched the biggest selling first week of any album ever, shifting more than 3.5 million equivalent units — though this number is likely much higher already.
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Mob rules: Warner Bros. has announced a sequel to “A Minecraft Movie,” slated for release in July 2027, following the blockbuster success of the first effort.
- Nutella-maker Ferrero is planning to spend more than $100 million on marketing campaigns tied to major North American sporting events next year, including its first Super Bowl ad.
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The Joy of (selling) Paintings… Bob Ross’ estate is auctioning off 30 of the painter’s artworks, with profits going towards public television to help ease its funding crisis.
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Off the charts: Which iconic car company keeps seeing sales decelerate in China? [Answer below]. |
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