diff --git "a/reddit_finance_43_250k_150.txt" "b/reddit_finance_43_250k_150.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/reddit_finance_43_250k_150.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,10000 @@ + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/EKU2tVBp9u). +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](http://discord.gg/2sQBNuM) +Your markets are run by bots. Now your /r/Asx_bets daily threads are too. + +Read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) people[.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +[Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX\_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. You have been warned.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) + +Automoderator may provide "Guidance" for Lazy and zero effort posting. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH) +Your markets are run by bots. Now your /r/Asx_bets daily threads are too. + +Read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) people[.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +[Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX\_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. You have been warned.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) + +Automoderator may provide "Guidance" for Lazy and zero effort posting. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH) + +US based + +When our oldest was about 5, we sat them down and talked about our 1/5/10 year plans. The 10 year plan involves a 2 year sailing voyage. + +My wife has multiple degrees relating to marine sciences. Our kids have grown up taking sailing lessons, one has their own Opti, my wife isn’t a soccer mom she’s a regatta mom. + +Out of our 4 children, 1 hates sailing. She refuses every year to do it. We asked her to at least try and then she can decide, she tried and decided not to continue. Fair enough. She’s more of a land girl. She likes gardening, horse back riding, hiking, etc. + +The sailing voyage would take place in the next 2 years and we are conflicted. We have 3 children that have been looking forward to this, they work hard to learn the ropes of sailing a boat. It wouldn’t be fair to not do this because 1 kid doesn’t want to. We also don’t want to force the 1 kid to live on a boat for 2 years when that’s not what she wants. + +So we have brought up the idea of a boarding school. Something in the country that would have tons for her to really flourish in her chosen hobbies. + +She’s ecstatic about the idea. She would sail with us during break then head back to school. + +We currently reside on the east coast and will be sailing here. We would strongly prefer an east coast school but would make an exception if another school offered something an east coast school can’t. + + +As far as the education aspect goes, we aren’t Ivy League chasers. My wife did go to an Ivy League but it’s not what we demand of our children. When they were young, we liked for them to learn through play. Now that they are getting older, we like for them to learn through experience. That said, they currently go to public school so we do value and respect structured learning as well. Honestly, we’ve done private, Montessori, public, virtual public, hybrid, and homeschooling at some point. They all have pros and cons so we aren’t picky about the learning style as long as it works for our kid. We just want a place that our daughter can experience the things she wants to like we will be doing. + +We do not prefer a religious based school but we are open to all options. + +She will be 12 at time of enrollment. Any advice on where to start? What to look for? Advice for my daughter and us as her parents? +Hey apes, over dinner I was explaining the whole scenario to my girlfriends family and her father said I was crazy. + +“It’s just not possible for them to lie, I buy my shares and I am on the book, they cannot steal them or make it up.” + +I told him I would go away and put together some documentation for him. + +What’s the most damning DD you apes have seen? I would like to bring him only the best we have. + +Thanks apes 🦍🦍 + +EDIT: Should probably mention that I am a kangaroo ape, and majority of both mine and his portfolios are in the Australian market it which the market market systems are illegal. Hence why he is convinced that all markets work the same way. However as we know, the US market doesn’t and unfortunately the global market has heavy correlation to the US markets. +Did you ever pick individual stocks or have you been indexing from the start? What have you learned along the way? What has been your approach snd strategy with deploying cash at specific timelines? Have you calculated your Average ROI over this timeline? +Hi there, + +I’ll start by saying I’m very new to investing and money management. Up until now I have not been serious about my money and have been frivolously spending. The pressure of not having my future figured out has built up and I’m very eager to get my money working for me. The recent news of Apple’s stock split got me intrigued and I’m ready to do something about my situation. + +**My Situation**: + Age: 36 + Income: $94,000 gross, $2700 net per paycheque + After expenses: $1000 to save/invest per paycheque + Debt: None + Homeowner: No + Investments: None + TFSA: None + RRSP: $22,000 in Tangerine RSP Savings Account + Emergency Fund: Goal is $13,000, currently at $3,200 in Wealthsimple Smart Savings account + +**My Plan**: + +1. Focus on building emergency fund to get it to $13,000 +2. Move my RRSP to be self directed. +3. Buy Apple stock in self-directed RRSP. I feel comfortable with 2-3k +4. Put the other 20k in my RRSP to work. I could use some low to moderate risk recommendations here. +5. When I’ve established my emergency fund, focus on maxing out my TFSA and really start putting my money to work. + +**Questions**: + +1. Am I on the right track? Hahaha +2. Is Questrade the best place for a self-directed RRSP? Does Wealthsimple offer this? +3. I believe Apple is low dividend and would be fine to hold in my RRSP, am I wrong? Is holding a US stock a bad idea in my RRSP? Are conversion rates going to kill me? +4. Is Apple a bad place to start with my level of knowledge? Should I not be looking at the split as an opportunity for me to get started? I want to add that I believe in the company and would love to be invested in it. +5. In the next 5-10 years I could be in a position to buy a home . I would pull out my RRSP for this as a first time home buyer. How does my plan work in this situation for you? +6. What do you recommend I do with the other 20k in the self-directed RRSP. Overall I'm looking for long term growth. + +Thank you very much for getting this far. I’d love to hear your opinions. +Basically the title, but one thing to consider is there is a great amount of money spent today by traditional apps. But you don't see dApps advertising on TV yet because inability to scale means they aren't ready for primetime. The moment we have general blockchain scaling we're going to start to see advertising kick up like crazy and that should ignite global interest to levels that Google Trends has never seen. +# The data don't lie when you look it in the eye + +# Hedgies are fuk and it makes them wanna cry + +# They're tanking the price, and I think we all know why + +# Because after this week, their short positions go Bye Bye! + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +# Total OTC Weekly Trades 2021 + +[GME OTC Weekly Trades 2021](https://preview.redd.it/n8x4cg81jjc81.png?width=2515&format=png&auto=webp&s=a137f210189cc6878d4da2aa99abff0fe602add1) + +# + +# The Kingpins + +[Weekly OTC trades \(from highest to lowest\)](https://preview.redd.it/esg2ew8senc81.png?width=1854&format=png&auto=webp&s=dcfbe7d45a51efa95e228c5963f3b28e43da0df4) + +**Citadel** \- 553,172,918 shares and 9,918,215 trades + +**Virtu** \- 441,815,052 shares and 7,966,373 trades + +**G1 Execution** \- 159,393,148 shares and 3,119,015 trades + +**Jane Street** \- 56,914,394 shares and 1,523,471 trades + +**Two Sigma** \- 49,867,497 shares and 2,422,507 trades + +&#x200B; + +**Wolverine Securities** exited the GME OTC marketplace after the week of 3/8/21, the same week as the flash crash road rash. They had been an OG GME OTC participant dating back to September 2020 when I first started compiling OTC data. + +# The High-Frequency Parasites + +[High Frequency parasites, National Financial Services \(Fidelity\), Robinhood, and Drivewealth OTC trading in 2021](https://preview.redd.it/8z3d5h9u3nc81.png?width=1489&format=png&auto=webp&s=e33ed067d0a5ed2346d4b8ae294a3f84d4c92522) + +**NFS** \- 513,964 shares and **511,298 trades** (1.0052 shares/trade) + +**RH** \- 6,430,410 shares and **6,403,967 trades** (1.0041 shares/trade) + +**Drivewealth** \- 182,182 shares and **182,182 trades** (1.0000) shares per trade + +**Combined** \- Averaging 25-32% of GME OTC trades between the 3 of them (since October 2021) at 1.00 shares/trade. + +&#x200B; + +**National Financial Services** (**NFS**) (**Fidelity**) first joined the GME OTC marketplace in January 2021. Then came Robinhood... More on them later! + +&#x200B; + +**Drivewealth LLC** (which Point72 / Steve Cohen owns 15% of) joins the OTC frenzy on the week of October 4th. **Drivewealth Institutional LLC** had previously joined the GME OTC for the first time in March 2021. Why do both of these Drivewealth market makers exist on the same OTC marketplace? + +**Drivewealth LLC** proceeded to take over 8-13% of total OTC weekly trades at exactly 1.0000 shares per trade (182,182 shares traded 182,182 times). To me, this was their response to the upkick in DRSing. + +# Point72 and Fidelity sponsoring Drivewealth + +[Interesting timing for this influx of funding and joining the OTC marketplace](https://preview.redd.it/u2cg0x08knc81.png?width=930&format=png&auto=webp&s=fcad5db05f8399bab18115c855125486199d4692) + +# OTC Volume vs. Weekly Volume and Weekly Change vs. Weekly Range + +[High volume weeks have resulted in an increase in OTC trading and a wide weekly range](https://preview.redd.it/0507ajudxmc81.png?width=659&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f5d56dcb92865babacbd1108e87b164c7c69d10) + +&#x200B; + +# GME OTC Trading September 2020 - December 2021 + +[Monthly OTC data 9\/2020 - 12\/2021](https://preview.redd.it/1s2dxyesjjc81.png?width=2655&format=png&auto=webp&s=9ffc35abb1222763f5ec4ef5f6b8fbcec1e10da5) + +&#x200B; + +[Monthly OTC Data](https://preview.redd.it/27z2qicyjjc81.png?width=463&format=png&auto=webp&s=2f9cb27fc462ba5419611407a5cae999066a78e6) + +&#x200B; + +[Monthly OTC S\/T](https://preview.redd.it/gpnay530kjc81.png?width=1579&format=png&auto=webp&s=04410e0e3429fbb2a4bd4d89c1c3ab53bf3dfd80) + +# + +# Robinhood was up to no-good + +Robinhood (RH) traded 6.43 million shares in 6.40 million trades after first entering the OTC marketplace in January 2021. + +Most of their January OTC trades were updated in August 2021 (over 6 months later): + +Robinhood Cookin the Books Series: + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/p4w9hq/january\_gme\_otc\_trades\_increased\_by\_32\_last\_week/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/p4w9hq/january_gme_otc_trades_increased_by_32_last_week/) + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/pbhj00/the\_crooks\_keep\_cookin\_like\_nobody\_is\_lookin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/pbhj00/the_crooks_keep_cookin_like_nobody_is_lookin/) + +&#x200B; + +January 2021 GME OTC Trades + +[January 2021 GME OTC Trades](https://preview.redd.it/7iljac5zrjc81.png?width=1236&format=png&auto=webp&s=36705b43800209ea583721926078cce32719f01b) + +February 2021 GME OTC Trades + +[February 2021 GME OTC Trades](https://preview.redd.it/uws2kk6jsjc81.png?width=1237&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c07f6a6c87613c2d138377dd224750dee26f691) + +&#x200B; + +[RH OTC Weekly Trades](https://preview.redd.it/w20hx7a8kjc81.png?width=2052&format=png&auto=webp&s=1afa7fa5263753eaade121c8423db3505584e07c) + +# Robinhood GME OTC + +https://preview.redd.it/c43a77lrsjc81.png?width=998&format=png&auto=webp&s=73b08e2c9bd9f489af5734afd304c631609c19c4 + +# Robinhood GME Weird Weekly Data + +[The week of January 25th, 2021](https://preview.redd.it/zpsas6notjc81.png?width=835&format=png&auto=webp&s=7d71402579f22a5988feb15ec0047942c1bc32a9) + +&#x200B; + +[ During the week of 2\/22, RH accounted for 0.62&#37; of the weekly share volume, but 24.22&#37; of weekly trades. GME was 17.37&#37; of their total OTC activity for that week!](https://preview.redd.it/7bg35eoysjc81.png?width=1185&format=png&auto=webp&s=a477380b26ecd448739d7c7ee6ca0154e5756f94) + +During the week of 2/22, RH accounted for 0.62% of the weekly share volume (red line), but **24.22%** (red line) of the **weekly trades**. GME was **17.37%** (red line) of their total OTC activity for that week! + +GME was only **0.70% of the total shares** for these OTC participants, but **5.52% of total weekly OTC trades**. High frequency trading? + +GME was the Top traded OTC stock that week (by trades) and every single OTC participant (except Wolverine and LEK) had GME trades accounting for **>1% of their total OTC trades**. + +The shares/trade for GME on the OTC was **38.39**, while the shares/trade for the Total OTC (including GME), was **303.66**. + +During the week of 3/8 (remember that big dip we saw on 3/10? Pepperidge Farms remembers...), RH was the top OTC participant with another 764,285 trades. They were responsible for 1.00% of the weekly shares, but 25.81% of the weekly trades. GME made up 19.89% of the total OTC shares and **20.93% of their total OTC trades that week**. + +GME was only **0.50% of the total shares** for these OTC participants, but **6.15% of the total weekly OTC trades**. High frequency trading again? + +GME was the Top traded OTC stock that week (by trades) and every single participant (except HRT) had GME trades accounting for **>1% of their total OTC trades**. + +The shares/trade for GME on the OTC was **25.84**, while the shares/trade for the Total OTC (including GME) was **319.45**. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +# This Week's Open Interest + +[301,407 Puts at strike prices less than $100 set to expire this week!](https://preview.redd.it/8dfaazj91kc81.png?width=2892&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf2f2245658b4b004445c4224ed6c6325bd8889b) + +# The majority of those $0.50 Puts were traded on 1/27/2021 + +[That's a lot of Puts...](https://preview.redd.it/pltgjzt12kc81.png?width=1244&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9fc27c8520e3202e8396539d5413698b7239524) + +Total Put OI is **473,609**. + +OI of Puts expiring this week is around **320,944**. + +So **67.7%** of their Total Put OI expires this week... + +&#x200B; + +Will try to make a more refined discussion post later this week! +Long time ago (2000-2009ish) I invested in AAPL. Over that period of 9 years, that investment totaled to about $140K. Now it's worth about $560K (depending on the day) and I'd really like to put it into something more diversified (like an index fund). How should I do this? + +&#x200B; + +* I've maxed out my Roth and 403b contributions every year. +* My AGI last year was 50K. +* It's already setup to DRIP. + +&#x200B; + +I could sell it all at once and then put it into another investment (e.g. an index fund) but I'm leery of the tax implications. Honestly the reason why this happened is because I'm a set it/forget it kind of guy. I rarely look at my investments once a year. Every year I tell myself this is the year that I diversify but then I finish my tax return and go my merry way. + +&#x200B; + +**EDIT: DANG! Thanks for everyone who replied. Even the guy who PM'd me and called me a rich cocksucker. I thought that was funny, but I reported you. Glad I didn't use my "real" account. Also, Brian from Merril Lynch at BofA I don't think it's going to work out with us.** + +&#x200B; + +**I learned a lot about long term capital gains tax brackets. I think I'm going to go the piece-meal route in divesting as well as turning off the DRIP. Just for some clarity, I'm 40 years old. I'm married. I used to work at Apple that's why I have so much of their stock.** + +&#x200B; + +**People tell me to go get a professional. But honestly, I feel you are all professionals in one way or another. I trust all of you. Even you, Brian. And the guy/girl who called me a rich cocksucker (but lets be real...that's a guy talking); I'm always looking for ways to expand my resumé and you gave it to me. I love you all.** + +&#x200B; + +**Special thanks to my agent and my wife. Honestly, I just got lucky. And lazy. It's the best combination. Besides chili peppers and chocolate. Also I love my kids.** +I am in recovery from a 10 year addiction. I have never saved money, I have no sort of fiscal knowledge. I have downloaded rocket money, and other well known financial apps, yet I feel a bit overwhelmed. 540 credit score, never had a credit card, about $550 owed in collections. (Hospital bills) I make $450 a week, and I am a full time student. I own a car with 250,000 miles, rent for $600 a month. How do I set financial goals? Is there anywhere to get free financial information? I know this post seems wordy and confusing, that's because I feel lost. +This story was going around yesterday in the crypto space and someone told me to post about this here. I'm curious what this community thinks. + +[Balcony To Issue First Ever $13M reNFT (Real Estate NFT)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/balcony-issue-first-ever-13m-105000297.html) + +I'm sure most of the community here is opposed to NFTs (and for good reasons). But I do think that real estate is one of the arenas where NFTs actually make sense and can be useful, unlike most of the terrible profile picture projects that you see all over the news. + +That link is about a specific project that I think is fairly interesting. To keep it simple, they're building a residential building and distributing ownership of it as NFTs. But more so than just this one project, I'm curious what this community thinks of the category as a whole. + +Obviously there's a ton of legal challenges that will have to be overcome. Some local laws make it all but impossible to combine real estate with NFTs in their current state. To avoid those issues, the project mentioned in the article, Balcony DAO, is working specifically with municipalities that are crypto friendly until they're more mature and I'm sure other projects have their own approaches to those problems. + +I expect most of the attitude on here to be that NFTs in real estate are just a hammer looking for a nail, but I do think projects like these show how Web3 can lead to beneficial changes to real estate investing. +They tried to short the stock into oblivion. + +We saw. We bought. We held. + +They hemorrhaged funds and bailed each other out. + +We laughed and bought more. + +They manipulated the stock down with short ladders and doubling down on their short interest. + +We bought the dips and began to squeeze. + +They convinced our platforms to block us from buying, even forced some to sell. + +We said fuck robinhood et all, rode the wave, and bought and held with platforms that support the people (shoutout fidelity). + +What else have they left to do? The brokers who still allow free trading wouldn’t dare face the same backlash robinhood and others have received. Hedge funds can keep doubling down on their shorts and try to manipulate their stock but they know we’ll hold. The day of reckoning is upon us, the battle has just begun, and they’re already out of bullets. This is a fight for the people now, stand strong brothers. + +Not financial advice, take your own risks. +I've been a long-term lurker on these boards. I notice a LOT of people here prefer to invest in companies that pay out monthly dividends over quarterly. If you rely on those dividends for income it makes complete sense. It's a lot easier to manage your money with constant monthly flow of income over large chunks every quarter. For the purpose of this post, if you're one of those people disregard everything else below. + +That said, a lot of people I notice reinvest the dividends back into the company (As do I) and in those circumstance I'm confused why people don't even consider some really great dividend plays because they pay out quarterly. I'm aware of the impact compounding interest has but it's not enough to disregard a significant portion of the assets on the market. + +**Let's take a few examples below:** + +* $10k upfront plus 2k/annually with 1% share growth and 1% dividend growth: +* Paid Quarterly: After ten years: $43,024.42 +* Paid Monthly: After ten years: $43,082.59 +* Net Difference: $58.17 or 0.135% more over the 10 year period. + +**Here's another example.** + +* Let's assume the quarterly dividend stock above now appreciates at 2% instead. +* Paid Quarterly: After ten years: $45,963.58 +* Net Difference (from monthly above): $2,878 or 6.68% more over the 10 year period. Now that's a material difference. + +**TLDR: Stock Quality, Dividend Rates, Historical Dividend Growth, Company Moat / Growth are all far more important than Monthly vs. Quarterly dividends.** + +*Small, unnecessary and non-material point but worth nothing: paying out monthly dividends incurs additional costs to the company in management overhead and fees so companies are impacting their cash flow and thus growth prospects to pay more regularly.* + + +EDIT: Lots of comments about income and budgeting. This post is specific to those who reinvest their dividend back into the market. +I have been adding dividend aristrocrats to my portfolio since a year or so. But PG always seemed to be to expensive given the share price. That price just kept rising during this past year and I get the feeling, that this stock never goes on sale... Do you think, that after the current drop it might be an attractive value? +Now that AT&T & Warner Bros split ways is AT&T a good time to buy at $19? Dividend at 5.6% with 140 Billion market cap. + +I’m thinking now that they can get away from entertainment and focus on their core business they’ll continue to expand their 5G and fiber connections. I feel they’re hitting their bottom and it could be an attractive time to invest. + +Thoughts? +**Target is an Online Big Box Juggernaut** + +Target is a big box store that I am sure many of you visit and shop at frequently. Target in recent years has shifted to a hybrid approach to their business strategy where they not only sell items in person but online. Target is currently down 17% from their all time highs that they had in November of 2021. Target is currently sitting at an attractive 16.71 PE ratio while the average PE ratio for the SP 500 is 26.59. Looking at earnings you would think that TGT is undervalued but let's dive deeper since PE ratios don’t tell the whole story of a company and can be deceiving. TGT has beat quarterly earnings for the past 10 quarters which suggests that analysts remain bearish on the company. + +**Let's go shopping** + +Since Target launched their same day delivery services in 2017 their EPS has grown from 5.01 to 10.26 current day. Target has also found ways to interact with their shoppers when they introduced Target Red in 2018. Target Red allows shoppers to earn 5% off their Target purchases but the interest rates are 23% on their cards and allows Target to collect data on their shoppers. To be clear TD Bank of USA manages the credit cards and Targets main benefit is the data collection of their customers. + +**FUNdamentals** + +Debt:**10.64 B** + +Free Cash Flow:**7.88 B** + +Div Yield (FWD): **1.63%** + +Annual Payout (FWD): **$3.60** + +Payout Ratio: **27.17%** + +5 Year Growth Rate: **6.38%** + +Dividend Growth: **53 Years** + +Target has a low payout ratio at 27% which gives plenty of room for the company to continue to increase their dividends. With the average yield for the past 4 years being 2.54%.Their last dividend increase was in 2021 when the dividend was increased by an insane 32%. I personally am a dividend growth investor. The growth of Targets dividend has been impressive and wildly slept on by many investors. There is plenty of security with their status as a dividend king (50+ years of dividend payments.) The dividend growth rate gives young investors with long investment horizons an attractive compounding interest, even with the yield sitting at a low 1.63% your yield on cost will grow exponentially if you hold this company for 10-20 years. + +**Past doesn’t make the future a guarantee but it can tell the story of where a company is heading** + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/icviqrqydbc81.png?width=1183&format=png&auto=webp&s=4d71e0a1bd8beced1f01cd82b2231fc8610abd21 + +Here is a retrospective look from Jan 2007 before the housing market crash when the market was on a strong bull run. I picked this time period because it’s not a cherry picked low for the company but a high that took over 5 years to make any gains on your investment. A $1,000 investment would have increased to a whopping $4,142 in gains ($5,142 in total) at the time TGT was paying $.14 quarterly in dividends $.56 yearly to now $.90 quarterly $3.60 annually an increase of 642% over a 15 year period averaging a 42% per year dividend increase over the past 15 years. + +**Risks** + +Back in 2020 when the pandemic first started TGT saw their earnings go to almost 0 where the economy was paused but they have quickly recovered and have little to no current risks. One could possibly argue debt to cash flow is a bit high but they can easily pay it down. They are a growing company so it is to be expected that they leverage their capital to continue to expand. With Covid-19 being a non factor to Targets business there are few threats to this company. + +**Plop your money here and forget it** + +My investment thesis of target is it is currently at a discount, if the company was valued at market average it would be priced at $351.11 a 26.5 PE average. With the market being so expensive currently Target offers great value for a consistent/growing company with strong fundamentals. Target should easily be priced around +$300-351. I think Target is one of the highest quality companies in the world with many of its shoppers highly dedicated to shopping there. They continue to beat expectations and return growing dividends to their investors sets investors with a company to buy and hold for decades to come. TGT has continued their share buybacks which further increases the capital appreciation to their investors. Combining the dividend growth and share buy backs this company is a long term play. Target has the honey to attract the bees it’s only a matter of time for investors to come to their senses about this company. + +Disclaimer: I do own shares of Target and this is not financial advice and only making my own investment thesis public for others to read. + +I look forward to reading your thoughts on Target +It's not a crazy high loan nor a crazy amount I'll be paying by any means. But I don't want her to know. She took it out for a good reason, I promise + +I know her life insurance provider and obviously her full name, but not much else. I don't think I can just go on her laptop and hope she has her password saved for State Farm or else I'd do it online. + +Any tips? + +Thanks + +Edit: Thanks for the help everyone +The fact that we are standing up and defying our standing and position in the world given to us by the elite, for the betterment of ourselves and our neighbors let’s me know that what we are doing is not only amazing, but is also what is right. Congratulations on already winning the respect that you can only gain by fighting for yourself and your own freedom and life. I salute every single one of you diamond handed apes that have been in this journey while struggling and just grinding. We love this stock because of what they do for their communities. Because we all want to be able to do the same for our communities. Thank you all. + +Edit: Thank you all for the kindness and support. See you all on the moon apes 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 +Documenting this in case he tries to shill a false track record in the future. + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/bztb60/if_you_want_some_free_money_sell_gold_enjoy/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/bztb60/if_you_want_some_free_money_sell_gold_enjoy/) + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/c00u9a/for_those_of_you_bagging_on_this_gold_short/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/c00u9a/for_those_of_you_bagging_on_this_gold_short/) +Documenting this in case he tries to shill a false track record in the future. + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/bztb60/if_you_want_some_free_money_sell_gold_enjoy/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/bztb60/if_you_want_some_free_money_sell_gold_enjoy/) + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/c00u9a/for_those_of_you_bagging_on_this_gold_short/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Forex/comments/c00u9a/for_those_of_you_bagging_on_this_gold_short/) +# Objective: Ending bitcoin's four year cycles and their effect on the wider crypto markets + +Bitcoin's halving cycles are the prime target because they are the main catalyst behind all crypto bull cycles. When bitcoin rallies, fresh capitals flow into crypto, and those seeking higher returns flow from bitcoin into altcoins with emerging narratives. When a bull cycle ends most of these profits then flow back into bitcoin and a fraction of these into fiat and stablecoins. As inflation materialises, it exposes more of the flaws and corrupt nature of central bank controlled fiat currencies. As result the incentive for capitals to jump back in crypto, or stay in crypto altogether by parking in stablecoins, is/will be stronger at the end of the current cycle than it was at the end of any of the earlier cycles where expansionary monetary policy was at an earlier stage. Vis-a-vis increasingly inflationary fiat currencies and never ending expansionary monetary policies, non inflationary cryptos such as bitcoin become a natural hedge against inflation as they allow savers to preserve more of their purchase power. + +Less people using fiat currencies undermines the authority of central banks. CBs are the strings through which big private banks and corporations (puppeteers) pull the strings of politicians and policymakers (puppets). To maintain their power and relevance banks will not go down without a fight, and putting up a good fight is what they are doing, especially in the EU. Banks' mission is to strangulate a competitor that generates more value for society, crypto, and for this they have come up with a doctrine on where and how to hit crypto. + +# The Ideologue + +The chief ideologue is [Alex De Vries](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alex-De-Vries), an analyst of the central bank of Netherlands and founder of the anti crypto blog [Digiconomist](https://digiconomist.net/). De Vries is also a researcher of the University Vrije of Amsterdam. By going through his research papers on Researchgate, I found out that he has been obsessed with the idea of ending bitcoin's halving cycles to undermine its profitability for holders and role as inflation hedge. He has re-affirmed it over and over in all possible mediums, not just academic but also in political and financial salons as well as (pseudo) procrypto conferences such as Consensys. + +In one of his latest statements, commenting on crypto's climate footprint debate and the role bitcoin could have in climate change, De Vries has listed the 2 ways in which Europe could contain (capitals flows into) crypto without upsetting the US crypto players, investment funds and corporations that have added crypto to their balance sheets: + +1. Taxation and transaction limits +2. Implementing trading restrictions against some cryptos (bitcoin) + +Pertaining the first weapon, we are already seeing laws & regulation to kyc unhosted wallets and eventually roll out additional limits that were unthinkable before. This [Forbes article](https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2022/04/24/target-the-bitcoin-price-internal-documents-reveal-how-the-eu-could-try-to-ban-bitcoin-and-protect-ethereum/?sh=6efeb9e27201) is also revealing as it discusses pushes from lobbyists to orient policymakers towards measures that discourage activities that could act as a price catalyst for bitcoin by encouraging traders to orient towards ethereum instead. The excuse is, of course, climate change. In reality however the reason is that Ether was always designed to have a limited upside price wise. + +# Why crypto bull cycles undermine the stability of the Euro (but not the USD) + +As explained in the above paragraphs, Europe is the epicenter of the efforts of anti-crypto strategies meant to discourage adoption and create entry barriers for capitals looking to enter crypto markets. The ultimate objective of the guidelines published by the DNB and CBE is to make crypto less profitable by breaking the halving cycles. If crypto stops being profitable for *hodlers,* they could still be used as a store of value, as it happens in the US, but without doing too much damage to the euro. It is this principle on which Fabio Panetta's most recent statement stands: + +>[We should make faster progress if we want to ensure that crypto-assets do not trigger a lawless frenzy of risk-taking.](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2022/html/ecb.sp220425~6436006db0.en.html) + +Fabio Panetta is a member of the executive council of the European Central Bank. What Mr Panetta means with *lawless frenzy of risk taking* is nothing less than price rallies that would allow savers to obtain higher profits by investing in crypto than by investing their savings in traditional investment vehicles controlled by the institution in whose executive board Mr Panetta sits. Obviously, dinosaurs like Mr Panetta that have abused with impunity European savers and the European middle class for decades, are horrified by the prospects of crypto adoption. It is a simple matter of competition not only against crypto, but also against the US dollar. In fact with every bull cycle more capitals flow into crypto and with profit taking most of capitals that originated from euro are then parked into US dollars. The main reason for this is the absence of any euro stablecoins (there are some, but with negligible adoption). + +This flight of capitals at every bull cycle is another reason why European banks (spearheaded by the ECB and DNB) are more wary of crypto than their US counterparts. The US Treasury is well aware of this mechanism and the positive effect it has on the US dollar. + +# The difference between the US and EU crypto approach + +The influence on crypto markets from the EU and US are different because while in the US we see increasing institutional involvement, in the EU it is the retail market to have expanded most in the past couple of years. US institutional adoption has contributed to minimise crypto volatility mainly through the emergence of institutional investors, that act as long term hodlers. Another mechanism is the fact that having the US become the global crypto mining hub, US miners have more access to capital markets and don't need to sell their coins on the spot. This displacement of spot markets from Asia into the US has/will stabilise prices further limiting also the upside since crashes are one of the strong catalysts for higher highs. I've found [Katie Talatie's](https://www.ar.ca/blog/author/katie-talati) comments on the impact of US markets on crypto particularly enlightening in this sense. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/n4nq0hbb7ww81.png?width=1274&format=png&auto=webp&s=8c26e0b61a453b203e26fd283d95e79c717a45d9 + +Talati explains best what she is closest to, the dynamics of US crypto markets. In Europe the situation is different, as shown also in the above chart, retail adoption/activity prevails in European markets. This is why in Europe the optics are different and non inflationary cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are seen as a double threat to the euro, because try also facilitate capital flights into usd. This brings us back to the second weapon proposed by De Vries to limit the impact/competitiveness of crypto against the euro without upsetting US players, that is that of limiting/restricting the trading of bitcoin (the most hated crypto by EU banks). It won't be long before we see some laws in this regard in EU. + +# Conclusion + +Every crypto enthusiast, especially in the EU, should be aware of the sophisticated attack orchestrated and executed by the DNB and ECB against crypto. This attack is happening right under everyone's nose and is aimed at keeping europeans backed in a corner with no choice but to keep their wealth in euros, from where it can be siphoned off/stolen through inflation. It is likely that other regulators around the globe will copy these strategies or become more receptive to them. While I believe that crypto markets will eventually shake them, I think this will be a long war as regulators and banks won't give up easy. \`**Beware and distance yourself of politicians or political parties that are aligned to these policies.** This is a fight that has to be fought by today's population of crypto enthusiasts. We need to keep exposing and educating. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/vjdeu6fc7ww81.png?width=2292&format=png&auto=webp&s=40b9032eb90e57fe19f1539d0dc3edb9e0dba23d + +Another attack vector is privacy. As people opt out of the euro, surveillance laws like the proposed last month on unhosted wallets, should become more frequent and more invasive. As many surveys by the European Commission itself have shown however (chart below), privacy is where the efforts to strangulate crypto are more likely to become a political issue because europeans, even those who are not necessarily into crypto today, value privacy more than anything else when it comes to their finances. + +**TLDR**: The current anti crypto EU regulations are based on a doctrine by Alex De Vries, a DNB analyst and University researcher, who argues that breaking bitcoin's halving price rally cycles is the most effective way for europeans to undermine crypto adoption. He specifically proposes taxing/limiting crypto transactions and implementing trade restrictions against certain cryptos. +I honestly can't believe the time and dedication I've put into GME. This DD is a representation of how much I care about my 2 shares. + +The summary was going to be my morning report for tomorrow, but I've decided I'm going to write down the process I take when I think about aspects of the stock market. I hope someone finds this useful. + +**What is going on in the option chain?