Five interesting things that Hodges Capital research analysts discovered this week...
#1 STUDENT LOANS: After a three-year COVID hiatus, 40 million Americans will soon resume making student loan payments, estimated to average around $400 a month and reduce discretionary income by roughly 8%.
#2 SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH RISK: The US Surgeon General recently issued a new advisory that social media poses a “profound risk of harm” to kids and teens based on research linking social media use to anxiety and depression. The advisory urges the need to set limits and the need for government-created health and safety standards surrounding social media.
#3 FIREPOWER FOR THE AMMO MARKET: Winchester’s data suggests that the number of firearms owners in the US is up nearly 30% from 2019. New participants and the growth in shooting sports have meaningfully raised the floor in ammunition demand.
#4 EXISTING MORTGAGES: According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as of the fourth quarter of last year, over 80% of existing US mortgages have a rate below 5%. Furthermore, over 50% of mortgages are estimated to have a rate below 4%.
#5 MOM & POP: A recent analysis published by SmartAsset estimates that approximately 5.5 million family-run businesses in the US employ around 60% of the US workforce.
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