Emily Cohn - Buzzberg

Date	Ticker	Direction	Thesis	Source
Feb 17, 2026	GIS	SHORT	General Mills (GIS) lowered its sales outlook and stock is down 7%. Consumers are trading down to private label options in cereal, snacks, and pet food. Inflation fatigue has hit a breaking point. Brand loyalty is eroding as consumers switch to cheaper alternatives. Companies like GIS that rely on pricing power are losing volume to generics. Short GIS (and similar branded staples). GIS successfully lowers prices to regain volume, compressing margins but saving market share.	Bloomberg Markets Open Interest 2/17/2026...
Feb 17, 2026	WMT	LONG	Consumers are trading down from premium brands to cheaper options. Cohn explicitly mentions waiting for Walmart (WMT) earnings to confirm this trend. One company's loss (General Mills) is another's gain. As consumers abandon brands for value/private label, Walmart captures that traffic and volume. WMT benefits from the "trade-down" effect. Long WMT. Consumer spending stops entirely rather than just shifting down.	Bloomberg Markets Open Interest 2/17/2026...