** + +I first make assumptions that set the boundaries of the game (Option Chain). Every action taken on the stock market is due to the actions of a player. I assume that computer algorithms are nothing but tools designed by players to take actions. Players are all human (No True Artificial or Alien Intelligence). All interactions occur between the player and the bank (I call it a bank, because it's always called a bank in a board game regardless of what it actually is). + +I then figure out the game. + +This is a betting game where you try to guess where the stock will go. + +On your turn, you will receive a Stock Price. You can then take any number of actions until you pass or the next Stock Price is received. + +To take an Action, you must first choose a Stock Price, then combine a Transaction with an Option. There are 2 Transaction types (Buy and Sell) and 2 Option types (Call and Put) for a total of 4 actions. + +Below is a table of the rewards each action will give you. + +&#x200B; + +|Transaction Type|Option Type|Reward| +|:-|:-|:-| +|Buy|Call|\+1C| +|Sell|Call|\-1C| +|Buy|Put|\+1P| +|Sell|Put|\-1P| + +At the end of the game, you will receive a table to tell you how much money each reward is worth (I'm not concerned about this with what I'm specifically looking at). + +When the Player takes an Action, The Bank must take an Action with the same Option Type but opposite Transaction Type. Both the Player and the Bank receives its Reward. + +I can go on and explain the whole option chain in detail, but this is the precursory information we really need to establish the boundaries of my Game Theory. If you're reading this, I'm assuming you know how an option chain works. + +The data that I'm looking at specifically is Delta. Delta is the amount of money an Action gains when the price of a stock goes up by $1. + +I compiled most of the Deltas from most available Option Chains. I excluded some with really low open interests to save time (I have been manually typing in data for hours and I felt I had enough data to be representative of the situation). I literally manually imputed all the numbers from TastyWorks (I know there was probably an easier way, but I had no idea where to look and I felt finding an easier solution would've taken longer than doing it the hard way). + +I have the following results: + +Total Call Delta: 6,250,000 + +Total Put Delta: -3,883,000 + +**Worst Case Scenario for Hedge Funds (This is virtually impossible, but it is I believe the upper limit and just hilarious to think about):** + +Hedge Funds Bought all Puts and Sold all Calls. + +Hard Funds Delta: -3,883,000 (Buy Put Delta) + -6,250,000 (Sell Call Delta) = -10,133,000 Delta + +Every time GME goes up $1, Hedge Funds would lose $10,133,000 + +If GME goes up by $100, Hedge Funds would lose AT LEAST $1 Billion just in the option chain. + +Again, this is virtually impossible due to delta hedging and what not, but this can give us a better sense of scale of what the Hedge Funds might be dealing with in regards to the option chain. + +**Best Case Scenario for Hedge Funds** + +Hedge Funds Bought all Puts. Bank Sold all Calls and delta hedged with stock. + +Hedge Fund Delta: -3,883,000 + +If GME goes up by $100, Hedge Funds would lose AT LEAST $388,300,000. + +Though not as much, still hilarious especially since this does not account for TENS OF MILLIONS OF SHARES that they still need to buy to close their shorts. + +**Conclusion** + +I would estimate that Hedge Funds as a whole are losing between $3,883,000 and $10,133,000 for every dollar GME goes up in price from Options and it's probably closer to the upper end. + +If GME Goes Up Back up to $483 that range goes from $1,261,975,000 to $3,293,255,000 Strictly From Options. + +I know there are a lot of assumptions being made here and the math isn't really that difficult, but understanding how this system works in the real world can help us better understand the situation very real people have put themselves in. This might help us understand just how desperate they may be and better understand some of the action being taken. I think it's safe to say that Hedge Funds might be fucked. +Besides being able to control percentages, is there any reason to prefer one way over another? I’m assuming that VT is essentially a ratio of those two. +BBUS boasts a 0.02% ER vs VTI’s 0.03%, does this mean it will become most investors’ top choice for US market exposure? Is VTI still the better choice somehow? +This is not financial advice, obviously. + +So I would like to start by saying that all of this is public information. I started from the company's Linkedin address posted in the message being sent to the redditors: + +[https://www.linkedin.com/company/lifewatermedia/](https://www.linkedin.com/company/lifewatermedia/) + +The founder of the company is named Ty Hoffer (Tyson Clay Hoffer): + +[https://www.linkedin.com/in/ty-hoffer-079365b/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ty-hoffer-079365b/)\\ + +[https://www.corporationwiki.com/Texas/Houston/tyson-clay-hoffer/36784041.aspx](https://www.corporationwiki.com/Texas/Houston/tyson-clay-hoffer/36784041.aspx) + +It seems that this is not Ty's first rodeo, he was the President of a company called Winning Media LLC (there is no Linkedin page for this company, but I found the actual website): + +[http://anotherwinningtrade.com/?page\_id=5](http://anotherwinningtrade.com/?page_id=5) + +\--- + +Article from Barron's from 2019 in which it's illustrated how Winning Media LLC was paid between 60K-100K to pump up the stock price through articles which contained statements which “encouraged investors to purchase the stock of the Company" . Some shady shit going on here. + +[https://www.barrons.com/articles/marijuana-retailer-medmen-paid-for-article-that-promoted-stock-51551797945](https://www.barrons.com/articles/marijuana-retailer-medmen-paid-for-article-that-promoted-stock-51551797945) + +\--- + +Wanna know what stock has TD Media LLC (Life Water Media) pumped in the past, and for what price? Check here, at the bottom of the page in the Legal Disclaimer section: + +[https://stocknewstrends.com/heres-how-the-smart-money-is-investing-in-the-coming-lithium-supply-crunch/?utm\_source=InsiderFinancial&utm\_medium=paid&utm\_campaign=EEMMF](https://stocknewstrends.com/heres-how-the-smart-money-is-investing-in-the-coming-lithium-supply-crunch/?utm_source=InsiderFinancial&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=EEMMF) + +or + +[https://www.finimize.com/wp/partners/tdmedia/](https://www.finimize.com/wp/partners/tdmedia/) \- bottom of the page + +and THE MOTHERLOAD which seems to contain a copy of the disclaimer of their services + a shitload of pumped stocks together with the prices for pumping those stocks: + +[https://bittpress.com/disclaimer/](https://bittpress.com/disclaimer/) + +\--- + +Now... I suck at investigative journalism, but if somebody who is actually good at this wants to look through this information and see what else they can find, please go ahead. It's getting late here and I must get some shut-eye. + +&#x200B; + +EDIT: Okay, this blew up, I did not expect it to get so many updoots. Thank you for taking the time to read. I feel absolutely disgusted of what I've found and what I've read in this post: + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/mscsb5/putting\_shills\_on\_blast\_a\_concerned\_biznessman/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/mscsb5/putting_shills_on_blast_a_concerned_biznessman/) + +I knew that paid shills and FUD spreaders were a thing, but I did not expect this to be an actual fucking business, operating without any shame, out in the open. And please keep in mind, this is JUST ONE COMPANY facilitating the manipulation of stock prices through untruthful articles and paid influencers. JUST ONE. This is a profitable business model that doesn't require any special skills or knowledge, so I imagine there are thousands if not tens of thousands of such companies operating around the globe (I have no proof though...). + +For a company like Citadel, which has almost unlimited amounts of money, it would be as easy as flipping a switch to engage with all these companies and hire an army of shills and FUD spreaders to spread misinformation and ultimately cause panic amongst GME holders. + +I'm not saying Kenneth the 3'rd and Citadel are doing this. I'm saying that if they wanted to, it would be extremely easy, convenient and effective. + +Well, unfortunately for them, we are retards with a lot of free time and a vendetta against injustice and lies. And so, I will do my DD. I will spread the knowledge to my fellow apes. I will not trust any one person, one news outlet, one youtube channel. I will switch sub after sub in case they are compromised, and in the end I will win. + +Because hedgies... no matter what you do, how many marketing companies you pay, how many influencers you get on your side, I WILL NEVER SELL MY GME FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN 20 FUCKING MILLION GOD DAMN DOLLARS. And although I am just a drop of water in the ocean, the ocean is made of water drops just like me. + +I'll end with an article from the SEC, admitting this is a problem and calling them fraudsters. However at the end of this article you will find the picture below: + +[https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-bulletins/ia\_rumors.html](https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-bulletins/ia_rumors.html) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/gkpxgqqacpt61.png?width=515&format=png&auto=webp&s=3095cc76e24338325b4e10f9056d938b3c833aba + +EDIT 2: From u/catima (thanks for researching this!!!): + + +>Tyson Hoffer = Co-founder of Life Water Media since 2020 +Tyson Hoffer = president of Winning Media LLC since 2002 +> +>Winning Media LLC feature in this 2015 paper from Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting: [https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=acc\_facpub](https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=acc_facpub) +> +>In a public disclosure of the source of revenues for a stock promoter, TribecaInvestments, Inc. reported a total of $1,442,500 in campaign revenues from Winning Media over 10 months in 2013 for 46 different tickers (p. 332). +> +>The paper finds that "Nevada corporations dominate pump and dump promotional campaigns... While this practice is technically illegal, it is the state corporate law that influences or governs the liability against these managers. The Nevada Effect contends Nevada state law is, by design, lax in this area and facilitates these behaviors (CFM 2014)." +> +>That's basically all I've found so far, nothing unexpected but Ty & friends have been doing this for years. + +&#x200B; +My husband I bring in about $92,000/year. Our mortgage on our main home is $1465/month. +We have a rental property that has a mortgage of $717/moth with rent of $750/month (they pay all other utilities, costs, etc). +We have one car payment of $545 (3.5 years left). + I have about $22,000 student loans left. +He has $1,800 in cc debt and about $3600 in a personal loan. +Our monthly expenses - not including other stuff listed- totals $4,300. Add in gas for us-$1200 (I drive 60-80 miles/day at 22 miles/gallon), and groceries- $400-700 (depending on how frugal we can be with how things are) that leaves us with at least $616 at the end of every month if the month goes as planned. I am willing to give a full breakdown of expenses if that helps. We have a savings of $6000 and have only $20,000 between us in our 401k with match at our companies and we are in our early 30s. We have one child and need to save for their future. Anything that comes up and we are in a bind. Daycare has put us in a tough spot. We are spending more and more on gas each month as everyone else is. My husband used to make 30,000 before taxes and as soon as he makes more inflation is at record highs and it's like we are getting nowhere. We want to invest to build our income now and for the future. My husbands father is the only one who knows anything about investing but he did it decades ago and invested in apple. He knows nothing about how it works now. Any advice is appreciated. I will give more information if needed. +\[Thank you for the support ! I'll try to reply to everybody if I can and share my progress. A lot of good ideas :) \] + + +Hey! + +I wanted to share my experience in my FIRE journey that started 10 years ago (I’m now 40). + +I don’t write this post just for me. I wish someone had shared his experience before following that path. I also wished the community existed when I was in my 20s. + +I started from nothing and worked really hard for years in the right industry. I was able to sell a few startups (as a CEO/CTO/CMO) and to fatFIRE at 30 with 15 million USD 10 years ago. + +I was clearly burned out and wanted to enjoy my free time and my youth. The first 3/4 years were nice, I had a great time, I stayed in shape, I traveled, I partied, I dated a lot and thought I was living the life after working so much. + +Unfortunately, I started to get bored and to overthink. After working so hard, I didn’t understand how you could even enjoy work. I realise now that I had pushed myself far too much and was clearly depressed. + +I’ve understood a lot of things about myself during these first 4 years: + +* I’m an anxious person with a lot of OCD. It’s a curse and an advantage at work  +* I don’t want children +* I’m difficult to date +* I’m an introvert  +* I’m an OK entrepreneur but I got lucky and not sure I could do it again  +* I did enjoy my work but I should have delegated far more + +&#x200B; + +The next 6 years have been more problematic:  + +I stay connected to the ecosystem by doing some angel investments but: + +* I’m bored +* My physical health isn’t great, I have a lot of allergies (I couldn’t work full time, and stress makes my problems worse) +* My mental health isn’t great with a lot of existential/confidence issues +* I don’t see myself in a representation role with my allergies +* I need a new challenge + +I’m starting to think about what I should do in the next years? I’m completely lost. + +A few ideas I have in mind: + +* buying a business that is already established and hire someone to run it +* start working with charities +* start studying a new subject +* continue to angel invest +* work part time (I’m not sure I would be a great employee. My operational skills are not as good as they were 10 years ago) + +Suggestions welcome! :) + +PS: how do you deal with people looking down on you when you say you currently don't have a stable position? +How can you choose which PhD subject to pursue for Quantitative Finance: PhD in Economics, Finance, Math, or Statistics? Does your choice depend on your aspired job in Quantitative Finance e.g. Academia, Exotics Trading at an investment bank, Hedge Fund, lone Trader at Home? Please don't hesitate to sub-divide your answer. + +I'm addled because each of these Finance professionals earned a PhD in different subjects. + +[Bing Han - Rotman School of Management, Professor of Finance, +TMX Chair in Capital Markets](https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/HanB) has 2 PhDs! + +> Ph.D. in Finance, Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA +> Ph.D. in Mathematics, University of Chicago + +[Peng Zhao - Citadel Securities](https://www.citadelsecurities.com/leadership/peng-zhao/) + +> He received a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Peking University, and subsequently attended the University of California at Berkeley as a Berkeley Fellow and graduated with a doctorate in **statistics**. + +[Ian Martin, Professor of Finance, London School of Economics](http://personal.lse.ac.uk/martiniw/) + +>##Education + +>Harvard University, 2003-2008 +PhD, Economics + +>London School of Economics and Political Science, 2002-2003 +MSc, Economics, with Distinction + +>University of Cambridge, 1995-1999 +MA, Mathematics, with First Class Honours in each year +MMath (“Part III”) with Distinction +Greetings everyone, + +I like to start off saying: This is not financial advice and everyone is open to punch holes in these numbers. + +For smooth brain apes TL;DR is at the bottom. + +I've heard a lot of people say: "Don't trust my word, do your own DD". So i did. + +I looked at the values on [shortvolumes.com](http://shortvolumes.com/?t=gme). And for a lot of consecutive days, the volume short was more than half the total volume of the day. Which means, if you only take that day, the total amount of shorts that are not covered adds up. + +Thought example: +If the volume short is 55% of the volume of the day, that means it could have covered with the remaining 45% of the day. Which means 10% of the volume of that day adds up to the pile. + +[My DD - "The Pile"](https://imgur.com/a/3dD9OPv) +Little discussion point: I only took the values from the 13th of January and up, because that's the day the volume started kicking. This is in favor of the shorties, as the maximum shorts open gets smaller. + +So for this DD I assumed that EVERY long trade that was done on a date, was to cover all open shorts on that date. The last date that shorties could have fully covered was the 26th of January. + +As seen in my excel sheet, the 'Minimal Cumul per date' is the Pile. Every day that the short% is below 50%, the Pile shrinks. Every day that the short% is above 50%, the Pile enlargens. + +TL;DR / Conclusion: +This means that the total open shorts are at least 60.721.275 shares (110,93% of the free float) This is assuming that no other trade was made except closing shorts, if YOU or your brother, uncle, dad or neighbour's cat bought a share, this number goes higher. +It could be a maximum of 856.523.374 (1564,71% of free float, only counting from the 13th of January and up). + +🚀🚀🚀Shorties are fuk🚀🚀🚀 + +Edit 1: +Forgot exit quotes on line 4. + +Edit 2: +/u/Diamond_Thumb pointed out a fair point. I would like to quote him: +"...It should be made clear, that you can't calculate SI since it's giving a range of 110%-1500%. The thing I think people should take away is that the bi-monthly SI reported is 10m shares, verses this which is over 75m shares minimum, meaning that they either got a shit tonne of shares through dark pools somehow or the bi-monthly data is inaccurate. Establishing how inaccurate is another thing, but could be done if we could get up to date numbers on who's holding how many shares." +I couldn't have worded it better. My intention was only to point out the minimum amount of shorts that should still be open. + +Edit3: +Allright I am ending my discussions for now and I am going to bed guys, it’s 1:40 AM here. Have a good night and keep HODL’ing tomorrow! + +Edit4: +A lot of people pointed out that shortvolume =/= short interest. I get this point, however I do believe there is a correlation with the amount of unclosed shorts and shortvolume. The numbers mentioned in this post may be off. I will look into this matter and post an update of “the Pile” next saturday! +At the time of this writing, the 2y/30y yield is inverted (1-2 basis points). + +Source: [https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/30Y2YS](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/30Y2YS) + +It's historically rare and usually happens near the end of a rate hike cycle by the Fed. I know it's preceded some significant contractions in the economy, but the inversion near the start of the rate hike cycle makes it a little more concerning. Just feels like the next 12-18 months is going to be volatile. +I was looking at something, and noticed that the "defacto" owner (or largest stakeowner) of Samsung (group) is weighted at just 9 billion usd. How is this possible? Samsung, worldwide conglomerate, major player in high tech and in other industries, with hundreds of billions of revenue per year, and yet it is valued lower than, let's say, gates, musk, bezos... + +How is this possible? +From my understanding, infrastructure spending would improve the supply chains in the US, create jobs, reduce green house gases, along with providing many other benefits. + +President Eisenhower's interstate highway system seemed to be a success so why is there such pushback now? Wouldn't infrastructure spending be a net positive for the country? + +&#x200B; + +Thank you. +DRS locked now around 90 million from 150 million of free float. They shorted OFFICIALLY 55 million based on sources we know. DO SIMPLE MATHS AND YOU COME TO THE POINT THAT THEY ARE AS FCKED AS JANUARY. WE NEED TO SHOW DOMINANCE AND NOT ALLOW THEM TO DO WHAT THEY WANT!! DRS now to end this circus sh*t show. + + +Look how they treat us, like conspiracy theorist, stupid people, a "cult", the big media is lying to you and Citadel and co look at us as their product. +WE ARE MORE, WE ARE THE GUYS WHO DECIDE WHEN WE STOP THE MUSIC, earlier or later they need to accept it. + + THEY STEAL OUR MONEY AND LAUGH ABOUT US. +If a guy in reallife steals 100 Euro of you, and you catch him, you beat the sh*t out of him. They try steal ALL your savings. WAKE UP GUYS!!! THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!!!! + +If you want to become RICH, YOU NEED TO WORK!!! +DRS THE FASTER, THE FASTER YOU CAN BUY YOUR DIRTY LAMBO + +They have no other option than to keep shorting our stonk... TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG!!!! DRS IS WORKING. DO NOT SLOW DOWN RIGHT BEFORE VICTORY. INCREASE THE SPEED, SHOW THEM NO WEAKNESS!!!! + +Edit: let's hope for a big last short attack that we can DRS the free float faster and short squeeze after. +The hedgies became smarter and didn't dropped the price massive down lately because they don't want us to DRS faster +*This piece will be posted at 4:20 pm NYSE time every trading day!* + +&#x200B; + +[u\/bye\_triangle u\/pinkcatsonacid u\/leaglese u\/catto\_del\_fatto u\/bradduck\_flyntmoore](https://preview.redd.it/mtvbjuy58w371.png?width=1426&format=png&auto=webp&s=6404a58bd9224e9bd618154d769cb1b81cf284bc) + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# 🎤🎸🥁 🦍Welcome to the Jungle🦍🥁🎸🎤 + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# $GME Closing Price: $280.01 + +&#x200B; + +Open Price: $258.00 + +Daily High: $282.00 + +Daily Low: $255.20 + +Volume: 5.84 MM + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# 🖍🍎🚌GME 101🚌🍎🖍 + +&#x200B; + +*If you're new to Superstonk, start here!* + +&#x200B; + +[possible, it is](https://preview.redd.it/1wjxlzkmfw371.jpg?width=810&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3eb1a1c63416e8d119956b53a4ba70123ad746f6) + +&#x200B; + +[Superstonk FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/wiki/index/faq#wiki_how_do_i.2C_as_a_retail_investor.2C_stand_a_chance_against_the_hedge_funds.3F) + +[Superstonk Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/wiki/index) + +[The Everything Short](https://www.reddit.com/r/GME/comments/mgucv2/the_everything_short/) + +[House of Cards I, II & III in PDF format](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nm83eb/a_house_of_cards_parts_i_ii_iii_in_pdf/) + +*More DD to be added as we develop this section! This will be a daily recurring section that will serve as a go to reference for new apes!* + +Also, as you probably know, [u/Atobitt](https://www.reddit.com/u/Atobitt/) has dropped HOC II&III. Pretty sure it crashed reddit when it dropped!! This piece was peer reviewed by such prominent experts as Wes Christian, Dave Lauer and mods as well. The apes of Superstonk sincerely appreciate the time and effort put into getting this information out there. 🦍🤝💪 + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# VOTE! SOME OF YOU STILL HAVE TIME!! + +by u/bye_triangle + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/phecm0rkcw371.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=5cd0d108212428d987af3402260d07654bd57dc3 + +Alright Apes, + +&#x200B; + +The end is nigh, if you were given the opportunity to vote, and haven't yet... There is no excuse! If you want to see this Naked Short Selling scam brought to its knees then you **have** to make sure you submit your vote by the deadline. + +***This cannot be put off any longer.*** The Shareholders meeting is **IN TWO DAYS!!!** Though this may be getting repetitive, it needs to be heard. + +VOTE YOUR SHARES + +If you've already voted, then spread the word to others-- everyone needs to be reminded of the importance of this. + +&#x200B; + +**Do it for the companies that have been uncerimoniously killed by this practice** + +&#x200B; + +**Do it for the people who lost their jobs because of these short sellers** + +&#x200B; + +**Do it for the Apes who are being disinfranchized by their brokers** + +&#x200B; + +**Do it for GameStop, who need the physical proof of the Naked Shorts** + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +**Do it for whatever reason inspires you most...** + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/29aa3pqucw371.png?width=511&format=png&auto=webp&s=06b458225691db53d0f6a06e9c4b3dc343d54107 + +**Also comment !apevote! to get your special voted flair!** + +&#x200B; + +# VOTED FLAIRS WILL BE LOCKED FOREVER AFTER 6-9!! GET YOUR BADGE OF HONOR NOW AND VOTE! + +&#x200B; + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# Annual Shareholder Meeting 6-9 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) + +*by* u/pinkcatsonacid + +&#x200B; + +Alright apes! The time has come for Gamestop's Annual Shareholder Meeting! Remember in January when this seemed like a lifetime away? Now look at us. Look at us. + +&#x200B; + +[June me @ January me- LOOK AT US](https://preview.redd.it/bu4ej2wc9w371.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e54ca20d7bc0c63f8a73d2ca5895037442bbaa6) + +&#x200B; + +I want us all to have realistic expectations for the meeting... and I want to make it **perfectly** clear that this meeting is **not** the place to gather and have Woodstonk, (I promise that's a coming major event after MOASS!) but it *is* kinda the center of our Superstonk universe for the time being, and the mods wanted to make sure to have coverage of the day's events, including the shareholder meeting from 11:00-11:15 am Eastern, and the QE Report later at 5:00 pm Eastern. + +&#x200B; + +So, there will be live coverage on location at Gamestop Corporate Headquarters, as well as the premiere of our new community roundtable style livestream, **Monkey Business!** + +&#x200B; + +At 4:30 pm Eastern, **Monkey Business** will be live on Superstonk Live YouTube! Hosted by u/jsmar18 and u/sharkbaitlol and joined by apes from the Superstonk community, they are going to be discussing the meeting, the financial report, and whatever else happens that day! + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/e6oohtor8w371.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f2bd3de9d96a8a5599b5cd8bc02423c692f16e6 + +**And on that note... I want to make sure apes are very clear on some things. If you are an ape going to the meeting:** + +&#x200B; + +* Be overly respectful of the space and people around you. Pretend you are at a job interview. +* Don't leave any trash (Leave nothing but footprints.. take nothing but pictures!) +* Don't be a disturbance to the peace i.e. no loud music, yelling, fighting, or anything else that would make corporate want to call the local police. +* If you gather in any capacity, even to sing songs, gather peacefully. +* Distance yourselves from any bad actors or those seemingly trying to make a scene. Publicly denouncing the shill bad actors will help pluck them out of a crowd very quickly. +* Remember the world, the media, even Ryan Cohen and DFV themselves, will be watching and judging apes behavior that day. Be a good example! +* **Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!! 🤙✌💖🚀** + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# Mod Hiatus Update + +*by* u/pinkcatsonacid + +&#x200B; + +Modding Superstonk is a 25/8 job (best job everrrr!). And as we grow, the need for all hands on deck grows larger by the day. And as more mods take hiatus, the need for a plan in place becomes more apparent to keep the ball rolling smoothly. The mod team has discussed how to address the issue of how to approach a hiatus, and believe we have come up with a solution. + +&#x200B; + +Communication rules and parameters have been put in place with majority votes from the entire mod team supporting the new rules. Basically, if we haven't heard from a mod for a number of weeks, then permissions will increasingly be removed, ultimately leading to a team vote on the moderator's position being frozen indefinitely. These rules were also voted to be applied retroactively, and have resulted in Administrative action. + +&#x200B; + +**Therefore, please be advised of the following:** + +&#x200B; + +u/StonkU2 and u/heyitspixel have been placed in what we have deemed "hiatus mode" for individual reasons, though the result is the same. They no longer have access to any moderator capabilities and now hold the same permissions as a regular user. **As such, please be aware that they are no longer representatives of the Superstonk mod team** ***at this time*** **and any communication from them is coming as an individual.** We have not been able to make or keep contact per the guidelines set forth, therefore their moderator permissions have been removed, and further action will be brought to a vote within in the mod team in the coming days (their moderator position has not been revoked in any way, only their permissions). Transparency will of course be maintained as changes are made in the best interest of Superstonk. 💪 + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# Deep Fucking Birthday Wishes 🥳🎊🎉 + +*by* u/bradduck_flyntmoore + +&#x200B; + +Howdy apes! u/Bradduck_Flyntmoore here! As many of you know, tomorrow is the birthday of the now-famous retail investor, DFV. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/m1fd78yxfw371.png?width=634&format=png&auto=webp&s=9acc86504392797d7f68960101d79f69245d234c + +&#x200B; + +Like so many of you, this Ape-Bassador first heard about GME through him, and it has been a WILD ride ever since. There have been a lot of rumblings about the need for a "birthday card" post of sorts, so all the Deep Fucking Birthday Wishes can be expressed in a single place. Mods agree! This will help keep the sub from sliding otherwise worthwhile content AND make it easier for DFV (we know you lurk here) to see all the nice things we have to say in one spot. + +&#x200B; + +That means two things, apes: 1) Today and tomorrow's special edition of The Jungle Beat will serve as the Official Superstonk Birthday Card to DFV, please put all your wishes to him in the comments; and 2) we gonna delete all the rest. Please report any DFV birthday posts outside of the official birthday card so mods can remove it. As much as I respect and appreciate him for introducing me to GameStop, this sub is about GME, not DFV. Thanks in advance to all apes for your understanding and cooperation. + +&#x200B; + +Make sure to check back at tomorrow's Jungle Beat for info on Mod plans for the Annual Shareholder Meeting. Until then, and as always, Buy, Hodl, Vote if you can, and always be excellent to each other. + +&#x200B; + +**Power to the Player! 🚀🌙** + +&#x200B; + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# Superstonkbot (the Whistle Blower Bot) + +*by* u/Leaglese + +&#x200B; + +Howdy apes, your resident leaglese ape here to discuss an older feature within our new jungle beat feature! + +&#x200B; + +Although I haven't been posting much, I've been badgering away in the background assisting with general modding, transcriptions and, what I want to talk to you about today, a tool for apes the team thinks could use some love. + +&#x200B; + +Of course I'm referring to our very own anonymous DD StonkBot; the ultimate tool designed to attract DD from those who maybe can't post due to sub requirements or whatever reason anonymity provides an outlet for. It could even be you, dear reader. + +&#x200B; + +It seems after a recent post about the bot, we saw a surge in activity, and we generally saw an increase in the quality of submissions made. Please note, this tool will soon expect the same post requirements we expect from the awesome DD posts apes have come to expect from our community, such as expecting minimum character counts and no image only submissions. This is to try and assist us in clearing the wheat from the chaff. + +&#x200B; + +So I'm here to call on you all to spread the word and visibility of this tool, or engage! As our collective stonky vision and reach grows, so too does the potential for this bot to provide an anonymous means of DD drop from those late to the party, or for those unable to actively engage via an account. I mean, you can never have enough DD right? + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/2rouwxwfcw371.jpg?width=538&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c7f65afa1e434b74a3718867d7a695d2c25a864 + +&#x200B; + +With the Jungle Beat's / our anchorman's blessing, depending on the quality of what we receive, we'll be trying to implement a special feature of the best anonymous DD within Jungle Beat or the news when we can going forwards; so all of you lurking who think you can't be involved or have your praises sung, think again! + +&#x200B; + +Even if it is anonymous. You'll know. + +&#x200B; + +I'm therefore calling all apes to spread the word and / or engage with this tool if you have solid information to share! + +&#x200B; + +Who knows if this thing really kicks off, perhaps we can look to implement some more exciting features…. + +&#x200B; + +Leag + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# Ghost in the Shill + +&#x200B; + +*written by SATORI co-creator* [u/catto\_del\_fatto](https://www.reddit.com/u/catto_del_fatto/) + +[Oh yeah, it's all coming together](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nqnora/satori_the_first_36_hours/). The mod team and SATORI squad have received a fantastic amount of love, support and gratitude for sweeping up the shills, fixing ModMail, providing valuable insights and otherwise doing our part to keep Superstonk as wonderful as ever. Fan mail, fan art, even a [serenade to our beloved algo-rilla.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nrgu4e/i_sing_satori_a_song/) + +The appreciation is very much appreciated, but our work is never truly done. More so than ever, the responsibility to maintain a legendary sub rests in the hands of ordinary Apes. + +[SATORI dev, 2021 colourised](https://preview.redd.it/8rqw59r8mc371.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f08a77aa72df51118e7201aa262d492f4908eee) + +The shills are *absolutely furious* about what we've been up to the past week. It's as if they [need this allegedly-impossible creation of ours shut down post-haste](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nrx4pu/onslaught_of_antisatori_fud_gives_me_hope/) \- desperation is in the air, and it tells me everything I need to know. + +As the informatics arms-race between SATORI and its adversaries heats up, I'd like to make everyone aware of emerging stratagems and what they mean for the Ape community, so we're all well-equipped to deal with anything thrown at us ahead of time. + +&#x200B; + +**Solicitations, trolling & phishing in DMs** + +&#x200B; + +This tactic is as old as FUD itself, but it hasn’t been this prevalent in months - the working theory is that the impostors suddenly have a load of accounts unable to post lying around, and wish to make use of them somehow. So, if you get any suspicious messages pushing "investment advice" or similar, **please report these to Reddit and our mod team.** + +A lot of these are Meltdown trolls that thrive on the attention, so I wouldn't recommend engaging or 'putting them on blast' - but if you insist, our friends from [r/scambait](https://www.reddit.com/r/scambait/) have plenty of advice on the matter. + +&#x200B; + +**Bad karma** + +&#x200B; + +Since the restrictions, Apes whose accounts barely make it above the karma limit have [found themselves under attack by bots downvoting all their submissions, pulling them back below the threshold.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nsij2i/are_bots_and_shills_down_voting_apes_below_the/) + +Think about it - if professional FUD-mongers can't spread FUD directly, the second-worst thing they can do is attack solid content to prevent it from being seen. These attacks are exactly why we set SATORI to run in reverse and approve Apes, as well as using it to gather data on new tricks. + +We're currently in discussions regarding what else can be done to prevent or counter such surreptitious acts; suggestions accepted. For the time being, it's up to everyone to be active in upvoting the good, downvoting the bad and reporting the *really* bad. Not only does this help a clear sub - it also lets us learn about the shills and strike back more effectively. + +As with $GME as a stock, every vote matters. + +&#x200B; + +**Leveraging Apes and the weekend ennui** + +&#x200B; + +On Saturday, a lot of us woke up to a *flood* of posts relating to a comment by a particular CNBC reporter. Sharing new info is a wonderful thing, but in this case, it was a deluge of the same content being repeated over and over again. As you can imagine, I was getting a ton of pings asking to sic the Terminators on these guys. + +So, where was SATORI? + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/0mghzm8phw371.png?width=2084&format=png&auto=webp&s=eaa258b2e0b961c6cf642995c6c762154c9677bd + +&#x200B; + +As [Bradduck explained in his ambassadorship comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nplhx7/game_stop/h05v5ec?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) on Interdiction Day, our setup is currently running on a per-user basis; a bit of negative sentiment doesn't necessarily make a shill. We've all woken up on the wrong side of bed, and one comment isn't enough for anyone to form an accurate verdict - whether they're an algorilla or a carbon-based, 100% organic, dip-buying ape. + +We know that our adversaries are aware of this, and how they're countering it - their only hope at this point is to rely on otherwise well-behaved users to post content that dilutes or otherwise lowers the overall quality of the sub. That, and outright *stealing* accounts with AI approval or Superstonk posting histories in broad daylight - more on that later. + +Their attempts to drag down karma on Apes' accounts reveals that they're just as interested in preventing top-tier submissions from gaining traction as they are in directly posting their own tosh. So, now that they're mostly unable to bring their own stuff into Superstonk, they're relying on us to do their work for them. + +I took the liberty of checking the Melissa posters' accounts, and it turns out the vast majority of them were genuine Apes with solid and lengthy histories in Superstonk. No wonder our per-user security measures didn't bag 'em, they aren't supposed to. + +It's the weekend, there aren't any crayons to watch and everyone's understandably miffed. But please, if you believe the meme/tracker/DFV tweet or similar you're about to submit may have been posted before, I implore you to **check before posting.** + +The Superstonk jungle - especially the [Knights of New](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nti5ms/knights_of_new/) \- will appreciate it dearly. + +&#x200B; + +**Tag teams** + +&#x200B; + +Struck with a sudden shortage of useable accounts, our adversaries have had to pick their battles a bit more wisely - as opposed to regurgitating the same thing over and over, getting banned, migrating to a new account et cetera. One way to accomplish this is by tag-teaming - setting up a wedge of sorts and sowing drama on both sides. + +[Here's a brief yet insightful comment covering this tactic, and how to deal with it.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nsmutv/complacency_kills_dont_let_satori_lull_you_into_a/h0nk71l?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +&#x200B; + +**Hacked accounts & a final note on account security** + +&#x200B; + +We have received a surge in reports of Superstonk users’ accounts getting compromised It would appear that accounts able to post (i.e. approved by SATORI or above the karma/age requirements) are more likely to be targeted, but this could happen to anyone - don’t get complacent. + +Please refer to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nojpde/best_security_practices_for_protecting_self_and/) for a comprehensive rundown on account security, in addition to other useful advice on the matter. Also, friendly reminder not to click any [suspicious links.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) + +[No hax for you, Kenny](https://preview.redd.it/h5x51vmaig371.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb452a9bc53ad97bc8e2b68e3003e0c85a77ef3d) + +TA;DR + +While the sub is significantly cleaner than it used to be, SATORI still has a long way to go. Since deployment, we've seen a trend towards attacks that don't rely on publicly 'revealing' their accounts. The might of 375,000+ AI-assisted gorillas is just too much. + +Instead of the old hit-and-run spamming, our foes are resorting to sneakier methods: hacking accounts, manipulating karma, sliding into people's DMs and otherwise causing trouble outside the public eye. In addition, they're increasingly relying on genuine Apes to accidentally drown out the good stuff, being increasingly unable to bring it into the sub themselves. + +This scenario leaves far more responsibility to individual Apes than what we had before, so it is up to each and every one of us to deal with it appropriately. + +A sub is only as strong as its weakest link - B.H.V.F., and be strong. + +Catto + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# Check out Lucy Komisar's New Article about her recent AMA on the SEC! + +&#x200B; + +# [Link to the Article](https://www.thekomisarscoop.com/2021/06/the-corruption-of-the-sec-over-decades-and-till-today/) + +&#x200B; + +It was honor to host you Lucy! 