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And yet-how quiet the soul becomes in the presence of such numbers. One does not think of ethics, or even prudence, but of what might be. The mind, like a horse startled by flame, gallops forward, leaving caution behind. There are those among us who speak of bubbles, of inevitable collapse, as if the sky must one day fall. And perhaps it will. But to fixate on the bursting is to miss the deeper truth: that men do not invest in technology, but in hope. The question is not whether the bubble will burst, but what kind of hope we are nourishing-noble or vain.

The opening year of this gentleman’s second, albeit non-consecutive, administration proved no less animated. By 2025’s conclusion, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq had each added 13%, 16%, and 20% to their charms.

Now, as we knock on the door of 2026, investors and gawkers alike are left wondering: will this be the year Virgin Galactic turns a profit? I hate to break it to you, but the answer is likely “no.” And while I’d love to wax poetic on the metaphorical meaning of space travel, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

To discern which might suit the discerning investor, we must examine their cost, diversification, sector leanings, and risk profiles, for even in the world of finance, the smallest distinctions can hold great significance.

For the investor, the stock market’s performance has long been a rite of passage, a cycle of ascent and descent that has persisted with the reliability of a clockwork mechanism. Over the past century, equities have outpaced all other asset classes, their returns a steady stream of gold poured into the coffers of those who dared to participate. But even the most steadfast observer might now feel the weight of an unspoken dread, as if the market’s current euphoria were a mirage, a fleeting illusion before the curtain of reality descends.