WSJ Your Money Briefing

Episode: What’s News in Markets: Tariff Trade, Robinhood’s Crypto Gains, Unilever Slides
Date: February 15, 2025
Host: Francesca Fontana, The Wall Street Journal

Episode Overview

Francesca Fontana delivers a concise recap of the week’s most significant stock market movers, explaining the market impact of new tariffs, a surprising inflation report, Robinhood’s strong crypto-driven earnings, and Unilever’s strategic shake-up. The episode focuses on how financial headlines—tariffs, inflation, policy shifts, and corporate strategies—directly influenced market sentiment and the performance of key stocks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Market Reactions to U.S. Tariffs

[00:33 - 02:30]

• President Trump announced new tariffs—25% on steel and aluminum imports, especially from Canada.
• Despite initial expectations, the market overall “shrugged off” the news, avoiding fears of an escalating trade war.
• Winners: U.S. metal producers, including Cleveland Cliffs, U.S. Steel, and Alcoa, saw positive movement.
• Losers/potentially affected: Major buyers of aluminum like Coca-Cola, which relies heavily on aluminum cans and imports from Canada.

Francesca Fontana [01:32]:

“Coke is working to keep a lid, so to speak, on potential price increases by looking for ways to use less aluminum and finding different sources for it.”

• Coca-Cola’s proactive approach and positive earnings led its stock to surge 4.7% on Tuesday, closing the week nearly 8% higher.

2. Inflation Concerns and Political Developments

[00:45 - 01:22]

• Wednesday’s consumer price index report showed inflation rising faster than expected, intensifying concerns that interest rate cuts could be delayed.
• The market rebounded Thursday amid fresh political news:
  • Hopes for a Ukraine war resolution
  • Trump deferring further tariff decisions

Major indices performance for the week:

• Nasdaq: +2.6%
• S&P 500: +1.5%
• Dow Jones: +<1%

3. Robinhood’s Crypto-Fueled Earnings

[02:31 - 03:20]

• Robinhood reported a “sharp jump in quarterly profit,” in part due to a flurry of post-election crypto trading.
• The “Trump bump”—the year-end market rally post-election—was driven in part by investor hopes for a more business-friendly and pro-crypto administration.
  • Trump signed an executive order loosening crypto regulations, boosting major cryptocurrency prices.
• Robinhood’s stock surged 14% on Thursday and ended the week almost 17% higher.

Francesca Fontana [03:08]:

“Robinhood’s one of the big winners of the so-called Trump bump... as we’ve seen, Trump is pro-crypto since taking office.”

4. Unilever Spins Out Its Ice Cream Business

[03:21 - 04:20]

• Unilever confirmed it will spin off its massive ice cream business (brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Talenti) to streamline operations.
  • The ice cream segment accounts for $8.6 billion in annual sales (14% of Unilever revenue).
• The company’s results and 2025 outlook disappointed investors, with revenue growth lagging expectations.
• U.S.-traded Unilever shares fell 5.6% on Thursday, declining another 1.9% on Friday.

Francesca Fontana [03:49]:

“But alas, investors weren’t all screaming for ice cream because the announcement wasn’t the only Unilever news to dig.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On market resilience despite tariff threats:
  “Investors largely shrugging off the possibility of them igniting a trade war.”
  — Francesca Fontana [00:47]
• On Coca-Cola’s adaptation:
  “He said Coke is working to keep a lid, so to speak, on potential price increases by looking for ways to use less aluminum and finding different sources for it.”
  — Francesca Fontana [01:32]
• On Robinhood’s gains from crypto:
  “Robinhood’s one of the big winners of the so-called Trump bump, a.k.a. the end of year market rally, fueled by investors expectations that the new administration would be more business friendly.”
  — Francesca Fontana [03:08]
• On Unilever’s restructuring:
  “Investors weren’t all screaming for ice cream because the announcement wasn’t the only Unilever news to dig.”
  — Francesca Fontana [03:49]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:33] Episode start — Overview, market snapshot
• [00:47] Tariffs and initial market reaction
• [01:32] Impact on Coca-Cola, CEO’s comment on aluminum
• [01:45] Stock movements and weekly market performance
• [02:31] Robinhood’s earnings and crypto impact
• [03:21] Unilever’s ice cream spin-off, revenue miss
• [04:20] Closing remarks and preview for further reading

Episode Takeaways

• U.S. markets showed resilience despite rising tariffs and inflation worries, closing the week strongly after positive political signals.
• Major companies like Coca-Cola are proactively managing cost pressures from new trade policy.
• The “Trump bump” and pro-crypto sentiment buoyed both markets and trading platforms like Robinhood.
• Unilever’s restructuring reveals pressure on global consumer brands to simplify and streamline, but investors remain cautious after mixed results.
• Listeners are encouraged to follow Francesca Fontana’s “The Score” column in the WSJ Exchange section for deeper stock analysis.