Suit & Times Daily Briefing – May 28, 2025

The key to a $1.3T opportunity

A new trend in real estate is making the most expensive properties obtainable. It’s called co-ownership, and it’s revolutionizing the $1.3T vacation home market.

The company leading the trend? Pacaso. Created by the founder of Zillow, Pacaso turns underutilized luxury properties into fully-managed assets and makes them accessible to the broadest possible market.

The result? More than $1b in transactions, 2,000+ happy homeowners, and over $110m in gross profits for Pacaso.

With rapid international growth and 41% gross profit growth last year, Pacaso is ready for what’s next. They even recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

But the real opportunity is now, before public markets. Until 5/29, you can join leading investors like SoftBank and Maveron for just $2.80/share.

Invest in Pacaso today.

_{This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.}

📬 What We’re Covering Today

• 📈 Trump Media Announces $2.5B Deal to Launch Bitcoin Treasury
  Truth Social’s parent company will add cryptocurrency to its balance sheet, calling Bitcoin a "financial freedom" asset.

• 🚗 Chinese-Owned Volvo to Cut 3,000 Jobs Amid Industry Shake-Up
  The Swedish automaker says layoffs will mostly affect white-collar workers as it battles tariffs, weak sales, and rising costs.

• 📉 PDD Stock Plunges After Major Q1 Earnings Miss, Slowing Growth and Trade Pressure
  Temu’s parent blames a soft China market and U.S. trade tensions for its 44% drop in earnings and slowing revenue.

• 🇺🇸 Trump Claims EU Caved After 50% Tariff Threat
  The former president says his tough stance forced the European Union back to the negotiating table.

• 🍿 Lilo & Stitch Smashes Records, Delivers AMC Its Best Memorial Day Weekend Ever
  A live-action reboot helped AMC post record-breaking ticket and concession sales, signaling a possible movie theater comeback.

📈 The Ledger

Tracking key market indexes to give you a pulse on global financial movements. 

These indexes cover U.S. markets, global equities, small-cap stocks, volatility, and economic trends, offering a snapshot of where the market is heading.

🔹 Why These Indexes Matter:

• Broad Market Trends: The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq show how major U.S. companies are performing.

• Volatility & Risk: The VIX measures market uncertainty and investor sentiment.

• Global Perspective: FTSE 100, Nikkei 225, and MSCI World reflect international market health.

📈 Trump Media Announces $2.5B Deal to Launch Bitcoin Treasury

The Story: Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of Truth Social, announced a bold new move this week—a $2.5 billion deal to establish a corporate bitcoin treasury. The deal marks a major shift for the company, which is now positioning itself not just as a media firm but as a diversified financial and tech holding company.

The financing will come via a $1.5 billion stock issuance and $1 billion in convertible notes raised through a private placement with institutional investors. The funds will be used to acquire and hold bitcoin as part of TMTG’s long-term asset strategy.

CEO Devin Nunes described the move as a way to fortify the company against what he calls harassment and discrimination by traditional financial institutions. “We view bitcoin as an apex instrument of financial freedom,” Nunes said. “This investment will help defend our company... and will create synergies for subscription payments, a utility token, and other planned transactions across Truth Social and Truth+.”

This isn't just a play on crypto—it’s part of a broader transformation. Nunes stated that TMTG intends to evolve into a holding company with “crown jewel” assets aligned with America First principles. The bitcoin treasury is the first in what could be a series of such acquisitions.

The firm has already started expanding into financial services. In January, it unveiled Truth.Fi, a planned platform for investment vehicles and digital financial tools. In March, it partnered with Crypto.com to launch a series of crypto-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

To securely store its digital assets, Trump Media is partnering with Crypto.com and Anchorage Digital, two major players in crypto custody.

Despite the splashy announcement, investors didn’t cheer immediately—Trump Media stock dropped about 10% during Tuesday trading, suggesting some investor caution or profit-taking following previous gains.

Why it matters:

• 🔒 Anti-institutional hedge: The move is a strategic effort to detach from legacy financial systems, which Nunes says target conservative businesses.

• 💸 Diversification strategy: TMTG is laying the groundwork for a post-social media future—becoming a finance and asset management brand.

• 🧱 Crypto legitimization: Trump’s involvement and backing could signal a broader political embrace of crypto assets as alternative stores of value.

• 📉 Market skepticism: The drop in stock price suggests investors want to see results—and revenue—before buying into the vision.