💪 + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +# "Congratulations (Wes), you got a lot of people looking up to you, hoping you can continue that 20 years worth of work, I think we're right at the finish line"- Charles Payne, FOX News + +Pink here. From the whole mod team, Wes Christian, we are so proud of you and we support you in this fight against Naked Short Selling! [Link to interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRVBbNYfAOM) + +&#x200B; + +[Wes Christian on FOX discussing NSS- photo cred u\/BENshakalaka !](https://preview.redd.it/ermcx4xadw371.png?width=1157&format=png&auto=webp&s=c5ad96ee879a58bf52f151d4173c6f81de9d5820) + +&#x200B; + +[photo cred u\/Benshakalaka](https://preview.redd.it/h231aepffw371.png?width=1149&format=png&auto=webp&s=48c56b232462b66f059e1dec80750a1aed71790a) + +&#x200B; + +# 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 + +https://preview.redd.it/5v097oondw371.jpg?width=952&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdf99e49c835097e1c546e22e6164ccbc3e892fd + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +**Reddit down, wot do?** + +Mods have carefully considered what to do during a reddit blackout and advise the following - **IF REDDIT GOES DOWN AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT** go to: + +&#x200B; + +[SuperstonkLive YouTube - Emergency Broadcast System](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI4EET9NJPWxUuXGlG6fxPA) + +[https://twitter.com/ByeTriangle](https://twitter.com/ByeTriangle) + +[https://twitter.com/PinkCatsOnAcid](https://twitter.com/PinkCatsOnAcid) + +[https://twitter.com/RedChessQueen99](https://twitter.com/RedChessQueen99) + +[https://twitter.com/rensole](https://twitter.com/rensole) + +[https://twitter.com/u\_sharkbaitlol](https://twitter.com/u_sharkbaitlol) + +[https://twitter.com/BradduckF](https://twitter.com/BradduckF) + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +We ain't going anywhere, it just means we get another week out in the jungle, screamin' with the apes. ***OOK OOK*** + +&#x200B; + +Just remember, we got this far cause we do our research and we trust our findings. Armed with data there should be nothing that can kill the vibe. In the words of Dr. Burry: + +&#x200B; + +***"I may have been early, but I am not wrong"*** *(This quote has never rang more true)* + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/npbtz16afw371.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=319d6af93534966a2cf34e9f0b67e4f37c535ce0 +I've seen a few posts here and there about "I have paid all my bills, I have $28 in my checking account, how do I make it last until I get paid in two weeks?" and this post is an attempt to give you at least one option. + +'Biga' is Italian starter dough. In ancient times, Italian artisan bakers didn't have instant yeast like we do today, so they would save a small portion of the dough used each day, and use it as the starter dough the next day. + +You can make biga and keep it on your counter or in your fridge, and it will allow you to continue to make bread forever as long as you continue to 'feed' it, hence the title *endless bread*. + +You primary ingredients for biga are all-purpose flour, instant yeast, and warm water. + +I use Gold Medal all-purpose flour, which costs $1.98 at my local Walmart for a five lb bag. You can find store brands much cheaper than that, even as low as $.99, but I like GM flour. What brand you use is immaterial, use your favorite brand or a cheap store brand near you, they all work. + +Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast sells for $1.39 for three packets at Target near me, some places sell one packet for $.99 or less, you only need one packet for our recipe here. If you like to bake and want to get three packets, go ahead and spend the $1.39, but we only need one packet for this recipe. + +So, we've spent $1.98 on a 5 lb bag of flour and $1.39 on three packets of active dry yeast, so we've spent $3.37, under our $4 limit. + +Making the biga is simple. + +Open the bag of flour, measure out three cups of flour, and pour into a large mixing bowl. Take the packet of yeast, measure out 1/2 a teaspoon, and sprinkle it over the flour. (I've seen estimates that each packet contains 2.25 teaspoons of yeast, but just measure out 1/2 a teaspoon. This is why we only need one packet of active dry yeast.) If you don't have something to measure half a teaspoon, a tablespoon equals three teaspoons, so 1/6 of a tablespoon is 1/2 a teaspoon. If you end up putting in 1/3 of a tablespoon, or one full teaspoon, don't sweat it. You only need 1/2 a teaspoon to make the biga, but it's not going to be an issue if you use a little more in the recipe. + +Take a wooden spoon (recommended, but any spoon will do, even plastic ones), and stir your flour and dried yeast for 10-20 seconds, just mix them up a little. + +Now pour in 1 3/4 cups of warm water. You do not want hot water, it will kill the yeast. Warm water. Measure temp with your fingers. Think baby bathwater warm. Lukewarm is also fine. + +Stir all of the flour, yeast, and water together for approximately four minutes. You want to incorporate all of the flour and yeast into the water. When all of the water and flour is incorporated, it will make a soupy wet consistency. + +Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 8-24 hours. You will see the biga bubble as the yeast feeds on the flour and begin to rise and fall over the 8-24 hours, this is normal. You can use the biga after 8 hours, but the longer you wait, the more character and flavor develops, so waiting 24 hours is best. + +After 24 hours, you have your starter dough. + +If you don't want to refrigerate your biga, you can keep it at room temperature and use it to make bread every day for the next two weeks, just make sure you leave save some of the biga to act as your starter for the next day. If you refrigerate your biga, you can use it to make bread once a week, and keep it for perpetuity as long as you keep 'feeding' it after every use, hence *endless bread*. + +When 'feeding' biga, you replace what you take. So if I take one cup of biga to use as my starter in a recipe, I replace it with half a cup of water and half a cup of flour. You pour the water and flour into the bowl with the remaining biga, give it a good mix to incorporate it, and voila, your feeding is done. You don't **have** to replace at a 1:1 ratio, I just find that it is the one that works best for me. + +I currently have a bowl of biga in my fridge that is still going strong into its third week. I know of a case where a famous pizzaiolo in California and NY had his biga for going over seven months when he was interviewed for an article several years ago. As time goes on, the new flour entered in with the feeding continues to grow and feed on itself, and you essentially replace all of the original biga. You have basically created a living organism that provides you endless food just by feeding it every day or once a week. + +You can use the biga to make you basic Italian bread, make pizza dough, make rolls. I have used it to make Italian bread, pizza dough, sandwich rolls, and bread sticks these past two weeks. + +**Basic Italian bread recipe** + +One cup of biga +3 cups of all purpose flour +1 teaspoon of salt +1-1.25 cups of warm water +1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil + +Take your one cup of biga, and put it into a bowl. Pour half of the warm water into the bowl, let slowly massage the biga in the water with your hand, letting is saturate. Pour in three cups of flour, one at a time, mixing it into the water and biga with a spoon or with your hands. Pour in the teaspoon of salt. Mix it until all the flour is incorporated and you begin to get a shaggy dough. If you're doing it with your hands, this will take one to two minutes of mixing. If you're using an electric mixer, this will take about one minute for the dough to form. + +After the dough has formed, shape it into a ball, and leave it in the bowl for 20 minute. Set a timer, and walk away. After the 20 minutes has passed, spend 30 seconds to one minute kneading the dough with your hands into a soft, supple ball. The dough should shape easily into a smooth, satiny ball. + +Top the dough ball with one tablespoon of olive oil or cooking oil, put it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled in size. It may take up to 3 hours, that's fine, let it take as long as it needs, if your kitchen is warm, it may rise faster. + +After it has doubled in sized, remove the plastic wrap, punch it down, and take it out of the bowl. Roll it into a ball again, and cut the ball in half. You easily have enough dough for two loaves of bread. + +Using your hands, shape the dough into two elongated strips, almost like you're shaping sub bread. + +Line a baking tray with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, lightly flour the bottom of the tray so the dough doesn't stick. Put the two dough loaves on the baking tray, and let rise for a second time for one hour. + +At the 45 minute mark, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. + +After the second rise, the dough will flatten a little and spread out. Put the tray in the oven, and bake at 450 for 30 minutes, or until the crust turns a nice golden brown color. If you think it is done before 30 minutes, remove from the oven, and tap the bottom of the loaf. If it is done, it will sound hollow. + +Let cool for 15 minutes, and then slice and eat. It tastes great by itself, but even better with butter or cream cheese. You make this right, you will never need to buy garlic bread or fresh bread from a bakery again. + +[Italian bread](https://i.imgur.com/AZFBcrC.jpg) + +[Crumb shot](https://i.imgur.com/BEe1adW.jpg) + +You can literally make this bread every day for two weeks so everyone has something to eat while you wait for your next paycheck. + +Edit to fix spacing. +What are some Barista fire jobs besides working at an actual Starbucks? I'm close to FI and looking for possible low-stress part-time (2-3 days/week) jobs, with options to take long vacations and travel. I'm thinking about teaching at a community college, working at a library, or an animal shelter. Maybe a chess teacher? I don't mind being an actual barista either. Is it possible to get healthcare from part-time jobs? What do you need to work as a tax preparer? What income do folks normally target in BaristaFI? + +I'm sure many of y'all are looking for the same. Hit me with some ideation! +I saw a listing in the city near my area (midwest) , under 500 sqft and priced at about $60K, currently tenant occupied that pays $1000 a month, condo management fee is $250 a month, monthly payment including condo fee , principal, interest, and property tax would be less than $700 - looks like a positive high cash flow high rent/buy ratio deal, what’s the trappy thing I am not seeing here? +Initially, I believed that inflation means that a currency loses its value. For example, 100SC now may be worth as much as 101SC after a year of moderate inflation. (SC = Some Currency) + +So I reasoned that inflation means that everything rises: both prices and wages. + +However, a few years ago I was talking to my teacher at school. He said I was wrong: By definition, inflation happens if and only if prices are rising; whether wages rise is irrelevant. So if prices rise but wages stay on the same level, inflation happens; and if prices stay on the same level but wages rise, there is no inflation. + +I can't understand this. To my understanding wages can be thought of as prices of labor. The employee sells their labor to the employer and the employer pays for this labor. Thus wages are prices. Another argument, though I think it boils down to the same: Inflation means the currency loses its value, so the same labor is worth more in terms of this currency. + +Why am I wrong? Why is infation defined by prices only and not by wages? +**In case you can't tell, I'm not an econ expert. I highly recommend reading pid6 and MachineTeaching's comments BEFORE coming to a conclusion on this post :)** + + +I'm a HS student who's interested in majoring in econ and have taken both AP econ courses. I've been trying to make sense of our current inflationary woes from the perspective of Modern Monetary Theory and I'm hoping you guys could have a look at my explanation and let me know what you think. I think MMT is kind of like the CRT of the economics world in terms of how controversial it is, so let me state it here that I'm not trying to politicize this discussion and would really appreciate it if you guys didn't either, thanks! + +&#x200B; + +So when COVID first hit us in 2020, aggregate demand went down. Businesses stopped hiring or started furloughing/letting go, and most people probably weren't gonna make big purchases (like houses or cars) especially if they were worried about their employment in the short term. This put us in a recessionary gap, and people looked to the government for answers. + +Following MMT, the US is one of a few nations with "currency sovereignty" and therefore is able to inject as much stimulus as needed to get us out of the recessionary gap. Also, this was a time when MMT was starting to gain traction and was discussed more frequently in the mainstream. Congress responded accordingly to push aggregate demand through direct stimulus, small business loans, and debt relief. + +A year later, we're going through pretty rough inflation that has some people saying "I told you so" and this proves that MMT is voodoo economics, but I disagree for several reasons: + +1. As stated previously, we were in a recessionary gap as a result of the initial effects of the pandemic. Government stimulus, obviously planned by their own economists and advisors, did not overcorrect the economy and put us in an inflationary gap. Most people who were furloughed/let go did NOT get enough from stimulus cheques to replace their regular income, so it can't be that the stimulus was so much that it led to demand-pull inflation. +2. As for other forms of discretionary spending (I'll take military aid for Ukraine as an example), those aren't necessarily the culprits of inflation other. The money Congress spent buying MANPADS and other military supplies goes largely to the Industrial-Military Complex, and within the companies that make up the defense industry, the division of corporate profits largely benefits the executives and shareholders rather than workers (Raytheon's CEO gets paid way more than a worker on the missile assembly line). Since rich people's spending is less likely to be affected by increases in income (no millionaire would be like: "I should go to a fancy restaurant this weekend" since they got an extra $1000 from a government stimulus check) while workers are more likely to put the money to use by buying goods and services, the executives and shareholders who benefit the most from discretionary spending like aid for Ukraine are not going to spend massively and cause demand-pull inflation. Basically, this disproves the idea that discretionary spending like aid for Ukraine is a culprit of inflation. +3. So what caused our current inflationary situation? In my amateur opinion as a high schooler who just took a couple econ classes, supply issues have to bear the majority of the blame. This isn't demand-pull inflation, it's cost-push inflation as a result of supply issues in the economy. The Ukraine War for instance led to all kinds of issues with grain shipments (I believe Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world?) while Russia's actions led to anxiety in the oil market. China, which manufactures basically everything, is going through its own internal turmoil that has also led to a supply decrease in the economy. At the end of the day, MMT isn't (totally) to blame for our inflation, it's the decrease in aggregate supply in the macroeconomy. +Been jobless since October to travel, I was forced to return to the UK in March (for obvious reasons we are all affected by) and applied for around 200 jobs since then. + +I think my biggest peeve at the moment is almost every company having their own website which you need to create an account for just to apply for 1 role. I don't want the ~100 unnecessary logins I've recently created, and as much as I try to use unique passwords it doesn't make me feel cyber-secure. + +Sometimes they have their own special form but a lot of the time it is just to upload a CV. Just accept a CV through in Indeed, like it was made for! + +My 2nd one would be receiving unexpected calls that last 20-30 minutes to discuss how I could be wanted for an interview then never actually getting said interview. It's like an ambush or a sneaky test call... + +I think one if my issues is that they know I've had a career break, and to explain the lack of work since October I say that I travelled. I think they assume I'll get the job and leave as soon as the world opens up again. In a dream world I'd love to finish what I started, but our visas to work in Oz are already expired and my SO is too old to try again. There is a chance I could go on my own but I haven't committed to that decision yet. How do I convince them I'm in the UK for the long haul (even if I don't know that myself)? +Goldman Sachs analysts believe investors and traders in the stock market are acting irrationally. + +“Cognitive dissonance exists in the US stock market,” Goldman Sachs’ David Kostin said. “S&P 500 (^GSPC) is up 10% since the election despite negative [earnings per share] revisions from sell-side analysts.” + +Earnings and expectations for earnings growth are the most important drivers of stock prices in the long run. In the short run, however, earnings and prices will often diverge. + +[More from Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/finance/news/goldman-cognitive-dissonance-exists-in-the-us-stock-market-132336034.html) +Good morning from Berlin everybody, another exciting week ahead of us, let's get it! 😏 + +For anyone asking where I get my numbers from: I trade through my bank account and just refresh the page to see the current price. I then use my conversion app ( Euro to US-$ ) and post the result. +I try to post every 5 minutes, but I am at work so I can't guarantee it 😄 + +My banking app shows me the best price that I can sell for right now...it compares Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Xetra and "Direkthandel" (meaning "direct exchange"). +That's why my movement may differ from your sources online. + +If anyone wants another source, you can take a look here...just remember to convert from € to $! + +https://www.ls-tc.de/de/aktie/gamestop-aktie + +Starting:               154.11 US-$ + +5 minutes in: 153.46 US-$ + +10 minutes in: 152.35 US-$ + +15 minutes in: 152.35 US-$ + +20 minutes in: 152.35 US-$ + +25 minutes in: 152.70 US-$ + +30 minutes in: 152.76 US-$ + +35 minutes in: 153.23 US-$ + +40 minutes in: 153.29 US-$ + +45 minutes in: 152.93 US-$ + +50 minutes in: 152.93 US-$ + +55 minutes in: 152.99 US-$ + +60 minutes in: 153.05 US-$ + +65 minutes in: 153.05 US-$ + +70 minutes in: 153.23 US-$ + +75 minutes in: 153.52 US-$ + +80 minutes in: 153.87 US-$ + +85 minutes in: 153.75 US-$ + +90 minutes in: 153.52 US-$ + +95 minutes in: 153.58 US-$ + +100 minutes in: 153.58 US-$ + +105 minutes in: 153.70 US-$ + +110 minutes in: 153.75 US-$ + +115 minutes in: 154.34 US-$ + +The US pre-market is about to open so that's it for me today! 🇺🇸 +I hope you all have a great start in this maybe very exciting week. +Much love to you all and let's give 'em hell! 😁 +So you’ve pissed yourself looking at the collapse of the Chinese housing market and economy. You’ve marvelled at the impossibility of the US stock market to keep going up as the on the ground reality is totally divorced from it. + +You’ve watched the Australian housing market go north like Bitcoin and now you’re wondering what the fuck is this cunt on about. + +—— + +We all know the Australian housing market is fucked, we know it’s pretty damn fucked but what got it so fucked and how fucked is it really. + +Level of fucked 9/10 + +The whole thing is worth 9 trillion. In the last 6 months it added a trillion dollars of “value”. + +That’s just fucking stupid. More importantly as we’ve all experienced, nothing draws a line that steep up without sucking mighty dick and retracing. The problem with houses though is offloading them when you’re deep in the red is difficult and slow and the more incentivised the seller becomes the worse the problem gets. Especially when the seller becomes a back foreclosing on someone because they couldn’t keep up with the interest repayments. When housing retraces under these conditions it’s seldom a leisurely stroll. It’s usually a bums for the exits. + +The granular detail is all too damn boring to go into. Plenty of half baked analysis is out there though so get reading. + +I really only made this post to say one thing. + +Stupid cunts from every political and economic persuasion in this very dumb country keeping spout absolute bullshit as to why and how we got here. Don’t listen to the fuck wits. + +Negative gearing, CGT, occasional supply issues all play a role but this isn’t a Wes Anderson movie, it’s a Tom Cruise special and there’s only one cunt worth looking at; interest rates. + +Fundamentally the driver of asset bubbles is alway the same fucking thing. Access to credit. 1920s and on and on and on and on. + +When interest rates drop to basically 0 and stay there for 13 years you are guaranteeing an asset bubble. + +The way it works is very basic. Cheap rates and available credit incentives borrowing. The easiest asset to borrow against is housing because banks are simple dull creatures and they falsely believe housing to be a rock solid safe bet, which it fucking isn’t, it’s just an asset class and they can all do deeply dumb shit because people are involved. + +So you wind up with a self reinforcing cycle that just keeps going up until the breaks get pumped. The cycle is simple; easy credit allows more people to buy, they can then lend against the asset, as the price goes up they can borrow more cheap credit buying more houses which lets them borrow more cheap credit. The only way to pump the breaks is by making credit for housing more expensive and difficult to get. If you increase tax people will just eat it, it doesn’t matter when you’re in a self reinforcing cycle. The tax burden would have to be catastrophic to slow it down. + +Check out George Soros concept reflexivity from a less retarded explication of this. He wrote a book in 2008 right before the GFC that explains all this dumb shit. + +The other concept to know about is the debt cycle, the wonderful wonderful debt cycle. + +—— + +So next time you hear “it’s supply” “it’s CGT” “It’s negative gearing” remember, that person has an agenda and is either completely retarded in the worst way or doesn’t want to directly deal with the issue. + +Insaying that we need tax reform etc but the thing doing the heavy lifting is the interest rate. Until that hits 5-8% shits just going to keep going north. + +Inflation is here and it’s going to eat your lunch. + +CASH IS TRASH! + +Go long on leather gear, pikes and hotted up apocalypse ready V8s or a F150 lightning, man I need that truck. Then my life would be complete. Maybe some more IKEA furniture… + + +El Salvador, the only country in which bitcoin is a legal tender, is going to build an entire city based on the largest cryptocurrency, President Nayib Bukele said in a Saturday night presentation at Bitcoin Week in El Salvador. + +“Bitcoin City” will be located along the Gulf of Fonseca near a volcano. The government plans on locating a power plant by the volcano to provide energy for both the city and bitcoin mining, the president said. + +According to Bukele, Bitcoin City will be a full-fledged metropolis with residential and commercial areas, restaurants, an airport as well as a port and rail service. The city will be laid out in a circle (like a coin) and in the city center will be a plaza that will be host to a huge bitcoin symbol. The city will have no income, property, capital gains or payroll taxes. + +Bukele also said El Salvador plans on issuing $1 billion US “bitcoin bond,” a tokenized financial instrument developed by Blockstream, on the Liquid Network. Of that amount, $500 million will be used to help construct needed energy and bitcoin mining infrastructure and $500 million to buy even more bitcoin. At the cryptocurrency’s recent trading price of about $59,000, that would bring the country’s treasury stash to just under 2,000 bitcoins. + +&#x200B; + +[https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/21/el-salvador-to-create-bitcoin-city-use-500m-of-planned-1b-bond-offering-to-buy-more-crypto/](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/21/el-salvador-to-create-bitcoin-city-use-500m-of-planned-1b-bond-offering-to-buy-more-crypto/) +I purchased my first home in a rural/suburban area of Maryland 24 months ago and am currently considering moving to the city, but I want to keep my current home (to use it as a rental property). + +I'd like to move to a home (in Maryland) in the city about 25 miles from my current residence. The property I'm looking to purchase is about half the size and half the value of my current home. + +Concerning the loan application, I would like to put 5% down with the new property being my primary residence. However, my lender mentioned that this would be fraud. + +The recommendation I was given is to declare the property in the city as an investment property (with 20% down) so that it doesn't raise any red flags during underwriting. My understanding is that since I'm going from a mid sized single family home to a smaller townhome that is half the value of my current home, the loan will likely not be approved unless it's an investment property. + +Declaring the property in the city as an investment property on the loan application significantly increases the cash I need to close, which makes the purchase somewhat undesirable. I'd like to keep my cash to close as low as possible. + +I'm new to real estate and real estate investing, so the intention of this post is to: + +1. Verify the validity of what I am being told +2. Help me understand why getting a loan on a smaller less expensive property as my primary residence and keeping my current home as a rental unit might be considered to be fraud +The latest video from James Shack blew my mind. He talks about taking an interest only mortgage and using the money you would have paid into the normal mortgage to sacrifice more into your work pension. With a view to using the pension to pay off the mortgage upon retirement (his example was of a 40 year old with 15 years left on his mortgage). This has tax advantages as well as the growth from this money being invested. + +I just never thought of this as an option. Something about the idea makes me uneasy (maybe because I’ve always thought debt = bad). My husband doesn’t even want to talk about it. Any thoughts? + +Note that this is different from “borrowing money to invest” because it has the added tax advantage of pensions, which is significant. +23M, Midwest area. Single parent +My income varies a lot depending on seasons but I do lots of odd jobs,and help my landowner with property management but it’s roughly 1000-3000/mo. I’m a go getter, dependable and good at making things happen but I have a problem with over spending sometimes. (Taking vacations , buying a huge tv and couch from Costco mainly) put me in the red. + +I rent out a home for 1600 with a attached garage that has a studio apartment and rent it out for ~1000/mo so my rent is 600+paying utilities. + +I’m drowning in debt. I have a 11k car loan for my work truck, gas is killing me. 5k in CC debt, and my bank just overdrafted my account for 1000$. I also have a 300$ ticket I need to pay. + +I have $500 cash to my name and my family has already helped me out I don’t want to ask for any money. + +I don’t know what to prioritize or what to do. + +Any advice is greatly appreciated. +SGE features: A deep space astrophotography NFT platform [https://starseas.space/](https://starseas.space/) , an iOS/Android remote controlled telescope app, and a cryptocurrency auditing division along with our very own exchange platform launching in July. + +# TOKENOMICS ✅ + +With 6,000 holders, we have 100 trillion supply, with burn capped at 70 trillion tokens (40 trillion burned on day one) - 8% tax per transaction, 2% goes to redistribution, 1% burn, 5% marketing and dev wallet (of which 30% is injected as liquidity, 20% goes to marketing and 50% funds development) - Registered as an LLC (SGE LLC) in Michigan, USA - Our tokenomics rewards holders, gaining coins everyday. One step closer to the MOON 🚀🔥🔥 + +# PARTNERSHIPS ✅ + +1). In April, a partnership with Down Under Observatory in Colorado USA was made 🔭. Down Under is run by Terry Hancock who is a NASA affiliated astrophotographer and will be providing NFT's for the platform. + +2). Chico crypto, 250k subscribers. Video is up and posted at 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiJU2tLEOMM&t=386s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiJU2tLEOMM&t=386s) + +3). SGE has an official WSB facebook partnership + +# Up and Coming 📈 + +1). A mobile App, control an official SGE telescope from your phone wherever you are using SGE tokens. + +2). SGE is sponsoring Space Concordia, sending a hardware wallet with SGE tokens into space. One coin for every person on the planet. + +3). A Large marketing push through various streams. x100 inbound + +# What is SGE? + +There are 3 major components to SGE. + +1. An NFT platform for space photography \[astrophotography\], +2. An iOS and Android app to remote control deep space telescopes to mint your own NFTs, where you pay for time with SGE tokens +3. sgechain blockchain auditing division for new cryptocurrency projects - this is unique as there are no real auditing services with a doxxed team. Ankur Shah is the chief auditor who is the CEO of Erience Solutions in New York. The first audit has been completed! This auditing service is poised to set a new benchmark in crypto auditing with in-depth analysis of the audited contract. -The team behind SGE is fully doxxed and there is a great Telegram community involved with the project. The project is audited by solidity.finance with a perfect score: [https://solidity.finance/audits/SGE/](https://solidity.finance/audits/SGE/) In the future, a set portion of the dev/marketing fund will be used to send kids in the United States to Space Camp and for STEM bursaries to support education in the STEM field.. + +**SGE Design Team is also working on a potential partnership with Tom's Shoes.** + +The team is also working with other youtubers and influencers to push out the word about SGE. + +Some of these are already confirmed and scheduled for the near future. + +How to buy guide: [https://www.sgecoin.net](https://www.sgecoin.net/) + +Contract Address: 0xab456bdb0a373bbac6c4a76176e9f159cacd5752 + +Coingecko: [https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/society-of-galactic-exploration/usd](https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/society-of-galactic-exploration/usd) + +Etherscan: [https://etherscan.io/token/0xab456bdb0a373bbac6c4a76176e9f159cacd5752](https://etherscan.io/token/0xab456bdb0a373bbac6c4a76176e9f159cacd5752) + +Reddit: [https://old.reddit.com/r/sgespace/](https://old.reddit.com/r/sgespace/) + +Uniswap buy link (use 8% slippage): [https://app.uniswap.org/#/swap?outputCurrency=0xab456bdb0a373bbac6c4a76176e9f159cacd5752](https://app.uniswap.org/#/swap?outputCurrency=0xab456bdb0a373bbac6c4a76176e9f159cacd5752) + +Bitmart: [https://www.bitmart.com/trade/en?symbol=SGE\_USDT&layout=basic](https://www.bitmart.com/trade/en?symbol=SGE_USDT&layout=basic) + +Dextools Chart (99 DEXT score): [https://www.dextools.io/app/uniswap/pair-explorer/0xab3da691942b259f529f3a3c034adc64f0469a00](https://www.dextools.io/app/uniswap/pair-explorer/0xab3da691942b259f529f3a3c034adc64f0469a00) + +Website: [https://www.sge.space](https://www.sge.space/) + +Community Telegram: [https://t.me/sogefinance](https://t.me/sogefinance) +Would you guys say that this was probably in response to the short seller’s report recently? Is anyone thinking to purchase shares, because I am and I’m thinking for a long-term hold +Hello, I'm struggling to find any particular news as to why INRG (ishares clean energy) has dropped around 10% in the last few days. Other green/electric vehicle ETFs seem to have had a similar drop recently. They were at a peak so is this just a natural rebound or is there anything more concrete about what's happening with them? +In case any of you were planning to ape into Trump DTC’s, please don't. + +One [wallet](https://opensea.io/0xfb65415Ca83B69DA9bC56B4C9C2334fa402baCd7?tab=collected) minted 80 ETH worth of cards. They hold 2.22% of the entire collection, and none of them have been sold or moved. + +[This address holds the #1-1000 of the Trump Cards, $500k of wETH, and $300 of MATIC.](https://preview.redd.it/hbibsj3rhk6a1.png?width=1365&format=png&auto=webp&s=86d23e60b17b817070b3b9483c778a6cb97f8271) + +Their address has been getting $30-200 of wETH sent every few minutes/seconds, probably being the one of two royalty addresses getting fees. Pay attention to the highlighted 0xfb654 address below: + +[Two addresses are receiving the exact same amount of wETH in a sale tx. The royalty fee is 10&#37;, and these addresses are earning 10&#37; of 0.5075 wETH \(the sale price\).](https://preview.redd.it/s56b1bfahk6a1.png?width=1365&format=png&auto=webp&s=d40a58d9ec224f3ad4b59831e9232b3c5123ed53) + +[Latest ERC-20 txs for address with 1k collected](https://preview.redd.it/29tmgajchk6a1.png?width=1365&format=png&auto=webp&s=10c0769911e783992b80396f9629b4c30df6e8f0) + +What's interesting is this address is a Gnosis safe, so it's a multisig. The multisig was [generated](https://polygonscan.com/tx/0x3d69372255ff99a8ef09a4017666aaabf0a4465aab4f107b32868329fab95ab2) 14hrs before their [mints](https://polygonscan.com/tx/0x5f8c593f7febcc4f388efa2f497231496de7d81053eeb8104f889160ffdabe40), so it's evident that it was made for this collection. + +One [address](https://polygonscan.com/address/0x116311805390458bb65b2954290c2eb8c944e41d) has made three executive transactions (telling the multisig what to do), withdrawing a few MATIC at a time. This was likely a test to see if the multisig operated as intended. + +Seeing as this address is likely earning the royalties, and owns so many of the Trump Cards, this is almost certainly someone in Trump's organization. + +To me it seems as though this multisig will sweep all of the cheap/floor price cards and then dump them all after they hit a specific price. Any regular person would sell at least a few when the price pumps, especially if they have a giant amount like 1k. + +# THIS COLLECTION WILL DUMP. DO NOT FOMO. +I am 23 year old engineer with a salary of $70,000. I am currently living with my parents, who don’t charge rent. I have $100,000 worth of student loans which I am paying $1,300 a month (overpaying by $300 a month to speed up pay off time). +I am very eager to get a place of my own. Financially speaking, about what point would it be okay to move out? About how much should i have saved in my bank account before I move out? Is there a guideline.. like having saved 10x the amount that I will pay for rent? +I can not keep living with my parents until i pay off all $100k!! If you need more info to help guide me to an answer id be happy to give what info i can. +I (34, F) was recently given $350k from my parents to go towards a house deposit. My partner (38,M) has $20k in the bank. My dad suggested I buy a house and put it in my name, so that if my partner and I split, I’d keep the house. My partner suggested I buy a house, and he’d pay me rent. I wanted a prenuptial agreement, so that we could buy the house, and then be partners in paying it off and raising a family together. My parents were very traditional in sharing all property and finances, so that is what I deem to be normal, but I’m wondering how modern couples manage such situations. + +TLDR: should I buy a house in my name, or get a prenup? +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Find the latest Altcoin Discussion thread in [this search listing](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/search?q=author%3Aautomoderator+title%3Aaltcoin&include_over_18=on&sort=new&t=all). + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +**TL;DR**: DD breadcrumb trail on a Shitadel connection, ***possibly hinted at*** by M. Burry(?) (*sorry for the brain fart in the title, was fighting automod. Could mods change the title of this post to match the part in bold, please?*). + +Hoping our wrinkles get something out of these. + +\- - - + +I noticed something today after Dr. Burry deleted his twitter (again). Barbara Streisand effect, so into The Burry Archive I go... + +&#x200B; + +[A pretty clear drop.](https://preview.redd.it/4drj76iswm671.jpg?width=1026&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce216ff38efb1d8edcfb3bb78651fe6c5892e40a) + +Dr. Burry had tweeted about \[**see picture for ticker, automod kills me**\] yesterday (?)**,** which - turns out - is this company: + +&#x200B; + +[Reminds me of a certain old game company logo...](https://preview.redd.it/j8epozgtwm671.jpg?width=1664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc1f52494843fbdea460f9764fbd6712efa1faf4) + +I didn't think about this much further, until I bumped into this, literally just now in my Reddit feed - posted around an hour ago by the time I'm writing this: + +&#x200B; + +[Subreddit X to the rescue](https://preview.redd.it/cvm4an3wwm671.jpg?width=1328&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cc2853d1125b30f376916df0bfb208928568e71) + +If you search Reddit for the company name, you'll find a lot of posts from around 5 days to one month ago, talking about them buying up a lot of \[BANNED-CURRENCY\] on their relevant subreddits. Seems to be their MO, apparently. + +But... + +Turns out they are connected to our old friend Shitadel (surprise): + +&#x200B; + +[Wut doing, Kenny?](https://preview.redd.it/bye8njvwwm671.jpg?width=1261&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b5fc9b987e1ca02075281f63a28819737f2dff7) + +Link: [https://www.streetinsider.com/dr/news.php?id=17968279](https://www.streetinsider.com/dr/news.php?id=17968279) + +&#x200B; + +[EDGAR Filing snippet from February.](https://preview.redd.it/jw9ajjkxwm671.jpg?width=884&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce3a75e43a920f15a8f6bc84c075e67fd9d2e572) + +Link: [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1050446/000110465921022048/0001104659-21-022048-index.