The Singular Stock: A Noël Coward-Inspired Financial Reverie

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Let us, dear reader, address the rather gauche notion of owning but a single stock. The very idea strikes me as one might regard an ill-fitting dinner jacket-uncomfortable, impractical, and faintly absurd. My own portfolio, I confess, is a veritable soirée of equities, each playing its part in ensuring my slumber remains uninterrupted by the occasional market tremor. Should one of my larger holdings suffer a 30% or 40% decline (and they have, darling), the entire ensemble scarcely flinches-a mere 1% to 2% dip, nothing more. No, no, I would never confine myself to such singular monotony. Fifteen to twenty stocks, at the very least, is what I recommend for any self-respecting investor.

And yet, should we indulge in this hypothetical farce-if I were forced, at metaphorical gunpoint, to select one stock-it would need to possess certain qualities. It must be a leader, not merely in stature but in spirit; a company with vast horizons, a proven pedigree, and the sort of relentless innovation that makes rivals gnash their teeth in envy. A business buoyed by secular tailwinds so strong they could power a transatlantic liner. And if such a paragon exists, it would undoubtedly be Nvidia (NVDA).

A Symphony of Virtues

Ah, Nvidia. What a creature of charm and consequence it is. For years, it has reigned supreme in the world of video gaming, its GPUs the darling of both the casual player and the hardcore enthusiast. Indeed, it commands a staggering 92% of the discrete desktop GPU market, according to Jon Peddie Research-a statistic that would make even the most jaded aristocrat raise an eyebrow.

But Nvidia, you see, is not content to rest on its laurels. Oh no, it spotted the advent of artificial intelligence from miles away-or rather, its CEO, Jensen Huang, did. In 2013, he redirected the company’s formidable research and development efforts toward AI, positioning Nvidia as the belle of the ball in data centers, where it now holds another 92% share of the GPU market, per IoT Analytics. One can almost hear the champagne corks popping in celebration of such foresight.

This penchant for innovation is not merely a fleeting fancy. In its fiscal 2025, Nvidia spent $13 billion on R&D-roughly 10% of its revenue-to maintain its edge. Quantum computing, robotics, self-driving cars-the company flits from one cutting-edge field to another like a socialite at a weekend house party. And why not? The opportunities are positively decadent. McKinsey & Company estimates generative AI could add between $2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion to the global economy over the next decade. PwC, ever the optimist, pegs the figure at $15.7 trillion by 2030. Nvidia, naturally, has its sights set squarely on this glittering prize.

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Dazzling Figures, Darling

The numbers, as they say, speak for themselves-and how they do chatter. In fiscal 2024, Nvidia’s revenue soared to $60.9 billion, a 126% increase, while its adjusted earnings per share leapt 288% to $12.96. Fiscal 2025 was no less spectacular, with revenue climbing 114% to $130.5 billion and EPS surging 130%. Even in its first quarter of 2026, Nvidia managed to outdo itself, posting a 69% year-over-year revenue increase and a 62% rise in earnings per share, despite facing triple-digit comparisons. Simply exhausting, isn’t it?

Management, ever the picture of restraint, forecasts second-quarter revenue growth of approximately 50%. But let us not be fooled by their coy modesty; Nvidia has a habit of underpromising and overdelivering, much like a guest who insists they’ve brought nothing to the table only to unveil a magnum of Dom Pérignon.

This financial brilliance has propelled Nvidia’s stock price into the stratosphere, gaining 1,130% since early 2023 and cementing its status as the world’s first $4 trillion company. Over the past decade, the stock has risen an eye-watering 30,000%, driven by consistent operational excellence. And yet, despite this dizzying ascent, the stock trades at roughly 30 times next year’s earnings-a valuation that seems almost demure given the magnitude of the opportunity.

So there you have it, my dear interlocutor. Were I to succumb to the folly of owning a single stock, Nvidia would be the chosen one. Its leadership, innovation, visionary stewardship, and generous helping of future potential make it an irresistible proposition. Add to that its reasonable valuation, and one cannot help but feel a frisson of admiration-for Nvidia, and perhaps for oneself. After all, investing, like life, is best approached with a dash of wit and a soupçon of style 🍸.

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2025-08-16 10:49