Our dear Standard Chartered, in their infinite wisdom, have pulled back their lofty dog‑bane prices for the big digital hats: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana. After all, nothing says ta‑ta to optimism like tripping over the next few months, right? They published this gloomy piece on February 12, slapping lower numbers onto those tokens and letting us know that near‑term capitulation appears to loom over the entire market.
Year-to-date, XRP has experienced a decline of approximately 25%. The question for investors is whether this represents a transient correction or the commencement of a sustained downtrend.
Behold, the crux of the matter.
Nvidia, of course, gets all the glory. A perfectly respectable company, mind you, but one that’s become rather…distracted by its own success. A bit like a dragon admiring its hoard instead of guarding it.1 The true unsung heroes, the quiet artisans, are those who supply the raw materials. And that, my friends, brings us to Micron Technology.
One does not simply avoid mentioning Nvidia when discussing exponential growth. It’s rather like trying to ignore a particularly loud dragon. The company is currently riding the crest of the Artificial Intelligence wave, churning out the silicon brains that power these new digital entities. Billions are being invested in AI infrastructure, and Nvidia is, shall we say, well-positioned to benefit. The future, it seems, will be powered by their chips, and possibly a worrying amount of electricity.2
Kyndryl released its quarterly report, a document ostensibly intended to illuminate performance. However, the illumination proved insufficient, casting instead a longer, more unsettling shadow. The reported figures, while technically quantifiable, failed to align with the projections that had, through a series of increasingly complex calculations, become the accepted reality. A lowering of forward guidance accompanied the report, a tacit admission of an inability to navigate the labyrinthine corridors of future performance.
They’re building small modular reactors. Sounds neat on paper. But paper doesn’t generate electricity, and enthusiasm doesn’t pay the bills. This isn’t about innovation; it’s about execution. And right now, NuScale is mostly talking. Years of promises, a few MOUs, and a whole lot of hope. Hope is a lousy investment strategy.
So, what’s the secret? Well, it’s not a secret, really. It’s just… boringly effective. They lend money – and take a piece of the action – to those lovely, unglamorous lower-middle-market companies. Think businesses with annual revenue between $10 and $150 million. Not exactly tech unicorns, are they? But stable. Predictable. The kind of businesses that don’t make headlines, but quietly keep the world turning. And they also dabble in deals where private equity firms are buying or owning companies between $25 and $500 million. It’s all rather… sensible.
They’re bragging about iPhone sales being up 16%. Sixteen percent! Like that’s some kind of achievement. They’re selling the same phone, slightly tweaked, every year. It’s a racket, frankly. And then they expect you to be grateful. Grateful! Meanwhile, I’m trying to find something…less obvious. Something where the risk isn’t already priced in by every algorithm on the planet. Is that too much to ask?
Note: These values are calculated based on the SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price of $122.00, and the market close on February 4th, 2026, also at $122.00. Such precision, and for what, one wonders?