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June 17, 2025

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With oil prices surging and geopolitical unrest stirring in the Middle East, it’s no surprise that energy stocks are drawing renewed attention. And, quite frankly, this week didn’t have many market-moving earnings. So this week, we skate to where the puck is, or, in this case, where traders’ eyes will be focused—the Energy sector.

In the past, we have witnessed this sector spike due to conflicts, and changes can come quickly. The following setups appear to favor continued and quick momentum to the upside.

Energy: A Sector on the Move

Let’s begin with the big picture: the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE). This ETF offers a broad view of the energy landscape. Yes, 40% of this ETF consists of just two stocks — Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Chevron Corp. (CVX). So these two will drive the bus when it comes to price action. However, when looking at the entire sector, we see some good risk/reward setups worth monitoring.

From early 2024, XLE has been trading in a rather wide neutral range. In April, though, the ETF broke down and fell out of that range. That was due in part to cheaper oil prices and a reaction to Liberation Day tariffs. This ended up being a classic bear trap, as price held its 200-week moving average (red circle above) and moved back into its range.

The adage, “from false moves come fast moves in the opposite direction,” is well in play here, and given the fundamental backdrop of oil spiking due to conflict, the push higher should continue.

From a risk/reward set-up, the ETF could climb towards the top end of its range and likely break out higher. The risk is at the bottom of the neutral range — support at $82.50 with a first stop upside target of $95. Given Friday’s close, it’s not too much of a risk/reward difference, but momentum indicators suggest the upside is achievable, possibly quickly.

The weekly Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) is flashing a strong buy signal, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is breaking a downtrend going back to its August 2024 peak. It has all the makings of a run to resistance and potential breakout, with conservative upside targets of $108 given the range from which the ETF is breaking out.

Occidental Petroleum (OXY): A Buffett Favorite Reawakens

If you’ve followed Warren Buffett’s investments, you’ll recognize Occidental Petroleum (OXY). The stock has been beaten down for quite some time, but, last week, it awoke from its slumber.

OXY shares spiked on Friday, which puts it at a key inflection point. This price action caught our eye, since we are focusing on some good setups from a risk/reward perspective. There could be more room for the stock to run.

OXY enters the week at its weekly downtrend, going back to its 2024 peak at $69.56. Technically, there is major resistance ahead, but it seems poised to attack those levels and has a lot to reverse, which can give investors a nice percentage gain in the meantime.

If shares can eclipse this recent downtrend, then expect a quick run to its 200-week moving average at the $52/$53 level. This level acted as a major consolidation point for years; the once mighty support area could act as resistance and must be watched closely. However, a date with this level looks quite promising and represents a 15% gain from Friday’s close.

If momentum continues and OXY breaks through that level, it’s smooth sailing for another 15+% upside toward the $60 area. OXY could continue to its 2022–2023 consolidation area and do so quickly.

Baker Hughes (BKR): Is It Ready to Wake Up?

Lastly, we turn to Baker Hughes (BKR), an oilfield services and technology company that has been a major laggard since its February peak of $48.85. Technically, it enters the week at a major inflection point.

BKR has formed an ascending triangle, which is nearing its breaking point. That point happens to be at its longer-term downtrend and its 200-day moving average, which makes for an interesting setup.

Downside risk could see shares fall back to their 50-day moving average and the rising short-term average that’s within this tradable formation. If BKR breaks below that level, all bets for this near-term rally are off. 

The upside risk favors the bulls. If BKR were to break out, this would confirm a new uptrend, with upside targets 15–20% higher than Friday’s close.

Final Thoughts

The setups we’re seeing in the Energy sector offer a favorable balance between risk and reward. Be mindful of the downside risks and place your stops in the event the position goes against you. Remember, energy markets can shift quickly, especially when geopolitical tensions are involved.


When you see headlines about geopolitical tensions and how the stock market sold off on the news, it can feel unsettling, especially when it comes to your hard-earned savings. But what you might not hear about in the news is what the charts are indicating.

Look at what happened in the stock market recently. On Friday, investors were bracing for a rocky start this week, expecting geopolitical tensions to shake up the stock market. That’s not what unfolded. After Friday’s +1% dip, the U.S. indexes bounced back, starting the week off on a positive note. It just goes to show how quickly things can shift, and often, not in the way we might anticipate.

