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Let us examine three such mechanisms, not for their beauty, but for their potential to grind out a return, even in a world determined to complicate things.

But let us not be distracted by the obvious. While the titans gorge themselves, a lesser, more… interesting player emerges from the fog. Nebius Group, a name that sounds suspiciously like a forgotten Roman emperor, is poised to capitalize on this digital frenzy. They provide the infrastructure, the very scaffolding upon which Meta’s artificial dreams are built. A humble role, you say? Hardly. It is the unseen hand that guides the spectacle.

It’s a curious thing, this market. Folks chase the bright, new things – the artificial intelligences, the software promises. They gamble on the future, hoping to strike it rich. But the real wealth, the enduring kind, isn’t always found in the flash. It’s built on the steady work of hundreds of companies, the slow accumulation of value. And that, you can touch, even with just a dollar. Through the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO +0.71%), a fund that holds a piece of 500 of the nation’s most prominent corporations. The S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.69%) itself is a measure of this broad strength, though you can’t buy the index directly. This fund is the closest thing to it.

Change is inevitable, they say. A platitude, yet one that echoes with a dreadful truth. Even the most steadfast of holdings, the seemingly unshakeable Apple, finds itself subject to the currents of time and the whims of a new steward. One wonders if Mr. Abel truly comprehends the weight of his inheritance, the moral burden of managing such vast wealth. Does he see the faces behind the figures, the hopes and fears invested in each share?

But the banquet isn’t theirs alone. Viking Therapeutics, a smaller concern, circles the table, offering a different dish – VK2735, a potential remedy delivered by injection, with an oral formulation promised soon. A promise, mind you. Many are made. Few are kept. Still, it’s enough to stir the pot, to draw the eye of those who watch these things with a calculating gaze.

Some folks see that and walk away. Perfectly reasonable. I bought more. Here’s why. It’s not a story of triumph, mind you. Just a slightly less dismal one than most.

I’ve decided to focus on consumer staples. It feels…safe. People will always need food, deodorant, and the stuff you use to…clean things. Even in an apocalypse, presumably. It’s the logic of a slightly desperate person, but it works for me. I’ve been quietly accumulating shares in three companies: General Mills, Hormel, and Clorox. Don’t judge. It’s a coping mechanism.