- The Current
- Posts
- 🌊 On Wednesdays We Pack Our Lunch
🌊 On Wednesdays We Pack Our Lunch
Plus: A strong jobs report, historic collapse from Duke, & landmine-detecting rat in Cambodia
Congrats to Duke on advancing to the... oh no… Duke…
Between the historic last-minute collapse against Houston in the Final Four and the fate of the Ratliff family in the season three finale of The White Lotus, Saturday night was a bad night to be a bottle of bourbon in Durham, NC. But seriously: Duke was up six with 34 seconds to go and… lost?? We haven’t seen a collapse that bad since the S&P 500 on Thursday!
Congrats to Houston and Florida fans for advancing to the title game, and to UConn women’s fans for Sunday’s natty. Also hope you White Lotus fans enjoyed the finale. Now pop a couple lorazepam, and let’s read the news.
📈 Jobs go boom in March
🥪 Packing lunches is back in
🏀 Duke collapses against Houston
–Max and Max
KEY STORY
Jobs Report
US employers added 228,000 jobs in March, exceeding economists’ predictions
March’s figure far surpasses the 140,000 that economists had predicted and February’s 117,000
The report noted a reduction of 4,000 federal government jobs in March, down from 11,000 the month prior. However, many DOGE layoffs weren’t included in March’s data
Trump hailed the results as proof that the economy is improving; some others said it may not reflect recent economic disturbances, with one economist telling the NYT that it is the “calm before the storm”
Dig Deeper
President Trump seized on the jobs report, writing on social media, “GREAT JOB NUMBERS, FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IT’S ALREADY WORKING”
Some economists were less optimistic about future prospects, particularly as the data does not factor in the announcement of sweeping tariffs or many of the job cuts in the federal government
KEY STORY
Workers’ Dining Habits
More US office workers are bringing lunches from home than at any point in years, per the WSJ
As workers returned to offices following the pandemic, restaurants expected lunch demand to rebound. However, new data found that lunch sales at restaurants are declining
Per the WSJ, the number of lunches bought from restaurants dropped 3% to 19.5B in 2024, fewer than at the height of the pandemic in 2020
Lunch purchases at fast-casual restaurants have likewise dropped. Since rising 14% in 2022, sales have fallen an average of 7.9% year-over-year since
Dig Deeper
The trend away from dining out for lunch is part of a broader shift in the restaurant industry away from sit-down restaurants
Despite the decline in recent years, one market research firm projected that fast-casual dining will grow over the next few years, finding that healthier and customizable options are particularly popular among millennial consumers
As more young consumers enter the workforce, this could help reverse the recent decline
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Think a hundred times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man
ROCA’S SPONSOR
Smart Investing Needed Now More Than Ever…
According to a recent study by Accenture, the failure to scale artificial intelligence could put 75% of organizations out of business
Experts say only 40% of companies worldwide are harnessing AI’s power to grow their businesses – which could be great news for regular investors who can get in near the ground floor of a new boom
There’s one fast-growing stock that The Motley Fool has recommended 11 times to date: An up-and-coming behemoth in the retail space harnessing AI to enhance its customer experience and product development
Motley Fool analysts have included it in their report, “3 Top Stocks Harnessing AI’s Power to Grow.” Access the report for free by joining Stock Advisor – whose average stock recommendation is up 891% as of 1/8/25
Amid this market chaos, get started and access the report here
KEY STORY
Iran Dumps Houthis?
Per an Iranian source who spoke with The Telegraph, Iran has ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen
Iran has long backed a network of proxy groups in the Middle East called the “Axis of Resistance.” One such group is the Yemen-based Houthis, against which the US recently launched a major bombing campaign
An Iranian official told the outlet that Iran is now pulling military staff from Yemen to avoid casualties that could lead to a direct confrontation with the US
“The Houthis will not be able to survive and are living their final months or even days, so there is no point in keeping them on our list,” the source added
Dig Deeper
A senior Houthi official, meanwhile, told Newsweek, “There are no Iranian forces in Yemen to withdraw from. So the matter does not require denial but rather laughing out loud”
The Telegraph's report follows a significant increase in America’s military presence in the Middle East
Last week, the US sent a second aircraft carrier strike group and at least six sophisticated B-2 stealth bombers to the region
Trump has been increasing pressure on Iran to negotiate a deal to halt its nuclear development program. Last week, he said, “If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing”
KEY STORY
Tariffs Spark Trade Renegotiations?
