“My dear graduates, let me be frank, the best years are very much ahead of you. And they can be whatever you want them to be … You’re going to continue to evolve in unforeseen ways. What defines you now will be mere shades and hues of a more vibrant you over the next five, 10, 50 years. Honestly, I …
Nasdaq Posts 5th Straight Week of Gains
May 26, 2023 in Weekend Alpha“I never said ‘Well, I don’t have this and I don’t have that.’ I said, ‘I don’t have this yet, but I’m going to get it.’” ~ Tina Turner (November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) Good evening: What a run it’s been for longtime Granny Shot Nvidia ($NVDA), a lead player in the semiconductor space. It soared to a …
S&P 500 Hits 2023 High
May 19, 2023 in Weekend Alpha“Sentimentality about an investment leads to lack of discipline.” ~ Sam Zell (September 28, 1941 – May 18, 2023) “There were a lot of running backs as good as me. The real difference was that I could focus. I never laid back and relied on natural ability. ~ Jim Brown (February 7 1936 – May 18, 2023) Good evening: The …
Funding Skyrockets on the Back of Infrastructure
May 19, 2023 in Crypto Funding FridayCrypto funding sharply increased this week, rising 114% from $108 million to $231 million. Infrastructure was the breadwinner, representing 44% of the total funding amount. The largest deal was an $81 million Series A deal completed by Auradine, valuing the company at $500 million. Despite the notable rise in total funding, deal counts dropped from 23 to 20, while the average …
The Joys of Compounding: Reflections on Life and Learning for All Investors
May 18, 2023 in Signal from NoiseThere’s a Charlie Munger story about the art of patient investing, that quality that’s easy to talk about but hard to preach, and Gautum Baid tells it well. Munger, 99, has read Barron’s Magazine for over 50 years. In that span, he’s found only one actionable idea, a cheaply valued auto parts company, which he bought at $1 per share …
Oracles
May 16, 2023 in Crypto ConceptsThe Oracle Problem One of the major issues with blockchain technology and smart contracts is the inability to naturally connect to external data sources. As most world data remains off-chain, blockchain networks are facing an uphill battle in generating real-world applications. The second part of the problem is blockchains need to be able to trust the validity of off-chain data …
Stocks Continue Sideways Trade
in Weekend Alpha“Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They’re risky. They challenge you.” ~ Susan Wojcicki, CEO of Youtube (2014-2023) Good evening: Believe it or not, the S&P 500 has officially been in a bear market — down more than 20% from its high — for more than 230 days. It’s the longest such stretch …
All Eyes on Infrastructure and Web3 & NFTs
May 12, 2023 in Crypto Funding FridayFunding increased 40% week-over-week from $75 million to $105 million. Infrastructure and Web3 & NFTs dominated fundraising, representing 88% of total funding. Deal counts also rose this week, ticking up 31% to 21 deals. Deal sizes were consistent with last week’s levels, with an average of $6 million per deal. The week’s largest deal was a $16.5 million token sale …
Stocks Move Lower To Kick Off May
May 5, 2023 in Weekend Alpha“The trick is not to learn to trust your gut feelings, but rather to discipline yourself to ignore them. Stand by your stocks as long as the fundamental story of the company hasn’t changed.” ~ Peter Lynch Good evening: Despite the prevailingly negative sentiment about the market, we entered May with the S&P 500 almost exactly where it was one …
A 25 bp Rate Hike, but Will It Be the Last One?
May 4, 2023 in Fed Watch, Market IntelligenceThe members of the FOMC voted on Wednesday, May 3 announced it would raise rates by +25 bp, as most on the Street predicted. The vote was unanimous. In its previous rate hike on March 22, the Fed wrote that “the committee anticipates that some additional policy forming may be appropriate.” This time, that phrase was modified–removing the words, “the …