If one seeks a financial institution with a slightly more grounded trajectory—a vessel less prone to capsizing in the turbulent seas of speculation—SoFi Technologies (SOFI 3.38%) merits a closer look. It’s not about avoiding risk entirely, dear reader, but about calibrating it with a modicum of sense.
The current enthusiasm, it appears, is fueled by this ‘AIP’ – an Artificial Intelligence Platform, as they call it – a device purportedly capable of unlocking the secrets hidden within mountains of data. Customers, eager to appear abreast of the latest marvels, flock to this platform, swelling the coffers of Palantir. Indeed, the demand is such that one wonders if they purchase insight, or merely the appearance thereof. A question for the ages, is it not?
Rigetti Computing, a name now echoing with both hope and anxiety, became a prime example. A fragile seedling thrust into the harsh sunlight of the market. It’s a gamble, this focus on the nascent, the unproven. A quick ascent, yes, but built on what, precisely? Air and the fevered dreams of those who believe a shortcut exists.
And yet, a paradox. This frantic scrabbling for security often consumes the very time that could produce it. The diligent worker, obsessed with the minutiae of their secondary task, has no hours left to monitor the swirling chaos of the market. A fortunate affliction, perhaps. For the market, like a particularly capricious deity, rewards not the devout, but the indifferent.
Amazon, a name now synonymous with commerce itself, holds dominion over a vast and ever-expanding empire. It is master of the marketplace, a purveyor of wares from every corner of the globe. It commands a third of the world’s advertising, a feat achieved by relentlessly tracking our every desire. And, most impressively, it governs the cloud, a nebulous realm of data where the digital souls of businesses reside. This cloud, known as AWS, is no mere vapor; it is a fortress, and a most lucrative one at that.
Meanwhile, one small club dares to push back. Mega whales are nibbling away while the rest of the crowd pretends not to notice. The question now is whether this will morph into a full breakdown or a rare little reversal against the positioning.
Naturally, this raises the question, and a sensible one at that: Can this climb continue? Is there still steam in the engine, or are we lookin’ at a puff of smoke and a stalled contraption? Folks get skittish when somethin’ rises too high, fearin’ a tumble. And rightly so. But let’s have a look under the hood, shall we?
We’ve got two contenders in this arena: Adobe, the old guard, a veritable Methuselah of software, and Figma, the upstart, fresh out of the IPO oven. Adobe tried to gobble up Figma, but those European regulators said, “Hold your horses!” Apparently, even in the digital age, monopolies are a no-no. Who knew?
To surpass a Shiller P/E of 30, one discovers, is to flirt with disaster. Historical precedent, a tiresome but reliable companion, reveals that such heights have invariably been followed by corrections – declines ranging from a mere 20% to a rather dramatic 89%. One might observe that the market possesses a peculiar fondness for self-inflicted wounds. Still, to declare oneself entirely bereft of opportunity amidst such extravagance would be a display of poor taste. Bargains, like rare orchids, merely require a more discerning eye to unearth.
So, you want my opinion? Fine. If you’re going to participate in this madness, you might as well pick something with a brand. Something people recognize. It’s not about logic, it’s about avoiding the truly obscure stuff. Bitcoin. It’s the Coca-Cola of digital nothingness. Pepsi is trying, sure, there’s a lot of these other blockchains, all promising the earth, but let’s be honest, they’re just…different shades of complicated. And nobody wants complicated. They want what they think they know.
