usdaed

The company, Lucid (LCID 2.05%), now trades at a valuation that whispers of forgotten grandeur. A ninety percent descent over three years is not merely a financial statistic; it is a lament, a slow unraveling witnessed by the ghosts of optimistic projections. The Air sedan, a marvel of engineering, glides through the imagination even as its price remains stubbornly beyond the reach of most, a phantom luxury in a world increasingly defined by austerity. They say it can travel seven hundred and forty-nine miles on a single charge – a distance that feels less like a technological achievement and more like an allegory for a journey without end.

So, let’s have a peek behind the curtain, shall we? Here are three predictions, backed by numbers (rather boring, but necessary), that might just tell us where Alphabet is headed.

Klarman, you see, runs Baupost Group, a private investment partnership. A secretive concern, naturally. Transparency is so dreadfully…common. And, like any diligent student of Benjamin Graham – that austere prophet of value – he files his Form 13-F with the SEC. A bureaucratic ritual, of course, but a useful one for those of us inclined to peek behind the curtain. The latest filing reveals a curious shift: a retreat from Alphabet and a bold advance toward Amazon. A change of scenery, if you will.

So, we’ve been digging around, and found a couple of dividend plays that aren’t just beige. These aren’t your typical “buy and hold forever” stocks. They’re a little…quirky. One’s only recently started consistently sharing the wealth, and the other pays monthly – which, let’s face it, is just aggressively quarterly. But both are worth a look, if you’re tired of watching your portfolio do the Macarena when you’d prefer it just…stood still.

Oklo, a more recently established concern, proposes a micro-reactor, a compact device capable of delivering a sustained supply of energy for a decade or more without the necessity of frequent refueling. Its adaptability, accepting both recycled and advanced fuels, suggests a prudence in resource management that is, shall we say, becoming increasingly fashionable.

Naturally, the investment world, ever seeking the next glittering bauble, is now scouring the landscape for a successor to this digital behemoth. A pretender to the throne, as it were. Currently, the fashionable whispers are directed toward Nebius. But to declare Nebius the “next Amazon” is a statement so lacking in imagination, it borders on the offensive. One might as well declare a sparrow the next eagle.

Enterprise, an integrated entity, connects the points of extraction to the nebulous demands of consumption. A network of 50,000 miles of pipeline, 300 million barrels of storage, 21 deep-water docks – a vast, intricate system designed to manage the movement of invisible substances. The company’s strength, they claim, lies in its ‘integration,’ its ability to capture value at multiple stages. But this ‘integration’ feels less like a deliberate strategy and more like an inescapable condition – a closed loop of processing, transportation, and export, perpetually feeding itself. Approximately 82% of their gross operating margin is ‘fee-based,’ a phrase that suggests a detachment from the actual value being transferred. It is a system designed to insulate itself from the unpredictable fluctuations of the market, yet simultaneously reliant on those very fluctuations to maintain its existence. A dividend yield of 6.3%, sustained for 27 years, is presented as evidence of stability. But what is ‘stability’ in a world defined by constant, accelerating change? Operational distributable cash flow, a ratio of 1.7x coverage, is deemed sufficient. Sufficient for what, precisely? To perpetuate the cycle, of course. The $3.2 billion allocated to ‘future growth projects’ is merely a continuation of the process, an expansion of the network, a deepening of the entanglement.

Let’s talk about Google Cloud, because that’s where the…mildly interesting stuff is happening. They’re growing. Faster than they used to. It’s not like they’re printing money, but it’s…progress. A slow, agonizing crawl toward…something. And frankly, the quarterly reports? They’re designed to confuse you. All these percentages…48% growth, year-over-year. What does that mean? It means they sold more stuff. But at what cost? I need details! Is it sustainable? Probably not. But they’re not asking me.