This winter just keeps dragging on. At least here in central Ohio, February has been cold and snowy, with the last week about 20 degrees below average. With that in mind, we’re going to look through some of the most interesting facts and figures we’ve come across over the last few weeks while reading by the fire. Enjoy!
No Coders Needed? Job postings for software developers on Indeed spiked 134% from February 2020 to February 2022. Since that peak three years ago, postings have collapsed 72%, including a 54% drop since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. (Source: Indeed)
“Vault” Disney. According to travel data provider Touring Plans, a four-day visit to Disney World for a two-parent family of four at a value-priced Disney hotel cost $4,266 in 2024, representing a 32% increase from five years ago. Nearly 80% of the cost increase during that period came from services and add-ons that used to be free. (Source: WSJ)
Trillions and Trillions. The combined market cap of stocks in the S&P 500 hit a record $54.2 trillion on 2/19/25 – up $22.7 trillion since the bull market began (10/12/22), $25 trillion since COVID hit (2/19/20), and $43.1 trillion from 20 years ago ($11.1T in 2005). (Source: Bloomberg)
Two Megas Diverge. Two mega-cap stocks have taken wildly divergent paths since Inauguration Day (1/20). While Meta (META) shares rallied 18% in the 17 trading days since the inauguration through 2/12, Tesla (TSLA) shares fell 21% with declines on 12 of 17 days, contrary to what many may have thought given the Trump/Musk relationship. (Source: Bespoke)
Egg Surcharge. Breakfast chain Waffle House announced this month that customers would have to pay a $0.50 surcharge for each egg ordered across its roughly 2,100 nationwide locations due to the ongoing bird flu-driven egg supply crisis. Eggs are Waffle House’s most-ordered item at 272 million per year. (Source: CNN)
Million Dollar Jump. The price for a 30-second Super Bowl ad jumped to $8 million this year from $7 million a year ago, marking the first-ever seven-figure annual increase. The 14.3% increase is above the 10% historical average, and this year’s cost was double the $4 million charged for a 30-second spot 11 years ago in 2014. (Source: SuperBowl-ads.com)
Five Years. Wednesday (2/19) marked the fifth anniversary of the S&P 500’s peak before it fell 34% in 23 trading days, which was dubbed the “COVID Crash.” In the five years since that pre-COVID peak, the S&P has posted an annualized total return of 14.4%. (Source: Bespoke)
Data Center Boom. Spending on the construction of data centers hit a $30 billion annualized rate in October, up from an average of $10 billion as recently as 2021. U.S. technology companies’ net property, plant, and equipment assets rose 14.2% y/y, or $120 billion, through Q3, reflecting their data center investments. (Sources: Census, Bespoke)
Markets / Economy
- Equity markets took a hit this week, moving downward with particular weakness on Friday. The S&P was down -1.7%, the Nasdaq was down -2.5%, and the small-cap Russell 2000 was down -3.7%.
- The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index in the U.S. fell to 42 in February, the lowest in five months. This compares to 47 last month and below forecasts of 47, dragged down by concerns about tariffs, elevated mortgage rates, and high housing costs.
- Housing starts in the U.S. slumped 9.8% MoM to an annualized 1.37M in January, down from December’s 10-month high of 1.52M and missing market forecasts of 1.4M.
Stocks
- U.S. equities were in negative territory. Consumer Discretionary and Communication Services led the decline, while Consumer Staples and Utilities outperformed. Value stocks led growth stocks, and large caps beat small caps.
- International equities closed lower for the week. Emerging markets fared better than developed markets.
Bonds
- The 10-year Treasury bond yield decreased five basis points to 4.42% during the week.
- U.S. bond markets were in positive territory this week, while International bond markets were negative.
- Government bonds led for the week, followed by corporate bonds and high-yield bonds.
