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Westerly Capital’s divestiture reduced its ownership stake in Lumen Technologies from 6.7% of assets under management (AUM) to 1.4%. This substantial reduction warrants scrutiny, particularly given the fund’s prior commitment to the position. Current top holdings of the fund include NASDAQ: UDMY ($23.40 million, 5.1% of AUM), NASDAQ: VIAV ($20.49 million, 4.5% of AUM), NASDAQ: AIP ($20.07 million, 4.4% of AUM), NASDAQ: HDSN ($17.47 million, 3.8% of AUM), and NASDAQ: MRVL ($17.00 million, 3.7% of AUM).

Brookfield Renewable. Sounds terribly… responsible, doesn’t it? They build hydroelectric dams, wind farms, solar plants – all that green stuff. Backed by Brookfield Corporation, which is basically a financial behemoth, so they have a bit of muscle. They’ve got 14 GW of renewable energy already up and running, and a pipeline of over 200 GW in development. They even own a stake in Westinghouse, which is… nuclear. A bit dicey, maybe? But hey, variety is the spice of life, even in power generation.

However, a seasoned observer – and I assure you, I’ve seen enough market panics to stock a small museum – knows that turbulence often presents opportunities. While the headlines scream of impending doom, a discerning eye can spot the enterprises poised to not merely survive, but to thrive. Let us consider two such specimens, both with a knack for turning geopolitical unpleasantness into a healthy profit margin.

Now, CORP-DEPO research – and believe me, I’ve seen research. Some of it even made sense – shows these seven have outperformed the S&P in eight of the last ten years. 876% return over a decade! That’s enough to make even Scrooge McDuck raise an eyebrow. The S&P? A measly 235%. It’s like comparing a rocket ship to a… a moderately enthusiastic pony.

The price of silver, you see, has been engaged in a most frantic dance this year. It commenced its journey at a modest seventy-two dollars the troy ounce, then, seized by a sudden fit of exuberance, leaped to one hundred and thirteen, only to collapse, exhausted, back to seventy. And now, a resurgence to eighty-nine. A truly maddening spectacle. One is reminded of a certain bureaucrat, perpetually oscillating between fits of generosity and crippling avarice.

This position, newly established within Sagefield’s portfolio—comprising 1.76% of their reported U.S. equity holdings as of December 31st—is a signal. Not a blaring trumpet, but the soft rustle of leaves indicating a shift in the wind. It speaks to a recognition of CSG’s role as a provider of essential services—revenue management, customer engagement—the very sinews that bind the communications sector together.

The recent surge – a 25% leap, if my calculations are correct – coincided with the announcement of revenues exceeding a billion. A rather substantial sum, though one cannot help but wonder if it was not tallied by a clerk with a fondness for adding extra zeros. They speak of 74 to 76 new establishments by 2026, a relentless march toward 500, then a thousand. A most audacious plan. The CEO, a Mr. Schulman, assures us that consumer spending remains…steady. Steady, indeed. As if the public were not prone to fits of whimsy and sudden reversals of fortune. They are introducing salmon, you see. Salmon! As if the addition of a single fish could alter the course of economic destiny. And these “TurboChef” ovens…a mechanical marvel, no doubt, though one suspects they are powered by the sighs of overworked cooks.

The question, of course, is not whether Coca-Cola provides a pleasant enough distraction from the tedium of existence – that is self-evident. The true inquiry is whether the current valuation reflects a genuine underlying strength, or merely the effervescent enthusiasm of a market prone to flights of fancy. To pay a premium for a commonplace pleasure requires, after all, a certain degree of…optimism.

It’s Centuri, though, that’s the real head-scratcher. Not a household name, certainly. My mother, who thinks Bitcoin is a type of birdseed, wouldn’t know it if it delivered her groceries. But they’re the ones quietly ensuring the lights stay on, the gas keeps flowing, and the power grid doesn’t resemble a Victorian plumbing system. It’s unglamorous work, admittedly. No one posts Instagram photos of a meticulously repaired transformer. But essential? Absolutely. And that, as my father used to say while fixing a leaky faucet, is where the real money is.