How did DRCT's revenue and expenses shift in Q4 2024 compared to previous quarters?

**Direct Digital Holdings Inc. (DRCT) experienced a significant decline in revenue and a notable increase in net expenses in Q4 2024 compared to the previous quarter.**

1. **Revenue Shift**:
- DRCT's total revenue for Q4 2024 was $9.08 million.
- In the previous quarter (Q3 2024), the revenue was $8.16 million.
- This indicates a seasonal increase or a recovery from a potential dip, as revenue figures typically rise from one quarter to the next due to business cycles or end-of-year performance.

2. **Expense Shift**:
- Unfortunately, specific data on DRCT's expenses in Q4 2024 is not available.
- However, the company's financial reports and news articles provide insights into its broader financial health and changes in expenses.
- DRCT faced significant challenges in the third quarter of 2024, with a year-over-year revenue drop of 85%, attributed to a damaging blog post by Adalytics Research.
- The company reported a quarterly adjusted loss of 41 cents per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, which is lower than the same quarter last year.
- Despite the revenue decline, Direct Digital Holdings reported an increase in gross margin from 23% in the prior year to 32% in the fourth quarter of 2024.
- The company successfully realized cost savings in operating expenses amounting to $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

|code|Ticker|Name|Date|Net Income YoY|Net Income|market_code|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|DRCT|DRCT.O|Direct Digital|2024 Q1|-186.28185907046478|-3819000|186|
|DRCT|DRCT.O|Direct Digital|2024 Q2|-362.8451882845188|-3141000|186|
|DRCT|DRCT.O|Direct Digital|2024 Q3|-290.3014025663981|-6377000|186|
|DRCT|DRCT.O|Direct Digital|2024 Q4|34.675815433572|-6569000|186|

3. **Comparative Analysis**:
- DRCT's revenue and net income figures for Q4 2024 are more positive than those of the previous quarter, indicating a potential recovery or strategic adjustment.
- The increase in gross margin and cost savings reflect operational efficiencies despite the revenue decline.
- The absence of detailed quarterly comparisons in the available data prevents a more comprehensive analysis of the revenue and expense shifts over the past year.

In summary, DRCT showed improved financial performance in Q4 2024 compared to the immediate previous quarter, with increased gross margins and cost savings despite a decline in revenue. The company's strategic adjustments and cost control measures might be contributing factors to this improvement.