• 🇺🇸 Political playbook: Trump Media’s embrace of crypto aligns with its populist, anti-establishment brand, tapping into both digital asset enthusiasm and distrust of big banks.

🔗 Read the full story → FOX Business

🚗 Chinese-Owned Volvo to Cut 3,000 Jobs Amid Industry Shake-Up

The Story: Volvo Cars announced it will slash approximately 3,000 jobs, or about 15% of its white-collar workforce, in a sweeping cost-cutting effort aimed at weathering global headwinds in the auto industry.

The layoffs will mostly impact office-based roles in Sweden, where the company is headquartered. It’s part of a broader 18 billion SEK ($1.9 billion) "action plan" launched last month to make the firm leaner and more resilient. The company cited weaker sales, material cost inflation, and geopolitical challenges—like President Trump's newly enacted 25% tariffs on imported vehicles—as contributing factors.

Volvo, which has been owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely since 2010, reported an 11% year-over-year drop in global sales for April, prompting CEO Håkan Samuelsson to call this a “challenging period” for the automaker. Despite past plans to go fully electric by 2030, Volvo recently scaled back that ambition, pointing to market uncertainty and trade barriers on EVs in key regions.

The move puts Volvo in line with other major automakers who are feeling the squeeze. Nissan, for instance, announced this month that it will cut an additional 11,000 jobs and shutter seven factories amid sagging demand and the collapse of a proposed merger with Honda and Mitsubishi.

At the same time, competition in the EV space is intensifying rapidly. Chinese automaker BYD recently announced price cuts across 20 models, including bringing its cheapest EV, the Seagull, down to just $7,745. That sparked a price war with rival firms like Changan and Leapmotor (backed by Stellantis), causing Chinese auto stocks to drop.

Meanwhile, Tesla—once the dominant EV brand—has taken a hit in Europe, where BYD outsold the company for the first time in April. Sales of Tesla cars in Europe and the UK were down nearly 50% year-over-year, amid brand backlash and heightened competition.

Why it matters:

• 📉 Major workforce reduction: Volvo joins a growing list of automakers downsizing as the industry braces for more economic strain.

• 🌍 Tariffs and trade pressures: Trump’s 25% import tax is hitting international carmakers hard, especially those with global supply chains.

• 🔋 EV strategy in flux: The road to electrification is becoming more volatile, as manufacturers juggle ambition, affordability, and policy shifts.

• ⚔️ Price war in China: BYD’s aggressive discounting is reshaping the global EV market—and pressuring competitors to keep up or fold.

• 🇸🇪 Sweden as a strategic hub: Though owned by a Chinese firm, Volvo’s cuts reveal how Sweden remains the nerve center—and the first to feel the squeeze.

🔗 Read the full report → BBC

📉 PDD Stock Plunges After Major Q1 Earnings Miss, Slowing Growth and Trade Pressure

The Story: PDD Holdings, the parent company of global e-commerce platform Temu and China-based Pinduoduo, saw its stock plummet over 14% Tuesday after reporting Q1 results that missed Wall Street expectations by a wide margin. The company also warned of slowing growth and increasing pressure from U.S.-China trade tensions.

For the March-ended quarter, PDD reported:

• Adjusted earnings of 11.41 yuan per American depositary share (ADS), down 44% year-over-year.

• Revenue of 95.67 billion yuan ($13.28 billion), up just 10%, compared to growth rates as high as 131% in previous quarters.

Both earnings and revenue fell short of analyst estimates (18.89 yuan EPS on 103.06 billion yuan in sales). The sharp miss triggered a sell-off that drove PDD stock below its 21-, 50-, and 200-day moving averages.

Company executives blamed the miss on “external environment changes” and said ongoing investments to support merchants and customers in uncertain markets are likely to keep pressure on short-term results.

What’s behind the slump?

• Trade war fallout: Temu, which aggressively expanded into the U.S. with high-profile marketing like Super Bowl ads, now faces headwinds from the U.S.-China trade war, including the removal of the de minimis tariff exemption for small imports.

• Shifting strategy: Temu is now working to store inventory in local warehouses rather than ship directly from China, a move that could help bypass future trade hurdles and improve delivery speed.

• Domestic challenges: In China, Pinduoduo is struggling with sluggish consumer spending, stiff competition from Alibaba and JD.com, and mounting pressure to increase platform support for merchants.

