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Now, the thing about Planet Labs is that it doesn’t just float around in space looking for dramatic light shows. No, no-this company, which specializes in taking lovely pictures of Earth (the sort that would make you reconsider your very existence if you looked at them long enough), decided that it would venture into that odd, quaint little space called the financial markets and-brace yourself-make a few million, if not more.

In the spring of 2024, UPS stood before its investors like a poet reciting verses of hope. Three pillars of strategy emerged: a pivot toward small and medium businesses, a retreat from the excesses of e-commerce’s golden age, and a pledge to reshape its network into a leaner, more efficient beast. Yet the poetry of promise soon gave way to the prose of reality. The guidance, once bold as a general’s proclamation, faltered against the weight of shifting tides.

Whispers of global expansion stirred the pot. A Bloomberg report revealed Robinhood’s ambitions to export its “prediction markets” beyond American shores-a venture where punters wager on presidential elections and geopolitical tremors as casually as betting on horse races. J.B. Mackenzie, the company’s envoy to the frontier, spoke of “regulatory-compliant products” for Europe‘s hungry masses. One wonders what regulatory compliance means in a system built on controlled chaos.

Created in 2013 as little more than a playful joke designed to rival Bitcoin, Dogecoin’s greatest strength lies in its community. A dedicated group of supporters has driven the market capitalization of the token to $35 billion. However, for all its hype and fervent backing, Dogecoin lacks substantial utility or a clear, long-term value proposition in the crypto space.

At the heart of Mara’s operations, amid the dust and din of its many pursuits, remains the pursuit of Bitcoin. This is, after all, the most valuable cryptocurrency in the world, and as such, its ups and downs have become something of a barometer for the fortunes of companies like Mara. There was, naturally, a steady rise in the value of Bitcoin-a creature of unpredictable inclinations, yet unmistakably buoyant in recent times. Analysts, economists, and even casual bystanders are keen to attribute this to the anticipated Federal Reserve rate cut, which, one assumes, will encourage investors to take refuge in the more volatile corners of the market. As history shows, people have an uncanny tendency to pour their resources into crypto when interest rates are sufficiently ‘skinny’-or perhaps when the financial landscape is suitably bleak.

Yet, amid this gloom, one might spy a glint of possibility-a flicker of light in the dark, like a candle in a storm. Could the whispers of Berkshire’s interest hint at a hidden treasure? Or is this merely a trick of the eye, a mirage conjured by the fevered imagination of investors?

A shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass necessary legislation that would keep funding certain federal agencies. A shutdown does not stop everything. Mandatory government funding for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits will continue, although the agencies that oversee these programs could face furloughs, meaning workers will be forced to take a temporary unpaid leave of absence from their jobs. Once the government is reopened, Congress can pass legislation to give back pay to furloughed workers.