For years, we have been assured that international ventures are the domain of fools and adventurers. The returns, or rather the lack thereof, have lent a certain credence to this notion. But to dismiss the rest of the world as a mere source of disappointment is to mistake a temporary setback for a permanent condition – a failing common to both investors and playwrights.
One observes, with a detached amusement, the perpetual insistence on ‘buying the dip.’ A charming delusion, particularly for those who lack the liquidity to do so when the dip becomes a precipice. Last year’s tariff-induced wobble, a mere blip in the grand scheme, proved that recoveries can be swift. The S&P 500, briefly inconvenienced, resumed its upward trajectory with indecent haste. Those who lacked the foresight, or the nerve, to act were, predictably, left lamenting their prudence.
Let us, therefore, consider a trio of enterprises that, while lacking the glamour of a Parisian salon, possess the virtue of consistent dividend payments. They are, in their own way, the quiet workhorses of the income investor’s stable.
This news, naturally, tickled the fancy of certain companies. Namely, Nike (NKE 0.27%), Target (TGT +0.80%), and Home Depot (HD +0.84%). These are establishments that sell goods the common man – and woman – desires, and when the price of those desires starts to climb, well, let’s just say folks tend to tighten their purse strings. It’s a simple truth, as reliable as the sunrise.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic was, let’s be honest, a bit of a shock to everyone. A global event of that magnitude tends to disrupt things. (Like, for example, the carefully calibrated supply chains for artisanal toast.) Moderna, with its aforementioned microscopic robot technology, managed to produce a vaccine in record time. The result? A revenue jump from roughly $60 million to over $19 billion in 2023. This is, statistically speaking, a rather large number. It’s the kind of number that makes accountants slightly dizzy and venture capitalists exceptionally cheerful.
The idea is to invest in the companies that dig the stuff up. Not literally, of course. Though I did briefly consider a career in artisanal mining. It felt…grounding. But then I remembered I have a crippling fear of dirt. So, ETFs it is. The Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM) and the Global X Silver Miners ETF (SIL). It’s like choosing between slightly different shades of…well, precious metal.
Eighty-five bucks on day one. One hundred and fifteen, closing. A brief moment of optimism, quickly crushed. It’s just… predictable. It’s like ordering a pastrami on rye and expecting a lobster. You’re setting yourself up.
CoreWeave, in essence, constructs and maintains the very cathedrals of the new digital age – data centers dedicated to the insatiable hunger of artificial intelligence. One might term them, with a certain grim irony, ‘armament foundries’ for the algorithmic wars. Hyperscalers, those behemoths of the cloud, find expediency in procuring GPU compute from CoreWeave, accelerating their expansion with a purchased velocity. It is a transaction devoid of the slow, organic growth that once defined enduring enterprise.
They launched around $38 a share, and if you were clever enough to snag ten, well, congratulations. You’re basically a financial genius. Or lucky. Let’s be honest, it’s usually luck. But 2025? That was the year things got… interesting. They started roughly where they began, a bit like my dating life, and then boom. Up 205% by year-end. Honestly, I was starting to feel inadequate. It peaked in October at $152. A ridiculous 310% gain. It was almost… suspicious. Almost.
SpaceX, of late, has been much in the news. Mr. Musk, a figure of undeniable energy and questionable judgment, recently announced a merger between his space venture and xAI, his artificial intelligence project. The intention, it appears, is to establish data centres in the heavens. One pictures celestial servers humming away, processing the mundane anxieties of terrestrial users. The sheer extravagance of it all is rather breathtaking.