How to Invest in a World Without Canned Soup

The trend is simple: most folks don't want canned soup anymore. January 09, 2014     How to Invest in a World Without Canned Soup   The trouble with canned soup--and the bigger trend ahead Mass affluence and fast food Plus: The Starbucks effect takes hold   Greg Guenthner coming to you from Baltimore, MD... Greg Guenthner If you open your kitchen pantry this morning, chances are you'll stumble onto an old, dusty can of tomato soup. You might have forgotten about it--but it's in there somewhere. And chances are, you aren't planning on eating it anytime soon. The trend is simple: most folks don't want canned soup anymore. And as crazy as it might seem, this phenomenon actually has far-reaching effects on your investments... "Soup has seen better days," reads a report from Quartz. "After decades of sustained growth, the global soup market contracted in 2009, and then again in 2010. While soup sales have since grown, recent growth has been lukewarm at best. In both 2012 and 2013, the market was essentially flat, growing by less than 1%." Yes, even your cheap dinner has succumbed to mass affluence. More expensive, healthy food trends have spread to your grocery stores--and even your fast food restaurants. Every food category from sandwiches to burgers (or even a bowl of soup) now has its very own higher-end chain. The landscape of mass affluence in fast food has quickly spread to the stock market. Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ:PNRA) has provided investors with returns of more than 235% since early 2009. Similar offerings involving upscale fast food chains are now taking the market by storm. Noodles & Company (NASDAQ:NDLS) hit the market last July, while sandwich maker Potbelly Corp. (NASDAQ:PBPB) listed its IPO in late September. Now, I don't think you should rush to buy shares in any of the companies I just mentioned. (PRO readers are getting my favorite trade in this sector in just a minute). However, what you should do is take a good, hard look at any company in your portfolio that isn't adapting well to this trend. Many traditional packaged goods and fast food companies are scrambling to adapt to our pickier preferences. The ones that refuse to evolve might not be around 10 year from now...         How You Could Claim "President-Sized" Retirement Savings Did you know Obama is set to retire with at least $8 million in his pension plan? Meanwhile, 90% of elderly Americans receive Social Security as their only source of retirement income. Luckily, this "weird" strategy shows anyone how to get a "president-sized" retirement, even starting with less than $1,000. It's incredible, but true. Check it out here.           Rude Numbers Targets, Predictions and Wild Guesses   3 million people pledged $480 million to Kickstarter projects in 2013, according to CNBC. That works out to roughly $1.3 million each day. 60,000 people got their paychecks signed by Blockbuster at the video store's peak. Netflix--the firm that put them out of business-- currently employs just over 2,000 people. 45% of all new devices in 2014 will run Google's Android software, according to Gartner. The firm also projects that more than a billion Android devices will be sold this year worldwide. $92.89 buys a barrel of crude today. The price of oil continues to plummet this week--giving back nearly $2 over the last 24 hours alone. 67% of all stocks trading on U.S. exchanges remain above their respective 50-day moving averages. Despite the slow start for the market this year, most stocks remain locked in uptrends...     Rude Trends When to Buy... When to Sell   Need more proof that mass affluence is creeping into every aspect of your life? Look no further than the cup of coffee you're drinking right now... In the 1990s, Starbucks changed the way we consume coffee. The company grew into a behemoth--laughing all the way to the bank in the face of anyone who ever said "no one's gonna pay $5 for a cup of coffee with some syrup in it." And it turned out to be one of the best investments over the past 25 years... Read on to see what company could very well become the Starbucks of the next decade... [Ed. Note: Send your feedback here: rude@agorafinancial.com - and follow me on Twitter: @GregGuenthner]     Ignore At Your Own Peril Today's Must Read Links   Bigger than Benghazi, the IRS and the NSA Scandals... Combined? 2 Words Obama Doesn't Want You to Know Conservative Talk Show Host Goes Crazy on Camera     BE SURE TO ADD dr@dailyreckoning.com to your address book.       Additional Articles & Commentary: Join the conversation! Follow us on social media:         The Rude Awakening is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. 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