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1050446/000110465921022048/0001104659-21-022048-index.htm) + +&#x200B; + +All this *hoarding of* \[BANNED-CURRENCY\] made me think about this tweet too... + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/xjajuuszwm671.jpg?width=892&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1c4ad7eba27db9e64a3774af4c643c4aae051e5 + +The company's share price is nothing to sneeze at ($595,50 right now), and if it's been acquiring a lot of \[BANNED-CURRENCY\] as *its* assets and thus benefits from every pumping of \[BANNED-CURRENCY\] ... would that prop up Citadel by proxy or give Kenny a way to use \[BANNED-CURRENCY\] as collateral in a way that they can't directly do anymore with the new rules? + +Hoping our wrinkles get something out of these - if this is old news, I haven't bumped into these yet personally, at least here. + +Could our wrinkle-DDs and crypt-0-dwelling ape brethren look at these further? I literally don't know what to do with deep data DD's or what to really even look for. + +**Edit:** *Holy frak automod, what more do I need to remove*? + +**Edit 2:** Can't make this shit up - Massive GME dip going on right now and Dr. Burry tweets (5min ago): + +[Sooo... I'm guessing yes - related to retail's interests.](https://preview.redd.it/wjoqzj7r4n671.jpg?width=915&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c74e667f6d8dca2b44368bbd07bc3e3ccd0a64b2) + +**Edit 3:** Ok, I need to get back to work, but I'm starting to feel this is more like a discussion now: + +&#x200B; + +[Comb through the filings with a keen eye, maybe? ](https://preview.redd.it/nnhi9p1k6n671.jpg?width=1469&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2aded704a4ad8fc9b994b55cd5e914e62654cac5) + +"**TODAY**" mentioned twice - it's 06/21/21 - what's special about today? What filings and rules are relevant to today... **002**? Humm... u/rensole ? *Maybe there's something here?* + +&#x200B; + +Also this - coincidence?: + +&#x200B; + +[Wut doing, Kenny? Part Deux.](https://preview.redd.it/ui9xmz8p6n671.jpg?width=1472&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b3b6690370447e2518ccd0693bd7528b03ade88) + +**Edit 4:** Wow - thanks for all the awards and kind words - seriously! + +Also: it seems that Dr. Burry has again deleted or hidden his twitter account - at least I can't see his posts or content anymore outside The Burry Archive. I hope that the *completely personal conjecture that I present in this post* has not compromised him in any way. In any case, if M. Burry happens to chance upon this post for some reason: so long and thanks for all the fish! +**TA;DR: I looked at the 605 data - Citadel’s short position is so huge it’s distorted the order flow. It’s so massive you can see it merely by looking at where the GME orders are being executed. It also shows they haven’t closed.** + +**TL;DR: Opening a huge naked short position requires market maker shenanigans. Leaving it unclosed requires further market maker fucketry. Both of these should be reflected in the proportion of GME shares executed at various market centers. I looked, it is. A market maker closing a massive short position should be reflected too. I looked, it isn’t.** + +I have been examining the order execution data for market centers handling GME order executions, read on for my findings. Citadel appears to have taken a *massive* short position in Gamestop in January. It looks like they continued to expand this short position via NASDAQ during February and March. They do not seem to have closed this position. + +Opening a massive naked short position in a very short period of time requires abusing market maker privileges. Doing this would result in distorting the order flow. Market centers where the shorting is taking place would see a spike in the proportion of the shares they were executing for the security being shorted. A market maker closing a massive position would cause the opposite. So, if Citadel has opened a huge short position and not closed it we should see evidence of this in the order flow. I looked at the 605 reports and found exactly this. + +According to my analysis of the order flow, Citadel has opened a huge short position, very quickly, in January, expanded it since then, and hasn’t closed it. Please read the following and come to your own conclusions on the quality of my analysis. This is not financial advice. I am an ape on a large dose of Ritalin. + +**Important background information on the special privileges of market makers when shorting** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +When opening a short position in your capacity as a market maker you do so by covering a buy order with your own capital. So, an order comes in for a security and you cover it, which is a way of saying ‘yes, I’ll sell that stock at X price’ even though you don’t already have a seller lined up to sell the share at that price. This is not uncommon, it’s definitely not illegal, and it’s very helpful to the market. In fact, one of the reasons market makers exist is to sell shares they haven’t yet lined up a seller for. This allows the market to flow smoothly as sales can happen quickly. It’s expected that the market maker will line up a seller for the share you brought from them very soon afterwards (often within seconds). However, they are not required to do so. Instead of lining up a seller for the purchase you just made from them, the market maker can take on a short position for that share (they are ‘short’ the share they sold you, so you essentially have an IOU from them). + +When shorting in this manner, the market maker gets special privileges under regulation [SHO §§ 242.200 - 242.204](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/part-242) which allow them to short in cases where others cannot. Regulation [242.203](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/242.203) allows market makers to be exempt from some restrictions when engaging in market making activities and regulation [242.204](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/242.204) allows some leniency for failures to deliver when the transaction was for market making purposes. Essentially, the regulations covering short sales provide some leeway for short selling while market making. This is good, in theory, because it keeps the market flowing smoothly. + +The SEC explains the importance of market makers shorting [here](https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/regsho.htm) where they explain “market makers must sell a security to a buyer even when there are temporary shortages of that security available in the market”. See the SEC link for a further explanation, they do a fair job of explaining it in section II of that link. The key point is that naked short sales by market makers are not an accident, they are a feature of the market. + +**The MOASS theory** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +Citadel has opened a *huge* short position in GameStop and hasn't closed it. The position was large in 2020, but expanded significantly in January of 2021 and continued to expand during February and March (I do not discuss any points after March as my data ends there). This short position is so large that it is multiple times the outstanding shares. Opening such a large short position, so quickly, requires that most of the short positions are naked. + +This is the theory I set out to test - has anyone opened a large naked short position during January and then expanded it during February and March? + +**Order flow data** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +[SEC rule 605](https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/34-43590.htm) requires market centers to release data on the orders they execute. This data excludes most retail sales and multiple forms of conditional sales. However, it does include a substantial portion of the volume, enough to give us information on which market center is executing orders for a particular security during a given month. Crucially, for my purposes, it allows us to identify broad trends in the order flow between these market centers. In most cases, this data is not very helpful because it is missing most of the interesting information (for example, it won’t distinguish between short and long sales). However, in my case it’s perfect because I do not want to rely on any information except the volume - I don’t want my findings to rely on Citadel accurately reporting anything else. + +It’s worth stressing that ***rule 605 data excludes most retail orders***. This is important for us because we already know Citadel is handling most GME retail orders. The short position Citadel has, supposedly, opened is so huge that the distortion in order flow caused would extend beyond retail orders, which makes 605 data the perfect place to look. + +**Order flow data and the MOASS theory** ***(READ THIS)*****:** + +The MOASS theory isn’t just about a short position, it’s about a *huge* short position. So huge that it can only have been created by a market maker abusing their naked shorting privileges. This would require them to sell the security they are shorting for a cheaper price than other sellers on the market at a large scale. Accordingly, more of the orders for the security in question would be executed by the market maker doing the shorting. + +In most cases the proportion of orders being executed is going to remain fairly stable because the selling pressure is going to be widely dispersed. If a share is being sold for X price at one market center, it’ll be sold at a similar enough price at the other market centers too. Sellers will gravitate towards the market center with the best price, so the prices remain almost identical. However, if one of the market center’s is driving the selling pressure by selling for a cheaper price than everyone else, the other market centers won’t be getting sell orders low enough to compete and they will lose out on the volume. Accordingly, if the number of short positions being opened at a particular market center spiked during January, we should see the proportion of orders being executed at that market center spike too. + +The same is true for closing a massive short position. If a market center is buying up a huge amount of shares, there will be a drop in the number of buy orders they execute (because they’re buying the shares themselves rather than selling them to others). The market center will also be reaching out to other centers to buy from them, which will raise the proportion of volume to those centers. + +So, my prediction is simple: if a market maker is opening a massive amount of naked shorts very quickly, they will have a higher proportion of the order execution volume. Conversely, if a market maker is closing a massive amount of naked shorts very quickly, they will have a lower proportion of the order execution volume. + +**How the data should look in the three possible cases:** + +***Hypothesis 1*** \- Citadel shorted GME a lot in January and then continued to do so through February and March: + +1. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will spike in January. +2. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will not go below the baseline in February or March. +3. The proportion of orders being executed by NADAQ or CBOE will spike in February and March (but probably not at both centers). +4. The NADAQ or CBOE spike, if it exists, will be accompanied by an anomalous number of their orders being executed outside of their venue (an artifact of an abrupt shift in order flow without adequate preparation by the market maker responsible). + +***Hypothesis 2*** \- Citadel opened a large short position in January and then closed it during February: + +1. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will spike in January. +2. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will drop below the baseline in February. +3. The proportion of orders being executed by the other exchanges will all rise, with Citadel’s lost share being shared approximately equally (as it buys up all it can). + +***Hypothesis 3*** \- Citadel opened a large short position in January and then closed it in January or they never opened a large short position at all: + +1. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will remain at baseline levels. + +**Notes on Citadel and NASDAQ/CBOE spikes or drops:** + +MOASS theory implies that Citadel would have been absolutely hammered in January during the massive influx of buying pressure and the threat of Melvin being forced into closing their position and beginning a squeeze. Accordingly, they would have been drawing all of the order volume to them by shorting all the orders they could to mitigate the upwards price pressure. This would result in the proportion of orders executed at Citadel spiking during January. + +MOASS theory implies that Citadel would have been expanding their short position in February and March while also avoiding their delivery obligations for the shorts opened in January. Expanding their short positions and opening new short positions to defer existing short positions can be accomplished by utilising two market centers with Citadel operating as a market maker in both. Essentially, Citadel could use its own market center and its privileges as market maker (for GME) at a second market center to make a market for itself. This would allow it to continue opening short positions while also shuffling existing short positions through the market. This would result in the proportion of orders executed at CBOE or NASDAQ to spike during February and March. I suspect Citadel would use either CBOE or NASDAQ for this because they are a market maker at both. I do not think they would use the NYSE for this as that exchange allows its market makers less latitude (and makes them compete against one another to a greater extent). NASDAQ is the most likely candidate as, prior to 2020, it does not execute many GME orders which allows Citadel a freer reign over any such orders that suddenly begin coming through that center. + +MOASS theory implies that Citadel would not have been covering their short position throughout this period. Closing a huge short position would cause a drop in the orders being executed at that center (because the center is buying instead of selling and will buy from other centers too). Accordingly, we should not see Citadel’s proportion of order execution drop below the baseline levels. + +**Proportion of GME shares executed at market centers** ***(READ THIS)*****:** + +https://preview.redd.it/anepludcx0z61.png?width=713&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f8e55d6589f05bc2d9b1968d75e757f07a66c65 + +As you can see, the proportion of shares being executed at Citadel’s market center spikes in January, which is consistent with hypothesis 1 and inconsistent with hypothesis 3. The proportion of shares being executed at NASDAQ spikes in February and March which is also consistent with hypothesis 1. There is no drop below baseline in the proportion of shares executed at Citadel’s market center, which is inconsistent with hypothesis 2. + +The proportion of GME shares being executed by the major market centers, as reported under rule 605 data, is consistent with what we would expect if a market center were opening a huge short position in January and then using their market maker status at a second market center to expand and obscure that short position during February and March. + +**Related speculation:** + +Notice the relationship between the drops/spikes in proportion of shares executed at Citadel and NASDAQ. This is consistent with Citadel being the market maker for GME at both. I suspect that the sharp changes in where these orders are being executed reflects Citadel’s attempts to open, expand, and manage their short position. The best places for them to do this are their own market center and NASDAQ, which matches the changes in order flow. I am hoping to gain access to historical NASDAQ level 2 data for this period which may show which of their designated market makers is responsible for their GME executions during this time period. Unfortunately I do not have this data yet, but I have reached out to NASDAQ and others who may be able to provide me with this data soon. + +**Proportion of covered shares executed at alternative venues** ***(OK TO SKIP):*** + +https://preview.redd.it/b1pefghhx0z61.png?width=686&format=png&auto=webp&s=af51e5492c62c779eb9882f8ebdae69ffb1ea147 + +As you can see, the spike of shares being executed at NASDAQ in February is accompanied by a spike in the proportion of orders being covered by NASDAQ but executed at another venue. This is consistent with hypothesis 1, it may indicate the orders being executed by a market maker abruptly moving their execution of a large number of trades from one center to another. + +**Related speculation:** + +This may be related to an attempt by Citadel to market make for themselves and push the price lower. Fighting back the February gamma may also be a factor. + +**Proportion of shares reported under rule 605 compared to total volume** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +https://preview.redd.it/k7e578csx0z61.png?width=817&format=png&auto=webp&s=e9ee738f2c85938b38cc1dfccd39d05e662318c0 + +I am using 605 data because I believe it to be the most reliable data we have access to. However, it is possible the 605 data could be misreported. Conveniently, we can check to see whether such misreporting is likely by comparing the number of shares being reported under the 605 data to the overall volume for the same period. If there were a sudden drop in the proportion of the GME volume reported under 605, it suggests there may be a reporting error. As you can see, I found no evidence of such an error. This doesn't mean there wasn’t misreporting, but it allows me to continue regarding the 605 data as the most reliable we have access to. + +**Thank you for reading** + +Thank you for reading my analysis. As I mentioned above, I have more data coming. I have also reached out to relevant experts who might allow me to expand, clarify, or correct my findings. I will update this post accordingly. There may be a follow up post if I have additional findings worth sharing. + +***Please be aware that this is not financial advice and all conclusions I have given are tentative. My findings are limited by my own shortcomings, which are numerous.*** +https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2020/08/21/a_financial_transactions_tax_would_be_a_huge_blow_to_little_guy_574870.amp.html + +Bidens running mate Kamela has been vying for a .002 tax on buying and selling shares + + +Under the proposal, if you buy 1000$ worth of stocks, buying would cost 2$, selling would cost 2$ + + + +This would be armageddon to HFT..who look to make literally a penny per trade. Any strategy that looks to make quick profits would suffer. + + +Dont HFT have politicians in the back pocket to prevent this bill from passing? 😉 +as the title suggests what are you buying? What stocks are the biggest discount right now? Whats been on your list forever and you are ready to buy finally? + +For me this is what in buying SMH, U, PRLB, CRSP, PACB, BNGO, QQQJ. And ill be averaging down on Z, SQ, PYPL, ROKU. + +Open for some stocks yall recommend always looking to add more to my list. + +Bonus points if you actually explain why... + +Current positions- Z, ABNB, DIS, SQ, PYPL ROKU, all ARK etfs, PLTR, OPEN, SUBZ, BETZ, MGM. +as the title suggests what are you buying? What stocks are the biggest discount right now? Whats been on your list forever and you are ready to buy finally? + +For me this is what in buying SMH, U, PRLB, CRSP, PACB, BNGO, QQQJ. And ill be averaging down on Z, SQ, PYPL, ROKU. + +Open for some stocks yall recommend always looking to add more to my list. + +Bonus points if you actually explain why... + +Current positions- Z, ABNB, DIS, SQ, PYPL ROKU, all ARK etfs, PLTR, OPEN, SUBZ, BETZ, MGM. +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +So first things first. I'm healthy, my family is healthy, I'm still employed, and I could retire tomorrow. So I recognize that my question concerns a very, very first-World problem. With that disclaimer, here is my question: how did you handle the psychological impact of the coronavirus market crash? + +Me first. I'm 50ish and have ground it out for decades. I have no interest in RE but am very driven and disciplined regarding FI. I have 3 accounts (an indexed retirement account, a buy and hold retirement account, and a taxable account that generates dividends and in which I trade a little). This winter, I finally hit my FI number!!! It was such a satisfying feeling to know that all the hard work had paid off. + +After living through 2 market crashes I thought I was mentally prepared for anything, including another market crash. We all know they can happen. I never freaked out in 2001 and 2008. I remember my grandparents riding out 1987 and they were freaking unfazed. But when coronavirus hit the market and I lost 30+% of my net worth in less than 2 weeks it really shook me up. I was very stressed and unable to stay objective. I would describe my reaction in my taxable account as "paralyzed." I made a bad sale to raise cash--literally, as I was doing it I was telling myself this is a bad move yet I did it anyway--yet failed to pare back my overweight energy position which would have been smart, crash or no crash. + +I think, from a psychological stand point, I handled the market crash really poorly. I don't mean that I should have been able to time the market and make omniscient trades. But I should have been able to remain objective rather than panicking. I'm curious as to whether others handled it better or worse than I did. I'm not interested in any strategies to diversify, profit, passive vs active trading, etc. The only thing I am curious about is how did you feel emotionally and did you react as you expected you would react to a market crash? + +EDIT: I think at least 2 of the reasons I handled this poorly were (a) that it was a pandemic rather than "just" a financial crisis; and (b) that I had more to lose and a shorter time frame for recovery. In 2001 and 2008 the only thing I was worried about was financial loss. I analyzed the numbers and made my decisions. In 2001 I let it ride. In 2008 I shorted oil big time (I had a lot of direct energy investments and this was a hedge I literally had to have). This time I was worried about my family's health, having enough cash for a lot of tuition payments, whether my business would fold, my health, and everything else that goes with a pandemic and I didn't respond well. +I've read some posts online that talk about using Reinforcement learning to predict the price of stocks and make trades to capture profit, but no real data showing if they work or not and how well if so. Curious if anyone has tried this approach to training an agent and if so can you share any results? +Hi yall, I bought some bitcoin a few months back because my friend told me how it was the future and I needed to buy them. + +It’s not working out how I thought it would at all. + +How do I go about getting a refund. It was quiet an expensive purchase so I’d like to get my money back. + +I have a few other coins I would like to get refunds on, the one with the dogs on them doggy coin and shib in you coin. + +I have asked all around the local shops in town but no one seems to know anything about them. I have tried phoning my friend that told me to buy them but his phone must be broken because when he answers he can’t hear me. + + +Thanks in advance +Hello everyone, +I had some stocks and options in the German broker Trade Republic. I had been living in Germany for 4 years but I am not an EU citizen. Now I moved permanently to the UK this month so I need to change my address and number on the app but I was wondering if there will be any restrictions about my investment now. +It would be fine to not be able to buy anymore but I don't want to be forced to sell everything now. Does anybody have any information about this? Thanks! +My wife and I pulled the plug recently. We weren't expecting life to magically become better, but not much has really changed. We now have more time on our hands than we know what to do with. We've started traveling. We're finding it difficult to integrate socially because people are always surprised to learn that we're retired so young. It's becoming boring to repeat answers to the same questions over and over so we've learned to try not to bring it up. People keep asking what our aspirations are, and, well, we don't have any anymore. Not that I found any purpose in my work before, but without work there isn't any drive or "purpose" to wake up in the morning. We're still trying to figure out what our hobbies are. + +For those who've retired early, what did you start doing to find life fulfillment? For those still on the FIRE path, what are you planning to do after reaching your goal? +First off, GREAT movie. Every finance guy should see it. Entertaining and educational at the same time. + +Forgive me for asking an inexperienced question, but what's to stop someone from shorting the student loan bubble? Isn't it inevitable? Would the returns be the same? + +I can't be the only one thinking this. Figured I'd ask y'all and get your thoughts. + +Thanks and Merry Christmas Eve/Day +I assume this service exists, but haven't had much luck finding it. I'd love for someone to get to know me and my family well enough to anticipate (some of) our needs and proactively suggest things to do, places to go, stuff to try, timesavers, etc. We're growing tires of eating, doing, seeing, going to the same old places but don't have time to find alternatives. I know this exists in the travel industry (e.g. Virtuoso), but what about at home? + +Examples: + +1. \[some band/show\] is in town, you might like them. Should I book you tickets? +2. \[restaurant\] just opened/is similar to others you like. When would you like to go? +3. \[whoever's\] birthday is coming up. Here's some card and gift ideas. Let me know which to order. +4. \[Company\] just released a new \[thing\] that you love. Do you want it? +5. It's time to service your car. Can I have \[person\] pick it up tomorrow? +6. You may want to take the kids to \_\_\_\_\_. Here are the options. +7. Nanny is on vacation next month, I contacted the agency to book a temp replacement. Here are your options. + +My experience with personal assistants is that they are great at doing the things they are told, but don't necessarily have the personal knowledge (our likes/needs) or bandwidth to be proactive in the ways I am describing. + +I don't think my needs warrant a full-time person, but I wouldn't be completely opposed. Does this service exist? +I work for a large financial company. We are large. And people always ask "can you help me get a job at MyCompany?" As an entry-level, non-manager employee I have a little influence over who is hiring and very limited knowledge of all the groups and their job postings out there. I'm one of 25,000 employees in 1 department out of literally 100s. But I can still help you in the job you're interested in. + +We have a wonderful referral program (as do many companies). If you go on to the job site, see a position you qualify for, and are reliable then there's no problem referring you to a different application link for that specific position. Every job has a code and all we need is that code. Can't promise an interview but they do put a different consideration on the application when being referred. That's how I can help. A lot of large companies work this way. + +Ether had traded between about $7 and $20 for at least a year and then shoots up to $200. Why did it go this high? Because people wanted to buy and buy quickly, out of fear of missing out. The media started talking: "it's the new Bitcoin, and look at all these huge companies joining the alliance." That seemed to give Ethereum credibility and the price credibility. I even received a call from my money-hungry friend about it and how it was the new thing. He knows nothing of the technology but learned of the price from cnbc two days ago. He doesn't know how far away it is from actually being useful on a large scale. But he did see that it had increased 2000% and greed took him and he started buying at $185. The truth is, Ethereum needs a lot of time before it is actually worth something. Speculation will drive the price higher, but there is a lot of risk in this system. It is far from a sure thing. Scaling might not work. POS might not work or be beneficial. + Rootstock might frankly be the better choice for smart contracts. People see their money grow though and think the price will never fall, but those of us who experienced Bitcoin's rise and fall and rise and fall and rise and fall knew better. This likely isn't the end of the drop. +**1.** **ZACKS** + +**TLDR** + +* They make a ton of recommendations. Many products underperform the market +* Their annual Top 10 list did great in 2021 but not 2022, but you pay for it at $3600 per year. You can get a base subscription for $249/yr for just the stock screeners which is reasonable, though many are baked into Fidelity’s platform for free. +* Their stock screeners are great for finding stocks, especially the VGM and Zacks Rank #1 screener. But to do it right, you need to spend 5hrs a week on it seeing what’s new. + +Zacks offers a couple dozen different lines of stock picking services plus a few dozen different stock screens. It’s quite overwhelming actually, but also a bit addictive to pour through them to find some good stocks. I found most of their services don’t outperform the market or have so many stocks in them it would be a full-time job to buy and manage them. + +For most of the screeners, the time it takes to vet them and look at each of the 50 plus stocks in each is too much of a time commitment, but looking at the first few in the list gives some ideas of what is working.I started just looking at the recent additions to see if there were secular trends and that helped. + +I tried out some of their healthcare picks with mild success: I was going to share the names but the bots on here blocked them because they are under 300M market cap. One was bought out for 40% over purchase price. One went up 6X. Two fizzled down -70%. If you want the names DM me. + +I did OK using the value, growth, and momentum stock screener but I really had to spend a lot of time separating out the good ones and figuring out what was recently added, which they don’t tell you. If you get them too late, the move has already occurred and you will likely see the stock correct quickly. + +A few gems I traded from their list around March of 2021 included SEM (health clinics), DAC (container shipping), BERY (financial), and MT (steel). My target was +100% for each and I made that within a year of buying for each. I bought options. HOLX was an exception. I lost -15% on that pick, though it was mostly due to the fact it soared high from COVID revenues and then sold off quickly as the vaccines rolled out. It’s since back to slightly above the purchase price. + +**Zacks Top 10 Stocks of 2021 -** their premium offering and associated returns. I did not buy all of these - only SPSC and PWR. But I did track them all in a watchlist. + +* **Percent Winner Rate: 90%** +* **Avg return: 48%** +* **SPY Return: 30%** + +AIMC (transmissions) 2021 +Return: -6% +Return To date: - 23% + +SPSC (supply chain mgmt solutions) +2021 Return: +31% +Return to Date: +15% + +APTV (vehicle parts) +2021 Return: +28% +Return to Date: -15% + +PWR (energy generation consulting services) +2021 Return: +64% +Return to Date: +107% + +IAA (online vehicle sales) +2021 Return: +46% +Return to Date: -41% + +WSC (storage units) +2021 Return: +72% +Return to Date: +84% + +Macy’s (clothing retailer) +2021 Return: +144% +Return to Date: +76% + +GDDY (domain registration) +2021 Return: +3% +Return to Date: 0% + +ZBRA (tech, sensors) +2021 Return: +54% +Return to Date: -7% + +ULTA (beauty stores) +2021 Return: +46% +Return to Date: +38% + +**For 2022’s top 10 stocks,** the advice has not been quite so good, but the year isn’t over yet. I didn’t buy any this year because I was short on the market, but I have been tracking the performance to see if they can match what they did last year. So far, not so good. + +* **Percent Up Since Rec: 20%** +* **Avg Return of Rec: -8.8%** +* **SPY Return: -10.3% as of time I drafted** + +&#x200B; + +**2. LEVELFIELDS** + +**TLDR**: + +* Event-driven alerts work and I like that the success rate is visible on the website +* There are a lot of alerts you can subscribe to, so it’s best to choose one of their lower volume, higher performing strategies to avoid opportunity overload +* It’s good at finding high shorter term returns with high success rates +* For the biggest companies (AAPL, TSLA, etc), my news alerts arrived faster. For those under 100B market cap, it's very helpful. +* Price is 228/yr but their emails of a big update seem to be hinting a hike is coming soon + +**Winning Percent: 79%** + +**Avg Return/Trade: 23%** + +I’ve been using an event-driven research system called LevelFields for about a year now. It was a little rough around the edges in the early days but has gotten much better over time. It’s good at identifying news events early that drive stock prices up and down, often from direct announcements from companies. It shows stock patterns following events, which is cool, especially for the negative events so you can see how far the stock will probably fall. + +They effectively filter the noise out of the news and just focus on a couple dozen event types that really shake stock prices: hedge fund investor moves, layoffs, shorts, FDA approvals, leadership changes, Amazon new product launches, and a couple dozen other types. Unlike the technical pattern alert systems out there I’ve seen, it focuses on real news, which I like, as I feel pattern trading is often a lot like staring at clouds and making shapes out of them in your mind. + +For the big companies everyone watches, they don’t beat news alerts. But for the bulk of the companies you’ve never heard of or have forgotten about, it flags a lot of opportunities and companies on the rise. + +Most of the time I trade with the information. Sometimes I use it to find stocks for longer term plays. Like Zacks, they put out a lot of opportunities so any analysis here is going to be biased by what I’m choosing to act on. But they publish the success rate and show all past alerts so the past performance is embedded in the platform under each strategy, which is nice. + +The winning rates for their strategies range from a high of 90% to a low of 50%, with most in the 70% range. You can alter the outcomes by adjusting the filters for the types of stocks. I don’t like to buy commodities and microcaps generally, as the prices fluctuate too much on factors beyond the company’s control, so I filter those out. + +Lately, I’ve been trading on their layoffs scenario, which tracks companies firing people. If you filter for just expensive stocks that are firing people to grow earnings, you can get to 80% accuracy in price prediction. I’ve noticed some events cause the share prices to pop right away, so I often wait for the first selloff before entering the trade. + +**Here are the alerts I opted to act on and how they turned out**. I’m noting hold times since it’s not a buy and hold forever system though I supposed you could for some stocks. + +10.21.21 - Qualcomm. Return: stock rose +50% in 1 month. Traded options for +300% gain. +11.11.21 - Northern Gas (NOG). Return: +45%. I held for 5 months. +12.9.21 - CVS. return: +60% in 1 month (options) +11.18.21 - BLDR. Return: +67% in 4 days (options) +12.04.21 Signature Bank SBNY. Return: +16% in 1 month. I then traded a couple more times on it as it was doing well until the Crypto crash. It holds a lot of staked Bitcoin. + +12.6.21 Silicon Motion (SIMO). +25% in 2 months. Still like this semi and will buy back. They do memory chips and had been killing it. It was hard to find a cheap semi at one point but this one always traded at a reasonable p/e. + +12.9.21 Labcorp (LH): +8% in 1 month but I held it too long and exited down -10% due to covid rates dwindling and testing volumes decreasing + +12.15.21 - Broadcom (AVGO). Return: 0% Sold off when war started. +2.3.22 - Quest (DGX). Return: +50% in 1 month via option trade +2.15.22 - Upstart (UPST): Return: +30% on options in 1 week. I had owned this stock already and was trading it off and on for about a year.. + +2.17.22 Blocked by mod bots from showing: +50% in 2 days +2.24.22 - ALSN (Allison Transmission ). Return: +8% in 1 month +3.11.22 - Applied Materials (AMAT). Return: +4% in a week. +3.17.22 - Lockheed Martin (LMT): Return: +70% in 3 weeks (option trade on news Germany was buying planes) + +3.17.22 - CMC Steel. Return: +10% in 1 month + +3.31.22 - LGVN. Return: +20% in 1 day. +5.9.22 - TWTR. Return +100% on puts in 1 mo. This was the “Elon will back out” trade a big hedge fund was betting on, so I joined them. A short would’ve worked too. + +5.24.22 - Digital Ocean (DOCN): Returns TBD. Up 8% on equity but I’m selling covered calls for an extra 20% annually. I really like this company. It’s like a mini AWS that is more cost effective for small businesses. + +6.15.22 - Space company. +50% in two days + +6.24.22 - Digital Turbine (APPS). +31% in 2 months. I think this was mostly luck given the timing of the bear market rally. + +6.28.22 - Alibaba (BABA). -30% on options in 3 weeks. Can’t seem to get a break on BABA. + +7.14.22 - Pinterest (PINS). +30% on hedge fund moves + +7.27.22 - Mining company. return: -10% on option puts. Still puzzled why the stock is up. + +7.28.22 +4% and holding. They are one of the only medicines for monkeypox. +8.12.22 - Peloton (PTON). +10% in a day on its layoff news + +8.15.22 -3%. It makes solar cells in China and is growing revenues by triple digits. + +&#x200B; + +**3. THE FOOL** + +I resisted trying out the Fool for years because they wrote so many articles and ads touting their stock picks that I assumed they had to be full of it. But, when I had enough money in the account, I decided to try it out and see if they maybe could save me some time finding stocks early or if they were the cause of certain pump and dumps I was watching. + +&#x200B; + +**TLDR**: + +* They pick good, overvalued growth stocks but they don’t try to time the market at all because they want 5 year hold times, which can lead to big drawdowns while you wait +* I would’ve lost a fortune had I taken much of their advice. However, if you have a decade long time horizon and can stomach 75% pullbacks, the stocks they recommend will probably come out ahead +* They repurpose recommendations from different subscription tiers, often using lower tier recs to increase the returns of higher level subscriptions +* They make a lot of recommendations. It’s time consuming to keep up. +* Big range of prices from $100/yr to $5,000/yr and they upsell a lot + +They had a lot of subscription options to choose from that range from a hundred bucks or so a year to $5K per year. I signed up for a few of them, including their stock advisor, IPO one, and cloud innovators and small caps service. I should note that the lists they provide overlap enormously, so they clearly repurpose their recommendations and charge you more to get the same recs again and again. + +For the cloud services recommendations, I found they generally picked out solid growth companies (DOCN, DOCU, ESTC,etc) but too late, after the stocks were already richly valued. So I traded them instead of buying them. Below are the email recommendations they sent out I saved. + +**12/17/21 Buy Recommendations W/Subsequent Performance Since Then** + +Intel (INTC): -29% + +JFrog (FROG): -17% + +Procore (PCOR): -18% + +**12/14/21 Recommendations W/Subsequent Performance Since Then** + +Sell Cloudflare (NET). Return since: -41% + +Buy Autodesk (ADSK). Return since: -11.5% + +Buy Crowdstrike (CRWD). Return since: +1.12% + +Buy Docusign (DOCU). Return since: -52% + +Buy Ncino (NCNO). Return since: -35% + +Buy Twilio (TWLO). Return since:-66% + +Buy Zoom (ZM). Return since: -40% + +**I Tracked Every investment from their Small Caps Playbook List from January 2021. Here are their returns since then.