Trump Administration officials said 50+ countries have reached out to discuss trade issues
Last Wednesday, Trump imposed 10% tariffs on all foreign imports and higher rates on select countries, including China and the EU. In response, the stock market experienced a two-day, ~$6T selloff
On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC that several dozen countries have since contacted the White House to discuss trade issues. He also said the US will “hold the course” on tariffs
Meanwhile, President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday, “MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE”
Dig Deeper
Critics and investors have voiced confusion at the nature of the tariffs. At times, Trump has called them a negotiating tool; at others, he has suggested they could be permanent
Trump spoke with Vietnam’s leader on Friday, which he called “productive"
One White House official told the Financial Times, “President Trump is always willing to take a phone call from a foreign leader and discuss possible deals, but it is not a negotiation until it’s a negotiation”
RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office
🇰🇷 South Korea’s constitutional court ruled unanimously to oust former president Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and mobilized troops to seize control of the legislature in December
🪧 Large anti-Trump and anti-Musk protests took place across the US on Saturday, with 1,200+ demonstrations in all 50 states
✈️ After Southwest Airlines reversed its decades-old free checked bag policy in May, Fitch Ratings issued a negative outlook for the typically strong company, warning that the change could backfire
⛹️♂️ The Houston Cougars men’s basketball team shocked the Duke Blue Devils by winning 70-67 despite trailing by 6 with 34 seconds left.
🏀 The UConn women’s basketball team — led by senior Paige Bueckers — dominated South Carolina in the championship game 82-59, delivering the Huskies their first title since 2016
🧠 Biotech company Neurona raised $102M to develop and test its cell therapy drugs for neurological disorders, including epilepsy and Alzheimer's
What does Roca Nation think?
🧠 Today’s Question: Thoughts on this year’s March Madness?
POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour
🐀 Hero Rat: A rat named Ronin has set a world record by detecting 109 landmines in Cambodia since 2021, surpassing the previous record of 71
🦅 Harris Catches Harris: A rogue hawk that attacked approximately 50 people in a British town was finally captured by a resident
🥇 Win For Weekend Warriors: A study of 93,000 people found that "weekend warriors" who pack 150 minutes of exercise into just one or two days per week reduce their risk of death by 32%, compared to 26% for those who spread their exercise throughout the week
🏘️ Make Childhood Homes Great Again: President Trump's childhood home in Queens, New York, sold for $835,000 – less than half the $2.14M it went for in 2017 – after it was abandoned and overrun by feral cats
🏀 Shooting Gesture Backfires: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was fined $75,000 for repeatedly using a gun gesture to celebrate three-pointers, despite warnings from the NBA about the "inappropriate" celebration
ROCA WRAP
Roman Grave
Last week, construction crews renovating a soccer field in Vienna uncovered a 2,000-year-old mass grave of up to 150 Roman Empire soldiers – the largest discovery ever found in Central Europe. Carbon dating found they perished in battle sometime in the first century AD.
The Roman Empire conquered much of Austria around 15 BC, dividing the territory between the Roman provinces of Noricum, Raetia, and Pannoia. In the first two centuries AD, over a dozen Roman emperors clashed with ancient Germanic tribes in Austria.
Archaeologists quickly descended on the construction site, finding that the heads and torsos of every skeleton had signs of fatal injuries from battle, primarily from spears, crossbows, and swords. They also discovered a range of items alongside the bodies, including an iron dagger, spear points, armor, and pieces of helmets. The weapons helped determine the time period they fought in, while confirming they died in battle and not executed.
Since the Romans typically held ritualized burials and cremated bodies, this was an uncommon finding. One archeologist involved in the analysis said, “The undignified nature of the burial site along with the deadly wounds found on each individual suggests a catastrophic military confrontation, possibly followed by a hasty retreat.”
While there are historical accounts of wars in Austria between Romans and Germanic tribes, the findings are evidence of the first known fighting in that region. Michaela Binder, who led the archeological excavation, said, “Within the context of Roman acts of war, there are no comparable finds of fighters. There are huge battlefields in Germany where weapons were found. But finding the dead, that is unique for the entire Roman history.”
“We have the unique opportunity to study the lives of normal Roman soldiers,” she added.
The head of Vienna’s archaeological department, meanwhile, said, “The most likely theory at the moment is that this is connected to the Danube campaigns of Emperor Domitian — that’s 86 to 96 AD.”
EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts
We hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Despite the White Lotus’ underlying cynicism, the Buddhist-themed messages of letting go of material possessions and finding peace in the stillness of nature are perfectly timed for this news cycle. Don’t let the day-to-day volatility get you down — there’s more to life than news. And our lives are dedicated to news, so we hope you take that from us!
–Max and Max