A Closer Look at the S&P 500

The S&P 500 ($SPX) looks like it’s back on track and attempting to move toward its all-time high. Volatility has also retreated, and oil prices, which went as high as $77.62 a barrel, have pulled back to slightly above $71.

Think of it this way: if you took Friday’s price action out of the equation, the S&P 500 has been moving steadily by grinding out its narrow range sideways move. The uptrend in equities is still in play, despite the Middle East conflict.

The StockCharts Market Summary page shows that the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite ($COMPQ) are trading well above their 200-day simple moving averages (SMA), while the Dow Industrials ($INDU) is struggling to remain above the benchmark. Small-cap stocks continue to struggle, which suggests that growth leadership continues to be on investors’ radars. You can see this in the sector performance panel, which shows Technology in the lead.

Since tech stocks make up a significant portion of the S&P 500, let’s take a closer look at the daily chart.

FIGURE 1. DAILY CHART OF S&P 500. The week started off on a positive note despite Middle East tensions. Monitor trends, key levels, and momentum indicators.Chart source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

As mentioned earlier, not much has happened in the S&P 500 despite Friday’s selloff. The overall uptrend is still in place. The index is trading above its 21-day exponential moving average. The S&P 500 is about 1.84% away from its all-time high.

However, even though the bias is slightly bullish, there are indications that the market’s momentum isn’t strong at the moment. Here’s why:

  • The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is faltering, indicating momentum isn’t quite there yet. Note the RSI is not moving higher with the index, meaning it’s diverging.
  • The Percentage Price Oscillator (PPO) has been relatively flat and sloping slightly downward since the end of May. This confirms the stalling momentum indicated by the RSI.
  • The 200-day SMA is above the 50-day SMA. The 50-day SMA needs to cross above the 200-day SMA to confirm the bullish bias.

What to Watch

Keeping the trend direction and momentum in mind, here are some levels to monitor on the chart.

  • Just below 6150: This area represents the S&P 500’s all-time high. If the index reaches this level, it will likely be met with resistance. A break above this level would elevate bullish sentiment and show upside momentum in the market.
  • Between 5950 and 6050: The S&P 500 has been moving within this range for most of the month. It almost seems as if it’s waiting for something to act as a catalyst to move it in either direction. When it happens, the RSI and PPO will indicate whether momentum is to the upside or downside.
  • The 5775 area: This level represents the March 24 to March 26 high and the May 12 and May 23 lows. A break below this level would not be bullish for the S&P 500. Note that the 200-day SMA is close to this level.

The Bottom Line

The stock market always has its ups and downs, and some days may feel more uncertain than others. However, by focusing on long-term trends and support or resistance levels based on past highs and lows, you can approach your investment decisions with a more objective mindset.

Instead of reacting to news headlines, consider adding the “lines in the sand” — key support and resistance levels, trendlines, price channels — to your charts. These can be added to daily, weekly, or monthly time frames. Monitoring the market’s action at these levels can offer valuable insights and better prepare you for whatever comes your way.


Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

According to market intelligence firm Newzoo, global gaming revenue came in at US$177.9 billion in 2024, with mobile gaming accounting for more than half of that amount at US$97.6 billion.

The firm states that the mobile gaming market has reached maturity but still achieved higher growth than the console and PC segments, with revenue up by 2.8 percent globally last year. The regions driving that growth are North America and Europe, where markets rebounded due to big releases and diversified revenue streams.

Mobile games are typically accessed through three core operating systems: Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows and Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Android. Notably, the iOS App Store generated nearly 37 percent of its revenue from mobile gaming apps in 2024, totaling US$3.83 billion. However, figures show that most mobile games on the market today are developed for Android, representing 75 percent of total mobile game downloads.

For investors interested in getting exposure to mobile gaming as the market gains momentum, here’s a look at the top 10 mobile gaming stocks by market cap. All data and figures were accurate as of June 2, 2025.

1. Roblox (NYSE:RBLX)

Market cap: US$60.97 billion

Roblox is the company behind the well-known game platform of the same name. First launched on PC in 2006, in recent years Roblox has become the most popular free-to-play online gaming platform, particularly amongst children and teenagers.