** + +* **Percent Winners: 33%** +* **Avg return per rec: -25%** + +1. Redacted by mods -88% +2. Redacted by mods: +7% +3. Camping World (CWH): +20% +4. Flugenics (FLGT): 0% +5. Ad company (blocked by mods): -68% +6. Inspire Medical Systems: +14% +7. Blocked by mods: -34% +8. NCino: -48% +9. Blocked by mods: 0% + +I kept emails of other recommendations, though I admit this list is not complete since they only sent emails containing the rec half the time. The rest of the time they send you to their website to watch a 30-minute webinar of their picks in the middle of the work day, which was strange to me and defeated my purpose of saving time digging through stock screeners. I tracked from the next day’s opening price. + +**StockAdvisor** + +2.3.22 Buy ABNB. Return Since: -17% + +1.6.22 Buy Confluent CFLT: Return since: -59% + +12.20.21 Sell Healthequity. Return since: +38% + +12.20.21 Sell Biotech company (blocked by mods). Return since: -69% + +12.20.21 Sell Grand Canyon Education. Return since: +1% + +12.20.21 Sell Markel. Return since: +3.34% + +12.20.21 Sell Ollie’s. Return since: +41% + +12.16.21 Buy ROKU: Return since: -72% + +12.2.21 Buy DOCN: Return since: -48% + +10.7.21 Buy SHOP. Return Since: -70% + +10.7.21 BUY DOCN: Return since: -42% + +9.23.21 Buy UPST. Return since: -90% + +**IPO Trailblazer:** + +1.31.22 Buy Digital Ocean (DOCN). Return since: -20% + +1.31.22 Buy Confluent (CFLT). Return since: -51% + +1.31.22 Buy Roblox (RBLX). Return since: -25% + +1.31.22 Buy Docebo (DCBO). Return since: -36% + +&#x200B; + +**4. INVESTORS PLACE** + +**TLDR:** + +* Mostly recommend long-term, long shot stocks +* Best recommendations are free. Most paid recommendations are mediocre at best +* News is wrong sometimes +* They are good at spotting long-term trends in where the new money is flowing to, e.g. thematic investing (online gambling, EVs, rare minerals, etc). I derived value from seeing companies linked to these trends I may not have heard of otherwise. + +They make an obscene amount of recommendations across their blog and have many subsidiary newsletter services and promotional picks, so my tracking here is admittedly biased, as I only tracked what I ended up buying. Like Fool, they have a very long investing horizon and may end up being right…years from now. They make recommendations based on thematic trends, e.g. EVs, cybersecurity, etc. However, they also push recommendations based on events or news. + +I signed up for Matt McCall’s Investment Opportunities and followed their website recommendations. The newsletter divided up stock recommendations along long-term thematic investing trends like AI, 5G, EVs, online gambling, precious metals, crypto, data analytics, etc). + +Their basic principal is long-term investing along big emerging trends. There were about 50 stocks or so in the portfolio at any given time, but since they do long-term investing, many had been in there for years and they offered no advice on how to enter a trade they had entered 4 years ago. So I never did. + +Here are the ones they recommended as buys that I actually bought: + +**Pct of Recommendations Up: 27%** + +**AVG Return**: Not able to calculate this since I didn’t take advice to hold long term for most + +EV Maker. Return: -100% + +I purchased some call options in this EV company (name blocked by mods) because they made an announcement the company was a shoe-in to get an $8B EV supplier contract with the U.S. Postal Service. They claimed there were no other competitors that made EVs and therefore this would be a game changer for the company. I didn’t do my own due diligence, stupidly. A few weeks later, the award went to Oshkash, a defense contractor most known for making military vehicles. Oshkash[ partnered](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36826291/ford-supplier-usps-postal-truck/) with Ford on the contract to make the EVs. I lost 100% of my call options on this poorly sourced news piece. + +7.15.21. Buy SWBI. Smith and Wesson: -40% since then. I sold it when there was a pop for breakeven returns after a shooting, which triggered an increase in price, sadly. + +1.4.21 Buy Chinese Pharma. Return: -48% + +The return here has not been good as of late but it was up and I’m holding anyway as this company is the gatekeeper for a lot of large Pharmaceutical companies (Novartis, AstraZeneca, Amgen) to get into the Chinese market. In my view, it was a good recommendation and was largely up until recently. + +1.21.21. BUY (Block by mod bots): Return: +100% or 0% Correctly predicted the stock would double. It did, then gave up 100% of its gains. Glad I sold it when it doubled. + +1.22.21 Buy ad company (blocked by mods). Return: -76%. My stop loss triggered at -12%. + +2.1.21 Blocked by mod bots (rare earth minerals company). Return: +32% This was a good pick. I actually bought on the rec and made about 50% from trading options and selling covered calls. I would not have known about this stock without them. I plan to buy it back at 25. They are one of the few providers of the rare earth minerals in every electronic outside of China. + +2.4.21 Buy ACAD - Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Return: -71%. Their report cited 30% revenue growth and a robust pipeline of drugs. Revenue is around 17% growth now. At one point it had doubled in value. I’m still holding. My lesson learned: trade biotechs, don’t hold them. + +2.5.21 Buy REDACTED BY MODS. Return: -60% + +Straight downhill since the recommendation. Touted as a cutting edge AI/Machine learning data analytics company I bought 100 shares. Revenues are up 50% y/y but I sold it in February 2022 for a -20% loss. + +2.10.21 Buy rare earth minerals company. Return: +69% + +Another good pick in a sector I knew nothing about prior to their recommendation. I have since sold it but was up +60% when I closed out. I will buy it again at some point when commodity prices have cooled. + +Feb 2021 Buy ILMN (Illumina - genetics company). Return since: -49% They pushed this stock hard and it tanked after each[ recommendation](https://investorplace.com/2021/08/ilmn-stock-will-be-unstoppable-once-the-grail-acquisition-gets-approved/), which made me believe it was a pump and dump job. I traded options on this one and cut losses -28%. + +2.19.21. Buy (blocked by mod bots) Return: -94% Thankfully stop lossed this one at -7%. + +Feb 26 2021 Buy FTCH (Farfetch 2nd hand clothing): Return: -85% I traded options on this one, using their[ recommendation](https://investorplace.com/hypergrowthinvesting/2021/02/farfetch-stock-buy-the-dip-in-ftch/) as the pump I dumped and made 20%. + +2.5.21. Buy (Blocked by mod bots). Return: -72%. Still holding. They offer sports gambling online and were growing revenues 75% y/ but it’s slowed to 16% growth. + +2.10.21 Buy online gambling co (blocked by mods). Return: -15%. Bought this one as the online gambling is doing well. We shall see. + +12.17.21 Buy NIO. Return since: -55%. I traded a few options on it but generally think EVs are overvalued and risky given the huge capital expenditures and exposure to macroeconomic issues. I ended up a few percent as I sold after an initial bump. + +Note: Wrote this a week ago and much of the recs I couldn't put in because of the mods banning discussion of them + +Credit: [https://www.reddit.com/r/stocks/comments/x1fjlg/i\_tried\_4\_paid\_services\_for\_stock\_selection\_here/](https://www.reddit.com/r/stocks/comments/x1fjlg/i_tried_4_paid_services_for_stock_selection_here/) +I’m a 31yo male. Have grinded like fuck for 5 years and currently have $2.8m in cash + $2m house through profits from my production company. No debt. + +The production company will be on track for $10m in annual revenue by next year. It should generate between $3m-$3.5m in profit. I own half the company, so that’s $1.5m-1.75m per year before tax. I am confident we can grow the company between 10-20% annually for the next 2-3 years. + +This might all sound great, but I am really conflicted on a number of issues and am at a bit of a crossroads in my life: + +\- Tech Envy: this will sound shallow but screw it. I am extremely envious of some of the multiples that tech entrepreneurs get. I’ve watched two people ‘professionally-close’ to me found unicorns, and there are times where I honestly feel dumb that I’m doing the same thing that I was a few years ago, and they’ve gone and 10x’d their wealth by virtue of just being in a higher-leverage game. I know it’s all funny money until their company is either acquired or taken public, but it’s still something I feel insecure about for some reason. I think it has something to do with this next point: + +\- Little Leverage: professional services are really tough to scale. We have to ‘bake the bread’ for each new client, and whilst I like the work, there’s a lot of moving parts. By comparison, I feel like the compounding advantages that tech companies get are magical. I see leverage almost like forbidden fruit. Once you become aware of how it works, it’s incredibly difficult to resist the temptation to pursue it. It becomes a force multiplier on your time, effort and life's work. + +\- Time-poor: I have very little free time. 11-12hr work days are normal. + +I am at a crossroads: do I sell my production company (what i am good at + what i studied in college) so I have the freedom to take a shot at building a tech company and be 100% locked in on that? + +If it was you, would you block out the noise and make the next 5-10 years about cashflow? Or would you swing for the fences with a VC-backed startup? + +P.s - I know there is an in-between if I put in CEO/operator to run the company, and have considered this. That said, I am a very 'all-in' type person. I prefer laser focus, and I don't really like being spread across multiple businesses or projects at the same time. +Another horrible experience with them. Dragged on for months, gave me excuses on they couldn’t reach me for documents while both app and the initial sales rep had no problem getting hold of me before I fork over $500 app fee. + +Then they proceed to invalid my condo unit based on going litigation which has been indemnified by management office as being resolved. They refused to refund my application fee. They are just a genpop mass market machine, milking both applicants regardless of their eligibility +I have a Masters degree in Social Work which I have around $42k in student loans for (luckily had a full ride to undergrad) and have about $6k in credit card debt. My goal is to pay off my card with my highest APR first, then second card, then tackle the loans. Just started a new job where my income is laughably $42k, after taxes I’m taking home a little over $3k a month. + +Between my rent ($1300 monthly, literally half my paycheck), utilities, internet, car insurance, health insurance (almost out of my 90 days and can’t believe how expensive health insurance is), minimum credit card payments and eventual student loans payments that start up in January, and groceries/gas…I feel like I’ll never be able to be anything other than stay afloat. + + +I am very frugal, rarely go out, don’t try to buy anything expensive, always buy used, I don’t even have savings because anything extra I put towards my credit card. To top it off I’m almost 3 months pregnant and that adds so much more financial fear. I am very lucky I have a partner who is working overtime right now to pay off his loans and save up. But I’m just feeling so jaded by life right now and the fact that I’m making pennies when I have a Master’s and the job I found actually pays better than most others based on my experience. Will I ever get ahead? + +Edit: I appreciate all of the comments suggesting I look for a different job. I’m working as a mental health therapist toward my LCSW so I’ll have more opportunities when I reach that. But I have barely enough energy for my current job, I could not handle a second job or side hustle. So I would consider a different job but the one I have now has been the best I could get as I just graduated and have little interest in other areas like working in a hospital. +We're super excited to be partnering with Vested Finance to simplify tax on US investments. After our last session with Vested, we were absolutely overwhelmed by how many people enjoyed the session and found it useful. + +Now we're back for more! + +We've got some very cool content prepared and will also do a **Q&A session** at the end. + +We're going to cover the following: + +1. Taxation rules for Indians on US investing (capital gains, dividend, interest) +2. Reporting requirements while filing Income tax return (Schedule FA, FSI, TR, Form 67, etc). +3. Case studies and examples +4. Using Vested's reports for tax filing +5. .. and more :) + +Date: **9 October 2021, Saturday** + +Time: **5:00 pm (IST)** + +Over **1,000 people** signed up last time. If you missed out last time, don't miss out on this session! + +&#x200B; + +Registration link: [https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN\_G8ATK6Z1SKuUN2wimKxaQA](https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G8ATK6Z1SKuUN2wimKxaQA) + +&#x200B; + +**Note:** Registration is free :) + +If you've been holding back on US investing because you don't understand the tax implications, this might be helpful. As always, we've tried to avoid all the tax mumbo jumbo and simplified things so everyone can understand. It's gonna be simple, crisp and to the point - we've cut out everything that is unnecessary ;) + +Our teams answered over 100 queries during the webinar last time. Come join us and ask your questions! + +If you're looking to start investing in US markets, curious to learn more or just want to meet the team behind Galactic Advisors, come join us this **Saturday**! + +&#x200B; + +P.s. - Session will be recorded and available for viewing later if you register on the link above. Only downside is you'll miss the energy of the live session and the Q&A session. +**TLDR:** GME likely to be very volatile next week around $30, $35, $39-$40 especially. 39/40 pass would force about 5m shares of net-buying by MMs, while passing through 30 is about 4.5m shares of additional selling. 36/37 and 31/32/33/34 are more stable. If price shoots up into the mid 50s 🚀🚀🚀🚀 , definitely duck for cover Friday. Margin changes are actually bearish. Consider being on a brokerage that pays to loan your shares to shorts if long, because it's very profitable. Shorts can be squeezed, but so too can longs who use call options, and shorts who use put options. + +Important note: The massive melt-up we had this week was a GAMMA SQUEEZE. Options market makers had to buy about 30m shares (or cover short shares, thanks Melvin Capital, then buy) while going on that run from 20 to 40 to hedge their positions. That as you know is more than half the float. My belief is that gamma effects will continue to be a big deal - but less of a big deal than last week because we have less options near the money now. **Ironically, Melvin Capital made this melt-up far stronger, contributing 5m shares of forced buying in a rapid spike at $24/$25.** + +**Details:** + +I’ve seen a lot of discussions about GME over the past week that are missing important bull and bear elements in the thesis. This sub is so incredibly bullish 🚀🚀🚀🚀 that unsurprisingly, there’s more missing bear arguments than bull, and bearish information is sometimes perceived as bullish (such as the margin requirement increases, which I feel are net-bearish). But there's also missing bull information, namely that more new gamma ramps exist high than low it appears, and they appear pretty large. + +I previously posted about some option dynamics last week, that seem to have played out to an extent. I actually lost money on my puts because the expressed vol was less than I thought, and Friday ended up playing out in a basically neutral way from a bull/bear perspective with a mere 10% drawdown. That post is here. I correct predicted the outcome, but didn’t predict the magnitude well enough and thus my trade sucked: + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/kxb7dy/analysis\_of\_massive\_potential\_gme\_forced\_selling/](https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/kxb7dy/analysis_of_massive_potential_gme_forced_selling/) + +In this new post, I’ll cover what I know about current option structure (and will update once updated data for Friday comes out), and the implications (TLDR: Mostly, expect vol around multiples of 5 in stock price), as well as other trading dynamic topics that I think are misunderstood or rarely spoken of. + +I’m not going to talk about my opinion of the value of the stock or the turn-around plan. I’m actually in what is a modest put position for me at the moment (jan 22 $38 puts x 80), but I fully acknowledge this could go to the moon 🚀🚀🚀🚀 next week and I'll feel like a miniature Melvin capital (though shorting at $38 is a lot smarter than at $17) and probably deserve it in that case. + +**Current Option Structure:** + +I will update this as new data gets in, but you can see big concentrations of options at 30, 35, 39/40 and 45. There isn’t open interest data for Friday, but volume suggests there are further ramps at 50/55/60, but they are probably smaller than the 39/40 and 30 ramps. Normally, dealers are going to be long calls (from people selling covered calls) and short puts (From people buying protection). On GME I think we all know it’s short calls and short puts, since people are buying tons of calls from them, and also speculating with puts. As such, dealers are extremely short gamma, and that means that prices accelerate from dealer activity greatly. When the stock sells, the dealers have to dump stock (or short it). When the stock goes up, dealers have to buy. **I believe that the Wednesday melt-up was as much a short squeeze as a gamma squeeze, as the price moved over a bunch of OTM options, forcing dealers to buy as much as a bit more than 1/2 of the total float of the company to hedge! Further evidence of this is that the stock went parabolic but then stopped being parabolic once past the peak option strike available on Wednesday - $40. Without the dealer lift, the rally slowed a lot.** This is why I think it looks as much like gamma squeeze as short squeeze. It’s also why gamma positions this week are important, but they are smaller than what was available going from 20 to 40. + +These patterns are most sharp at these large concentrations of strike prices, so the stock can jump from 39 to 41 a lot easier than from 36 to 38 as an example. On average, it’s about $1m of stock bought/sold by dealers per percent change. To put in context, there was a jump Friday where about 250k shares got bought and moved the price 5%. That means that if accurate, dealer activity might have been up to half in that flash. **We don’t yet have the Friday data, but there was a lot of Friday volume. This amplification may be greater next week. This week had a gamma event on Wednesday, after which there were a ton of ITM WSB calls and OOM Melvin puts that don’t have gamma, and thus the price de-volatilized somewhat. But we may now be in a situation with a lot of near the money options, which means we could see very large gamma squeezes up or down again.** + +Here’s the structure, I’ll update once there is Friday OI data available. This chart assumes that calls are positive gamma – they will all be negative gamma in this case, so predict accordingly. + +[https://imgur.com/a/czrKy6X](https://imgur.com/a/czrKy6X) + +Also worth mentioning is the expirations next week. Here’s the current structure for next week, using Thursday data, which I’ll update once I get Friday data: + +[https://imgur.com/a/4wKTspB](https://imgur.com/a/4wKTspB) + +This is a lot less bearish than the Friday we just had, but again, I’ll update once I get the data. It’s still a net sell on Friday as those option positions get cleared out (people sell to realize, and then buy other things in general), but more like under 1/10th of float vs the 1/3 of float we were staring at this Friday. Unless people piled into ITM calls Friday, which I find highly unlikely. As such, the downwards force this coming Friday, if this Friday was -10%, is more like -2 or -3% in a vacuum. However, the higher the prices go into Friday, the more selling this in turn causes Friday, so in a world where we end at $55 on Thursday, I'd definitely not go into Friday long as this forced selling increases. + +My sense out of all of this is: + +\- The current gamma structure provides more ramps up than down from $35, but there are strong ramps in either direction. BUT, the volume suggests a lot of new put positions were established. On net – volatility up, not bearish or bullish. You could maybe argue very slightly bullish I guess. + +\- There is some forced selling this coming Friday, but if that was the driving force yesterday, it would be a -3% or -2% not a -10%. Slightly bearish. Can change based on price. + +\- If the stock moons this week, I would encourage you to approach Friday with care, and a more bearish or defensive mentality, even if fundamentally bullish. Similarly, if we are in the 20s, there are situations where friday eventually becomes forced buying from a ton of short term puts printing, and a bear would not want to be short into Friday. + +\- A LOT of capital went into OOM puts and calls this week targeting the week after. If the stock is not volatile, a lot of speculators bleed out on both sides. And those numbers may update my assessments above one way or another. + +**Margin Changes** + +There was a lot of talk about how various brokerages have increased margin requirements on GME stock. Some set to 100% (Schwab), others set up a bit (TDA from 70% to 75%), others rumored to be planning but haven’t (IBKR). The reaction of the sub is that this is bullish. It’s actually bearish, albeit slightly. + +The reason is that most of the shorts, in my opinion, are institutional. Retail will typically short with OOM puts which don’t cause much actual selling to hedge. Institutions short GME are going to have that in a giant account with a ton of other assets, so changes on margin placed on them, if indeed that happened, wont margin call them except in scenarios where GME goes up 20x in a day or something. + +On the other hand, if you are a retail trader where half or all of your positions are GME, this margin change does effect you, especially if you were out on margin, and it makes it harder to buy more shares. I don’t think many retail traders are directly short the stock. Anyone want to raise their hand and admit they are 50%+ GME and on margin to do it? + +Also, consider the context -retail brokerages just did this on the back of everyone here buying shares long. That to me suggests they are looking at customer accounts, seeing some over-extension, worrying about it, and setting the rule to prevent themselves being burned. Some of you have a net worth of mostly GME in your levered account. If that gets squeezed down and a liquidation is forced those brokerages won’t be seeing the money. + +So, I think the margin changes are a bit bearish, but not hugely so. I would also urge you bulls to not set yourself up to be squeezed, which is my next point. + +**Squeezes and Short Interest** + +It’s true that this stock has high short interest. There’s contradictory evidence as to if the shorts went up this week or went down. IBKR share availability suggests it may have went down, other sources suggest up, and I'll update once we have solid post-Friday data that someone posts. However, just because the short interest is high, doesn’t mean that it can be squeezed easily from here – Wednesday I think was that squeeze. A lot of the old shorts may have covered then, and we may be looking at new shorts. It’s also possible that these institutional shorts hedged with previously deep oom call options and ironically further helped create the melt up, but didn’t take losses after a certain point. It is worth noting though that MMs engaging in 30m shares of buying (Some of which was short covering) only doubled the stock - and they are now long stock and will loan it out to short sellers all day. + +Additionally, while GME longs here on stock are not squeezable if not on margin, those of you on OOM call options ARE squeezable, and those of you on ITM options are in a sense even more squeezable. OOM call options decay if the stock doesn’t go up, and then the shares dealers bought to hedge the call they sold you get sold back into the pool. ITM options, when sold, do the same but more powerfully – selling a very ITM call option on GME means a dealer immediately goes out and dumps 100 shares of GME on the market. If you in turn buy 100 shares, it’s netural, or if you buy a bunch of NTM calls, you might even cause a net buy. But, those will tend to cause selling if people take money off the table and as time goes on. + +And yes, there are a TON of new put options, and those get squeezed out too. + +So there is a dual squeeze potential here – shorts vs their losses and borrow fees and decaying option positions which cause dealer buying, and longs using margin and longs in call options fighting time and also watching dealers dump their hedged longs. + +One other thing - contrary to what I sometimes read, Melvin Capital was already squeezed, or rather, their dealer was by proxy. Wednesday was that squeeze. They bought a bunch of ITM put options which forced dealers to sell a ton of stock to hedge. When the price shot up, dealers bought into that short they made to hedge the Melvin puts, and now the Melvin puts expired worthless. Melvin can not be squeezed further unless they enter a new short position of some type. They lost 55M on that trade, and they manage 20 billion. They may be back in it at this point, shorting this even harder is within their power... + +Lastly, it has been brought up that some of the GME short, especially those puts lurking at $2 and $1, are hedges by bond holders against bankruptcy, or are hedges by those who sold CDS to bond holders to hedge their short CDS. Those are going to keep accumulating because bankruptcy is possible (though unlikely) in the few year range, and getting those puts now is basically free. But they won't affect the price since they are so far OOM. + +**Uptick Rule** + +Because the stock was down a lot Friday the uptick rule was triggered until eod Tuesday. That means shorts can’t sell at the bid to force down price they can only sell at the ask. In practice this won’t matter a ton since you can still buy puts to make a dealer do this, and my understanding is they aren’t subject to that rule anyway. EDIT - dealers do have to obey this but appear to be net long the stock currently so would not be affected. I thus feel this is very slightly bullish. + +**Yield Enhancement Program** + +A pro tip I have for this sub is – if you intend to hold a ton of long stock that is in high demand by short sellers, you should get paid to lend it to short sellers. That’s how the option dealers make a lot of their money – I’m sure citadel is making a killing holding a ton of GME stock to hedge, and promptly lending it to hedge funds at 30% borrow rate, while having very little risk. + +Many brokerages don’t pay you for lending your shares out, but IBKR does. Right now, if your GME shares are loaned out, you get something like 15% annualized in rebates. WeBull, Fidelity and Schwaab also will do this, but I've not used their programs, and you probably have to ask them to sign up. This doesn’t work if the shares are in margin, they have be fully paid and settled, but it is a substantial extra if you are a long-term believer in the stock, and on other brokerages, they get paid instead of you. If any other brokerages have this feature that are non-institutional, please post and I’ll add. + +It is worth saying that you reduce the cost to short if you do this. I always allow it on my account though because I like the money more and think I’ll beat the shorts eventually anyway. Some money managers never do it so as to not fuel the shorts. But it does pay. + +**A Few Other Thoughts on Shorts** + +Institutions do sometimes hedge large short positions. It is possible that some of the calls held on Wednesday that caused the giant explosion up were hedges for short positions held by hedge funds/family offices and others. The fact we didn't see a lot of selling Friday suggests that at least the near the money ones were mostly NOT held as hedges, otherwise they would've been more monetized. But, it's possible that the short pain is less than thought. We just don't know. + +**Conclusion:** + +I think the major factor here remains simply the desire of this sub to pile new money in. However, it’s hard to maintain this volatility level and ever higher prices for more than a few weeks without additional catalysts because options are getting pricey and decay will set in, and the higher the price, the more money is required to buy a share. + +\- The margin changes, again, are definitely bearish. How bearish? That depends on how many of you guys bought a ton of GME shares on margin and whether or not we gap down Tuesday. I don't think it affects the short interest much. + +\- The option situation is probably net bullish Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, but net bearish Friday (slightly)… but does mean that next week can be insanely volatile + +\- Price moves are easier in the vicinity of $35, $30, $39, $40, and to a lesser extent, $45, $50, $55, $60 due to gamma 'ramps'. + +\- I’ll post new data when I get it. It could change the picture to be more clearly bearish or bullish, not just volatile. I'll try to lay out estimates of how many shares MM hold, and then updated gamma ramps, as well as expected MM position holdings at various price levels at the end of the week. + +**Update 1-19 AM -** My tool hasn't received nasdaq data yet, but eyeballing the chart it's more or less as before. Large gamma ramp at 40 (huge option positions at 39/40). You saw this at open when you guys bid the stock, and MMs had to buy about 5m-6m shares to not be underwater, providing perhaps 2/3 of the initial buys. We then aw a loss of momentum in the gamma dead zone of the 40s. As I said, lifting into the mid to high 40s is a heavy. Bulls, you should not really pay a lot of attention to gyrations from 37-42, up or down, that's just dealers rolling over options. You had a strong start in any case, but that price zone is going to be extremely volatile this week. +I'm not going to pretend to be an expert in options, but I know that the topic has been taboo in this sub... And for no good reason as well. There are safe options strategies that can and should be discussed in our fight for the MOASS. Every path should be sought out. Charles Gradante in the post recently suppressed on Reddit pretty much validates that it was Call options on GME that mooned the price. Go watch it if you haven't... It gives me chills. + +If you want MOASS as bad as I do, you'll seek out all paths to it. Price is extremely low right now which means options are VERY cheap. With the upcoming price action in January (FTDs due), we could very much see a squeeze in January. I know enough about options that you'd want to buy expiration dates after the expected price movement so maybe Feb or March expiration dates might be worth noting. + +I am in no way against DRS... But I'm not against call options either. Heck DFV was all about calls and exercising options when they went in the money. I think it's an absolute shame call options aren't being talked about as openly as it should. I'd like to change that here in this sub. + +Thoughts? +**Introduction** + +For those of you that are living underneath a rock, options represent the contractual right to purchase or sell blocks of 100 shares in the underlying security. Because each option represents 100 shares, they often provide volatile leveraged like returns and are often used by either professional investors as part of a sophisticated investment strategy or by retail ~~gamblers~~ investors as a way to potentially gain massive amounts of money while putting up a relatively small amount. + +In this post, I will walk you through the pricing fundamentals, the Greeks, and common option strategies. Hopefully, by the end of this post, you will stop losing all your money like a bunch of half-wits. Well, you probably still lose money, but at least you can act like a smartass about it. + +**Pricing Fundamentals** + +This section is going to be focused on the fundamentals and theoretical aspects behind what gives an option value. Aka, that boomer shit. + +There are two types of options: American and European. American options give the holder the right to exercise the option at any given time prior to the expiration date (cause freedom, that’s why). These options are the ones you typically buy from your broker. European options on the other hand are fucking gay because they only let you exercise at the expiry date and since none of you cucks ever bought an option from a Europoor before, I will focus solely on American options for this DD post. + +**Value Breakdown** + +Every option, regardless if it’s a chad call or a gay put has two pricing components that justify it’s current market value: the intrinsic value and the speculative value. Let me explain via this equation: + +*Value = Intrinsic + Speculative Value* + +Intrinsic value is how ITM an option is, and the speculative value is the chances of it becoming even more ITM by the time to expiry. For example, assume a call option has a strike of $10 and the current price of the stock is $12. That would mean the intrinsic value is $2. However, the option expires in let’s say 3 months, and is being traded at $3. That would mean the additional 1-dollar difference above the $2 is the speculative value of the option. That $1 represents investors speculating the option will become even more ITM within that three months time frame. + +Taking that logic further we can derive the fundamental value for a call and put option as: + +Call = stock price – strike + speculative + +Put = strike – stock price + speculative + +**Leverage** + +Now that you know that a single option grants you exposure to multiple shares and the returns are therefore leveraged, you might be thinking to yourself oh gosh, I hope there is a way for me to calculate exactly how leveraged this option will be. Don’t worry, there is. You can calculate exactly how leveraged an option is via this equation: + +(Option Delta x Share Price) / Option price + +To give you an illustration, let's assume you buy a long-term SPY call trading at $10 a contract with a delta of 0.5 while SPY is being traded at $340 a share. Putting these numbers into the equation you get the following: + +(0.5 x 340) / 10 = 17. What this means is that this option lets you be leveraged 17:1 on a single call option. So if you put let's say $1,000 into this call or purchase 1 contract, you have a position that is equal to $17,000 on the SPY. + +Given this example, you should now come to realize why options are extremely risky and should not be taken lightly. If there is one thing to take away from this is that you need to be aware of the amount of risk options carry and you need to allocate your capital effectively. + +**Volatility** + +This is the big one. If the market is a casino, then this is the bookie playing around with the odds on the board. So if you want to leave the casino with money and not another man’s dick in your hand, you need to know volatility cold. For options trading, there are two kinds of volatility: realized and unrealized. + +*Realized* + +All you need to know is that realized volatility is the historic price movement of the stock. It is measured as the standard deviation (or deviation from average price) from the average price of a stock in a given time frame. + +*Unrealized Or Implied Volatility* + +This is the most important of the two. To put it in simplest terms, IV is the expected magnitude of a stock’s future price changes expressed as an annual percentage. + +This expected yearly price change can be expressed as the following: + +*1-Year Expected Range = stock price +/- (stock price x IV)* + +What is important with this formula is that it shows the riskier stocks usually have higher IVs which will result in a larger annual expected range. Taking this a step further we can also visualize the expected stock price changes via standard deviations. + +Assuming most of you passed high school, a fair amount of you must be somewhat familiar with the normal distribution graph and the confidence interval *(if not, don't worry about it, I'm going to baby you through this*). We can demonstrate expected stock volatility with a graph of a normal distribution that shows a 1 standard deviation of the price movement of a stock that is trading at $100 with an IV of 25%. In statistics, when we have a standard deviation of 1 we can say that we have a confidence of 68% that the stock will trade within this range. Plugging in the stock price of $100 with an IV of 25% into the equation we get: + +100 +/- (100 x 0.25 ) = 125 and 75. + +This means that with a standard deviation of 1 we can say that there is a 68% chance the stock will trade within the range of $75 - $125. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/1y132y4f4t771.png?width=685&format=png&auto=webp&s=853ece96eaa14f6877711ce07e2c2ea54759652d + +We can also take it a step further and do a 2-standard deviation which will give us a representation of a stock’s fluctuation with a 95% confidence interval. In the chart below, still assuming a stock price of $100 and an IV of 25%, the range has doubled to $50 - $150. Remember, in statistics, we can go all the way to 3-standard deviations which is a confidence interval of 99.7% and that will mean a range of $25 - $175. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/6mg3o4xf4t771.png?width=675&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b1d816612808faea9f3033a18edbf5c0e372209 + +Now that your high school nostalgia is out of the way, there is one more useful tidbit of knowledge I will show you. + +We can also calculate the stock’s expected move over any period via this equation: + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/6pf729pg4t771.png?width=325&format=png&auto=webp&s=7f73cbe0ad10dfbfc42b4dedca03f75b8d4d93c1 + +\*\**19.1 is the square root of 365 or the days in a year. For Simplicity’s sake, I simplified the denominator.* + +This way whenever you buy an option that doesn’t expire in one year exactly, you can still map out the expected price range as stated by option traders. That way, you know what you are getting into and be all surprised when a dick is shoved up your ass (unless you’re in to that, then call me). + +**Greeks** + +What you all need to know is that within the premiums of every option that you buy there are certain assumptions that are priced in, much like there are certain assumptions that are priced into a stock price. These assumptions are often represented by certain Greek letters and by understanding what they are and how they influence the option’s value, you can better understand what you are betting on and whether or not the risks are tilted in your favor. + +In this part, I am going to talk about the four Greeks every last one of you degenerates must know by heart: Vega, Delta, Gamma, and Theta. And no, they aren’t the name of the fraternity your girlfriend goes to so that she can blow half the chads on campus. These guys are the ones that will determine whether you make actual life-changing money or move back to your mother’s basement while your new stepdad subtly judges you. + +**Vega (V):** This represents the change in option price per change in the option’s implied volatility. Vega is highest when the stock price is at the strike price and when the option is farther out from the expiration date. + +Ex: Let’s assume the premium of an option is 7.5, IV is at 20% and vega at 0.12. If the IV moves up from 20 to 21.5, that is a 1.5 increase. The option price will increase by 1.5 x 0.12 = 0.18. 