Thus, the faithful flock to decipher its every move, as though reading the stars. Two scribes of the financial realm, in their wisdom, have deemed certain holdings-those of Apple and Amazon-worthy of scrutiny. Let us unravel their musings, for they dance on the edge of paradox, where contrarianism meets the eternal dance of capital.
Okay, so you’re sitting there with your shiny new portfolio and thinking: “Great, but what the heck does Applied Digital even do?” Fair question. Over the years, this company has undergone more identity changes than a character in a soap opera. It started as Applied Science Products (2021), morphed into Applied Blockchain (also 2021, apparently they couldn’t decide), and eventually landed on Applied Digital in 2022. The latest identity seems to have stuck. The company now touts itself as the proud owner of the “Best Data Center in the Americas 2025″ award by Datacloud. No biggie, right? It designs, builds, and operates high-performance data centers, focusing on all the buzzwords we love-artificial intelligence, cloud networking, blockchain. Basically, they handle the tech that makes your smart fridge talk to your toaster and your pet’s robot assistant (don’t act like you don’t dream of that).
The stock’s ascent, a meteor streaking across the financial sky, has left many questioning if they’ve missed the dawn of a new era. IonQ (IONQ), with its 600% surge, has become a beacon for those who believe in the alchemy of early-stage innovation. Yet, beneath the shimmer of progress, shadows lengthen.
Over the last three years, Home Depot’s shares have outmaneuvered Lowe’s, climbing 46.2% against a mere 33%. Both, alas, lag behind the S&P 500‘s 83% ascent. A tiresome affair, to be sure, but let us not weep for the market’s vigor.
Rivian, in its current incarnation, remains a specter of profitability, haunting the halls of Wall Street with its persistent losses. Yet it boasts backers of grandeur and ambitions to expand its manufacturing footprint with the fervor of a playwright scripting a comeback. Alas, the stock’s rebound from its nadir feels less like a resurrection and more like a pause in the dirge.
However, as much as I respect the business (and I do-its high customer retention is the digital equivalent of a well-padded seat in a rocket ship), the stock remains a puzzle wrapped in a riddle. Between the gravitational pull of competition, the occasional technical hiccup (even comets have off days), and a valuation that makes the answer to life, the universe, and everything look like a bargain, the risk-reward equation is less of a mathematical formula and more of a cosmic joke.
Buffett, ever the pragmatist, would likely dismiss the idea of “stock picking” altogether, insisting he is a “business picker.” This semantic distinction-like calling a sledgehammer a “precision tool”-masks the same activity. Even so, he has delegated parts of this “business picking” to Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, two men entrusted with steering Berkshire’s capital. But let us entertain this hypothetical: If the Oracle himself asked for a recommendation, which stock would I suggest? The Home Depot (HD), a company that once graced his portfolio and might yet return.
But here’s the thing: it’s not the end of the world. In fact, there are a few players in the EV game who could come out just fine, thank you very much, even without Uncle Sam’s handout. Sure, they’re going to have to face the music of an EV market that’s probably going to feel a little… crowded, but hey, some of these stocks-brace yourself-could still succeed.
For those who had learned to read the language of markets-not the numbers on a screen, but the rhythm of innovation and the scent of opportunity in the air-two names emerged like mirages in the silicon sands. Alphabet, the keeper of the world’s secrets, and Meta, the weaver of digital destinies, were not just stocks to own but relics of an era where the line between man and machine blurred into a single, shimmering thread. Their forward earnings, a mere 21x and 25x, felt like a misprint in a world where growth stocks had long since abandoned gravity. But to the patient investor, they were invitations to a feast, served on platters of AI and cloud, garnished with the crumbs of antitrust reprieves and dividend gold.
Now, if you’re tracking this stock, you’ll want to hear the full yarn. It’s a story of hope, hubris, and the eternal dance between profit and peril.