Music streaming has come a long way since illegal file sharing applications like Napster and LimeWire. Apple introduced its iTunes store and the iPod in 2001, and streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube all launched shortly after in the mid-to-late 2000s. Despite not being well-received by the music industry, streaming became the dominant revenue generator for music labels in the mid-2010s. And according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), music streaming now makes up an incredible 84% of the U.S. music industry revenue – a whopping $43.4 billion in 2022 alone. Global music subscribers surged 26.4% during the pandemic to 523.9 million. The leading platform with the largest number of paid subscribers is Spotify (SPOT), which just reported first-quarter earnings on Tuesday and shot higher as a result.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” With apologies to Charles Dickens, his classic opening line from “A Tale of Two Cities” also describes the last five years for Tesla (TSLA) shareholders. The first half was a party as the stock shot 2,500% higher, and the second half has been a long-lasting hangover. Itchy-finger short-term traders may have snagged profits on some of the quick upswings the last two-and-a-half years, but those who bought in late 2022 and have held on are licking their wounds.

We’ve received an overwhelming response from you and your fellow Power Trends readers. We’ve asked which stocks you wanted us to analyze, and we got over 40 requests in just the few weeks we’ve been bringing you Power Trends+. That’s incredible! I decided to run all of your recommendations through my Quantum Edge system to see how they shaped up. Remember, the Quantum Score tells us quickly whether a stock is a good buy or not.

I don’t blame you if you’re concerned about the stock market. Today was a little better, but it’s been a painful two weeks for a lot of folks. All three major indexes were down six days in a row through Friday, with the Nasdaq losing 5.5% in that time.

I started my investing career more than two decades ago as a trader, and I stunk at it. In my first three weeks, I made every mistake in the book. Greedily chasing a stock that was ripping higher? I did that. Buying a falling stock because I had a “gut feeling” it would turn around? Did that, too. Following the herd into a crowded trade? Add that to the list as well.

We’re back with Part Two of this week’s jam-packed Power Trends+, and today is all about the stocks. If you missed Part One, make sure to watch it here. I gave you my thoughts on current events taking over the headlines, and Luke shared some fascinating data to that shows “bad news” isn’t always bad for investors. Today, Luke and I look at four new companies. You’ll probably recognize a couple names – one that’s a miss and one a hit. But we’ll also take a closer look at two lesser-known companies.