0.18 + 7.5 = 7.68 + +**Delta (Δ):** Delta is a change in the option’s price due to a change in underlying stock price. Assuming we have a delta of 0.5, that means per every dollar the stock price goes up by, the option premium will go up by 50% of that change. Delta is often highest the farther ITM the option is and will often be the most volatile the closer the strike price is to the stock price. Call options have a delta of 0-1 while Puts have a negative delta of 0 – (-1). The absolute delta of an option also tells you the probability that the option will finish in the money. + +**Gamma (T):** Gamma is the rate of change in an option’s delta per 1-point move in the underlying’s share price. It is essentially the first derivative of delta and is used to gauge the price movement of an option relative to how far OTM or ITM it is. Taking this further, gamma is also the second derivative of an option’s price with respect to the underlying share’s price. This is because the delta is the first derivative of share price and since gamma is the first derivative of the delta, it is, therefore, the second derivative of the share price. + +Whenever you long an option, you have positive gamma exposure and when you short, you have negative gamma exposure. + +It is also important to note that gamma approaches 0 the farther an option becomes OTM or ITM. Gamma is also at its highest when the strike is ATM. + +Ex: assume an option has a delta of 0.5 and a delta of 0.1. This means per every dollar increase of the underlying stock, the delta would increase by the gamma amount. So in this case it is 0.5 + 0.1 = 0.6. +Conversely the opposite happens as well if the stock price go down by a dollar which will bring the new delta to 0.4. The change in an option's delta is better illustrated in the next section where the delta curve is discussed. + +**Theta (O):** This Greek is probably the easiest to understand. Theta is the time decay of an option as it approaches its expiration date. This means that theta measures the constant and steady decrease in the extrinsic value for an option on a daily basis. If the theta for an option is -0.02, then every day, as sure as the sun rises in the east, your option is going to lose $2. + +**Delta Curve:** + +For those of you that don’t know, the delta of an option is not stagnant, and its rate of change in accordance with share price changes is represented by the option’s gamma. You can actually map out the expected change in an option’s delta in accordance with the underlying share price via the delta curve. + +Let me show you the delta curve for a call option: + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/dxzwnvwh4t771.png?width=566&format=png&auto=webp&s=2dd06ce979c5d1be575cab96f5f73342519a129c + +Note that the delta becomes more volatile as the option becomes ATM as the stock price rises before slowing that rate of change as the delta approaches 1 the deeper the option goes ITM. The delta will approach 1 because the absolute value of a delta represents the market’s expectation that the option will expire ITM so it makes sense that the more ITM an option becomes, the higher that percentage will be as it approaches 100%. + +When you look at the delta curve for a put option, you will find a lot of similarities with the call option delta: + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/b3i8zgli4t771.png?width=639&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab2abacf875b84c0df9120c3950a16068839691e + +Just like with call options, the delta becomes more volatile as the option becomes ATM; however, remember that put options have a negative delta and because it becomes more ITM the lower the stock price is, a rising stock price will result in a delta approaching 0. + +**Equations** + +\*\*\* *I got these equations from my CFA textbooks so the nomenclature for these option strategies might be different than what you are seeing on your brokerage page. Either way, you can just look at the descriptions I have made and figure out which strategies I am talking about.* + +To wrap this up I am going to go through some popular options strategies that are often mentioned in investing subreddits. These descriptions will include what the option strategies entail, what will be their value at expiration, how much profit you can make, your maximum possible gain, how much money you can lose, and what price you need to be at in order to break even. + +First here is a list of the variables I will be using and what they represent. + +S0 : stock price at open + +ST : stock price at close + +X : strike price + +Co : call premium + +Po : put premium + +XH : higher strike + +CL / PL: premium on call/put with a lower strike + +CH / PH: premium on call/put with a higher strike + +***Covered Call*** + +This is longing for a stock and selling an OTM call option on it. People often do this in order to increase the “yield” on investment, meaning they get to haul in some additional cash flow on their stock holdings. Benefits to this strategy include the cash flow you receive from selling calls and its ability to reduce the overall volatility in your portfolio. The downside is that because you sold calls, you limit your upside potential because if the stock price goes over the strike price, it would be assumed that the option you sold will be exercised; therefore, there is a ceiling on how much money you can earn. + +Expiration value: ST – Max\[(ST – X), 0\] + +Profit at expiration ST – Max\[(ST – X), 0\] – So + Co + +Max Gain (X – So) + Co + +Max Loss So – Co + +Breakeven Price: So – Co + +***Protective Put*** + +This is longing a stock and a put option on the stock that is usually OTM. The idea here is that the put option serve as a kind of insurance on your stock holdings. By purchasing puts, you limit yourself on how much money you can possibly lose which will serve you well whenever the market decides to hit the shitter and enters a correction. Another benefit to this strategy is that unlike covered calls, you still have unlimited upside potential on your stock holdings. The downside is the money you have to spend in order to insure your positions. + +Expiration value ST + Max\[( X – ST), 0\] + +Profit at expiration ST + Max\[( X – ST), 0\] – So – Po + +Max Gain ST – So – Po + +Max Loss: So – X + Po + +B.E price So + Po + +***Bull Call Spread*** + +This is a directional play with options. Meaning in this case you are betting that the stock will go up. Bull Calls is longing for a call option with a lower strike and at the same time selling a call option on the same stock with the same expiry date at a higher strike. Here you are trying to profit off the deltas in which the positive delta for the option with the lower strike will be greater than the delta for the option with the higher strike and as the stock price goes up, you can profit from the delta difference. A benefit to this strategy is that because you are selling an option as well as buying one, you can limit your cash outflow. A downside is that you also limit the amount of money you can gain with this strategy. You can also do this strategy with put options in which you sell puts with the higher strike and buy puts with the lower strikes. For simplicity’s sake, I will just list the equations for the strategy with call options. + +Profit at expiration Max( 0, ST – XL ) – Max(0, ST – XH) – CL + CH + +Max Profit XH – XL – CL + CH + +Max Loss CL – CH + +BE XL + CL – CH + +***Bear Put Spread*** + +Similar direction play just like Bull Calls but in this case you are betting the stock is going down. Here you are longing put options with the higher strike and selling puts with a lower strike. The expiration date must be the same for both options. The rationale of profiting off the Greeks and the pros and cons remain similar to Bull Calls. + +Profit at expiration Max(0, XH – ST) – Max(0, XL – ST) – PH + PL + +Max Profit XH – XL – PH + PL + +Max loss PH – PL + +Breakeven XH + PL – PH + +***Collar*** + +This strategy is used when you think a stock is going to trade in a certain range. Here you are longing the stock, longing an ITM protective put, and selling an OTM call. The idea is that the put will provide downside protection while the call provides a ceiling on how much money you can earn. The main benefit is that it allows you to buy protection while limiting your cash outflow since you sold a call. The downside is that upside is limited just like a covered call strategy. + +Profit at expiration (ST – So) + (XL – ST) – (ST – XH) – (Po – Co) + +Max profit XH – So – (Po – Co) + +Max loss So – XL + (Po – Co) + +Breakeven So + (Po / Co) + +***Straddle*** + +This is a directional play except over here you have no idea what the direction is. This strategy is ideal when betting on the general volatility of the stock without any idea on where the direction of the stock will go. Here you are longing both a call and a put on the same stock at the same expiration and at the same strike. The idea is that as the stock goes up or down, the delta of one option will slowly go to 1 while the other goes to 0 and you can profit off the gamma. The benefit to this is that you don’t need to bet as much in a certain direction, the downside however is that you are longing volatility and if the volatility does not reach high enough to what is priced into the premium, then you will lose money on both the call and the put as they both expire to 0. + +Profit Max(0, ST – X) + +Max profit = Co + Po + +Max loss Co + Po + +Breakeven X – (Co + Po) and X + (Co + Po) +https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/11/fed-tries-to-figure-out-value-of-free-internet-services-to-americans.html + + +The Fed is trying to figure out how much free internet services are worth to the economy. + +The answer could help the central bank solve one of the most puzzling paradoxes of the economy: The current expansion is the longest in history, yet productivity gains are weak and GDP growth, while steady, is far from stellar. + +Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has recently cited work by an MIT economist and other experts that suggests the median user would need about $48 to give up Facebook for one month, for example. + +“A bigger share of our economy is being missed by GDP,” economist Erik Brynjolfsson says. +["A Victorian dad-of-four has managed to retire at age 36 after finding a way to make $250,000 every year without doing any work"](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/buying/melbourne-dad-retires-early-after-making-250k-a-year-from-vast-property-portfolio/news-story/df19cbb86a747eb699a9ced2f22d0523%3Famp&ved=2ahUKEwj39evOwO30AhWCwjgGHTF7AMwQvOMEKAB6BAgDEAE&usg=AOvVaw3XGPglkVrTnDV6LdSNglNA) + +Do you find these kind of articles worrying? Even a best case scenario assuming 100 properties only cost an average price of $250,000 the return on investment would be around 1% the real ROI is likely much much worse than this. + +Yes, it would likely be highly leveraged, which may make the ROI better - but regardless the return for the amount of money borrowed is terrible. + +What do you think about these types of articles and financial advice? +NIFTY has moved from 7942 to 12855 in last 5 years, but there are stocks like YES bank which has moved from 150 to 15 in last 5 years and is now removed from the INDEX. So a person who has invested in NIFTY 5years ago, would they have seen similar growth as actual index fund or lesser based on the reshuffle? +Pardon my rambling post. + +What are renters long term protection plans to runaway housing costs 20-40 years out? The focus is rent vs. buy calculators are great if you are in a rent control home. Otherwise, it seems as FIRE renters we are setting ourselves up for a mid-FIRE crisis. + +It seems like right now the rent vs. buy in any "want to live in" city from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bozeman, Portland, Boulder, <insert your favorite city here> I could go on and on...and on, has a housing shortage. There is a growing trend between the cost to purchase and the price of rent, where renting is far cheaper than owning. Put it in your rent vs. buy calculator for these cities and renting is winning far more than buying and usually by a significant amount. Hundreds if not thousands of dollars per month saved renting. It's investors chasing returns anywhere possible and parking money. Nothing about the quality of the city, families, walkability, blah, blah, "insert realtor fallacies here" + +&#x200B; + +The test: + +Go on Zillow and find 10 homes for sale in a desirable part of town. Now go on craigslist and find a house or apartment on the same street, maybe even the same home and its last advertised rental amount. Without fail in all of these places 9 out of 10 times I'm finding it's far cheaper to rent than purchase the home. Example. A home in Bozeman is renting at $1,400. Its purchase price is $429,000 (mortgage + taxes around turns it to a $2k monthly ownership outlay. Not including maintenance, etc.). A condo is renting at $1,100. The same condo is selling at $389,000. In Santa Monica, an apartment two blocks from the beach rents for $2,400. A 1 bedroom condo on the same street sells for $750k + 750 HOA. I've done this for dozens of cities and hundreds of homes in these cities as I look for investment properties. The numbers never work. You can add in the metric of average income per household for a city and find that the average in those cities doesn't make enough money to pay the mortgage costs. It's mind boggling. + +With FI on my mind the goal is to not lose (locked out of my favorite place to live) in this housing battle. I understand predicting long term is "speculation" so call this a fun exercise. How do we not lose when renting wins the rent vs. buy calculator over a 30 year span? In Santa Monica you have rent control that protects renters that choose to FIRE. I could stay there for life, but I find rent control has a terrible influence on critical life decisions such as how big of a family to have, when to couple up, or anything that might influence you leaving the rental or outgrowing it. + +In San Francisco - rent control can also be used for protection, but only in certain parts of town and buildings of a particular age. In other cities and states where rent control does not exist, those that choose the rent vs. buy calculator option could find themselves forced to move to a second, third, or fourth tier city or a bad part of the city that is affordable. You might say - big deal, But that little move will reset your rent 20 years from now. It will change your routine and the people you've built relationship with over time. Your friends will now live a far driving distance from you, ultimately breaking relationships. You have to find new running route, biking routes, and hobbies reframed for whatever weather or terrain you end up being able to now afford on your FIRE income, since you chose to be a FIRE renter and you are now 20 years in the future and at 20 year future "market rate" rents. + +One thing I've also noticed, people use to say, "Only buy if you are going to live there for 10 years". Then it went to 5 years. I just read someone on this forum say "Buy if you are going to stay for at least 3 years". I thought that was absurd, but reflecting, if you can afford it and have plans to FIRE within 10 years maybe you buy no matter what simply for the protection. If you get locked into your house due to a crash, then that's where you are going to FIRE and that's the worse case, not all that bad because you still get to FIRE in a place you are already familiar and have built relationships around. + +My strategy is I rent my primary residence in a rent control location (luck, not part of this equation). To offset my rental, I've decided to purchase a rental property in the cheapest house to purchase city with a great quality of life that I'm excited to FIRE in, but can't today due to my work. To me this is my rental offset program. If housing goes down and my retirement property plummets, I'm hedged by my rent vs buy savings. Today a portion of my rental savings is diverted to pay for the mortgage on my future FIRE rental home where the rental income doesn't cover the mortgage. No property investor in there right mind would say that's a good deal, but this isn't about income investing. It's all about protection and not being trapped during FIRE or being priced out of housing 20 years out. + +I also happen to live in a rent control apartment today in a great location, but a determined investor can wreak havoc on a rent control tenant to the point of it not being worth it and ultimately kicking you out (see previous remark of welcome to 20 years in the future rental rates). This is inevitable for any rent control property if investors continue to chase anything and everything for a place to park money and a tiny return. + +&#x200B; + +Name a city and find its "housing crisis". Funny given we had a big ole housing bust followed by some of the lowest population growth ever in the US and now we don't have enough housing. + +&#x200B; + +[https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boulder-can-teach-nation-housing-crunch-180135043.html](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boulder-can-teach-nation-housing-crunch-180135043.html) + +[https://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications/fedgazette/montanas-housing-crisis-what-is-and-isnt-working](https://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications/fedgazette/montanas-housing-crisis-what-is-and-isnt-working) + +[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/san-francisco-housing-crisis\_us\_5750a95ee4b0eb20fa0d682e](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/san-francisco-housing-crisis_us_5750a95ee4b0eb20fa0d682e) + +[https://www.opb.org/news/series/greetings-northwest/a-look-back-at-oregons-housing-crisis/](https://www.opb.org/news/series/greetings-northwest/a-look-back-at-oregons-housing-crisis/) + +[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-10-11/addressing-portlands-housing-crisis-a-priority-for-citys-age-friendly-initiatives](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-10-11/addressing-portlands-housing-crisis-a-priority-for-citys-age-friendly-initiatives) + +[http://www.santamonicanext.org/2016/06/santa-monicas-housing-shortage-is-nearly-as-bad-as-san-franciscos/](http://www.santamonicanext.org/2016/06/santa-monicas-housing-shortage-is-nearly-as-bad-as-san-franciscos/) + +Population growth: + +[http://www.multpl.com/us-population-growth-rate/table/by-year](http://www.multpl.com/us-population-growth-rate/table/by-year) +I see alot of people here talking about closing out positions before expiration for fear of getting assigned. The basis behind wheeling is that you are happy to hold the stock you are wheeling. +Due to the bullish sentiment of the market, you will receive higher premiums for selling CCs than CSPs. +Hey guys, + +&nbsp; + +Last week I wrote a post here [explaining Ethereum Sharding](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/7y6pq3/understanding_ethereum_sharding_a_simple/) using a simple analogy – and it got a lot of positive feedback. + +&nbsp; + +One of the questions I received via PM a lot was: *"why do we need to switch from PoW to PoS?"* + +&nbsp; + +This post answers that question. I try to explain it as simply as possible – but to understand you may need to read my previous post. + +&nbsp; + + +&nbsp; + + + +&nbsp; + +**Formatted post:** **[Part 2: Why POS Is Needed For Sharding](http://www.mangoresearch.co/why-pos-was-necessary-for-ethereums-sharding/)** + +&nbsp; + +**Previous Post:** **[ Part 1: Sharding Explained Simply](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/7y6pq3/understanding_ethereum_sharding_a_simple/)** + +&nbsp; + +----------------- + +&nbsp; + +In a previous post, I provided a simple explanation on [Ethereum’s Sharding](http://www.mangoresearch.co/ethereum-sharding-explained-simply/). I also mentioned how Sharding was one of the driving factors for Ethereum’s switch to Proof of Stake + + +&nbsp; + +In this post, I will provide a brief & simple explanation on why Proof Of Work was not the ideal choice for Sharding, and how Proof Of Stake tackles the problems posed by Sharding a blockchain. + +&nbsp; + +#Why Shard To Begin With? + +&nbsp; +Sharding is an initiative to tackle the scalability issues that Ethereum faces. All blockchains are limited by their architecture & design. *How?* Because every node in the blockchain processes every single transaction. While this enforces a high degree of security/reliability (explained in this post), it also limits the scalability. + +&nbsp; + +>Sharding improves the scalability of the Ethereum blockchain by splitting the network into smaller “groups/pieces”. + +&nbsp; + +#What’s wrong with PoW? + +&nbsp; +The Ethereum blockchain currently runs on a Proof Of Work consensus algorithm. + +Remember from our post on [Consensus Methods](http://www.mangoresearch.co/consensus-methods-pow-vs-pos-vs-tangle-vs-tempo/), that consensus or “agreement” is achieved by a majority agreeing on the state of the ledger. + +&nbsp; + +**Hash Power in PoW** + +&nbsp; + + +Proof of Work essentially relies on hash-power to validate the chain. Blockchain is a trustless system, so we need to dis-incentivize people from being a bad actor. As explained, a bad actor would have to have a majority of the hash-power to manipulate the network. That’s a lot of hash-power. The electricity bill & hardware costs will be monumentally expensive. + +&nbsp; + +Hence, in Proof of Work, the hash-power expense makes it cost-prohibitive to be an attacker. *(In fact, if he achieves that sort of hashpower, he's further incentivised to be a "good actor". More on that in a future post)* + +&nbsp; + +**Hash Power in PoW: Sharded** + +&nbsp; + +However, remember that if we SHARD in PoW, we are breaking up the network into "pieces". Hence, to achieve a “majority” hashpower in a particular shard would suddenly become feasible (since each shard will have only a “piece” of the total hash power”) + +&nbsp; + +Compared to attacking the network, each shard will require only a fraction of the hash-power. An attack is no longer cost-prohibitive. + +&nbsp; + +*(In fact, if you split the network into 100 pieces, you only need 1% of the total hash-power to takeover a shard. To keep this post simple, I explain how in another post here)* + +&nbsp; + +Validators can collude their hashpower on a single shard, and takeover control of that shard. + + +&nbsp; + +One way to prevent this attack is to **prevent attackers from focussing their hash-power onto a single shard.** + +&nbsp; + +However, this is difficult/not-possible to do so in a Proof Of Work protocol. In PoW you cannot stop miners from applying their work on a given shard - **_This is where Proof Of Stake steps in_**. + +&nbsp; + +#Proof Of Stake + +&nbsp; + +PoS removes the extrinsic cost of validating the chain: hash power/electricity costs. Here's how: + + +&nbsp; + +In Proof Of Stake, node-validators(super-nodes) are required to “deposit” (stake) their Ether in order to perform validation functions. + +&nbsp; + +Again, remember that: + +&nbsp; + +**Collators (teachers-assistants):** Gather mini-descriptions of transactions & the current state of the shard – and send it up to the node validators. + +&nbsp; + +**Super Nodes (professors):** Collect the data from the Collators. Process the transactions & Validate the blocks. + +&nbsp; + +Proof Of Stake – along with this structure – allows Ethereum to do something that it cannot do (easily) in PoW. And that is the ability conduct **“random-sampling”**. + +&nbsp; + +Since super-nodes are depositing their Ether, we can use that to randomly assign them to a shard. The assignments are reshuffled regularly as well. This will ensure that attackers: + +&nbsp; + +>**Cannot choose the shard they want to work on.** +>>We don’t want them to pick their shard because a small group of attackers can target a single shard to dominate it. Even attackers with a small total-stake can focus their efforts and attack. + +&nbsp; + +>**Cannot know what shard they will work on ahead of time.** +>>If we don’t reshuffle, an attacker may have enough time to find the other people who have been assigned to his shard. This will allow him to collude with them and attack the shard. We reshuffle regularly to avoid this. + +&nbsp; + +Super Nodes are randomly assigned a shard. Not knowing which shard they are assigned to before hand, will prevent them from attacking the system. + +&nbsp; + +#Wrapping Up + +&nbsp; + +**TLDR; & Simplified:** Sharding is one of the pillars to Ethereum's future Scalability goals. However, sharding Proof Of Work would allow for 1% Shard Attacks. This is because miners can concentrate their hashpower onto a single shard. A way to prevent this is to conduct random-sampling & reshuffling. This is not easy to do in Proof Of Work. + +As you can see, Proof Of Stake makes random-sampling pretty trivial. Furthermore, sampled validators are reshuffled regularly. + +&nbsp; + + +A quote from *Vitalik* on my previous post: + +&nbsp; + +>##_“It's really important to mention that validators are super-frequently reshuffled between shards (possibly even once per block), so it's actually quite hard to "target" one specific shard for an attack. This is a large part of where sharding's at least theoretical success in breaking the trilemma comes from.”_ + +&nbsp; + +When Vitalik mentions “breaking the trilemma”, he is talking about how typically only 2 out of 3 of the following can be achieved in blockchain: + +&nbsp; + +1.Scalability + +2.Security + +3.Decentralization + +&nbsp; + +PoS allows for easy sampling & reshuffling which ensures the “Security” of the trilemma – while the sharding structure gives us a level of Scalability and Decentralization. Hence, theoretically breaking the blockchain trilemma. **This is a huge feat!**. + +&nbsp; + +--------------- + +&nbsp; + +Hope this post helps! + +**Formatted & Readable Orignal Post**: [MangoResearch: Why PoS was necessary for Ethereum’s Sharding](http://www.mangoresearch.co/why-pos-was-necessary-for-ethereums-sharding/) + +**Previous Post**: [Ethereum’s Sharding Explained Using A Simple Analogy](http://www.mangoresearch.co/why-pos-was-necessary-for-ethereums-sharding/) + +&nbsp; + + + + +Hi all. I feel like I should pull the RE trigger, but I just need a little confidence booster first. + + +I'm late 30s, male, and work in tech. I make pretty good money from my day job, but most of my net worth has come from cryptocurrencies. I made my first million last year and then later in the year, hit a peak of about 50 million dollars (yay for extremely volatile asset classes). So this money has come basically out of nowhere and I'm not really sure how to handle it. + +&#x200B; + +In terms of net worth, this is what the numbers currently look like: +House is worth about 800k with 400k left on the mortgage +Savings/checkings account with 3 million +No debt besides the mortgage +Roughly 15 million in cryptocurrency (down from the 50mm peak; yay for extremely volatile asset classes) +401k/IRA about 800k +For a total net worth of close to 20 million + + +In terms of my job, I had been working at a company that I really enjoyed working at for close to ten years. It was a small tech company and they treated their employees fabulously. It was honestly a unicorn of a company and I would have stayed there for a long time regardless of what my financial situation looked like. Total compensation there was about 220k per year. + + +Then about three or four months ago, we got acquired by a much larger tech company. My base salary dropped to 200k, but they more than compensated for that with RSUs to where my total compensation is now at 390k per year (the majority of these rewards come at the one year mark). So that's a plus. + + +But the biggest minuses is that I hate the new job. If anyone knows what agile/scrum is, that's what we're doing. The amount of micromanaging and meetings and status updates I have to endure are brutal. At my previous company, I had to give my status once every two weeks and that was pretty much the only meetings I ever had. At this new company, I'm pretty stressed out that I'm not being productive enough and that my manager will be upset with me, even though she hasn't really said anything to that effect yet. What that means for me is that I'm working \*much\* more than I'm used to and not really enjoying it or feeling like I'm getting anything done. Combine that with the fact that half of the team is two time zones apart and a fair share of my days, I have to attend meetings until 7pm. + + +When I write it all out, it seems pretty obvious to me that I should quit. But is there anything I'm overlooking here? Do I just need more time to get used to this new job? +Bought a house in March last year - mid600s price. Stamp duty came to around £23k. + +A couple of months after got a letter from an accounting firm saying I had potentially overpaid stamp duty to the tune of 10k. + +I phoned them up and enquired about it - and turns out there is a slightly obscure method of calculating stamp duty if you are buying a property that has an annex/granny flat. + +Basically, you divide the purchase price by 2, then calculate the SDLT as if it was 2 seperate properties (you don’t pay the penalty for the 2nd property this way). +The net effect of that was that the actual SDLT I should have paid was 10k less than I actually paid. + +I initially thought it was a scam so did nothing. + +A month later another letter from a different firm saying the same thing. +Then another, another. + +This accounting firm offered to get the refund for a fee of 15% (£1500) +I did consider this, but after a bit of reading on HMRC website all I had to was write a letter to HMRC requesting a refund citing that I had purchased a multi-dwelling property and wished to amend my return. +I did that, took me about 20 mins to write the letter. +2 weeks after I sent it off, 10k lands in my bank. Cha-Ching! + +So I guess I’m sharing this story to encourage anyone who has bought a property with an annex to have a look at this because you probably paid too much SDLT. +And don’t let an accounting firm do the work for you and take 15% when you can get the full refund yourself very easily. +I hope this is the correct forum to post and I've used the search feature as well. I'm going to create a new thread. Sorry about that. + +&#x200B; + +It looks like I will exceed the limits to be able to contribute to a ROTH this year. I may just sneak in and be able to contribute a $1,000 bucks. + +&#x200B; + +So, how does a Back Door Roth really work? + +&#x200B; + +These are the accounts I have: + +I have a taxable brokerage account. + +I have a Roth IRA Account with a broker + +My wife has a ROTH IRA with same broker + +I have a Schwab fun money account + +I have a 401K with my employer which I max out + +I have a checking Account + +I do not have a traditional or regular IRA I guess you would say. + +&#x200B; + +So what do I do? Do I open up a traditional IRA and do not fund it. Once that is open, do I transfer the 6k into that account. As soon as that 6K hits the Traditional IRA, I move the funds immediately into my Roth? Simple as that? What happens if the transfer from Traditional IRA to ROTH did not happen and took an extra day and funds sat in the traditional for a couple of days? + +And then, do I keep the traditional IRA open and emtpy of money and do the same thing next year if I need to? + +And can I contribute more than 6K this way? A coworker who wasn't totally sure thought that on the initial time of doing this, you could contribute a much larger amount. Not sure about that though. + +&#x200B; + +Finally, what is a Mega Back Door? + +&#x200B; + +Thank you for your help. +The only confirmation bias I have needed for the last 6 months is the ownership data and the options chain. They reveal the nature of the SI and set a lower limit on the amount of covering that needs to be done, and is clearly in excess of the currently reported 20% short. + +You do not need the assurances of some moronic streamer who’s streams consist of ‘might go up or down or sideways’; if you bought in to the BS they’ve been selling it’s time to get back to basics. +I don't know about you guys, but I love data, projections, and modelling the next 60+ years of my finances. I've spent hours on excel mapping things out. I'm a huge nerd - my wife once told me that my spreadsheets were one of the most attractive things about me. I think she meant it as a compliment :P + +As much as I love excel, it's not exactly the best visual representation to share with my wife. So I often try to use online calculators that graph out the output of my financial models. + +I don't love most of them, and I thought I'd share my thoughts on some, especially if there's more out there that I haven't heard of: + +1) FIREcalc (https://firecalc.com/) - For the longest time this was the only FIRE ~~Monte Carlo~~ simulation tool I could find online. But it is very limited in its modelling, and (sorry to any fans out there) a little ugly (https://imgur.com/a/bTKnKMA, https://imgur.com/a/glkWoRx) + +2) SmartAsset (https://smartasset.com/retirement/retirement-calculator) - no. just no. If anyone can please help me understand why SmartAsset's retirement calculator thinks I need $19MM to retire at $180k/year in expenses, please let me know (https://imgur.com/a/wJNj1Xy) + +3) Engaging Data (https://engaging-data.com/fire-calculator/) - I really want to like this one. I really do. But you still have to do a lot of calculations by hand (average tax rate) and the visualization just doesn't make any sense to me. I might be using it incorrectly, but it just doesn't work for me (https://imgur.com/a/Cj7Bcdm) + +4) Projectifi (https://projectifi.io) - this is my new favorite tool, and I admit I might be fanboying over it a bit. It lets me model whatever I want, multiple different income sources, multiple different expenses, and the paid account calculates exact taxes for you! Plus, I can do Monte Carlo simulations to my hearts content. (https://imgur.com/a/QzQ1fdr) + +5) Anything else worth mentioning? One of the reasons I made this post was to see if there's any other tools out there that I'm missing out on. +7 months ago I kind of of took the plunge into working for myself, got an ABN and did some subcontracting work using all of they're equipment (except for basic hand tools like hammers, screwdriver's etc) and that has lead to my small welding business taking off pretty good, I've put about 10k into equipment so far, and made enough back to pay for that plus a lot extra. + + +I just landed a maintenance contract for a pretty large client that I've been doing work for for a few months, I was doing bits and pieces here and there 1-3 days a week, but this will be full time hours or more, hourly hire plus expenses (consumables and materials, no quoted work), and I now seem to be in a position to not go back to my industry as an employee at all, its kind of nuts how quickly its happened and I was expecting it. + + +I also now need to buy like 30k worth or equipment, which i can buy without loans, but its kinda hitting me how big this is. +I don't know if it's the values I've learned, or if it takes a certain person to be open to those values in the first place--but they are really making me rethink a relationship. + +A small vent--I met a guy who is 9k in credit card debt. I was sympathetic as he grew up in poverty, and for some reason thought I could help him. I'm a financial planner, so that is what I do for a living. Yet he still buys ridiculous things on Amazon. I told him he should try to limit his going out to eat to 1X a week (because I know that he wouldn't stop) and he thought that was ludicrous. He expects me to pay for dinners etc because he is in debt and I have a well paying job (yet he somehow has the funds to buy beer and amazon splurges). I've found jobs for him (He is still in college) but he 'doesn't like them' or 'doesn't want to wake up that early.' His mom pays his car payments after he bought a brand new, upper-end Mazda. The most ironic thing is he is adamant about sustainability and getting out of the clutches of consumerism. + +While he is on the extreme, have any of you ended a relationship because of the principles that go along with Financial Independence? To me, it's not just about money--but about personal responsibility, ignoring consumerism, self sufficiency, discipline and hard work--all of these things I take pride in. Someone who lacks the will power to make basic changes or who has so little pride that they continue on in their lifestyle that has thrown them into debt-slavery, or someone who refuses to take personal responsibility for their actions and choices loses my respect immediately. + +The nail in the coffin was when I showed him MMM "your debt is an emergency" and he claimed that he likes the premise, but the actual +application was "way more difficult than he claims." I do not believe it is that difficult to STOP SPENDING MONEY. + +It almost makes me feel guilty, because I immediately framed it as me caring more about finances than the individual-- but when I thought about it--again, it isn't about the money. I think that people who have the same values and principles I have will naturally lean towards frugality and a desire for independence. Yet my nature is to try and open people's eyes and help them come up with a plan. I guess I never really realized there are people that you cannot help. My job has people WANTING help, so this was a real eye opener for me. + +A good lesson learned: to keep my principles in tact requires a bit of selfishness. +Got home from work today and caught up on SS. Decided to DRS half of my remaining shares in fidelity. Called, got through quickly and after 3 total minutes I was done. But the rep I spoke with said this may take 2-6 weeks. I’m high as a kite so I said “ok thanks” and hung up. I texted a fellow Ape who was doing the same thing, but his rep told him it would take 2-3 business days. + +Then I remembered a post a few months back saying to ask to file a complaint with their compliance department if you are told DRS would take weeks. + +So I called back, and miraculously got the same rep. Here’s our convo: + + Me: “I just spoke with a friend who did this exact same thing and he was told it would only take a couple of days, I realized the only reason it would take 2-6 weeks is if Fidelity does not have my shares in their possession, so I would like to file a complaint with your compliance department” + +while she was “confirming” that 2-6 weeks was actually accurate, she said “While I’m pulling this up let me explain how this works..fidelity does not lend out your shares…” + +I cut her off and said “I know how it works. I don’t really care if you lend my shares out or not, my issue is that for whatever reason you don’t currently have them because that is the only explanation for this process taking any more than a few business days.” + +Her: “do you want me to grab my supervisor for you and he can file your complaint?” + +Me: “that would be great as long as he is from your compliance department” + +Her: “let me put you on a brief hold” + +Fifteen minutes later (after the call to initiate DRS took a total of 3 minutes), she came back and said “I apologize I was looking at incorrect information, the process should only take 2-3 business days” + +Don’t let them bullshit you, and don’t settle for a supervisor, demand to speak to someone from their compliance department due to them not having your shares in their possession. + + +TL;DR: If Fidelity reps tell you DRS will take 2-6 weeks, all you have to say is “I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOUR COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT” don’t let them scare/bully you out of DRSing! + +Edit: Can’t change the title, but apparently this may not be a FINRA violation. Bottom line, it can’t hurt to ask to speak to Fidelity’s compliance department to file a complaint if you are told you have to wait more than 2-3 business days +With the extremely dissapointing behaviour from management and lack of transparency, people I know personally who have invested in LKE have reached out and are struggling with the drop and are torn what to do. I hope those who are still invested are doing ok, and my inbox is open for any brothers and sisters who are doing it tough. I no longer hold but hope it works out for those who are. Stay strong! +Hi. + +I budgeted badly this last two weeks and overspent. That being said, I am out my 100$ for the week coming up, and I need to buy groceries, laundry soap, etc. Any reason I shouldn't get a payday loan? There is room in the budget next week to pay back the entire amount and not run out of cash. Especially since I will be travelling for work, so my food, etc expenses are covered. + +Suggestions for an alternative? I am too embarrassed to ask for money from parents/coworkers, so I