The company draws a majority of its revenues by selling virtual currency known as Robux for in-app purchases.

According to the company’s Q1 2025 report, Roblox garnered over 97.8 million daily active users in the first quarter of 2025, up 26 percent from the same period last year. The platform’s most popular games are role-playing games Brookhaven and Blox Fruits.

2. Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO)

Market cap: US$40.15 billion

New York-headquartered Take-Two Interactive Software is a holding company that owns several significant gaming labels that develop and publish video games for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles as well as PCs and mobile devices. Some of Take-Two’s most popular game series are widely recognized around the world, including Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Red Dead Redemption and Borderlands.

The majority of Take-Two’s mobile games are published by Zynga, a developer of free-to-play games that Take-Two acquired in 2022 for US$12.7 billion. The publisher’s properties include 2009 hits FarmVille and Words with Friends.

Last year, Zynga’s highest grossing game according to Statista was Empires & Puzzles: Dragon Dawn with approximately US$147 million in revenue, and its most-downloaded title was CSR 2 Realistic Drag Racing.

While Rockstar is largely focused on console and PC games, several of its older games were ported to mobile, such as the classic GTA III, GTA San Andreas and GTA The Trilogy Definitive Edition.

3. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA)

Market cap: US$36.6 billion

Electronic Arts (EA) is a leading gaming and esports company with video game offerings across many genres, from sports to action/adventure to role playing to family games. The California-headquartered company owns many well known series, including the Sims, Madden NFL, FIFA, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Dragon Age and Plants vs. Zombies.

EA has increased its focus on the mobile gaming segment in recent years, and in early 2024 announced it would focus on its fully owned mobile games portfolio instead of its licensed games with other brands. Leading up to that, the company merged its mobile and HD franchise teams across EA Sports FC, Madden NFL and The Sims.

In March 2025, EA announced a partnership with games marketing company Flexion, who will help EA publish its mobile games on the Amazon Appstore, Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi’s GetApps and ONE Store.

4. Tencent Holdings (OTC Pink:TCEHY,HKEX:0700)

Market cap: US$25.78 billion

Tencent Holdings is a Chinese conglomerate with significant holdings through a wide array of sectors. Its large gaming segment built through acquisitions and investments has made it the world’s largest gaming company by revenue.

Tencent owns Riot Games, maker of the popular PC game League of Legends, a multiplayer online battle arena game with a monthly active player base of between 117 million to 135 million. The expanding League of Legends franchise also features three mobile games: Wild Rift, Team Fight Tactics and Legends of Runeterra.

The company also released PUBG Mobile based on the PC game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The multiplayer battle royale game is available on Android and iOS.

Tencent is now focusing on building up its in-house AAA and console gaming business segment in order to better compete with western gaming companies.

5. Unity Software (NYSE:U)

Market cap: US$10.91 billion

San Francisco-based Unity Software develops the core software technology or building video games and interactive experiences. It offers developers a suite of tools for designing and launching 2D and 3D games as well as virtual and augmented reality applications. This includes the ability to create and host large-scale, multi-player games.

Two of the most popular mobile games built on the Unity Software engine are the online multiplayer social deduction game Among Us, developed by game studio Innersloth, and augmented-reality mobile game Pokémon Go, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo Co. (LSE:0K85,TSE:7974) and The Pokémon Company.

Although in its Q1 2025 financials, Unity saw its grow revenue and create revenue drop by 4 percent and 8 percent, respectively, year-over-year, its financial performance still included exceeding the high-end of its revenue guidance by 5 percent, and its adjusted EBITDA by 29 percent.

6. Playtika (NASDAQ:PLTK)

Market cap: US$1.79 billion

Headquartered in Israel, Playtika Holdings claims to be among the first mobile gaming entertainment companies to offer free-to-play social games on social networks and on mobile platforms. Today, Playtika has a diverse portfolio of game titles accessed by more than 29 million monthly active users last year.

Playtika has built its mobile entertainment platform through eleven strategic acquisitions totaling US$337 million aimed at increasing its breadth of entertainment genres and leveraging its Boost platform to enhance game operations. Playtika’s most recent acquisition was mobile gaming company SuperPlay, which it picked up for US$700 million in late 2024.

