14 Stories We Are Following Today 8-6-25 - Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast

Summary4 min read

Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast: Episode 14 Summary Release Date: August 6, 2025

Host: Scott Becker
Podcast Description: Discussions about private equity and business with Scott Becker

In Episode 14 of the Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast, host Scott Becker delves into 14 pivotal stories shaping the current business and private equity landscape. Covering market movements, corporate earnings, industry trends, and strategic deals, Becker provides listeners with a comprehensive overview of the day's most impactful news. Here's a detailed summary of the episode:

1. Market Fluctuations

Becker opens the episode by addressing recent market movements. "The markets fell yesterday, but are pointing up today," he notes at [00:12]. As of midday on August 6, 2025, the markets were trending positively, though Becker emphasizes the hope for a strong close.

2. Snapchat's Decline

Snapchat faces a significant drop, with shares plunging over 17% due to declining ad revenues. Becker states at [01:05], "Its loss for the second quarter grew to $263 million," highlighting investor concerns over the company's financial performance.

3. Hims and Hers' Revenue Miss

Telehealth company Hims and Hers narrowly missed its revenue estimates. Nevertheless, shares surged by more than 12% on Tuesday. Becker remarks at [02:15], "It took it on the chin yesterday," indicating the stock's resilience despite the earnings miss.

4. Reducing Trade Deficit

The U.S. trade deficit decreased to $60.2 billion for June, the lowest in a couple of years. However, Becker cautions at [03:25], "It's not all good news because both exports and imports fell," pointing out that the reduction is due to a faster decline in imports, signaling slower overall trade growth.

5. Slowing Service Economy

The service sector shows signs of slowing down, as reported in June. Becker mentions layoffs in major consulting firms at [04:40], correlating these job cuts with the broader deceleration in the service economy.

6. Palantir's Revenue Surge

Palantir continues its upward trajectory with quarterly revenues exceeding $1 billion. At [05:50], Becker notes, "The stock jumped another nearly 8% on Tuesday," attributing the rise to strong financial performance.

7. Automotive Sector Concerns: Lucid Motors and Rivian

Both Lucid Motors and Rivian saw their shares decline after missing earnings estimates. Becker discusses concerns about the phasing out of government credits, posing the question at [07:10], "If a business relies on government credits, should it be a business at all?" He acknowledges the inherent risks of dependency on such incentives.

8. NFL's Stake in ESPN

In an unexpected move, the National Football League (NFL) acquires a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN. Becker describes the deal as "amazingly interesting" at [08:30], exploring its multifaceted implications and the strategic partnership between sports and media entities.

9. Tariff Impact Analysis

The Wall Street Journal reports that both political sides have overstated the effects of tariffs, with revenues in the billions but no significant economic disruptions to date. Becker summarizes at [09:45], emphasizing the absence of an "economic earthquake" despite large revenue figures.

10. Gartner's Stock Decline

Gartner experiences a more than 27% drop in stock value, despite surpassing revenue and earnings estimates. At [11:00], Becker explains that Gartner's core business is impacted by slower growth and rising concerns related to AI developments.

11. Alliance Bernstein's Positive Momentum

Alliance Bernstein is performing well, up nearly 8% year-to-date. Becker highlights at [12:20], "Some of the brightest people I know work there," underlining the firm's strong leadership and strategic direction.

12. Blackstone's Resilience

Blackstone, the leading alternative asset giant, is down approximately 3% year-to-date. Becker contextualizes this at [13:35], noting that while a 3% decline might seem negative, it's relatively stable in a challenging year for private equity firms. He also praises Blackstone's enhanced hiring strategies, likening it to Meta Platforms' approach to recruiting top talent.

13. Astero Labs' Growth

Astero Labs is experiencing significant growth, up 18% pre-market. Becker shares a personal connection at [15:00], mentioning, "We directly as a family own Astero Labs with shares in it," expressing enthusiasm for the company's upward trend, albeit attributing ownership to chance rather than strategic foresight.