think that option is out. +Please let me know if you are using Zerodha's Coin or Kuvera. I need to know which of these will be cheaper for holding MFs (basically, I just want to put spare cash in some liquid funds). + +&#x200B; + +I have a demat account with Zerodha, so am considering using Coin. The website says "zero charges", but I'm not able to see if there is any hidden fee. Zerodha's customer service is terrible too (experience), so asking here. +[https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/09/22/white-house-distances-itself-reports-that-trump-could-target-facebook-google-twitter-with-new-executive-order/?noredirect=on&utm\_term=.ab609a981e23](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/09/22/white-house-distances-itself-reports-that-trump-could-target-facebook-google-twitter-with-new-executive-order/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ab609a981e23) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; +I started investing in late 2013 and TWTR was the hot IPO at the time. I distinctly remember buying a few shares at $57 figuring I'd get in on the ground floor of what was already a culturally-significant company. + +Amazingly, over 7 years later the stock is trading lower than where I bought it all those years ago. TWTR has never paid a dividend or split their stock, so in effect they've created zero wealth for the general public over their entire public existence. I sold my shares for a wash in 2014, but I'd have been shocked to hear they'd still be kicking around the same spot in 2021. In an era of social media, digital advertising and general tech dominance, it's a remarkable failure. + +On the one hand it provides a valuable lesson that a company still has to succeed financially, and not just have a compelling narrative. Pay attention to the bottom line - hype alone does not a business make. On the other hand, what the hell? Twitter has created verbs. It's among the most-visited websites in the world. We've just had 4 years of a Twitter presidency. Yet Twitter has seen its younger brother (SQ) lap it in terms of value. How has this company *not* managed to get off the ground as a profitable business? +I'm quite excited about this one, and many of you said you would like to see a tool like this so there you go guys. + +This crypto trading algorithm scans the Binance exchange for coins every 20 seconds, and if a recent innovation listing is found it will automatically place a buy order. + +The bot will also be able to sell the coin at the optimum time by using a trailing stop loss. Essentially, as long as the price of the coin is going up, the algo will hold onto the coin, and sell once it detects a trend reversal. + +I'm sure many of you have noticed the phenomenon of massive pumps the moment a new asset is listed on Binance, only to be followed by a significant drop afterwards. Manually trading that would be impossible, but a trading bot might be able to capitalize on some sweet gains there. + +It comes with a test mode too so you can plug it in and let it run without any risk of using real money as you're testing it. + +The bot is written in Python and works with Binance and Binance US. + +&#x200B; + +**How it works** + +The bot uses a configuration file (config.yml) and a credentials file (creds.yml) in order to query the Binance API and place a buy order when certain user-defined conditions are met. + +You will need a Binance API key and secret, and a couple of dependencies (python-binance and pyaml) but the cnfiguration is pretty straight forward after that. Simply configure the config.yml file, add your keys an run main. py + +I've been testing it for a few days, but no coins have been listed on Binance since then, but I will continue testing it and report back. Though every function has been individually tested in the past and proven to work from some of my other projects. So please bear that in mind if you give it a go yourself. + +&#x200B; + +For the GitHub source go here: + +[https://github.com/CyberPunkMetalHead/binance-trading-bot-new-coins](https://github.com/CyberPunkMetalHead/binance-trading-bot-new-coins) +I’ve been researching CNQ to take a large position (for me) in it for the next 12 months. Would love to read what others think! + +**Hypothesis**: the volatility in oil will provide an opportunity to take a low-risk, high-reward position in the energy sector via CNQ in the next 2-3 weeks between $60 and $65. I qualify them as low-risk due to their high margins (lowest cost of oil extraction amongst majors) and large, diversified position within the CA market. + +**Business Highlights** + +* CNQ is Canada’s largest oil producer with a reserve life index of 19.8 years +* Solid management team and a diverse board +* Production is growing in second half of 2022 led by Clearwater assets +* They have a good safety record in comparison to peers (see SU) + +**Commitment to Shareholders** + +During the last earnings call, CNQ offered a special dividend of $1.50 to all shareholders. This is in addition to the $0.75 per quarter dividend that shareholders are already receiving. The CFO confirmed 3.3 billion in free cash flow remaining for Q2 after paying $900 million in dividends and $1.3 in capital expenditures. They finished Q2 with $12.4 billion in net debt after reducing it by $1.4 billion. + +The net debt is now below $15 billion. CNQ has created a policy that when debt is below 15 billion, it is to spend 50% of its free cash flow on shareholder returns. CNQ calculates its free cash flow as net of dividend commitments. This 50% can be spent on share repurchases (over 4 billion so far in 2022), debt reduction and special dividends. CNQ has further committed to increasing shareholder returns once net debt reaches 8 billion, which is likely within the next 4-7 months. + +**Analysts’ Take** + +21 analysts cover CNQ. 7 holds, 11 buys and 3 strong buys. + +RBC - $90 + +JP Morgan - $94 + +TD - $92 + +Stifel - $111 + +Goldman - $125 + +**Technical Analysis** + +CNQ hit a bottom at just under $60 on July 14 and is currently declining. If we get a double-bottom and a bounce off $60, that would be a bullish indicator (W-Pattern). + +**Price Range** + +* 52-week low of $40 was in Sept last year. By January 10, 2023 their new 52 week low will be $59. +* 52-week high of $87 was on May 31 when Russia suspension was announced by EU and WTI was at $115. + +**Risks** + +* Global oil demand could decline as interest rates rise +* Green energy activism causes disruption +* Iran deal could bring more supply into the market (officially) + The price of ARKK continuing to drop ( down 39.21% in the past 6 months) what is the consensus on Cathie Wood's predictions and Arkk in particular? Will it recover or will it continue to plummet? As someone who has previously used Arkk holdings as a basis for past investments I am a little concerned about the reliability of future picks made by Cathie Wood, what do you guys think? +throwaway account + +I am a marketing consultant for a private equity company in the US and as the company is growing, they are being pressured to convert me into a FTE. I oversee a marketing team and really enjoy the team. I am paid $15,000 a month for this work. + +Converting me to a FTE, I do not see my workload increasing at a rate different than it would if I stay on as a consultant. I believe in the longevity of the business and have deep trust with the executive team. + +On top of this, I have one other consulting client ($5,000 a month) and my own business ($60,000 a month revenue, $250,000 a year take-home). I've built my business to operate with minimal input from me and anticipate it growing by 5x over the next 3 years. While my margins will shrink, I can absolutely see myself pulling $1M a year from my business if things work out. + +Here's my income breakdown: + +**Private equity client:** + +* 20 hours a week +* $15,000 a month + +**Other consulting client:** + +* 2 hours a week +* $5,000 a month + +**My business:** + +* 10 hours a week +* $63,000 a month revenue. I believe I can get to \~$90k/mo by the end of the year with \~10% increase in COGS +* $15,000 a month take-home (I could take more but choose to keep it in the biz) + +&#x200B; + +As I get into conversations about converting my role from consultant to FTE (and increasing work from 20 hours a week to maybe 25 ... which would happen over the next 2 quarters regardless of my employment status), I need to consider what my offer to the PE company is. + +I'm thinking: + +* $20,000 a month ($240k/year) salary +* No healthcare benefits (I cover them and my team via my company) +* I leave the other consulting client (I wouldn't mind the simplification in my life) +* A percentage of the carry the firm invests in while I'm with them (maturing over time) + +This seems like a no-brainer deal for them. I'm brought to what I believe is under-market ($300k salary for PE CMO seems like middle of the market, but I'm not sure if that's correct), and I am aligned to company growth. + +I then keep my company growing as I have been growing it. + +My fear is that in a year or two, my company will be throwing off larger profits and I won't need/want the PE income (I have a young family and am the breadwinner). It feels disingenuous to structure a deal if I have a big meal ticket that's swelling. + +In the end, I know I can make a deal with the PE firm. I'm exactly who they need; I've built the team. It would be hard (though not impossible) to replace me. + +&#x200B; + +**Importantly**: My income has increased pretty dramatically in the last year. I was at \~$200k income last year, $150k the year before, and $100k the year before. My savings is near-zero. I've been constantly investing in my business (so it can run without me). I intend to build my business to sell in 3-5 years (aiming for $5M purchase) and I am the sole owner of the business -- though I may not sell it if the profits are great. But "built to sell" is the intention. + +In order to FatFIRE, getting a percentage of the carry would guarantee me a great portfolio over the next 10 years. + +My outcome goal is to not be over-worked with young kids in the house, to be paid what I'm worth (cash and backend), and to maintain the freedom to grow my own company. I have a $5M target in 12 years. I see a path to that much sooner if my business is successful, though this seems like a good "guaranteed" plan. + +&#x200B; + +My questions: + +1. Where can I find comps for salary for the CMO role? +2. Am I being foolish? Should I just punt the FTE convo for 6+ months and see what happens by EOY with my business? +3. Who should I hire to help me make this decision? +4. Where are my blind spots? What am I not considering? +Most techs and other industries are over valued at this point. Is it safe to buy etfs now like VTI VOO and QQQ and keep averaging if they dip. What should be the strategy? Thanks +ARK's primary FinTech analyst George Whiteridge announced on Twitter that he is leaving the firm today. Could this be due to the recent Resolute Partners takeover? How do you guys think this will impact ARK's overall fund performance? +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH). +Hi all, + +For the past 6 months, a mate and I have been writing a [newsletter](https://www.hypetrainnews.com/) that covers **only interesting Australian finance news**. + +We post the newsletter twice a week, and it primarily consists of bite-sized asx news, shit posts, as well as links to some stock research that we find online. + +You can read it in 5 mins, and it’d give you a decent view of the interesting stuff happening is aus markets. It's something we're super proud of (have spent hours writing and refining it week-on-week), but want to get it in front of more sophisticated investors (such as yourselves.. ;)) to see what you think of it. + +**Why we write about finance news:** We write the newsletter because we struggled to keep up with Australian finance news from heaps of different sources, wanted only interesting news, and couldn’t afford access to more premium services (AFR etc). + +**Where you can find us:** The link to our newsletter is [https://thehypetrain.substack.com/](https://thehypetrain.substack.com/), but you can view our whole backlog of articles [here](https://www.hypetrainnews.com/). It would be great if you could help us out by checking it out, we'd really appreciate it and promise *it will be worth your time (hopefully anyway..).* + +**Our background:** I'm an ex-Unimelb tutor in finance and economics, with some experience in capital markets/consulting but keeping up to date with what's going on in finance and tech + writing this newsletter has really been what’s gotten me through quarantine. My mate is working at an EV start-up but has a similar background to myself. + +**TLDR:** We’re two dudes writing a newsletter twice a week about Australian finance news (it’s free, we don’t pump stocks and you can unsubscribe anytime). The focus is financial news with some articles about finance concepts (intro to valuation etc) and links to cool stock research we find online. Pls check it out [here](https://www.hypetrainnews.com/). + +We did ask mods before posting this (because it is promotional) and they were super kind to give us this **one chance.** + +If you have any questions, feedback, uni advice (for those r/asx_bets people still studying), or hot tips for articles please let me know (PM or email [thehypetrainaus@gmail.com](mailto:thehypetrainaus@gmail.com)). +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH). +Your markets are run by bots. Now your /r/Asx_bets daily threads are too. + +Read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) people[.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +[Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX\_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. You have been warned.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) + +Automoderator may provide "Guidance" for Lazy and zero effort posting. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](https://discord.gg/EKU2tVBp9u) +German ape here. + +I just had 7 minute call with ***Inga Oldenwurtel*** \- the press representative of the ***DMSA Deutsche Markt Screening Agentur GmbH***. She answered the call on my first attempt and was openly to talk. + +Within the first few sentences spoken, she told me that if i want to have detailed insight on what is going on, she would need to forward my call to ***Dr. Marco Metzler*** himself. But she also said that he most likely does not have the time right now as they are getting flooded with requests.I declined that, because i didn't want to waste the mans time, as i already agree with his thesis that Evergrande defaulted and China is kicking the can. I will write her a mail and ask if she can organize a call, just out of curiosity. + +She advised me to follow Dr. Metzlers LinkedIn Page, which was already mentioned multiple times in the sub. Furthermore she told me that Dr. Metzler used to work as an analyst for Fitch and was CFO of the Prisma Life AG, an insurance company based in Liechtenstein and founded in 2000.Dr. Metzler is also a graduate of the EBS Business School which is of the world most famous business schools. Fun fact, i live within 15 min reach of this school and know people who graduated from there personally. People from everywhere come to this school, especially a lot from Asia. + +I also mentioned that the website of the DMSA is lacking still information about the company, looks a bit sketchy because it comes from the same toolkit as the website of the [DFSI](https://www.dfsi-institut.de/) and [SFSI](http://www.sfsi.ch/), which are related to the DMSA as they are associated the with ***DSMA CEO Michael Ewy***.She is aware of that and told me she will talk with Dr. Metzler about it, because she understood why the DMSA might seam sketchy from the outside. She also told me that was just hired, especially for the whole Evergrande story. + +They are aware of what kind of topic they are working on and how critical it and its consequences might be, i especially quoted them from their latest press release with talks about the "The Great Reset" and "Meltdown of the financial system". I mentioned that UBS seams to be one the biggest holders of Evergrande bonds based on this [DSMA report](http://www.dmsa-agentur.de/download/20211024_DMSA_EVG_RR_en.pdf). She was aware of that and also mentioned HSBC as one of the biggest holders. Interesting note, based on their report Fil Ld (Fidelty) and Blackrock are the biggest holder. + +**EDIT**: An ape by the name u/Furry_Samander pointed out that this NOT the same fidelity that we all know. Its this one, which is basically independent: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidelity\_International](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidelity_International) + +If u want to stay updated, please follow Dr. Metzlers [Linkedin](https://www.google.com/search?q=dr+marco+metzler&oq=dr+mar&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j69i60l3.1160j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). (seams like u need to be registered on LinkedIn) + +Mods hit me up, if u want prove. - hope the flair is right. + +**IMPORTANT, maybe the whole DSMA and Dr. Metzler thing don't change a thing. It doesn't matter for GME, what matters for GME and will change something is that you DRS your fucking shares. We don't know exactly how a Evergrande default and the aftermath will influence GME, therefore for me the whole DSMA Arc is a spicy bonus, which might get something rolling!** +This year will mark the 10th consecutive year that AAPL has increased its dividends annually. + +I looked up the numbers, AAPL has a dividend CAGR of 10% for the past 10 years. I don't think anyone doubts that AAPL will become a Dividend Aristocrat. + +Yes, past performance does not predict future performance, but do you believe AAPL can sustain dividend CAGR of 10% in the next 10 years ? + +Would you add AAPL if you had to construct a dividend growth portfolio ? +We have apes among us who have been making a living trading options for years. These are our snipers. Only people who have been trained to be snipers should be sniping. If you are not a trained sniper, then buy, hold & DRS. I am not a trained sniper, so no options for me, but goddamn if I’m not fucking thrilled that we have a sniper unit flanking these hedge-fucks with options leverage. Bring it on! + +Edit: For those calling me a shill, you can check my post history. I have 500 DRSed shares, so I am in this thing with everything I’ve got. + +Edit 2: I have delusions of grandeur and refer to myself by the royal “we”. I speak for no other ape, just have noticed that other apes have been eating their bananas differently than me and decided to make an anal.. anyl… analogy. +I got laid off recently, and while it sucks, the company was generous with their severance package and I’ll get around $30K in a lump sum after taxes. I have a fully funded emergency fund and will be getting unemployment checks around $500/week for up to 26 weeks. + +I estimate that I can live off unemployment and my emergency fund for around a year before I would need to start dipping into my severance. + +Where is the best place to park this money until then? I don’t anticipate needing to use it, but you never know. So I’d like for it to be reasonably liquid until my next job is secured. + +I was considering dropping 10K into some iBonds, but I’m not sure where to put the rest. Maybe just a regular high-yield savings account for simplicity’s sake? Any guidance is much appreciated. + +(Obligatory apologies for formatting. On mobile device.) +Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/23/turbotax-maker-intuit-near-deal-to-buy-credit-karma-for-7-billion-wsj.html + +Looks like Intuit was feeling a bit too threatened by Credit Karma Tax. Hopefully Intuit won't slowly smother Credit Karma via stagnation like they have with their previous buyouts. +After 4 years, I was finally able to pay my utility bills on time for a full year, so I'm getting a refund of my $160 deposit! I have $0 bill this month and a $79 credit on next month! WOO HOO! + +$81 (for this month) doesn't sound like a lot, but it will buy me a few things I need and also give me some extra money to spend for my son's visit. Then next month, I can put that $79 in savings. + +Thank you, universe, for this timely gift! +Preface/Repost edit: Doubt everything, Do not trust this or any other post made by anyone as is without doing your own research. Do not think this is the whole picture, it's not. I am not a financial advisor and I could just be insane. + +Since I saw u/atobitt referencing Cede and Co in his current DD I wanted to just put this back out into the world as this post never took off in r/GME or r/wallstreetbets (a couple hundred upvotes) like it did in r/stocks (5k+ upvotes + all the awards which is basically all my accounts karma) and I feel like the info could be useful for people who want a bit more background on Atobitts post. + +I dont know why it got removed about a week ago as it only happened after the main post took off and had already garnered much attention, so make of that what you will. + +&#x200B; + +\*\*Original Post\*\* + +&#x200B; + +Get your tinfoil hat out, its time to see what you think you want to see but don't really want to. This is perfect for any newbie trying to understand what is going on and how the system has ended up the way it has. + +Tl;Dr at end. + +There are many great DD's that clearly explain Naked Shorting in 3-4 sentences that we can all agree are great. **However while looking around for DTCC ownership** and after having found [The Oil Drum](http://theoildrum.com/special/archives) (a great archive and now finished website of oil related information/discussion btw), **Cede and co** which was brought to my attention a month ago. I dismissed it as a conspiracy theory until I saw the post a couple days ago **(credit:** u/bEAc0n) bringing them up again and I took it seriously for once, which then led me to try and find a website like The Oil Drum but for Shorting. + +This website is run by a **dude called Larry with 40 years of WS experience, HF EVP, Board Member, Director of Equities+Income** and so on, he clearly brings up and explains the implications of everything to do with Naked Shorting and how it plays out in the market. You can look around his website but all he really talks about other than the Shorting is Pharmaceuticals/Bio-tech. + +I sent him an email and this was his response + +>Thanks for the kind words. +> +>No problem with your request. Here is the link you should give them. +> +>[https://smithonstocks.com/?s=illegal+naked+shorting](https://smithonstocks.com/?s=illegal+naked+shorting) (This is the compilation page of his blog) +> +>If there is any movement formed to take on illegal naked shorting, I would be happy to contribute. I have been consistently frustrated in trying to get media or politicians interested. + +**Read part 8 if you want to hear about CEDE and how once a counterfeit share is created it is forever viewed as a legitimate share unless if the company bring all shares back into itself to verify them (basically once counterfeited it exists forever, as a shareholder meet only verifies the shares owned by the ppl who will vote iirc)** + +[**Part 1**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-1-in-a-series-of-reports-on-blatant-widespread-stock-manipulation-that-is-enabled-by-illegal-naked-shorting/)**,** [**Part 2**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-2-in-series-on-illegal-naked-shortings-role-in-stock-manipulation-conventional-wisdom-on-how-illegal-short-sales-are-executed/)**,** [**Part 3**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-3-in-series-on-illegal-naked-shortings-role-in-stock-manipulation-prime-brokers-and-the-dtcc-have-a-troubling-monopoly-on-clearing-and-settling-stock-trades/)**,** [**Part 4**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-4-in-series-on-illegal-naked-shortings-role-in-stock-manipulation-who-are-the-key-players/)**,** [**Part 5**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-5-in-series-on-illegal-naked-shortings-role-in-stock-manipulation-traditional-shorting-compared-to-naked-shorting-both-legal-and-illegal/)**,** [**Part 6**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-6-illegal-naked-shorting-the-secs-regulation-sho-is-intended-to-prevent-illegal-naked-shorting-but-is-ineffective/)**,** [**Part 7**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-7-illegal-naked-shorting-dtcc-continuous-net-settlement-and-stock-borrowing-programs-have-loopholes-that-facilitate-illegal-naked-shorting/)**,** [**Part 8**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-8-illegal-naked-shorting-series-who-or-what-is-cede-and-what-role-does-cede-play-in-the-trading-of-stocks/)**,** [**Part 9**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-10-of-illegal-naked-shorting-series-the-risk-reward-of-shorting-versus-buying-stocks-is-extremely-unfavorable/)**,** [**Part 10**](https://smithonstocks.com/part-10-of-illegal-naked-shorting-series-legal-shorting-of-stocks-is-a-losers-game-but-illegal-naked-shorting-transforms-it-into-a-winners-game/) + +This is the important part: a quote from Part 8 if you dont want to read the whole series + +>**While you may think you are buying registered stock, you are actually buying a financial derivative related to that stock.** **Effectively, you are buying a financial derivative from brokers of a financial derivative they hold from Cede that is just a digital entry in your DTC account.** +> +>Cede is at the center of the current, paperless electronic trading system that enables lightning fast trading of large blocks of stock by institutional investors and computers. Unfortunately, the intention  in designing it was to provide liquidity and reduce settlement risk. There is virtually no transparency in the system. Disturbingly, there are loopholes which allow for the counterfeiting of shares by market makers on a massive scale through illegal naked shorting and other measures. **At present, there is no way for an outsider or even the securities industry’s regulator, the SEC, to meaningfully detect and track these counterfeit shares. Once created counterfeit shares go on to be treated the same as legitimate street name shares** + +**TL;DR: until the people at the top (aka CEDE and co) are brought into court/subpoenad we will never ever have a truly free financial system, they control everything and it is up to them to decide how and where the stock market goes. Their company assets are somewhere in the region of $34T as of 2019 IIRC yet it is a private firm? This means some very big people and organisations are playing a very big game that we are not a part of.** + +Supporting links: + +[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cede\_and\_Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cede_and_Company) + +[https://www.nasdaq.com/glossary/c/cede](https://www.nasdaq.com/glossary/c/cede) + +[https://www.ilf-frankfurt.de/fileadmin/\_migrated/content\_uploads/ILF\_WP\_068.pdf](https://www.ilf-frankfurt.de/fileadmin/_migrated/content_uploads/ILF_WP_068.pdf) use reference 157 to get to the next link via google + +[https://www.dtcc.com/\~/media/Files/Downloads/legal/rules/dtc\_rules.pdf](https://www.dtcc.com/~/media/Files/Downloads/legal/rules/dtc_rules.pdf) + +&#x200B; + +A 3 part video series by a youtube channel by the name of Attar, all credit goes to him for the 3 video links below (these may come accross as opinionated and doesn't have sources directly linked to the youtube vid, however I have checked his patreon where his addendum is for these videos and I can at least say the content seems sound, just remember to take it with a grain of salt. It just seems to fit too perfectly with everything else coming out in our DD's to not include it here) + +[American Lies | Banks, Corruption, and the Federal Reserve – Part 1: Banks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdLRoIXpFKU) + +[American Lies | Banks, Corruption, and the Federal Reserve – Part 2: Corruption](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK8v8McIC50) + +[American Lies | Banks, Corruption, and the Federal Reserve – Part 3: The FED](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFDPkn_VUWY) + +Interesting archived article too: + +[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302054831/http://www.dtcc.com/news/press/releases/2007/wsj\_response.php?lpos=3&lid=3](https://web.archive.org/web/20090302054831/http://www.dtcc.com/news/press/releases/2007/wsj_response.php?lpos=3&lid=3) + +Official paper detailing the ceding of control of our shares + +[https://www.ilf-frankfurt.de/fileadmin/\_migrated/content\_uploads/ILF\_WP\_068.pdf](https://www.ilf-frankfurt.de/fileadmin/_migrated/content_uploads/ILF_WP_068.pdf) + +Gary Gensler talking about crypto and the potential overhaul for the current stock market. + +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=EH6vE97qIP4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=EH6vE97qIP4) +Bought a good chunk of the Medical Cannabis and Wellbeing ETF at the start of the year. It's been fairly flat, posting some decent returns and a few dips, but largely boring.......until today. + +7% increase not long before close. + +Anyone know why? Or even better can point me in the direction of answering these kind of questions myself? + +Edit - So, spent the evening digging about google - [https://www.healtheuropa.eu/recommendations-for-uk-cannabis-industry/107851/](https://www.healtheuropa.eu/recommendations-for-uk-cannabis-industry/107851/) + +& + +[https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jazz-pharmaceuticals-completes-acquisition-of-gw-pharmaceuticals-plc-301284512.html](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jazz-pharmaceuticals-completes-acquisition-of-gw-pharmaceuticals-plc-301284512.html) + +&#x200B; +I’m currently with Hargreaves Lansdown where I hold a SIPP, ISA and my child’s Junior ISA. My monthly fees are around the £30 mark so I’m considering jumping ship to Interactive Investor where they have a flat fee of £9.99 plus £10 for a SIPP. + +Do any of you use this platform or have any thoughts on this? I quite like the HL app but I don’t know much about ii so would be keen to hear from people who’ve made the switch + +Thanks in advance +Hard to find anything that hasn't run up +50%. + +The best penny stock value I can find at the moment is $GEO. Dr. Michael Burry recently bought a LOT of shares in GEO. Just looked at his portfolio and found he has 5.3% of his entire portfolio is in GEO now. + +It had an incredible run up yesterday. But still severely undervalued (analysts are saying it’s worth 3X its current value). It looks poised for a big run up. Michael Burry usually doesn’t do big investments unless he’s done his homework and knows potential is massive. I’m considering buying GEO, any thoughts? + + +Hi, I am a student deeply interest in finance. that is why I am presenting to you my valuation thesis of Dominos Pizza. I made an extensive research of the company covering all the most important topics so hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions let me know in the comment section. + +LINK: + + [https://docdro.id/Ey5RdP6](https://docdro.id/Ey5RdP6) +Can anyone please explain why an Insurance Company be trading significantly below book value? + +Example: GBLI + +trading at $27/share book value = \~$49/share. Plus recent sale of part of GBLI business to K2 + +[https://gbli.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Investor-Day\_Sept\_2021-FINAL.pdf](https://gbli.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Investor-Day_Sept_2021-FINAL.pdf) +I posted some of this yesterday and didn't get much traction in daily questions of [r/investing](https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/). Today I meant to post it here and accidentally post it in [r/investing](https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/). (facepalm) I thought about deleting it, but what the hell, I'm going to cross-post and see the disparity in the comments. + +tldr, I'm having a crisis of confidence in buy-and-hold index investing strategy + +**Backstory:** + +I'm 38 and live in the USA. I'm employed, and I make the median national income. I want to accrue wealth over the long term. I don't know that I have an accurate understanding of my risk tolerance. I think generally I am very cautious. Before yesterday I was about 70% equities, 15 bonds, 15 cash. I just sold off a lot of my stock. I'm waiting for the account to settle to see my new allocation, but I'm certainly under 50% stocks at this time. I have no debts. + +I have been a buy & hold index fund investor for the 20 years of my adult life. It always sort of bothered me that I didn't understand the underlying mechanisms of the markets I was investing in. At some point in the last decade I learned about the Schiller p/e index and thought "hmm, this doesn't seem good..." I read *Random Walk,* and I think I understood most of it. + +**The Bug Out:** + +Recently, I heard a Grantham interview and read some Hussman, and their gloomy prognostication really struck a chord with my natural inclination towards pessimism. They say current prices are unthethered from the underlying assets and and that this is true across all sectors of the market. My friends and the forums are full people throwing money at speculative investments (currency, SPAC, etc). My elders are telling me to blindly invest in an index fund and forget about it, because 'historic returns, don't miss the market's big days, it worked for them, etc.' + +My armchair diagnosis is that there are a lot of people like me that are blindly investing in broad index funds that could care less about the underlying value of the assets as long as the price keeps going up. I suspect at some time in the future we'll look back and see that index funds were a craze like any other and laugh at the certainly we currently feel that these assets will return 6-8% on average until the end of time. Looking at you Vanguard (who recently told me that a 'normal asset allocation' was 90-95% stocks...hmm). I also think we'll look back and see that the last trick the boomers played on us was propping up their asset valuations with Fed policy and leaving us to hold the bag. + +Worst of all, it doesn't seem like anyone I speak these concerns to (friends, family, investment advisors) is really taking them seriously or even hearing them. Am I turning into a flat-earther? Is the king wearing any clothes? + +**What Now?** + +I've been told you shouldn't try to time the market, and I've read the explainers about how I'm likely to mistime by selling below the peak, buying before the trough, and missing out on gains while out of the market. Frankly, I'm at a point where I don't believe in the market at all. Is not believing in the market at all the same as timing it? + +I've heard that market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent. I've also read that by definition there is never greater certainty in the market than the day before the bubble pops. + +I'm not sure I can just put all of my money in an index fund and sleep at night. I have the following questions. Have some of you had a bug-out like I'm having now and that led you to value investing? Do you still believe in index funds in this current market? The knowledge requirements to be a value investor seem much higher than for an index-fund investor. It's crazy intimidating. Do I just start reading your investment bibles and leave my money on the sidelines until I understand how make investment decisions in individual companies? + +tldr2; I am questioning the fundamentals of my buy-and-hold index fund approach to investing. What the hell do I do? + +EDIT: typos and clarifications. +I've noticed Stratis being mentioned more and more frequently, lot's of subtle (and not so subtle) hints that is could be the next big thing, and also that it is a challenger to ETH. + + +So I decided to do some digging to try and educate myself and get a thread going. I’ve read through the Stratis sub, their Wiki, the website, the whitepaper and a tiny proportion of the 600+ page bitcointalk thread (caveat – total ‘research’ time on this is literally about an hour so conclusions could be WAY off). This is what I can make out thus far. Disclaimer I hold ETH, but I’ve tried to keep this objective…). + + +**Stratis Group** + + +* It looks like Stratis has been created by members of Stratis Group, an organisation that aim to provide consultancy services and cloud infrastructure services aimed primarily at the enterprise market. +* From the WIKI: + > Q: How will Stratis Group monetize Blockchain applications created on the Stratis platform? + + > A: Stratis Group makes money by charging a subscription to customers using the platform and also via Stratis Group consultancy services. The platform includes features such as Cloud hosting, BaaS, as well as access to the Stratis SDK. A combination of service and technology based revenue will ensure Stratis Group remain a successful business. + + +* It looks like the Stratis chain/platform will be just one of the technology platforms the team intend to support. Others include Bitcoin and Ethereum +* From the whitepaper: +> (1) "As well as offering the services integrated in its own blockchain, Stratis will specialise in providing hosting and consultancy for decentralised applications (Dapps) on top of the Ethereum blockchain." +(2) "Stratis will enable one-click provisioning of other major blockchain platforms aside from its own, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, BitShares and LISK” + + +**The Stratis Blockchain** + + +* Stratis appears to be a platform built using forked bitcoin components, with some disassembly and reassembly involved, with a Proof of Stake consensus mechanism thrown in, and with emphasis on use of C# for ease of enterprise adoption. +* The white paper leads me to conclude transactional features supported by the network will be similar to those sported by bitcoin. No Smart Contracts. +* Features such as asset issuance are achieved using the OP_RETURN data space offered by bitcoin and pioneered for meta-protocol use by Omni and Counterparty. +* It seems the idea is to create a primary Stratis chain, against which it will be possible to integrate private chains. + + +**Current Network Status** + + +* There is a live public chain. +* Currently at block 380k or so, the last 100 blocks arrived in 148 mins, so just over a block a minute. +* Unclear on status of side/private chain integration. + + +**Stratis tokens (STRAT):** + + +* From the wiki: "Stratis is the currency which powers the Stratis Platform. A Proof-of-Stake (POS) cryptocurrency with limited emission and low inflation, Stratis (ticker: STRAT)." +* STRAT token appreciation since ICO currently stands at just over 140,000% (https://icostats.com/vs-eth). Not too shabby. +* The top 15 wallets seem to own >40% of tokens (https://chainz.cryptoid.info/strat/#!wallets) +* There are suggestions the token may be used for more than basic transaction fees and staking rewards, but I have’t found any further explanation on this. From the whitepaper: [Process for creating a private blockchain] “Create an account on the Stratis Cloud Portal [then] Purchase Stratis to fuel your Private Chain.” < This point has me totally confused. + + +**Conclusions:** + + +* In general, all sources of information are quite light on substantive detail describing how the platform (particularly public/private chain integration and possibly even cross chain token use) will work. +* At risk of being too blunt, I’m unclear what the value proposition of Stratis (the platform) is beyond being a PoS bitcoin with faster blocks, which may be more accessible to C# developers. