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So, ServiceNow. They basically build the plumbing for big companies. Cloud-based platform, automates workflows, the whole shebang. Think of it as digital duct tape for the Fortune 500. 8,400 global customers, over 85% of the Fortune 500… it’s a lot of very important people relying on them to not mess things up. And they’re not messing up. Not yet, anyway. Their last quarter? Management was throwing around words like “exceptional” and “stunning.” Total revenue up 22% to $3.4 billion. Subscriptions, the good stuff, up 21.5%. They’re hitting all the right numbers, which, let’s be real, is a bit unnerving. Makes you wonder what they’re hiding.

And now, a Chief Digital Officer. Sedef Salingan Sahin. Been with the company since 2003, which, let’s face it, is practically a historical artifact in the tech world. And Henrique Braun taking the CEO reins in March. It all feels… ambitious. Like Coca-Cola is suddenly realizing it can’t just rely on brand recognition and sugar water forever. Which, logically, is a good thing. But also slightly alarming. Is this a genuine transformation, or just a desperate attempt to appear ‘with it’? I’m hedging my bets, naturally. Diversification is key. Although, frankly, I’m mostly diversifying away from my own anxiety.

The valuation keeps surging. It’s all about the pricing outlook for those memory chips. Both for the enterprise AI crowd (who are, let’s be honest, driving everything these days) and…normal people. Apparently, they want memory too. And, news just in, they’ve broken ground on a new manufacturing facility. Which is good. Because, you know, more chips. It’s basic economics, really. Though I did briefly consider shorting it, just for the drama. I resisted. Mostly.

IonQ (IONQ +7.59%), you see, isn’t merely building machines; it’s constructing the very scaffolding of a new computational age. A rather impressive feat, and one reflected, I observe, in a five-year annualized growth of 35%. One might say it’s a performance that rather compels attention, particularly in a market obsessed with the ephemeral.

Alphabet, you see, is a bit like a grand sorcerer, waving its wand and conjuring up all sorts of digital magic. They’ve become rather good at this AI business, especially with a clever little creation called Gemini. It’s a brainy language model, capable of answering questions and generally showing off. They’ve stuffed it into Google Search, hoping it’ll attract more clicks and, naturally, more money. And their cloud computing unit, Google Cloud, is growing at a rate that would make a beanstalk blush. It’s all very impressive, though one wonders if the beanstalk will ever reach the giant’s castle.

However, there’s a curious phenomenon unfolding. A new breed of financial entity – the fintech companies – are attempting to disrupt this established order. They’re offering a bewildering array of digital banking services, attracting customers with the promise of convenience and, occasionally, actual innovation. (It’s worth noting that the definition of “innovation” in the financial sector often involves simply putting something online. A truly revolutionary concept, that.) These companies, rather than being weighed down by decades of tradition and physical infrastructure, are…nimble. Like particularly motivated digital badgers. Let’s examine two of them – SoFi and Nu – and consider the rather improbable possibility that a thousand dollars invested today might, just might, blossom into something considerably larger over the next decade.

The recent dip in share price at the start of the year, a decline exceeding 5%, should not be dismissed as mere market volatility. It is, perhaps, a belated recognition that enthusiasm alone cannot sustain a company. The question is whether this correction is a temporary pause, or the beginning of a more fundamental reassessment.

Should the inclination to acquire a small portion of this digital coin prove irresistible, there exists, at least, a defensible rationale. However, a more prudent course might be to maintain a judicious reserve, and it is to both arguments that we shall now turn our attention.

This morning brought news that enrollment for their Anktiva therapy exceeded expectations in a trial for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Which, let’s be honest, isn’t a phrase you hear every day. It means they might be able to submit something to the FDA by year’s end. My aunt Mildred has been battling bladder issues for years, and I immediately texted her the news. She responded with a single question: “Will it make me need less ice?” I didn’t have an answer, and frankly, I doubted ImmunityBio did either.

These ETFs, these carefully constructed baskets of shares, promise diversification, a shield against the inevitable storms. They are, in essence, a collective denial of risk, a communal fantasy of stability. And, in fairness, they often deliver. Take, for instance, the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD 0.48%). A respectable specimen, yielding a comfortable 3.8%, a trifle above the general market murmur of 1.1%. Its expense ratio, a mere 0.06%, is almost…modest. One wonders if they aren’t giving the money away. It invests in companies with a certain…sturdiness, a preference for those who reliably generate cash. A sensible, if unimaginative, approach. The problem, of course, is the quarterly distribution. A mere three times a year. For some, that will simply not suffice. They require a monthly drip, a constant reassurance that the machine is still functioning.