For months, those futures markets – a peculiar sort of gambling den for grown-ups – were chattering about rate cuts. Even with prices stubbornly refusing to behave, and a few Fed members looking rather glum about it all, the whispers persisted. Two cuts by 2026, they said. Utter poppycock, some might argue, but there it was.
On the date of March 20, which might as well be declared “International Panic Day,” the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange (by trading volume, no less) warned that a highly sophisticated exploit could compromise digital wallets without so much as a single tap. That’s right; just existing on the internet is now a hazardous activity!
The share price, ah, that’s a wobbly thing. It’s had its ups and downs, a bit like a seesaw with a grumpy giant on one end. Over the last five years, it’s dipped and dived, ending up down 6% as of mid-March. But don’t be fooled! The last three years have seen a bit of a bounce, and currently, it’s still a good 46% off its peak. A bit bruised, perhaps, but not broken.
One naturally wonders, what prompted this little transaction? It appears this sale accounted for a mere 22.5% of Ms. Simons’ holdings, a considerably smaller proportion than the 39% she’d previously dispatched in January. A declining share base, you see, rather like a shrinking biscuit tin – one must adjust accordingly. The good news is, she hasn’t entirely abandoned ship, retaining a respectable stake in the company. A wise precaution, what!
The stock, naturally, took a bit of a tumble. Nearly 15% down, as of this writing. A proper splosh, really. Let’s poke around and see if this pudding might bounce back, or if it’s destined for the bin.
And where there is comfort, there is inevitably a striving for more. Thus, we have the emergence of the YieldMax U.S. Stocks Target Double Distribution ETF – DDDD – a product born not of genuine innovation, but of a relentless pursuit of immediate gratification. A doubling of the yield, they promise. A siren song to those who have forgotten the fundamental principle: there is no harvest without sowing, and no return without risk.
I own some oil stocks. Three, to be exact. Not because I have a crystal ball, or because I think oil is the answer to everything. Just because they seemed…reasonable. Like a slightly less disappointing outcome than most things.
For those of us with a more… pragmatic outlook – and a distinct aversion to digital phantoms – the world of technology still offers opportunities. Not the frantic, feverish rush of chasing the next meme coin, but the steady, almost boring, accumulation of value in companies that actually make things. Allow me to present two specimens worthy of a discerning investor’s attention. They lack the flash of a magician’s assistant, but they possess the quiet strength of a well-built safe.
Let’s cut the chatter. When you’re looking for something that might actually grow, Bitcoin’s the only real conversation. Dogecoin? It’s a fleeting amusement, a digital bubblegum wrapper. Bitcoin has a hard cap, twenty-one million units. Written in stone, or rather, code. It’s been there for over seventeen years, and it’s not going anywhere unless someone decides to dismantle the whole thing, which would be like shooting yourself in the foot with a solid gold pistol.
Recently, the market, in one of its periodic fits of pique, has offered us a rather advantageous opportunity. The stock, having retreated some 22% from its December zenith, now presents itself at a more… reasonable valuation. One might almost call it a bargain, were such a term not so dreadfully commonplace.