“Acts OF God” Expectations
United Airlines has navigated the Wall Street earnings guidance game quite well since CFO Mike Leskinen took over in 2023. He began including the possibility of exogenous events in setting financial expectations. “We try to set it in a way that the vast majority of the time we will hit it,” he said. “But if you get hit with a hurricane and an asteroid in the same period, we’ll miss. And that’s OK.” Analysts say United has done well in setting expectations by not being egregiously on the low side.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Live Nation / Ticketmaster
The biggest legal case the music industry has seen in years opened this week in a New York courtroom, as Live Nation, the concert giant that owns Ticketmaster, defends itself against accusations that it operates a far-reaching monopoly in violation of federal and state antitrust laws. After merging in 2010, the combination has come to dominate nearly every aspect of the multibillion-dollar concert business, and not necessarily in a good way. Fans and bands alike have decried their practices for years to no avail, so the outcome will be closely watched.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Home Buying Update
The median age of first-time homebuyers has risen to 40 in 2025, up from 30 in 2010. The size of an average new home dropped by 11% over the past decade, while the price per square foot rose 74%. And though preowned homes are growing pricier, they’re also becoming more affordable for some, as price growth slowed and income growth outpaced home inflation last year. The rate of homeownership by Gen Zer’s rose by 1 percentage point last year to 27%, per Redfin, driven by new condos becoming more affordable.
Source: Redfin, Lending Tree
$1,000 Auto Loan Payment?
About 1 in 5 new auto loans have monthly payments of at least $1,000, S&P Global said, projecting that share could double by year’s end. The average monthly payment to buy a new vehicle has hit an all-time high of a little over $800, according to J.D. Power. The average term of an auto loan is 68.8 months, and 11.7% are 84 months or longer. It should not be a surprise that severely delinquent auto loan rates have soared to levels last seen during the pandemic shutdown. Car makers have done their best to absorb the tariffs, but Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds.com said, “At some point we’ll have to see tariff price increases.”
Source: S&P Global, Edmunds.com
Hidden New Car Fees
Destination Fees you see on the sticker on new cars have become a sneaky way for automakers to raise prices without raising the MSRP. Some buyers have seen such fees as high as $2,500. While automakers claim these fees strictly cover “delivery and freight,” many analysts suggest that the rate of increase far outpaced actual inflation in shipping costs. Many industry experts argue that these fees have become an easy way to pad profit margins, especially because they are non-negotiable.
Source: Wall Street Journal, Consumer Affairs
World Cup Soccer 99 Days Away
The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins June 11in Mexico City. This will be the first World Cup to be hosted by three countries. The 2026 edition marks the first expansion of the men’s tournament since 1998, increasing the field from 32 to 48 teams. The change brings a record 104 matches and introduces a new round of 32 in the knockout stage. The final game will be played on July 19 at the 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Good luck getting a ticket. Lottery-based sales have finished. Last-minute, first-come, first-served sales begin early April.
Source: FIFA