In its first quarter of 2025, the company reported a record quarterly revenue of more than US$700 million. This is up 8.4 percent over the same period in the previous year.

7. Corsair Gaming (NASDAQ:CRSR)

Market cap: US$951.33 million

Corsair Gaming is a global powerhouse in the development and manufacturer of high-performance gamer gear, including keyboards, mice, game controllers and headsets.

While the company primarily targets PC gamers, Corsair has moved into the mobile games market in recent years with the launch of its SCUF Nomad, a compact Bluetooth controller designed for competitive gamers with iPhones. The controller expands to fit the user’s phone in the center and work with any games that offer controller support.

8. Inspired Entertainment (NASDAQ:INSE)

Market cap: US$208.84 million

Inspired Entertainment is a gaming technology company that offers content, tech, hardware and services both offline and online gaming, betting and social gaming platforms. This includes digital games across more than 170 websites.

Last year, the company launched a number of online and mobile slot games, including Gold Cash Free Spins and Big Piggy Bank. In January 2025, Inspired announced the release of its online and mobile slot games into the regulated Brazilian market.

9. PLAYSTUDIOS (NASDAQ:MYPS)

Market cap: US$186.86 million

PLAYSTUDIOS develops free-to-play mobile games for its brand partners in the travel, leisure and entertainment sectors. Through its playAWARDS platform, mobile gamers can earn brand offerings as in-game rewards. The platform has a player network of more than 4.2 million gamers and 737 award partners, including brands such as Royal Caribbean International, MGM Grand and Cirque de Soleil.

The company will be offering its social casino games players an opportunity to win trips to the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas, and seats in the second annual US$1 million myVIP World Tournament of Slots, which will take place at the resort in October 2025.

PLAYSTUDIOS’ full year 2025 guidance for net revenue is US$250 million to US$270 million.

10. MotorSport Games (NASDAQ:MSGM)

Market cap: US$16.24 million

Florida-based Motorsport Games develops and publishes motorsport games, and organizes esports racing competitions and content.

It is officially licensed to develop and publish video games for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Motorsport Games’ rFactor 2 is an official racing simulation platform of Formula E, and it powers the F1 Arcade venue chain via a partnership with Kindred Concepts.

In April 2025, Motorsport announced a strategic investment of US$2.5 million led by virtual reality hardware company Pimax Innovation. The two companies plan to combine their offerings to create immersive VR racing sims.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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The Trump administration is fast tracking development of Dateline Resources’ (ASX:DTR,OTC Pink:DTREF) Colosseum rare earths project in California as part of its push to boost domestic critical minerals supply.

In a recent interview, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum highlighted the project as a priority under the government’s critical minerals strategy, stating that the US has ‘to get back in the game in a serious way around critical minerals.”

For his part, US President Donald Trump has called the project ‘America’s second rare earths mine.” He first announced Colosseum’s approval in an April 21 Truth Social post, listing it as a weekly achievement.

The Colosseum project sits in the Walker Lane Trend in East San Bernardino County, California, only 10 kilometers north of MP Materials’ (NYSE:MP) Mountain Pass mine, the only operating rare earths mine in the US.

Mountain Pass is also the highest-grade rare earths mine in the world.

According to Burgum, the endorsement from the government stems from the US’ push to restart domestic rare earths production and reduce dependence on other countries such as China.

Currently, China remains the biggest rare earths producer by far, producing 270,000 metric tons in 2024. That’s about 70 percent of the total production for the year, which was recorded at 390,000 metric tons.

The ongoing trade war has created tensions between the US and China, raising questions about supply chain security.

Some relief was seen last week — the BBC reported that China has agreed to supply US companies with magnets and rare earths as part of Trump’s deal with Xi Jinping, president of China. In return, the US said it will walk back its threats to revoke the visas of Chinese nationals at US colleges and universities.

Trump addressed the arrangement via a June 11 Truth Social update, stating that he has “always been good” with including Chinese students in colleges and universities.

Dateline has a green light to explore and extract rare earths from Colosseum, as well as gold.