CEO Commentary:

PDD also reiterated its plan to invest 100 billion yuan (~$14 billion) in merchant support initiatives, following protests last year by Temu sellers who criticized the platform’s cost structure and penalties.

Why it matters:

• 📉 Stock reversal: After rising 7% year-to-date, PDD shares are now down 35% from a year ago.

• 🧾 Slowing revenue growth: Revenue growth has dropped sharply from the triple-digit surge seen just last year.

• 🏷️ Regulatory risk: U.S.-China trade policy continues to cast a long shadow over Chinese e-commerce firms.

• 💸 Big bets on merchants: PDD is doubling down on its ecosystem strategy by investing heavily in merchant success to preserve platform loyalty.

Investors will now be watching whether PDD’s bet on long-term market resilience and global supply chain realignment can offset near-term financial pain.

🔗 Read the full story → investors.com

🇺🇸 Trump Claims EU Caved After 50% Tariff Threat

The Story: President Donald Trump is touting a win in his trade standoff with the European Union, claiming his threat to impose a 50% tariff on all EU goods forced the bloc to resume stalled negotiations.

In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump said the tariff threat “pushed the bloc to speed up negotiations” after months of what he called “slow walking” from EU officials. He credited the pressure with prompting EU leaders to schedule new meeting dates for trade talks.

Key developments:

• 💣 The threat: Trump warned last week he would slap a 50% tariff on all European imports starting June 1, citing lack of progress in negotiations.

• 📞 The pause: A Sunday call between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led to a delay of the tariffs until July 9, creating a new window for talks.

• 🤝 The tone shift: The European Commission welcomed the renewed dialogue, calling it “a new impetus” in the long-stalled talks.

• 🤐 No official comment: Brussels has not responded directly to Trump’s claims of victory.

Why it matters:

• 🛠️ Trump’s aggressive trade posture is putting renewed pressure on allies, even amid ongoing tariff battles with China.

• 💼 A full 50% tariff on EU goods would hit major industries — including autos, luxury goods, and agriculture — at a fragile time for global trade.

• ⚖️ Trump’s strategy mirrors his past brinkmanship with China, using tariff threats to force concessions or faster negotiations.

The next few weeks will test whether the EU’s willingness to talk results in any substantive deal — or whether Trump follows through with the steepest tariffs on European goods in U.S. history.

🔗 Read the full story → Politico

🍿 Lilo & Stitch Smashes Records, Delivers AMC Its Best Memorial Day Weekend Ever

The Story: AMC Entertainment just had its biggest Memorial Day weekend in history, thanks to a one-two punch of nostalgic family fun and high-octane action. Theaters saw record-breaking revenue from both ticket and concession sales, marking a much-needed win for the cinema industry.

According to AMC, it recorded all-time highs in admissions, food and beverage sales, and total revenue across its U.S. theaters. The surge was powered by the release of Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch and Paramount’s Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.

By the numbers:

• 🎟️ Lilo & Stitch pulled in $183 million in domestic ticket sales over the four-day weekend.

• 💣 Mission: Impossible followed with $77.5 million, adding firepower to box office totals.

• 💵 Overall, Americans spent $326.7 million on movie tickets nationwide over the holiday—surpassing the previous Memorial Day record from 2013.

• 📈 AMC shares jumped 9% Tuesday morning, while Disney gained nearly 2% and Paramount edged up less than 1%.

AMC CEO Adam Aron said this marks a turning point:

Why it matters:

• 🍔 Concessions and crowds are back — signaling a resurgence in traditional moviegoing habits.

• 🔄 The success of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch remake shows how powerful nostalgia-driven releases remain.

• 🎬 Studios and theaters alike now have momentum heading into the summer blockbuster season.

If this trend holds, the summer of 2025 could be a box office comeback for the ages.

🔗 Read the full story → Investopedia

Reach 4,000+ Industry Leaders & Decision-Makers

Our audience includes executives, investors, and professionals across business, finance, and technology—engaged readers who influence industries and drive decisions. Put your brand in front of the right people.

📩 Contact [email protected] to explore sponsorship and partnership opportunities.

Start Your Shopify Store for Just $1/Month

As a valued Suit & Times subscriber, you’re getting exclusive access to this Shopify deal—a free 3-day trial, then just $1/month for your first 3 months. If you’ve been thinking about launching an online store, now’s the time.

💡 That’s it for today’s briefing. Stay sharp, stay informed, and we’ll see you tomorrow!