Months after the thunder, the two titans still debate in a hall of mirrors. Xu, the OKX impresario, has grown bolder in his critique, casting Binance’s actions as the invisible conductor of the crash. Zhao, the founder who built an empire from a keyboard and a dream, maintains a stubborn posture of denial, insisting the catastrophe had other, less glamorous roots.
The basic premise is electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft – eVTOLs, if you’re keeping up with the acronyms. Apparently, the future is flying taxis. Who knew? It’s either that or a dystopian nightmare of congested airspace, but let’s focus on the upside for now, shall we?
The ETF’s growth, undeniably fueled by the AI boom, presents a curious paradox. It is a vessel brimming with the fruits of technological innovation, yet, one wonders, is it truly capturing the full harvest? The concentration of its holdings—nearly 59% residing in the hands of a mere ten companies—is a testament to the consolidation of power within this digital realm. A delicate balance, easily disrupted, as any seasoned observer of markets will attest.
Microsoft, Palantir, ServiceNow – the big names are all down. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) took a 16% hit last month, a final 7% tumble over the last two days after earnings reports from Microsoft, ServiceNow, and SAP. Numbers don’t lie, but they rarely tell the whole story. This felt less like a correction, more like a sigh.
They also own Teva, which, let’s be honest, peaked in 1998 with the ironic college student crowd. But Hoka and Ugg? Those are the workhorses. Management, to their credit, didn’t just stumble into this. They actually bought these brands when they were basically adorable startups and built them into global footwear powerhouses. It’s almost…competent. Which, in corporate America, is practically a unicorn sighting.
Trouble started when RINA Accountants & Advisors, a firm with ambitions perhaps too grand, found itself the butt of a cyberattack around the otherwise unremarkable month of February 2022. Oh, and what fell out? Just Social Security numbers, the digital equivalent of a cheap selfie-public, embarrassing, and completely unnecessary.
On a thrilling Thursday evening, President Trump and his Senate pals announced a deal that could help keep the federal agencies running past the dreaded Friday midnight deadline. Cue the dramatic music!
J&J (JNJ 0.02%), the company, is a bit like that slightly eccentric neighbor who’s been meticulously tending their garden for decades. You might not understand why they’re so obsessed with petunias, but you have to admire the dedication. They’re approaching a milestone – $100 billion in annual sales. It feels…significant. Not in a world-altering way, but in a “they’ve managed to avoid complete disaster for another year” kind of way. Only one other biopharma company has hit that mark, and that was Pfizer, riding the wave of pandemic panic. J&J’s doing it the old-fashioned way: slowly, steadily, and with a portfolio diverse enough to make a venture capitalist weep.
A chart that looks as dazzling as a fireworks display, but oh, what a messy aftermath! Source: X
Choosing between them…it’s not a question of preference, but of recognizing which machine is built to last a little longer. And for me, it’s Apple. Not because it offers salvation, but because its gears, for now, seem marginally less prone to grinding to a halt.