14. FTI Consulting's Stability

FTI Consulting maintains steady performance and shows solid improvement. At [16:15], Becker commends the company's efforts in enhancing its recruiting capabilities in specific segments, contributing to its resilience and growth.

Conclusion

Scott Becker concludes the episode by thanking listeners and highlighting the podcast's achievement of ranking number one in the Apple Business News Podcast rankings for the week. The episode offers valuable insights into current market dynamics, corporate strategies, and industry trends, making it a must-listen for professionals in private equity and the broader business community.

Notable Quotes:

"[...] If a business relies on government credits, should it be a business at all?" – Scott Becker [07:10]
"The NFL is taking a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN. That's an amazingly interesting deal on so many different levels." – Scott Becker [08:30]
"Blackstone is really starting to improve their hiring game as they reach out to some of the brightest people in the business." – Scott Becker [13:35]

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights presented by Scott Becker in Episode 14, providing listeners with a detailed understanding of the latest developments in private equity and business.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
Scott Becker
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business Podcast, the Becker Private Equity podcast. These are 14 of the stories that we're following today. And thank you so much for listening. First, the markets fell yesterday, but point up today. We're about midday today and still pointing very much in the right direction. Let's hope the day closes well. Second, Snapchat shares are crashing. They're down more than 17% the last time we looked. It's reporting lower ad revenues. Its loss for the second quarter grew to $263 million. Third, telehealth giant Hims and Hers barely missed on its revenue estimates, but it stocked up more than 12% on Tuesday, so it took it on the chin yesterday. Fourth, the trade deficit fell to $60.2 billion for June. Before you give too much applause to that, and that is the lowest trade deficit in a couple of years. It's not all good news because both exports and imports fell, but import by a higher percentage amount, thus reducing the trade deficit but also means a slower overall trade. Fifth, the service economy is slowing. That was reported in June as well. We see some colleagues being laid off from some of the big consulting firms and that's part of the slowing of the services economy. Sixth, Palantir keeps surging as revenues rise. They've risen to more than $1 billion a quarter. The stock jumped another nearly 8% on Tuesday. Seventh, Lucid Motors and Rivian each point down today. Both missed on earnings estimates. And both are expressing concerns about the impact credits going away. Now one person tweeted to me, if a business relies on government credits, should it be a business at all? And I think there's already some truth to that as well. Eighth, the National Football League is taking a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN. That's an amazingly interesting deal on so many different levels. The NFL is also giving to espn, the NFL Network, so we'll see how that all plays out. Ninth, the Wall Street Journal reports today that both the right and the left were exaggerating the impact of tariffs that the, you know, the headline is billions in revenues but no economic earthquake thus far. Tenth, Gartner, the consulting company saw its stock drop more than 27% yesterday. Well, it beat estimates on revenues, earnings. It saw its core business line suffering from slower growth. That's its contract business as it sees more and more concerns from the perspective of AI and more. Eleventh, Alliance Bernstein is up nearly 8% year to date. It's moving in the right direction. Some of the brightest people I know work there. Twelfth, alternative asset behemoth the largest in the game. Blackstone is now down just about 3% year to date. And 3% down might sound bad, but PE firms, private equity firms, have been having a very challenging year and they're moving now in the right direction. One of the things that's nice about Blackstone is they're really starting to improve their hiring game as they reach out to some of the brightest people in the business to bring them in to Blackstone. Sort of like how Facebook Meta Platforms is hiring engineers and AI engineers from every place around the board. We find Blackstone doubling down on the brilliance in its hiring practices. 13th Astero Labs is up 18% pre market or up today. It's moving in the right direction. We directly as a family own Astero Labs with shares in it, so we're thrilled to see that happen. We own it by chance, not by brilliance. 14th Finally, FTI Consulting is holding its own and showing solid improvement, also improving its recruiting game in certain segments of the company. Thank you for listening to the Becker Private Equity and the Becker Business podcast. This week ranked number one in the Apple Business News Podcast rankings. Thank you for listening.