“We have seen growing interest out of the US, particularly after recent milestones at Colosseum,” the Sydney Morning Herald quotes Dateline Managing Director Stephen Baghdadi as saying.

Dateline said in May that it had started the process to uplist to the OTCQB. Should the OTCQB listing go through, the company will still continue to meet its ASX disclosure requirements.

The same month, the company said it had begun preparations for a rare earths-focused drill program at Colosseum, and would complete it alongside a planned gold feasibility study for the site.

Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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President Donald Trump continues to enjoy income streams from scores of luxury properties and business ventures, many of which are worth tens of millions of dollars, according to a financial disclosure form filed late Friday.

Released by the Office of Government Ethics, Trump’s 2025 financial disclosure spans 234 pages in all, including 145 pages of stock and bond investments. It is dated Friday with Trump’s signature.

One of the largest sources of income is the $57,355,532 he received from his ownership stake in World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency platform launched last year. The form shows that World Liberty’s sales of digital tokens have been highly lucrative for Trump and his family. Trump’s three sons, Donald Jr., Eric and Barron, are listed on the company’s website as co-founders of the firm.

Separately, Trump’s meme coin, known on crypto markets simply as $TRUMP, was not released until January and is therefore not subject to the disclosure requirements for this form, which covered calendar year 2024.

It was a lucrative year for Trump when it came to royalty payments for the various goods that are sold featuring his name and likeness.

Among the royalty payments:

The filing also includes a listing of liabilities, including at least $15,000 on an American Express credit card and payments due to E. Jean Carroll, the woman who successfully sued Trump over sexual abuse and defamation, though he is still seeking to appeal the decision.

The rest of the document includes dozens of pages of lengthy footnotes about his various assets.

The form was filed to comply with federal requirements for executive branch office holders. By comparison, the form former President Joe Biden filed in 2024 was 11 pages and consisted largely of conventional sources of income like bank and retirement accounts, while Kamala Harris’ was 15 pages.

Many of Trump’s key assets are held in a revocable trust overseen by Donald Trump Jr., his eldest son. They include more than 100,000 shares of Trump Media and Technology Group, the social media company that went public in 2024. Trump is the largest shareholder, and his nearly 53% is worth billions of dollars. Those holdings were still disclosed in the form.

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As Starbucks aims to bring back customers and assuage investors with its turnaround strategy, it is also winning over its store managers with promises to add more seating inside cafes and promote internally.

Since CEO Brian Niccol’s first week at the company, he’s been pledging to bring the company “back to Starbucks” to lift sluggish sales. That goal was in full view at the company’s Leadership Experience, a three-day event in Las Vegas for more than 14,000 store leaders this week.

Starbucks unveiled a new coffee called the 1971 Roast, a callback to the year that its first location opened at Pike Place in Seattle. The finalists at Starbucks’ first-ever Global Barista Championships referred to “back to Starbucks” as they prepared drinks for judges. Even the Wi-Fi password was “backtostarbucks!”

To investors, Niccol has already presented a multi-part strategy that involves retooling the company’s marketing strategy, improving staffing in cafes, fixing the chain’s mobile app issues and making its locations cozier. The company also laid off roughly 1,100 corporate workers earlier this year, saying it aimed to operate more efficiently and reduce redundancies.

Starbucks shares have climbed nearly 20% since April and are trading just shy of where they were after a nearly 25% spike the day Niccol was announced as CEO.

While Starbucks has taken major steps to win back customers and Wall Street, it’s also trying to regain faith among its employees. Staffers have had concerns about hours and workloads for years, sparking a broad union push across the U.S.

To excite the chain’s store managers, Starbucks executives’ pitch this week focused on giving them more control. Before launching new drinks, like a protein-packed cold foam, the company is first testing them in five stores to gain feedback from baristas.

When the chain increases its staffing this summer, managers will have more input on how many baristas they need. And next year, most North American stores will add an assistant manager to their rosters.

“You are the leaders of Starbucks. Your focus on the customer is critical. Your leadership is critical. And as you return to your coffeehouses, please remember: coffee, community, opportunity, all the good that follows,” Niccol said on Tuesday.

Niccol’s “back to Starbucks” strategy centers on the idea that the company’s culture has faltered. Its Leadership Experience, typically held every couple of years, was the first since 2019 — three CEOs ago.

