Back in the saddle again — Great Quarter, Guys

Andrew Cox and Seth Holm are back in the saddle after a week off thanks to Global Supply Chain Week. A slew of intriguing stories has emerged over the past two weeks, so today they discuss everything from recent stimulus news to a major company preparing for an IPO.

Starting off with “you care or nah?” Cox and Holm dive straight into a debate around the current consumer landscape. Consumer bounceback from the COVID-19 pandemic has been sustained through the first quarter of the year, and Holm said it is impressive to see. Wall Street has responded to that consumer bump, and Holm said the return of consumer behavior to services vs. goods will be another good indicator of rebound. 

When it comes to the next round of stimulus, Cox believes spending will fall more toward the service side of the economy instead of home improvement and goods. Holm thinks spending will be on the side of “semi-services” like restaurant dining as opposed to full-service experiences like movie theaters or travel. 

TuSimple is back in the news with its announcement of intentions to go public through an IPO instead of a SPAC. Cox said TuSimple is setting itself up for success with the big-name partners like Penske and U.S. Xpress, and he believes the company could be the leader in the autonomous freight network. While the details of monetization are still scant, the market and the interest are readily available to support the AV network. 
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