US Stocks prediction

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), a creature of legend among the common folk, tracks the S&P 500 index like a hound chasing a phantom. It hoards 500 stocks from America’s most venerable corporations, a collection so vast it could rival the Library of Alexandria-if books were replaced with balance sheets. To invest in VOO is to sign a contract with the devil himself, who, for a fee, promises survival through any storm. Crestmont Research, that oracle of numbers, claims the index has never failed to recover in 20 years-a feat that would make even Job weep.

MGK, a child of Vanguard’s frugal gospel, tracks the CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Growth Index-a congregation of titans, their shadows long enough to blot out the sun. QQQ, meanwhile, follows the NASDAQ-100, a caravan of 101 souls trudging through the non-financial wilds of the Nasdaq. Their stories are etched in returns, yields, and betas, but their true nature lies in the dirt beneath the numbers.

The sale of securities on a public exchange, available to any buyer at prevailing market prices.

Imagine, if you will, a company that’s been outpaced by the very currents of consumer behavior. Younger generations, it seems, are less inclined to raise a glass than their predecessors, while a significant chunk of its Hispanic clientele found themselves navigating a labyrinth of economic and political headwinds. Meanwhile, tariffs on aluminum cans and supply chain snarls in Mexico added the kind of friction that turns a smooth road into a bumpy one.

A quarter ended September 30 bore witness to StepStone’s initiation into Chime’s fold. The sum of 150,000 shares, valued at $3 million, now rests within the fund’s $212.7 million portfolio, a mere 1.4% stake. Yet in the realm of institutional capital, even such a fractional claim is a sonnet of intent.

So, they’re both in the same neighborhood but with different priorities. IWM’s like the general store, IWO’s the specialty shop. Which one you pick depends on if you want a little bit of everything or just the shiny stuff.

Both entities, in their labyrinthine pursuit of large-cap growth, are ensnared within the confines of their respective indices, each a separate yet parallel path through the same desolate landscape. VOOG, bound to the S&P 500 Growth Index, and VUG, tethered to the broader CRSP U.S. Large Cap Growth Index, embody the paradox of choice-a choice that feels less like empowerment and more like an inevitable march toward abstraction.

After President Trump’s tariffs, the S&P 500 took a hit so dramatic it felt like a bad haircut. But then, like a determined tourist in a foreign city, it bounced back, adding 16% year to date. The economy, however, is less of a tourist and more of a person who’s lost their passport. Hiring has slowed, unemployment hit a four-year high, and I’m not sure if anyone’s still buying the “I Heart Tariffs” mug I got at a roadside stand in 2018.

Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($9.27); post-transaction value based on Dec. 11, 2025 market close ($9.27).

Now, dear reader, you might be thinking: “If the wizards bought dragons, should I buy dragon food?” Allow me to whisper in your ear like a suspicious character in a tavern: