AI Stocks: Still Worth the Hype (Probably)

We’re past the “AI will write your novel” phase and firmly in the “AI will optimize your supply chain” phase. Which is less glamorous, admittedly, but a lot more likely to show up on a quarterly earnings report. So, let’s talk about three companies that aren’t just promising AI magic, but are actually delivering it. And, crucially, aren’t priced like they’re selling unicorn tears.

Coca-Cola: A Quiet Disappointment

The company reported earnings this morning, a ritualistic exercise in accounting and projections. The numbers were… adequate. Not disastrous, certainly, but lacking the effervescence one might expect from a purveyor of refreshment. It seems the market, having indulged in a prior bout of enthusiasm, found the reality less stimulating than the anticipation.

Cardano’s Plunge: A Comedy of Errors in Crypto

Cardano (ADA), a layer-1 network of some repute, has slipped into the abyss, down over 80% from its December 2024 zenith and 91% from its all-time high. Such is the fate of those who dare to dream in the crypto wilderness. Even the launch of CME futures and the impending Midnight mainnet debut could not stem the tide of despair. The futures, a gift to American investors, were but a fleeting distraction from the inevitable.

Lennar: A Builder’s Chance

The irony, naturally, is exquisite. All this fuss over overvalued tech, and a perfectly serviceable house remains stubbornly…expensive. One wouldn’t have thought it required a genius to spot that, would one? But necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention – and a rather pressing need for somewhere to live. Estimates vary, naturally. Somewhere between two and eight million houses short, depending on who one asks. A rather frightful statistic, but hardly a surprise.

Staples & Speculation: A Sector Under Scrutiny

VDC casts a wide net, encompassing the breadth of consumer staples. PBJ, however, narrows its focus to food and beverage companies, employing a selection process based on quantifiable factors. This distinction is crucial. It suggests a fundamental difference in approach: one seeks diversification as a shield against uncertainty, the other, a targeted bet on specific trends.

Stablecoins: A Spot of Bother

One can even, apparently, “stake” these things – a positively dreadful word – and earn a yield. Higher than a savings account? Good heavens. It’s enough to make one suspect something frightfully improper is afoot, but one gathers it appeals to those with a penchant for privacy or, more likely, a distinct lack of faith in conventional financial institutions. Quite understandable, really.

The Amazonian Expenditure & The Illusion of Leverage

The market’s reaction, a palpable tremor of apprehension, was predictable. Investors, accustomed to the soothing narratives of perpetual expansion, are beginning to recognize the fragility of these foundations. The sheer magnitude of the planned outlay – exceeding the market capitalization of established entities – reveals a system operating on a scale that obscures accountability and invites systemic risk. This is not the prudence of capital allocation, but the fevered ambition of a monopolist, fueled by the conviction that scale alone guarantees dominion.

The Calculating Engine’s Fickle Humors

A Day Trader's Lament

Then came the tremors in the Software Quarter. A most peculiar affliction seized the purveyors of programs and applications. It appeared the Calculating Engines, these very same Engines causing such anxiety, threatened to… replicate their wares. To mimic, to supplant, to render obsolete the carefully crafted lines of code that had once commanded such princely sums. A most unsettling thought, as if a clever clockmaker were to invent a machine that could build clocks without the need of a craftsman’s hand. Thus, a paradox emerged: the Engines seemed to be sputtering, starved of resources, yet simultaneously poised to dismantle the very foundations of the Software realm. A most curious state of affairs, indeed.

Cameco: A Nuclear Gamble

Then the cloud happened. And AI. Everything needs power. And people started thinking about not, you know, boiling the planet. Safer reactors helped. So, countries started looking at nuclear again. It’s a funny thing, how quickly we forget the lessons of glowing mushrooms.