Hey there weekday warriors,

(Heads up, if you already know the yuge news about the future of The Water Coolest, you can skip this part...)

By now you've probably seen the headlines and the posts about some changes at Barstool. And, well, things are changing on my end too...

After nearly two years at Barstool, The Water Coolest is going independent (again). And I'll be in the driver's seat, which means not a damn thing is going to change (except, the logo and some legal language... obviously).

"So, do I have to do anything?" - you, probably

Yep. We'll be sending from thewatercoolest.com domain (again). So, to ensure you always get the emails, you should tell your email provider that you're cool with getting emails from [email protected].

Here's how to do it...

1. Add [email protected] to your address book/tell your email provider we're safe (here are instructions for every email provider).

2. That's it.

I appreciate you coming along for the ride. And if you have any questions, you can reach out directly at [email protected].

Keep on snapping necks and cashing checks,

Tyler

PS, Have some questions? Concerns? Been hoping to collab? Just want to chat? Drop me a note >

+ US stocks "closed higher Monday, as investors bought the early-day weakness after weighing up a more cautious tone rate hike from Federal Reserve officials and rising geopolitical tensions amid fears the Israel-Hamas conflict." (Investing.com)

+ Bond markets were closed for Columbus Day Indigenous People's Day.

+ Oil "surged 4% on Monday, recouping some of last week's steep losses, as military clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas ignited fears that a wider conflict could hit oil supply from the Middle East." (Reuters)

+ Bitcoin fell along with the rest of the crypto market on Monday. (Read more)

+ The three most talked about stock on WallStreetBets in the past 24-hours were: 1) Lockheed Martin +8.93% 2) Nvidia -1.07% 3) RTX +4.65%. Notice anything?

The most magical proxy fight on earth

I don't know about you, but the only thing that gets me going more than a proxy fight... is round two of the same proxy fight less than a year later.

Nelson Peltz, the activist investor swimming in Scrooge McDuck pools of f*ck you money, is prepared to take on the most magical place on Earth (again). Peltz's Trian Fund Management bought ~$1.5B worth of Disney shares (bringing its total holdings to $2.5B) with plans to wage war against the current regime (looking at you, Bob Iger) in the name of unlocking shareholder value.

If this all sounds familiar, it's because Trian started, and bowed out of, a proxy battle with the House of Mouse earlier this year. Disney gave into most of the fund's demands, like reinstating the dividend and slashing jobs without regard for human life. Imagine getting your teeth kicked in by some dude named Nelson...

Kick them while they're down

Not only did Peltz decide to pick a fight with Disney after its stock hit its 52-week low, but the voting window for Disney board seats opens on December 5th... which gives Nelson plenty of time to fire up the propaganda machine.

So what does Nelson want?

Control Board seats. This time around, Trian is seeking multiple board seats at Disney... presumably because they come with deep park discounts. Even Nelson himself wants a seat at the table.

It isn't entirely clear what Trian's specific demands are, but it probably sounds a lot like "cost savings" and "management changes." The board will also oversee some wholesale changes at Disney in the coming years. Think: potential sales of ESPN and ABC, as well as acquiring the final chunk of Hulu it doesn't own (also, hopefully, greenlighting Brink 2).

Shares rose more than 2% on the news, which has to be the stuff of Bob Iger's nightmares.

+ San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy makes nearly $1 million a year—but splits rent with a roommate and drives a Toyota SUV (Read)

+ Here’s the real reason store self-checkout kiosks have mirrors (Read)

+ ICYMI yesterday... Keep a ‘pain journal’ to track how much ‘you’ve learned and grown’, says Harvard happiness expert (Read)

+ Oprah Winfrey just went all "Sike!" The talk show GOAT put her foot in her mouth a few weeks back when she weighed in (sorry, I had to) on Ozempic and other weight loss drugs. She dubbed them "the easy way out." The problem? She's a Weight Watchers board member (and at one point owned about 10% of the company). And, well, WW recently bought telehealth company Sequence, which would allow it to prescribe performance enhancing weight loss drugs.

Shares of Weight Watchers dropped nearly 15% after her heavy comments (ok, I'm done). Welp, now she's walking back what she said. Late last week, she told the WSJ "To be clear, I believe that prescription medications are an important and viable option to consider for people who struggle with weight and health related issues." Shares gained 13% on the day. (Read)

What else?

+ You guys aren't going to believe this, but... it was a good day to be a part of the military industrial complex. The news out of Israel sent shares of companies in the defense (er, offense) sector mooning. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon (read: maker of things that live rent-free in terrorists' heads) mooned 9%, 11%, and 4.5% respectively. (Read)

+ And the 2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (and the million dollar prize) goes to... Harvard professor Claudia Goldin. She was honored for her work on "women’s earnings and labor market outcomes through the centuries." Which is a major redemption story for the committee considering last year's award went to Ben Bernanke for his work during the, I sh*t you not, financial crisis... which is a lot like setting your friends' house on fire... then being the first one on the scene to rescue them. (Read)

+ There are few things that could end more poorly than Elon vs. striking union employees. But Tesla factories in Europe continue to push for collective bargaining. Late Sunday, a union in Germany held talks with employees at a Brandenburg factory amid the backdrop of major automotive strikes in the US.

Of course, Tesla is one of the only major US carmakers that isn't getting its lunch eaten by the UAW. Elon successfully fought off a union drive at its Fremont factory in 2018... mostly with fear tactics and strategic blood sacrifices. (Read)

Here's what I'm keeping an eye on today...

+ PepsiCo reports... which means we're about to hear another company complain about Ozempic hurting sales

+ Amazon Prime Deal Days begins

+ Adobe hosts its investors day

+ Three FOMC members speak... what's the worst that could happen?

Yesterday, I asked What is the absolute worst show your kid watches/watched?

The hottest pick by far was Caillou, which I am completely unfamiliar with (which I guess is a blessing?). The second most hated kids show was Blippi.

Here's today's question...

Best show, by far, that my kid watches is Bluey. Not sure how those Australians did it...

What's the show that you try to get your kids to watch because you don't actually hate it?

Have no fear, readers without kids, back to regular questions tomorrow.

Respond directly to this email and I'll share the best answers tomorrow.