More people buying chickens to combat high egg prices
Goodwill of the Great Plains showcases new Mission Services Center
The downside of having chickens is that you aren't guaranteed eggs all year round.'Winter, when shorter days and colder temps and less time outside, they hardly lay at all in the winter months, especially the shorter days,' Beller said. 'People always ask and say 'oh, you're so smart to get chickens.' Because it's such a value compared to [buying eggs]. But by the time you look at the coop and we feed organic food and treats and, you know, the electricity… probably I'll never make money on my chickens and the eggs.'Bomgaars is selling baby chickens for about $3. Workers say the line always stretches around the store with people eager to buy chickens.'By far, chickens are the most sold item, I'd say during this time of the year, and it gets pretty hectic,' Bomgaars employee Remington Kelbimschmidt said. 'I'd say it's more crazy because it's the start of the season. So people want to rush in to get chickens before it's too late.' With the large amounts of people looking to buy chickens, it's important to remember that they will get bigger and require lots of daily work like any other pet.
Morningside students excited for Carnegie Hall performance
'It's a big commitment,' Beller said. 'So you have to make sure that they've got food and water, of course, every day and clean out their coop because they are kind of dirty birds. But also, you know, in wintertime when the temps drop below zero, you can't have your chickens freezing. So I just think, you know, it sounds great in the springtime, but think about all year long or if you travel or when your kids lose interest. Make sure you're making a good choice about having the birds.'
If you are still considering getting chickens don't let the cute faces fool you: they're a lot of work.
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Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
The fliers say ‘Save Our Services.' Airbnb is actually pulling the strings
When Marni Lustig saw a flier for the Save Our Services campaign, she didn't immediately grasp what she was reading. The flier appeared to be about Los Angeles' budget crisis, potential layoffs of city workers and possible cuts to public services. But when she spotted a sentence about expanding short-term rentals, she realized the campaign applied directly to her. Lustig, a fashion photographer, already rents her Pico-Robertson home on Airbnb. She said she would buy another home in L.A. and rent it too, if the campaign achieves its goal of legalizing short-term rentals of second homes — which, according to supporters, would generate tax revenue to help address the budget crisis. 'I'd like to be able to buy in L.A., but because we're not allowed to [rent second homes] here, I've been looking outside of the city. So they'll get my money, not L.A.,' Lustig said. In the last few weeks, residents around the city have been flooded with fliers hung on their doors and canvassers polling them about Save Our Services. Some of the fliers don't mention short-term rentals and only describe the budget crisis while including a QR code for the campaign's website. That website paints a grim picture of the city's finances and proposes a solution: allowing 'a limited number of people to rent their second homes to travelers.' Supporters say the plan could generate about $80 million in tax revenue annually, especially as tourists descend on Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and 2028 Olympics. 'We can generate millions in new tourism revenue dedicated for L.A.'s long-term recovery — paid for by tourists, not taxpayers,' the website says. Fliers for the campaign, which urges the City Council to amend the short-term rental ordinance to include second homes, list as supporters a broad coalition of groups, from unions like Teamsters Local 911 to the business-aligned Central City Assn. Conspicuously absent from the website and fliers is Airbnb, the short-term rental giant that is a backer of the campaign and would profit from the change. Nick Gerber, an organizer for the hotel and restaurant workers union Unite Here Local 11, which opposes the campaign, said that when a canvasser knocked on his door, he asked who the campaign's supporters were. He knew the campaign involved short-term rentals, so he was surprised not to see Airbnb's name. 'I looked at the back of the shirt with all the [organizations] listed and did not see any of these short-term rental companies, but right away, I thought this was clearly something they were behind,' Gerber said. