My friend Judy rents out rooms in her home as an Airbnb (ABNB)... The idea of complete strangers sleeping in my house on a regular basis sends chills up my spine. I get the same feeling about strangers just spending a night in my house, too.

My Friend in Her 80s Is Part of the Gig Economy's Bright Future By Joe Austin, senior analyst, Chaikin Analytics My friend Judy rents out rooms in her home as an Airbnb (ABNB)... The idea of complete strangers sleeping in my house on a regular basis sends chills up my spine. I get the same feeling about strangers just spending a night in my house, too. But Judy loves it. You see, Judy is in her 80s. And she retired nearly 10 years ago. She lives in a big house with five bedrooms. But back when she worked, Judy ran a successful catering business. So you couldn't ask for a better host. And as far as she's concerned, the money isn't the most important thing... Judy loves the company. And along the way, she has made some great friends. Some of her guests enjoyed the visits so much that they bought houses close by. And as soon as this summer is over, Judy is even taking a trip to visit others in their homes. Judy is a great reminder that the "gig economy" is more than just 20-somethings delivering groceries and fast food to other 20-somethings... It has become a viable means for folks to earn income outside of traditional employment structures. And the gig economy is booming... It's estimated to be worth nearly $600 billion this year. And it's expected to grow to nearly $2.2 trillion by 2034. That's a compound annual growth rate of nearly 16%. What started as a few disruptive startups is now an entire ecosystem of getting things done. And for investors, gig economy companies have become one of the most compelling growth stories in today's market. So today, let's take a closer look at the gig economy and the biggest players... Recommended Links: Marc Chaikin: 'Ask Me Anything Next Tuesday' As the mainstream media warns of a historic bubble in stocks, more than 1,000 questions have poured in from Chaikin Analytics subscribers in recent weeks on how to navigate this uncertain moment in the markets. On Tuesday, August 26, Marc Chaikin is stepping forward to share his answers, including an URGENT update on his 2025 market forecast. Click here to learn more and save your spot. Leaked Memo Points to $100 Trillion Wealth Transfer Starting Soon The U.S. Department of the Interior's internal memo has leaked... And the contents are shocking. A federally backed resource-monetization plan may soon go live, and it could trigger a new gold rush in select energy and mineral stocks. Investing legend Whitney Tilson breaks it all down here. The Gig Economy Is Booming The term "gig" originated with jazz musicians in the 1920s. For them, a gig was quick work to pay the bills between bigger opportunities. Today's gig economy is partially a result of technological change and partially a result of economic necessity... On the technological side, first came smartphones. These allowed workers to take and execute orders from anywhere, anytime. Then came cloud computing. That became the backbone that matched workers with work. And the economic necessity part was mainly coincidental... The first iteration of today's gig economy jobs was driving for Uber Technologies (UBER) back in 2009. That coincided with peak unemployment of 10% in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Lots of folks needed work. For some of them, Uber was the only option they had. Then came COVID-19. In April 2020, the unemployment rate hit nearly 15%. And once again, those gig jobs looked attractive. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, nearly 2.1 million workers took gig-economy jobs that year. That was double the number versus 2019. In 2021, another 3.1 million people took gig economy jobs. By the end of that year, more than 1 million had left. But what started as a crisis became structural. The gig economy was here to stay. However, the top gig-economy companies are currently doing a lot more than merely providing part-time jobs... Uber and DoorDash (DASH) are going after the critical "last mile" delivery market. That's a nearly $200 billion market today. And it's growing at about 10% per year. Grocery-delivery leader Maplebear (CART) is going after that business, too. But it also wants to become the "front end" for any retailer online. Known as "headless commerce," that market is estimated to be worth about $1.7 billion this year. It's growing at more than 22% annually. And the original ride-sharing market shows no signs of slowing down... Global ride-sharing revenues came in at about $43 billion last year. And that's expected to grow by nearly 14% annually through 2030. Lyft (LYFT) remains focused solely on that market. And it's seeking growth by providing better customer service and car alternatives like scooters. Of the top gig-economy companies, Airbnb's growth is lagging. The company is having multiple problems with both host and guests. But the short-term vacation rental market is still growing at more than 11% annually. Booking Holdings (BKNG) – the parent company of online-travel agency Booking.com – is also a big part of the problems at Airbnb... Last year, it booked about 80% of the nights that Airbnb did. And it did so with only half of the number of properties. Booking.com has also seen its share of the short-term rental market grow from 14% in 2019 to 18% through the end of 2024. Meanwhile, the Power Gauge paints a mixed picture across the five gig-economy companies I discussed... It currently gives two of them "bullish" ratings. One is rated "bearish." And the other two are in "neutral" territory. Notably, DoorDash and Lyft have the highest revenue growth over the past 12 months of the group. And with all the growth in the target markets here, revenue growth is the best indicator of success going forward. So whether it's Judy making money by turning strangers into friends, or massive tech platforms handling last-mile delivery... gig-economy companies have proved they can bring success to all levels of our economy. And for investors, these businesses become some of the most compelling growth opportunities in today's market. Looking ahead, there's little question that the growth will continue... It's just a matter of who captures the biggest share of the massive opportunity ahead. Good investing, Joe Austin Marc Chaikin: 'Ask Me Anything' Next Tuesday, August 26, Marc Chaikin is doing something he has never done before. After a wild six months for stocks, Marc knows you may have many lingering questions. So, he'll be going on camera – NOT to discuss a specific opportunity, but instead to devote his time to answering YOUR most pressing questions. But we need to hear from YOU. If something is keeping you up at night (whether it worries or excites you), we want to hear from you. Marc will answer as many questions as possible during his "Ask Me Anything" event next Tuesday. Click here to submit your question(s). Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 +0.02% 13 13 4 S&P 500 -0.27% 157 243 99 Nasdaq -0.59% 32 49 19 Small Caps -0.35% 637 1029 372 Bonds +0.22% — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks and Large Cap stocks remain somewhat Bullish. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Health Care +3.16% Real Estate +1.16% Consumer Staples +0.71% Financial +0.21% Energy +0.18% Utilities -0.35% Industrials -0.83% Materials -0.95% Consumer Discretionary -0.99% Communication -1.13% Information Technology -3.15% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Innovative Technology Services 25 61 10 Over the past 6 months, the Innovative Technology subsector (XITK) has underperformed the S&P 500 by -10.04%. However, its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Strong, with more Bullish than Bearish stocks. It is currently ranked #12 of 21 subsectors and has moved down 1 slot over the past week. Top Stocks ACLS Axcelis Technologies BMBL Bumble Inc. ANET Arista Networks Inc *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers ADI +6.26% MCK +3.85% MDT +3.69% FDS +3.62% REGN +3.36% Losers INTC -6.99% TGT -6.33% DELL -4.97% GNRC -4.74% LII -3.98% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Earnings Surprises TJX The TJX Companies, Inc. Q2 $1.10 Beat by $0.09 ADI Analog Devices, Inc. Q3 $2.05 Beat by $0.10 LOW Lowe's Companies, Inc. Q2 $4.33 Beat by $0.09 TGT Target Corporation Q2 $2.05 Beat by $0.01 EL The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Q4 $0.09 Met estimate *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at punjabsvera@gmail.com. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call +1 (877) 697-6783 (U.S.), 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time or e-mail info@chaikinanalytics.com. Please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized financial advice. © 2025 Chaikin Analytics, LLC. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, copying, or redistribution, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from Chaikin Analytics, LLC. 201 King Of Prussia Rd., Suite 650, Radnor, PA 19087. www.chaikinanalytics.com. 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