One is compelled to ask: is this a moment for cautious accumulation, or a premonition of further decline? The question hangs heavy, burdened by the weight of unfulfilled promises and the relentless demands of the quarterly accounting.
Four companies, in particular, appear to be positioning themselves rather nicely to catch the overflow. Nvidia, Broadcom, Micron, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. They aren’t necessarily inventing the magic, but they’re certainly providing the wands, the spellbooks, and, crucially, the ink.
There is chatter, of course, about quantum computing rendering all our digital fortifications quaint. A charming notion, really. As if technology weren’t already capable of undermining itself with sufficient regularity. One might argue that the true threat isn’t the cracking of codes, but the sheer boredom of those who create them.
American Express, in particular, is a curious case. Berkshire owns a hefty chunk – 22%, if you’re counting – bought for a little over a billion dollars. Now it’s worth, well, a lot more. Fifty-six billion, last I checked. They collected almost half a billion in dividends last year. Less than three years of dividends covers the original cost. It’s a bit like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old coat. Pleasant, but doesn’t solve everything.
“This OG received 5K $BTC (cost $1.66M) at $332 12 years ago, and started selling $BTC on Nov 26, 2024, selling a total of 3,500 $BTC ($337M) at ~$96,262. Total profit: $442M – a 266x return,” the post crows, as if the gods of finance themselves had penned it.
Bitcoin’s price decreased, nearing $69,000, and Ethereum fell below $2,200. This happened as interest from large investors appeared to be slowing down after a positive beginning to the month.
There’s a fellow named Arthur Hayes, a sharp operator in the crypto game, who’s taking a contrarian view. Most expect a bit of a run-up in Bitcoin with all the fuss overseas, but Hayes ain’t buying. Says he wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole right now, and that’s saying something, considering the fella’s made a good penny on the thing in the past. He shared this on a podcast, the Coin Stories, and it got me to thinking.
Fiverr is a platform for those who sell their skills by the hour, or the project. It’s a quick route for freelancers, skipping the headache of building a website from scratch. For companies, it’s a fast lane to temporary help. Fiverr takes a cut, naturally. The more gigs, the more transactions, the more it lines its pockets. The gig economy is expanding, they say. A 15.79% compound annual growth rate through 2035. Sounds good on paper. But paper doesn’t pay the bills.
This is where Critical Metals Corp. (CRML 4.91%) comes in. They’re a small, ambitious company poking around in Greenland, and they’ve stumbled upon something rather interesting: the Tanbreez project. It’s a deposit of rare earth elements, and a potentially large one at that. Now, Greenland. It’s a place where the ice is thicker than the population, and the concept of a ‘quick commute’ is largely theoretical. But it’s also rich in minerals, and increasingly, a focus of attention as the world scrambles to diversify its supply chains.
Indeed, history demonstrates – and one trusts history knows a thing or two – that these periodic wobbles present opportunities for the discerning investor. Over any 20-year stretch since the dawn of the 20th century, the S&P 500 has managed to avoid a permanently gloomy disposition, consistently delivering a positive return, dividends included. Rather like a well-bred aunt who always manages to find the silver lining.
