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

#1 “IF I COULD BE LIKE MIKE”: Michael Jordan likely made more than double his career NBA salary earnings in 2022 alone — thanks to a decades-old licensing deal.  Nike’s Jordan Brand brought in $5.1 billion in fiscal 2022, and his Airness pockets a reported 5% under his deal with Nike, according to Front Office Spots. The athlete and apparel company initially linked up in 1984, his rookie year. Jordan Brand revenue hit $4.8 billion in 2021, up 31% from the previous year’s $3.6 billion. Based on those figures, Jordan may have earned $256.1 million last year from licensing his name to Nike. His net worth is $1.7 billion, per Forbes.  The NBA legend and owner of the Charlotte Hornets made $90 million in salary over his NBA career.  

#2 COST COMPARISON: The cost to fuel electric vehicles in the United States is higher than gas-powered cars for the first time in 18 months, according to Anderson Economic Group. “In Q4 2022, typical mid-priced ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car drivers paid about $11.29 to fuel their vehicles for 100 miles of driving. That cost was around $0.31 cheaper than the amount paid by mid-priced EV drivers charging mostly at home, and over $3 less than the cost borne by comparable EV drivers charging commercially.”

#3 THE METAL OF ELECTRIFICATION: As clean energy technologies support secular demand for copper, a study from HIS Merkit predicts global copper consumption will grow from 25 million metric tons (MMt) today to roughly 50 MMt by 2035. Although substitutions and increased recycling may satisfy some demand, a significant new supply is likely needed to meet the global goal of Net-Zero Emission by 2050.

#4 IT’S WARM AND SUNNY: The Sun Belt states continue to outpace the rest of the U.S. in population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Hedgeye Risk Management. The top five population growers in 2022 were Texas (+471K), Florida (+417K), North Carolina (+133K), Georgia (+125K), and Arizona (+94K). New York (-180K), California (-113K), and Illinois (-104K) had the largest declines in population in 2022.

#5 ORIGINAL TV CONTENT BOOM: We are still living in peak TV times, as the number of new original scripted US TV series hit a record high in 2022, with another 599 added. Despite the growth, traditional networks in the US are struggling to keep up, according to Chartr. Viewership for 19 of the top 20 networks declined last year, with ABC, NBC, and CBS seeing their viewing numbers drop 6%, 7%, and 8%, respectively.

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