Five interesting things that Hodges Capital research analysts discovered this week...

#1 SHORT-FORM CONTENT: In March 2023, microdrama apps recorded just 43,000 downloads in the U.S., according to Appfigures data cited by Robert Steiner in a Variety piece on the genre. By this March, that number had jumped to 4.6 million—a growth of 10,600%, for anyone keeping score. Series like Accidentally Pregnant, Forever Spoiled, Unwanted True Mate, and Fated to My Cruel CEO have racked up hundreds of millions of views between them, as audiences return for quick hits of thrilling (and often romantic) drama. According to Sherwood News, most apps land somewhere between a traditional video-on-demand library and a TikTok-style feed of constant clips, designed to maximize users’ screen time.

#2 MEDIA RIGHTS: According to The Daily Upside, lengthy media-rights deals act as a buffer against market disruption or turmoil, making franchises a kind of safe haven. Consider the NBA’s 11-year, $77 billion deal struck last year, or the NFL’s 11-year, $111 billion agreement—most of which the league can opt out of to renegotiate in 2029. No wonder private equity firms made their first NFL investments in December: Arctos Partners took a 10% stake in the Buffalo Bills at a $5.1 billion valuation, while Ares Management acquired a 10% stake in the Miami Dolphins at an $8.1 billion valuation.

#3 LACK OF RESEARCH: According to research from NYU’s Stern School of Business and the National Bureau of Economic Research, the median individual investor spends just six minutes per trade researching the tickers involved. Most of this research occurs within 24 hours of the trade—often in a brief burst immediately beforehand. Browser data used in the study offers a representative sample of individual investors, providing a detailed account of their information-gathering behavior: how much time they spend on stock research, which stocks they investigate, what types of information they seek, and when they look for it relative to events and trades.

#4 THE SCREWWORM: Cattle futures hit an all-time high on May 12, 2025, driven by a combination of lowered tariffs with China and the USDA's announcement of a border closure for cattle imports from Mexico. The decision was prompted by renewed concerns about the screwworm. Since the 1970s, the sterile fly program has kept the pest out of the U.S. using a barrier zone, but a case was reported in southern Mexico last fall, and the screwworm has since been spreading through several Central American countries. According to Hedgeye, the USDA had previously halted imports from November 2024 to February 2025 due to the same concern.

#5 PREBIOTIC SODAS: According to NielsenIQ data, U.S. sales of prebiotic soft drinks surged from $33.3 million in 2022 to $776.6 million in 2025—a staggering 2,232% increase over three years. According to Hedgeye Demography, leading brands have been quick to capitalize: Olipop was valued at $1.85 billion in February, and PepsiCo recently acquired Poppi, another major player, for $1.95 billion.

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