“We are a business of connection and humanity,” Niccol said on Tuesday afternoon, addressing a crowd of more than 14,000 managers. “Great people make great things happen.”

As more customers order their lattes via the company’s app, its cafes have lost their identity as a “third place” for people to hang out and sip their drinks.

To return to Starbucks’ prior culture, the company is unwinding previous decisions — like removing seats from its cafes. In recent years, the chain has removed 30,000 seats from its locations. Those renovations have irritated both customers and employees; the manager of Niccol’s local Starbucks in Newport Beach, California, even asked him to remove her store from its renovation list because she wanted to keep the seating, according to Niccol.

“We’re going to put those seats back in,” Niccol said, bringing a big wave of applause from the audience.

He earned more applause from the audience when discussing the chain’s plans to promote internally as it eventually adds 10,000 more locations in the U.S.

Although historically roughly 60% of Starbucks store managers have been internal promotions, the company wants to raise that to 90% for its retail leadership roles. Thousands of new cafes means 1,000 more district managers, 100 regional directors and 14 regional vice presidents for the company — and more upward career mobility for its store leaders.

Staffing more broadly has been a concern for Starbucks and its employees, fueling a wave of union elections across hundreds its stores. Past management teams have cut down on the labor allotted to stores, helping profit margins at the cost of burning out baristas and slowing service.

Under Niccol, Starbucks is changing the trend. The company is accelerating plans to roll out its new Green Apron labor model by the end of the summer, because tests have shown that it improves service times and boosts traffic. As part of the model, managers will have more input on how much labor their store needs.

And Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly received a standing ovation from the crowd for her announcement that most North American locations will receive a full-time, dedicated assistant store manager next year.

“For much of the time, your store is operating without you there, and you share that even when you’re not in the store, you’re not able to fully disconnect, and it can feel like the weight of everything is on your shoulders. … It affects everything, the partner experience, the customer experience, the performance of your store,” Kelly said, addressing the store managers in the audience.

Underscoring the challenges Niccol faces in recapturing the company’s brand, the two speakers who scored the most applause from store managers are no longer actively involved in the company.

Former chairwoman Mellody Hobson scored standing ovations during both her entry and exit onto the arena’s stage. Hobson, wiping tears from her eyes, thanked the Starbucks employees whom she said always made her feel welcome in their stores.

She stepped down from her position earlier this year, ending a roughly two-decade tenure that culminated with her becoming the first African American woman to become the independent chair of a Fortune 500 company. Hobson also serves as co-CEO of Ariel Investments.

Hobson ceded her position as chair of the board to Niccol when he joined the company in September. Niccol credited her with poaching him from Chipotle as Starbucks sought to find a leader who could turn around its flailing business.

“A quick conversation [with Hobson] turned into something really special for me,” Niccol said.

And Hobson’s longtime friend Howard Schultz also earned standing ovations from store managers.

Schultz, the three-time CEO who grew Starbucks from a small chain into a coffee powerhouse, made a surprise appearance at the Leadership Experience on Wednesday morning. It marked the first time that he’s appeared with Niccol publicly since the board tossed out his handpicked successor, Laxman Narasimhan, and selected the then-Chipotle CEO to take the reins.

Starbucks has long been plagued by questions about its succession, given Schultz’s former willingness to return to the helm of the company. But since Niccol’s appointment, industry analysts have thought that he might finally be the CEO who manages to escape Schultz’s lingering influence over the coffee giant.

The ghost of Schultz lingered earlier in the event. Niccol shared a story about being inspired hearing Schultz speak at Yum Brands, Niccol’s then-employer, back in 2008. The 71-year-old chairman emeritus also appeared in video form on Tuesday afternoon to thank Hobson for her service to the company.

During his conversation with Niccol on Wednesday, Schultz co-signed his plan to get “back to Starbucks,” saying that he did a cartwheel in his living room the first time that he heard about it.

He also asked managers to bring that energy back to their own Starbucks locations.

“Be true to the coffee, be true to your partners,” Schultz told the audience. “And I know we’re going to come out of here … like a tidal wave and surprise and delight the world and prove all those cynics wrong again, just as we did in 1987.”

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