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, a former Unite Here organizer, said he learned of Save Our Services when he came across a flier in his parents' South L.A. neighborhood. 'It doesn't say Airbnb on it, but this is something that Airbnb has been pushing for years, and they're using what I think is pretty deceptive tactics to try to get sympathy from the public,' Soto-Martínez said. When the City Council debated a home sharing ordinance in 2018, Airbnb pushed for second homes to be included. But the council limited the final version to primary residences, in part to avoid decreasing the number of long-term rental properties amid a housing crisis. Airbnb confirmed that it is involved in Save Our Services but declined to say whether it has contributed any money to the campaign and did not respond to questions about its exact role. 'It's pretty simple: new tax revenue from tourists can give Los Angeles much-needed funding for city services and union jobs that are at risk,' said Justin Wesson, senior public policy manager for Airbnb. Wesson said that Airbnb has organized a 'diverse coalition' for the campaign and will continue to 'support practical short-term rental policies that balance the benefits of tourism with community needs.' The campaign does not appear to be registered with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, according to the commission's website, and Airbnb did not immediately respond to a question about whether the campaign has registered. Anyone who spends $5,000 or more to attempt to influence municipal legislation, and who is not a lobbyist, is required to register with the commission as a 'major filer' and report their spending. A commission spokesperson said there was no record of a major filer report from Airbnb after 2016. Airbnb said in an email that 70% of the 50,000 people polled by canvassers supported the Save Our Services campaign. The campaign website notes that the additional tax revenue would come in two streams: an estimated $38 million from the sales tax generated by tourists spending money at local businesses and another $41 million from the transient occupancy tax of 14% on short-term rentals. The city of Los Angeles faced a $1-billion budget shortfall this year, closing the gap through proposed layoffs and other cuts. The financial woes are likely to continue for several years, amid weak tax revenues, skyrocketing legal payouts and increasingly expensive union contracts. Critics of Save Our Services said that Airbnb hosts often evade the transient occupancy tax and that the city should step up its enforcement of the tax instead of opening up more homes for short-term rentals. Randy Renick, executive director of Better Neighbors LA, which focuses on regulating short-term rentals, said evading the tax is 'the fundamental issue,' with some Airbnb hosts claiming their residences are outside city limits. Maria Hernandez, a spokesperson for Unite Here, which is part of the Better Neighbors LA coalition, said an increase in short-term rentals would exacerbate the city's housing shortage by removing units from the long-term market. 'We are facing a housing crisis for working people, and this only makes it worse,' Hernandez said. 'The way for the city to address its budget crisis is to enforce existing laws, fining the landlords who illegally convert housing to hotels, and making sure the platforms actually pay the taxes they avoid.' The campaign has created some strange bedfellows. The hotel industry and Unite Here have battled over a $30 hotel and airport worker minimum wage, among other issues, but have aligned against Save Our Services. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who often spars with Soto-Martínez, also opposes the campaign, saying she doesn't want to create an incentive for people to buy up properties and turn them into short-term rentals. She added that the city's limited housing stock should be for the people who live and work here. 'It's where I actually align with my colleague,' she said of Soto-Martínez. Still, Save Our Services supporters say a short-term rental expansion would be an effective way to raise revenue. 'Labor, community, housing, business, and civic organizations have come together to find immediate and practical solutions that would help generate nearly $80 million in new annual revenue to save jobs and services, protect Angelenos' livelihoods, and stabilize the city's finances,' said Eric Tate, executive secretary treasurer for Teamsters Joint Council 42, in a statement.
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Forbes
What's Happening With Airbnb Stock?
Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) has decreased by approximately 11% over the past month—despite having an impressive Q2. Revenue increased by 13% year-over-year to $3.1 billion, surpassing the $3.03 billion consensus, with an EPS of $1.03 exceeding expectations of $0.94. User engagement reached record levels. So what caused the decline? Investors are looking beyond the positive results: management cautioned about slower growth and reduced margins in the latter half of 2025, even while pursuing ambitious—and costly—expansion initiatives. That being said, if you're interested in upside potential with less volatility than individual stocks, the Trefis High Quality portfolio offers an alternative – having outperformed the S&P 500 and achieved returns exceeding 91% since its inception. What's Driving Investor Nerves Airbnb is investing $200 million to support its next growth phase; updating its app with AI-driven personalization, broadening into 'Services & Experiences,' and hosting high-profile celebrity events. These ventures could enhance user engagement and diversify revenue, but they will require time to scale and might impact profitability. Simultaneously, tightening short-term rental regulations in major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Paris are compelling Airbnb to concentrate growth in smaller, regulation-friendly markets. The benefits of this shift remain uncertain. Valuation: Premium, But Not Excessive Airbnb trades at a premium compared to the S&P 500 but still positions itself between its two largest competitors. Its ratios of 6.6x price-to-sales, 29.3x price-to-earnings, and 17.0x price-to-free-cash-flow exceed the index's 3.0x, 22.5x, and 20.4x. However, it remains less expensive than Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) (7.3x sales, 37.7x earnings) while maintaining a significantly higher valuation than Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) (1.7x sales, 22.1x earnings)—a valuation that reflects confidence in stable growth, without presuming a significant surge. This confidence is supported by Airbnb's Revenue performance. The company has demonstrated a three-year average growth rate of 20%, significantly outpacing the S&P 500's 5.2%. Over the last year alone, sales increased by 10% to approximately $12 billion, more than double the market's 4.5% increase. Bottom Line The recent decline in the stock is more a readjustment of expectations than a sign of trouble. Airbnb continues to be a premium brand with robust growth and a sustainable platform advantage. The question for investors is whether they are prepared to endure a slower short-term increase in return for a potentially more powerful long-term growth path. Looking for Smarter Alternatives? Investing in a single stock can be precarious. You might consider the Trefis Reinforced Value (RV) Portfolio, which has surpassed its all-cap stocks benchmark (combination of the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000 benchmark indices) to deliver impressive returns for investors. Why is that? The quarterly rebalanced mix of large-, mid- and small-cap RV Portfolio stocks offers a responsive means to capitalize on positive market conditions while minimizing losses when markets decline, as outlined in RV Portfolio performance metrics. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that stocks can decline sharply – 20%, 30%, even 50% –as we've experienced during previous market disruptions. No stock is exempt. Our dashboard How Low Can Stocks Go During A Market Crash illustrates how key stocks performed during and after the last six market crashes.
CNBC
18 hours ago
- CNBC
Here's why Jim Cramer would pick Expedia over Airbnb
CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday told investors why he prefers Expedia to Airbnb, reviewing the two travel companies' business prospects and recent earnings. "At the end of the day, I think Expedia's thriving because of its laser-focus on value, while Airbnb's making a bunch of big bets that may or may not pay off in this environment," he said. "I say stick with what's working, I say stick with Expedia." Both Expedia and Airbnb managed to meet the estimates when they reported earnings earlier this month —but the former's stock soared while the latter saw losses. Airbnb's outlook for the current quarter was mixed, Cramer said, which disappointed investors. The company's guidance was more guarded, he continued, which made Wall Street fear that it's bracing itself for a slowdown. Expedia, on the other hand, gave "unambiguously robust" guidance for the current quarter, Cramer said, as it raised its full-year forecast for gross bookings and revenue growth. He also suggested that expectations were greater for Airbnb because it has a higher price-to-earnings multiple than Expedia. But beyond earnings, Cramer said there are other factors that make Expedia more attractive than Airbnb right now. Expedia's online travel agency has a business-to-business division, while Airbnb is primarily focused on consumers, he pointed out. Cramer said he thinks the strength of Expedia's B2B arm gave management the confidence to raise its full-year forecast. But Airbnb is "completely hostage to the consumer," so management had to be more cautious, he added. Cramer also argued that Expedia is engaged with its core business — flights, hotels and rental cars. Meanwhile, he said, Airbnb is exploring new opportunities beyond its primary home rental business, whose success is not assured. The company is working on a services division that targets wealthier consumers. Some of the newer offerings would allow guests to book a chef or personal trainer to come to their rental or add spa treatments to their stay. Airbnb is betting on pricier endeavors, Cramer said, even though it seems consumers are more value-conscious right now. "They've gone upmarket, and it represents a risk," Cramer said. "Expedia, on the other hand, is simply focused on execution, and that's working as consumers keep coming to their platform to get the best prices when they want to travel." Expedia and Airbnb did not immediately respond to request for comment. Click here to download Jim Cramer's Guide to Investing at no cost to help you build long-term wealth and invest
