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Currently, Netflix languishes at a mere $346.9 billion, while Oracle trails at $410.4 billion – a considerable distance from the company of Nvidia, Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Broadcom, Meta Platforms, Tesla, Berkshire Hathaway, and even, rather surprisingly, Walmart. One begins to suspect that the pursuit of such astronomical valuations is, at best, a fool’s errand, and at worst, a symptom of a wider, and rather worrying, detachment from reality.

On Monday, the company announced what can only be described as a “merger of equals” with Transocean (RIG +5.89%). Now, the phrase “merger of equals” is a curious one. It implies a sort of symmetrical union, a harmonious blending of forces. In reality, it often means one company is slightly larger and therefore gets to decide what color the new stationery will be. This particular union, however, appears to be of a scale that would likely require a whole new planet to house the stationery.

Everyone was watching the January CPI. It’s the temperature gauge on the spending fever, and right now, the fever seems to be breaking…slightly. The year-over-year increase came in at 2.4%. A small reprieve. The monthly rise? A modest 0.2%, core CPI a bit higher at 0.3%. The street expected more, a hotter number. They got a lukewarm one instead.

Turns out, the reason for today’s little lift is… gold. Shocking, I know. It had its dramatic peak on January 28th – $5,419.80 an ounce, can you believe the audacity? – then promptly decided it was all a bit much and dipped down to nearly $4,500 in February. TradingEconomics.com has the receipts, if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s clawed its way back above $5,000 – currently sitting at $5,015 – which, let’s be honest, feels less like a recovery and more like a temporary reprieve.

And the whispers are getting louder about how they’re going to pay for all this. Cash flow negative? Oh, lovely. That’s exactly what you want to hear when you’ve got a Prime subscription and a penchant for next-day delivery. Over the last five years, the stock’s only up 25.3%. It’s…fine. If you compare it to a slightly more enthusiastic Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500, it feels a bit like bringing a water pistol to a fireworks display. But, hey, let’s not write the obit just yet.

Everyone’s flapping about an “AI bubble,” a frightful notion. But Vertiv? They’re not selling hot air. They’re providing the guts – the proper, solid, dependable bits – that keep all these whizz-bang artificial brains from frying themselves into uselessness. These aren’t flimsy gadgets; these are the very foundations upon which the future is being built, and the demand, my friends, is positively ravenous.

As of this late hour, shares are up 12.7%, almost back to where they began the week. One is reminded of a particularly clumsy bear attempting to regain its footing on a patch of ice. The question, of course, is whether this is genuine momentum, or merely a twitch before another plunge.

Thus, we find ourselves contemplating two companies – IonQ and Celestica – which, if one might be so bold, possess the potential for a rather spirited ascent. A parabolic trajectory, if you will. They’re growing at a rate that would make a beanstalk blush, and a shrewd investor might do well to give them a closer look.

As of this morning, around ten-thirty, if you please, the shares are up a cheerful 6.2%, putting them right back where they were on Wednesday. A most agreeable state of affairs, wouldn’t you agree? The company, you see, isn’t just about gold; they dabble in copper, silver, lead, and zinc, a diversified portfolio that one can only applaud.