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad proposition (!), but does it compete with Ethereum? No. If anything this is another bitcoin competitor. +* Maybe I am missing something / a lot, but given what I’ve read, I’m completely unable to justify recent hype or price rise. + +**Some links for ref:** + +* Explorer: https://chainz.cryptoid.info/strat/ + +* Whitepaper: https://stratisplatform.com/files/Stratis_Whitepaper.pdf + +* Wiki: https://stratisplatform.atlassian.net/wiki/display/WIKI/About+Stratis + +* BCT Thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1512202.0 + +* Github: https://github.com/stratisproject/ + + +TL:DR – A bitcoin derivative with a twist (PoS). Baffled by recent hype and price rise. Expecting crash. Staying well clear. + + + +Discuss. +Remember Ryan Cohen was following many people. Lately his follower count went down as he was unfollowing many accounts. He eventually followed 7 accounts. These being Elon, Steam, Xbox, Playstation, Gamestop, PC Gamer and Geekwire. Refer to these pictures because I dont think I can link the posts from other subreddits can I? + +https://preview.redd.it/l0vxm0mlt6e71.png?width=1124&format=png&auto=webp&s=d6b34fbe4325c918c9c211b2fb458a42fd074922 + +[7 accounts followed](https://preview.redd.it/doz9j19ot6e71.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc3db276195828fe959141f537a328b6813bdbce) + +So anyway a little while goes by. Guess what. He then started following 4 accounts. These being Gamestop, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo. Refer to these posts [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nbkmyk/anyone_else_notice_ryan_cohens_following_count/) and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nm8gj5/twitter_just_snitched_on_ryan_cohens_follow/) + +https://preview.redd.it/2bjjadhcu6e71.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=a46064705e99f2b06afdadb1a4c916eababa0998 + +[4 accounts followed](https://preview.redd.it/ldnb35pdu6e71.png?width=603&format=png&auto=webp&s=c855b75f8013368ff5547049a5a6a3f180a7e48e) + +Nintendo huh? That was a new one. We know Nintendo has added GameStop to their shop recently which is cool + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ostbvi/theyre\_watching\_gamestop\_added\_to\_nintendo\_website/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ostbvi/theyre_watching_gamestop_added_to_nintendo_website/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +But then something odd happened recently. He now only follows 1 account... + +https://preview.redd.it/xiuj5elmv6e71.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=8c2514041d162c1aa5588e42e09dceab8cb7a736 + +https://preview.redd.it/9yfzv41pv6e71.png?width=618&format=png&auto=webp&s=c36a7865613ccf2fe66e442014b21396f0cb5ddf + +Gamestop. + +7. 4 and 1. Does that ring a bell for anyone? + +Ah yes, the 7:41 timestamp tweets. Have a read with the link below + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/obmelx/rc\_has\_posted\_twice\_now\_at\_exactly\_741\_section/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/obmelx/rc_has_posted_twice_now_at_exactly_741_section/) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/n1mq1n58w6e71.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=844ac3ba3d20074a9ffa61daf0f63130afbe8cc5 + +https://preview.redd.it/u1cjltg9w6e71.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=42c477acfb2efc81be69e2850409b7811778dd44 + +https://preview.redd.it/cjnofe6aw6e71.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=280db3d6f6083416dd97b08801ce3ae581f3a577 + +There are plenty of other posts about the 7:41 tweets too. I'll list a couple I like + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/odtkle/ryan\_cohens\_tweets\_at\_741\_are\_in\_relation\_to\_the/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/odtkle/ryan_cohens_tweets_at_741_are_in_relation_to_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/oce1sc/i\_think\_we\_are\_over\_thinking\_the\_741\_time\_stamps/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/oce1sc/i_think_we_are_over_thinking_the_741_time_stamps/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +Now I am not wrinkly brained enough to understand what this really means. I am honestly an actual dumb ape. I just saw a pattern and remembered a few things and then it clicked. Any wrinkly brained apes, could you do a bit more digging on this. I'm intrigued at what I found. I'm just not wrinkly enough to understand it all. Either way I know I am jacked and ready to buy more and keep holding. And as sign guy would say... "Stay stonky" +This is what the historical charts say. The covid flash crash being the major exception - a prolonged bleed of -25% takes at very minimum 4 years to recover, and from 2000 you could say it took 12 years to finally get and stay above ATHs +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +Find the latest Daily Altcoin Discussion thread by selecting the top result on this [search page](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/search?q=Daily+Altcoin+Discussion&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new). + +*** + +The thread guidelines are as follows: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All sub rules apply here so please review our **[rules page](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/)** to become familiar with them. The rules page is also linked in the announcement bar above. +- If the top page becomes overloaded with memes, all but the top two voted may be removed. If we need to remove a bunch of memes from the top page, post memes in this thread first and upvote the best so the mods know which ones to keep + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +I have been trying to get my ducks in a row to start real estate investing. It will probably be about a year before I get to a place where I can buy a multifamily home. In the meant time I am just trying to learn. I came across a property (I'd post a link but I don't think I'm allowed): + +3 Beds/3 Baths, Cap Rate 11.56%, C.O.C. 33.87%, R.O.I. 40.88% + +1592 sq. Ft + +All of this is off a listing website. The numbers seem too good to be true but I'm so new to this stuff that I want some guidance +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/wdo7qmb55jw91.png?width=1169&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab48e60bee3572acb9374ee0e1944112e918d2cd + + + + +[View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/yflatm) +As title says, do you think that there is a rebound for INTC? I personally love the company and love the fact that they are investing billions in USA manufacturing (in my home state too). I love the dividend but the price keeps dropping lower and lower. Do you think the dividend is safe? Am I panicking too much? idk. +I called about my upcoming mortgage payment. I said I heard about this Evergrande coupon thing that I wanted to take advantage of so I could lower my payment to $80/ month (.0004%) on my outstanding loan. + +Turns out the coupon is only good if you committed the required amount of financial crime. +Not really a big fan of Warren Buffett, but I think this quote describes perfectly how wealth is accumulated....and it's why everyone is here. No offense to the traders here, but the goal isn't to be sitting in front of screens making the right timing decisions...it's to be letting assets you own accumulate. So congrats for being here and starting on that path... +I work in a large team of about 15 mostly people in their mid/late 30s in which virtually everyone earns over 50k. + +Did an informal poll in my team and, other than me, not a single person has ever logged into their pension providers online portal or paid any attention at all. +This means that everybody is likely invested in the balanced/conservative fund that the pension defaults to. +Not only that, they are only contributing the absolute minimum. + +Since our employer does not operate via salary sacrifice, this also means that all of these people are only getting 20% tax credit into their account and missing out on the extra tax credit as a higher rate payer since they do not fill out a tax return to claim it back. + +All of this information was there when I joined the company as part of the induction, so I can’t really blame the company, but it just really staggered me that all these people have given basically no thought to their retirement. +I’m purchasing a 4-unit property in NH for 280k that needs about 100k of work. The house just appraised for 440k in its current condition. It’s currently bringing in $6,000 a month for rent, and all of the work that needs to take place is on the exterior and on the heating system. I will not have the cash to perform the work after I close, which is in 6 days. I am putting 25% down and my interest rate is 7.625%. + +My question is, should I do a cash out refinance immediately and use that cash in equity to perform the repairs or wait a year or two until I can save up the money myself to do the improvements on the exterior and heating system? The heat will most likely still work until then but I would rather replace it sooner than later to avoid a headache. I will be able to save about 100k in cash in the next 2 years on my own. + +Yes I know that I am very fortunate with the purchase price. I am purchasing this property from a family member that wants out of the business and is ready to retire. I have an excellent relationship with her, and 280k is all she needs to meet her magic number so that is why I am getting it for such a discount, as she trusts that I will improve the property significantly under my ownership. This is part of the reason why I am considering the cash out refinance so that I can do the upgrades sooner to make her happy, as it is important to her. + +Thank you in advance! +I just sold my home in LA, and let me tell you, it was a shit show. I did a few in-person interviews for an agent and eventually I found someone I thought was reputable, but boy was I unprepared for the ensuing headaches. + +Just some quick highlights that drove me insane: + +-The agent did two open houses only, which was fine, but refused to keep a lockbox, because she wanted to be there during each showing. Being relatively naive, I said “ok, sounds great!” Later I found out why she insisted on this. + +-Later I found out the agent was trying to sell the home primarily to buyers she knew. I’m not certain if it was to snag someone who were unrepresented but it felt shady. Apparently "double dipping" is pretty normal, but isn’t that a crazy conflict of interest? + +-After I caught on (since I specifically asked to know who represented the first few offers), she started to suggest buyers represented by other agents in her brokerage. + +When I finally found a buyer I liked, I asked if there were any other competing offers, and was told no. Ok.. let’s move forward. After about a week of negotiation, I started to get the feeling the buyer might be getting cold feet, so I asked my agent if we had any back up offers. I was told “no, and the market is getting weak with the rising interest rates, so let’s try to close asap!”. + +Alright – I guess that makes sense. Except when the buyer backed out the next day, suddenly it was ok because my agent found a mysterious backup offer that was 8k higher than the offer I had, except it came through an agent at another brokerage. Interesting… + +I just don’t understand why I didn’t have access to all the offers as they came in, and why wasn’t it obvious who represented who? I work in talent management and talent get full access to their business emails so they can keep tabs on their representation, but I’m selling my home (probably the most money I stand to make in my life), and I can’t get visibility into the process??? +Curious to hear how folks in similar situations decided on whether to have children. What questions you asked yourselves? what realizations you had after deciding yes/no? and how did it impact your fatFIRE journey. + +**Background:** SO and I both early 30's and been together 7 years. Gross TC \~$500-600K (400 me vs 200 her) with upside for both. NW \~$1.4M, Living in MCOL region. Both from middle class families. + +Friends are all starting to have kids.. and it's a common discussion between the two of us. Partner says she either wants two or none. + +We like kids, we live close to both parents (who would be wonderful grandparents) but we contemplate moving to another city/country one day. We worry about FOMO/loneliness with many friend groups having kids today, and the regret of missing what many claim to be the largest reward in life. We both played high level competitive sports growing up and built special bonds with our parents through these. A part of us feels we should give back and provide the same to our children. + +Alternatively - We know having kids would add challenges to career trajectories, and test our already busy (and sometimes high stress) lives. The largest opportunity cost would be for my partner to give up \~12 months and likely take a reduced role for a few years afterwards, and negatively impact fatFIRE timelines.. The next would be giving up level of freedom to travel and do many of the activities we love. + +We've had a lucky run so far, and wonder whether we risk such a major (and expensive) life change. +I can't talk about this with friends and family, so turning to this forum. Am approaching a major (I think) milestone this month, going to add a zero to nw (entering 8 figures). Our expense is 130k/year currently. My question: is there any change or difference in going from 7 to 8 figure nw? I feel stupid asking this as obviously there shouldn't be much difference if any, but I wonder if psychologically anything changes? People that have gone through it - have you noticed any difference in behaviors? +After playing 9 seasons in the NFL, running back Marshawn Lynch just announced his retirement from professional football. At the young age of 29, he has not spent any of his career earnings, instead living off his endorsement deals. He is also known for being a resource for teammates when it came to finances - teaching rookies how to take advantage of their 401k. Peace out boss. + +http://www.complex.com/sports/2016/02/marshawn-lynch-has-not-any-fifty-million-dollars-nfl-paychecks +just saw the article making the rounds on Twitter + +text of article: http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2nhlxd/urgent_a_zdnet_reporter_has_been_emailing/cme2nft + +(by request, I have removed the link to ZDNet's "article" so it receives no further traffic, it does not deserve it) + +un fucking believable. I think many of us are starting to realize now's the time for the Bitcoin community to go on offense. Enough playing defense and responding to clowns like this. + +Let's give ZDNet the Western Union treatment. Read that article. It's insane. + +from the "Journalist's" article: +"Earlier this year, I wrote to a dozen or so key Senators and Congressmen concerning the illegality of Bitcoin in the United States. What makes it illegal is Article 1, Section 8, Clause 5 of the Constitution of the United States. Only the US Treasury can coin currency. If the US government doesn't produce currency, it is illegal. End of story. Now you have the confirmation from a US Senator to prove it. + +I originally wrote to these people to have an opportunity to testify in front of Congress against Bitcoin's use in the US as a currency. Bitcoin is only one of a dozen or so illegal currencies, but Bitcoin seems to be the main one to battle against. If that one's defeated, then it would render all of them as worthless, except for their original purpose of illegal purchases of weapons, drugs, and other contraband. + +My response from Senator Coburn's office is given below, in its entirety." + +**edits made** as requested, I've pulled the direct link to ZDNet's article. Screw them. + +Also, these are some of his tweets since the story broke. Far from apologetic or willing to correct his words: + +"I wish I could find a gig like that. If you know of any, send them my way. I'd love to be paid to diss Bitcoin." +https://twitter.com/kenhess/status/537742251766452225 + +"Fire me because I'm awesome? That's a tough sell. And it wouldn't stop my Bitcoin hate." +https://twitter.com/kenhess/status/537740659394752514 + +"FYI I've never been shredded in any debate. Don't enter a fight that you're not prepared for. Besides, there is no debate." +https://twitter.com/kenhess/status/537699058748387328 + +"I don't bother researching rancid Twitterati. And I don't care what you believe that you are. Again, do you own any Bitcoin?" +https://twitter.com/kenhess/status/537684363119697920 +(tweeted at /u/bruce_fenton who presumably owns a lot of bitcoin) +*“Behind every great fortune there is a crime” – Balzac* + +This post is the collective narrative behind the plays on GME by large institutions. This will be a multi-part DD post gathered from excellent insights on this sub. As there have been no open confessions of these activities by the perpetrators (a la Bernie Madoff), or books that have yet been written, this will only exist as a **theory** with pieces of evidence to support where we can. It is designed to be high-level, approachable, supported by available sources where possible, and represent key players and interests as it relates to the events surrounding GME. It is incomplete. Where information cannot be confirmed, it will be marked as rumor or speculation and should be treated as such, but it should not be a rabbit-hole. It will be ongoing and require updating as well as contributions from you, outlined below: + +* \[] - request for link to relevant DD (DD posts or legitimate sources) +* /e?/ - expert insight requested (e.g. legal review – I’ll try to call out specific users that are known for their specialties on this sub) +* /R/ - further research requested + +(Setting expectations for the veteran readers of r/GME and r/SuperStonk: you will already be familiar with many of the terms, events, and points described in this first post. However, even if it is already familiar to you, I hope this post will still be a valuable summary and an easy introduction for anyone who wants to know more about the stock. Please feel free to contribute sources you might see are missing) + +*** +# Part 1: The Crime of Citadel + +$GME + +The current price of GameStop stock is artificial. In simpler terms, the price of $GME is **not** determined by normal market dynamics - supply and demand. This is because Citadel and others have been illegally manufacturing fraudulent shares of GME, abusing their special designation as Market Maker to profit their firms. The more straightforward term for their activity is *share counterfeiting*. Citadel & others have been counterfeiting shares of GME, profiting from non-existent shares, dumping fraudulent stock to lower the price, and abusing system lapses to hide their activities. Their scheme that has grown wildly out of hand and now threatens to wipe out many more firms in the market due to their risky behaviors. + +#An overview of the mechanics of this scheme: + +**FTD** (for **F**ailure **T**o **D**eliver) – a key term to understand + +1. FTD is a standardized term for a delay in delivering a share that’s been purchased. *In the context of Citadel, an FTD represents a counterfeit share.* +* In the US market, a share can be sold regardless of whether or not it actually exists. The financial system accepts the transaction at face value so that the buyer can continue trading. +* The delay in delivering a share is meant to be temporary... +* ...but for Citadel’s case, they never had the share they sold; they abused their position to “sell” something they didn’t have. +* Outright share counterfeiting is highly illegal, and one of the financial crimes that [carries prison sentences](https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/crime-penalties/federal/Securities-Fraud.htm) +* For Citadel to perpetrate this crime, they needed to hide it among their transactions and appear legitimate (FTD’s can be legitimate, and enforcement is subjective “[*...will depend on the facts and circumstances of the particular activity*](https://www.sec.gov/divisions/marketreg/mrfaqregsho1204.htm)”) + + +#Citadel’s Scheme, Part 1: Create a Share, Legitimately + +1. [Citadel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_LLC)’s activities are recognized as a [“bona-fide” Market Maker](https://www.mmlawus.com/newsitem/alerts/larry-bergmann-addresses-regulation-sho-and-bona-fide-market-making/), an industry designation which allows them special authorities and responsibilities. +* One of their special authorities is to “create” shares in the marketplace as part of their role of providing liquidity. (“Liquidity” is finance speak for – “keeping the shelves full with the stocks people want”) +* Citadel is allowed to execute transactions without owning the share – i.e. Market Makers can temporarily “create” a share from nothing – with the understanding that it is illegal to manufacture shares for their own profit. +* This “temporarily created share” is recorded as a “short”: designed to be sold to the marketplace then bought back within a brief period of time, to prevent an enduring non-existent share in the marketplace. +* “Shorting” is also a common practice of borrowing a share from someone else’s account. The borrowed share is sold into the marketplace, and ideally bought back at a lower price and returned to the account (many financial companies do this legally, Citadel included). +* Both traditional shorting and “bona-fide” market maker shorting creates a “legitimate” non-existent share – temporarily. Again, the non-existent share is meant to be a placeholder until a real share is delivered. +* If the share is out in the marketplace long enough without being repurchased, the share is flagged as an FTD – failure to deliver – since there was no *actual* share delivered. If it is never reconciled, it becomes counterfeit. + +#Citadel’s Scheme, Part 2: It’s Only Illegal If You Get Caught + +1. The process of determining an FTD is technically complex. There are regulations for the amount of days which need to pass [before a share is declared an FTD](https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/regsho.htm). +* Additionally, *AFTER* a share is delcared an FTD, there are additional times allowed for counterfeit shares to to be rebought, with even more time allotted for Market Makers to do so. +* But once the allotted time passes and the delivery is still failed, the party at fault is subject to enforcement measures. +* The enforcement measures are weak – [small fines levvied far after the violation](https://financefeeds.com/citadel-securities-fined-275k-reporting-violations-700k-fine-2020/) (generally for less than the profit made from the activities)... +* ...and it is difficult to track. Individual shares may trade dozens or hundreds of times per day, and there is no way to follow the path – or origin – of each individual share. +* So the “counterfeit” share is logged against the overall pool of shares, not knowing which particular one is non-existent. But the contracts for the sale remains on the books of the parties involved. +* And while enforcement agencies are not interested in small volumes of counterfeit shares or low cost shares, Citadel has been manufacturing millions of fraduluent shares at a price of hundreds of dollars each, getting away with it under the guise of “bona-fide” Market Maker activities that have yet to be settled. +* However, any company with a “short” position on their books will retain the debt of the counterfeit share for the duration it is on the market… + +#Citadel’s Scheme, Part 3: Take the Money... + +1. Once the counterfeit share is sold and becomes an FTD, there are several options for addressing the FTD. +* Buying a share in the marketplace is the primary way of closing out an FTD. This also closes out the “short” position that is on the seller’s books. +* A second way to close an FTD is when the price of the stock goes to $0, and the stock gets de-listed. This voids *all* of that company’s stock, including the fraudulent shares. [] The FTD problem simply goes away with all of the other stock. +* **For a party engaged in the criminal act of counterfeiting shares, their main interest is in avoiding consequences of FTDs - not getting caught. They intend to sell shares they never have and never pay for them.** +* Paying for shares from the marketplace is undesirable to Citadel, not only because it increases costs (“the cost of legitimacy”), but also because the price of shares could go up and make the transaction a loss. +* Flooding the market with shares also has the added effect of dropping the price of the stock, because the market is overwhelmed with supply... +* ...and if the price goes so low that the stock gets de-listed, the “debt” of the shares on the seller’s books becomes a writeoff, which they will enjoy a tax benefit from []. +* **So bankrupting copmanies is the most desirable outcome from share counterfeiters.** The targeted company is an unfortunate casualty, chosen for its ability to be shorted into bankruptcy. +* **This is the first part of Citadel’s scheme: target a company, flood the market with counterfeit shares, drop the price of the stock to $0, walk away with the profits from the counterfeit shares, and enjoy the tax writeoff.** +* Note: Short positions are not publicly disclosed, and a company’s banruptcy closes all positions, so tracing these activities to Citadel is extremely difficult. These activites can happen entirely behind closed doors and leave little evidence in the public marketplace. That is what this sub has been working with: trace evidence of counterfeiting activities in the marketplace. + +#Citadel’s Scheme, Part 4: …and Run + +1. Profitably closing an FTD (either via bankrupcy or repurchase) requires one thing: **the price of the target stock to go down.** +* In this case, **the $GME stock price went up** during their scheme. +* This caused Citadel to find an alternative to closing the FTDs. So perhaps as a temporary stop-gap, or perhaps as a last resort, Citadel chose to **perpetuate FTDs without closing them** - they would keep the FTDs ongoing as long as they could, never getting caught, until circumstances let them exit their position. Hiding until they escape. +* Since FTDs are reported by *time*, Citadel figured they could reset the “timer” to avoid getting caught (very similar to floating credit card payments). They could do this two ways: +* First, they could short the traditional way – borrow or acquire a batch of the shares from an exchange or *dark pool* (an off-exchange trading room), and then turn around and close their FTDs. Those new shorts would later become new FTDs, but it would give them a few days. +* Second, they could counterfeit additional shares. While it is uncertain if it was possible for Citadel to use counterfeit shares to close out FTDs [], their releasing more counterfeited shares into the marketplace let them easily borrow or buy the shares back, then turn around and close out the FTDs. Again, shorting gives a few more days until thes counterfeit shares became FTDs. +* Citadel could reset FTDs like this continuously, never running into the enforcement limits without being able to reset the FTD timer again. +* This would also keep the marketplace full of shares - normally a desirable outcome. But in the interest of their counterfeiting scheme, keeping an abundant supply of shares in the marketplace also keeps the stock price low, the availability of additional borrows high, and the interest on the borrowed shares low. +* And if Citadel was worried about availability, they could also re-borrow the share they just sold (i.e. borrow from A, sell to C, then borrow the same share from C – a process known as “rehypothecation”) – a legal practice. + +#Citadel’s Scheme, Part 5: But at what cost? + +1. The cost of resetting the FTD timetable – “kicking it down the road” – is twofold: +* First, there is a daily interest paid on every shorted share Citadel has. The interest rate is decided by the lending organization, and is related to the price and availability of the share to be borrowed. [] +* Second, for every short Citadel left open, the debt of that share remains on their books. As Citadel shorts more shares and as the price of the shares went up, their overall debt increases. If the debt gets too large, Citadel would potentially be “margin called” – their debtors would force Citadel to pay up. [courtesy: u/atobitt - [Image of Citadel's 2020 "securities sold but not yet purchased"](https://preview.redd.it/83uepbgudqm61.png?width=829&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c8b1f1475be0cf61d55f87e29fd282c45833b3c)] +* It is unknown when or how large their debt must be before Citadel is margin called.[] +* Additionally, due to Citadel’s activities it is difficult to know what a *legitimate* short term debt is on their books, from their legitimate activities, or what a fraudulent debt is from their counterfeiting activities. +* But by using a legitimate function to hide their scheme, they can achieve the illegal results – selling shares which they don’t have and never intend to deliver. +* Citadel’s activities also pose an extreme cost to the system. Fraudulent shares circulating in the marketplace means investors may become unsure that their shares are legitimate. Or investors may become unsure that the price of the stock is a reflection of legitimate supply and demand, but is instead artificial – lowered because of a surplus of fake shares. + +*** +Addtional reading: u/atobitt 's - ["Citadel has no clothes"](https://www.reddit.com/r/GME/comments/m4c0p4/citadel_has_no_clothes/) +u/canhazreddit 's - ["It's painfully obvious that when GME has a ton of FTDS, they're immediately reversing them with their hedgefuckery."](https://www.reddit.com/r/GME/comments/mijfq9/its_painfully_obvious_that_when_gme_has_a_ton_of/) +*** +**TL; DR & Summary:** +Citadel has been perpetrating a crime – illegally counterfeiting shares into the marketplace in order to profit. They are selling shares they don’t have and never intended to deliver. Citadel has been using their designation as a Market Maker to cover their activities as well as continue to counterfeit shares. This poses an increasing risk to their own business and moreso the overall market. + +Edit: u/Vipper_of_Vip99 smartly recommended updating the bullets to numbers. + +*** +Final note: here is an excerpt on Bernie Madoff from the [Madoff Investment Scandal wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madoff_investment_scandal): +>At one point, Madoff Securities was the largest buying-and-selling "market maker" at the NASDAQ. +> +> In 1992, The Wall Street Journal described him: +> +>*... one of the masters of the off-exchange "third market" and the bane of the New York Stock Exchange. He has built a highly profitable securities firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, which siphons a huge volume of stock trades away from the Big Board. The $740 million average daily volume of trades executed electronically by the Madoff firm off the exchange equals 9% of the New York exchange's. Mr. Madoff's firm can execute trades so quickly and cheaply that it actually pays other brokerage firms a penny a share to execute their customers' orders, + — Randall Smith, Wall Street Journal* + +And here is an excerpt from [Citadel's wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_LLC#Citadel_Securities): +>Citadel Securities automation has resulted in more reliable trading at lower costs and with tighter spreads. [...] Citadel Securities is the largest market maker in options in the U.S., executing about 25 percent of U.S.-listed equity options volume. According to the Wall Street Journal, about one-third of stock orders from individual investors is completed through Citadel, which accounts for about 10% of the firm's revenue. Citadel Securities also executes about 13 percent of U.S. consolidated volume in equities and 28 percent of U.S. retail equities volume. +We almost hit $100k USD in donations on NYE last year, if some folks need a backgrounder see below links. + + +Ok so maybe we don't have someone like Manatee(not real username) around this year to spur us.. But I do think we did some good last year with our donations on New Years Eve. + + +Mods stayed up til the wee hours as donations came in, and the user danced his dance. + + +Is there some interest in making this an annual event? + + +Process was simple, donate today, send proof to mods. They update a list. + + +https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/comments/ru1s0k/update_to_the_manatee_charity_donation_post/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button + +https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/comments/ru3cof/rfatfire_charity_donors_hall_of_fame/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button + + +Edit. +I donated $1,000USD to a local food bank and a heart institute, now to find a mod who is willing to participate in verifying and posting. +What would you do? We have placed an offer on a property, yesterday, after eyeing it on the market for months as the price has lowered continually and now into reach of our budget. + +We started with $650,000 in mind but have since moved to $665,000 yesterday in a formal offer. The agent has now told me that late last nihht they recieved another offer. She has changed her story twice, with first noting that their offer was slightly higher to now the offer is even with ours and she really wants to give it to us but we must go abit higher to win it. So I don't want to budge, I believe I can afford to but I don't really want to be stretching our budget right to its end at the moment with the way the markets going. + +She told us that the other potential buyer is an investor who will be able to go higher so she encourages us to strongly consider raising. +Been going through a bit of a 'house porn' phase lately, comparing how little I'd get in my area with other parts of Australia. + +Here's how to do it: + +\- Find a recently sold property on your favourite house porn site, e.g. [https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/](https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/) or [https://www.domain.com.au/?mode=sold](https://www.domain.com.au/?mode=sold) + +\- Enter your suburb and find a recently sold place for around $1 million dollars + +\- Comment in this thread with Suburb, URL, sold price, # of beds/baths, square meters (if the data is there), etc. + +I'll start... Being the eastern suburbs of Sydney, you're not getting a house for < $1,000,000 :( + +Suburb: Rose Bay, Sydney +URL: [https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-nsw-rose+bay-133572430](https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-nsw-rose+bay-133572430) +Property type: Apartment +Sold price: $975,000 +Beds/baths: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom +Size: 72 m2 +Robert Shiller, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2013, told Investor's +Business Daily he expects just 4.4% average annual returns in U.S. stocks +over the next 30 years. That's a disappointing return expectation — less +than half the market's long-term return and well short of what pensions +are calling for. The S&P 500's long-term return is 9.84%, says Index +Fund Advisors. + + + [https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/sectors/stock-market-crash-robert-shiller-i-see-bubbles-everywhere/?src=A00220&yptr=yahoo#](https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/sectors/stock-market-crash-robert-shiller-i-see-bubbles-everywhere/?src=A00220&yptr=yahoo#) +You read that right. Closing on 565k property and appraisal came back at 390k… our lender says he’s never seen anything like it. This is a flip bought at 200k and completed in 3 months. Reasons listed are near busy road, bonus room does not count as square feet so loss of 1 bed and 1 bath, next to rock quarry, unknown status of in-ground pool and spa. We are challenging appraisal as comps were not great match and house is being currently taxed with square footage of bonus room included. Even with some increase, let’s say it goes up to 450k and we provide 10 cash, is there any world where seller would agree? + +EDIT: This is property in high traffic tourism area with huge cash on cash return for short term rental even with 565k. Yes, we did do comps. We expected it to come in around 515k and figured seller was just getting greedy and we’d renegotiate when time came… didn’t expect it to be THAT LOW. Both selling and listing agent were floored and adamant appraisal is far off. House is business zoned so even if ordinance/laws in town change about short term rentals, it wouldn’t affect property. Should note “quarry” is more like a rock pile area vs active site and main road is probably far enough away where you notice it but don’t NOTICE IT - in case of short term rental is right near all main attractions. As we all know, getting offer accepted is a full sport these days so we plan to just offer what it comes back at 2nd time, but have no issues walking. +Hi all, + +I continue to read this subreddit on a very regular basis, thoroughly enjoy doing so. I feel a link to my previous post would make sense, it'll give you a better idea of my situation: https://www.reddit.com/r/UKPersonalFinance/comments/dj8zbt/how_do_you_realistically_save_money_on_a_limited/ + +If you don't wish to read it, I basically suffer from "severe and enduring" mental health problems, Schizoprenia being my main diagnosis. Consequently, my life has been greatly affected - I also live on (very) limited funds after my paying my bills, buying food etc. + +As I live in mental health housing, I thought it would be a good idea to send each of my neighbours a card and buy a small box of chocolates each for the carers, they're very helpful. I also spent about £50 extra on gifts for my mother and grandparents, felt incredibly pressured to do this and all the ladies urged me to buy them something at least. + +I'm deeply upset in that, of the fifteen plus residents here, not one has given me a card (or even a thank you!) in return, the carers haven't given me one either and when my helper today took me to see my family, they more or less took their gifts and said they didn't have anything for me. + +When we returned home, a man who I hadn't seen before said he wanted my old television, he said he saw me getting a new one (it was actually second-hand) and I should give him it for free. Feeling quite annoyed by this, I said absolutely not, he went away complaining. + +At the moment, I feel very down, people just upset me, they seem to be users/selfish. I don't think they realise how difficult it was for me to save, get to the shops and buy gifts for them. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year but, I'll be glad when it's all over. +So before the weekend CNBC aired naked shorts. Whilst they could have cut to another camera or ads etc or just left the camera on the dude they went to a long shot of this woman with a memeable face. And it was memed. + +Now Murdoch's fox is interviewing 'one of us'. The rest of the media are following up with stories. + +These are the same media who wouldn't mention gme a month ago. Ignored it rising, shouted about the dips. Not once have they been on our side and they never will be. Billionaire owned, billionaire run. Billionaires narrative. + +They know we don't trust them, they've tried every trick and we did not falter. Now they're trying to gain trust, spinning a little of the narrative we love. It's blown up. They're going to spin this against us. They will run the naked line until midweek and then they'll have investigations that find no naked shorts. Counter DD and more FUD to pick off paper apes. + +(Edit: meant to say here about spinning naked narrative on other tickers, but the wrinkle smoothed out. ... Why do you think you're seeing lists of 50 tickers that BANKS have banned shorting on. I've never the fuck heard of half of them... FUD. Repeat after me. ONLY GME. HODL) + +I have seen posts and comments talking about the woman, how she's secretly a hodlr and one of us. Because she tweeted something by dfv and said meow. Wow 1 fucking retweet and suddenly the face of the biggest FUD machine is an ape? The fuck she is. It was an act, and you're buying into it. + +Do not believe them. Do not trust them even when they tell the truth. They're the fucking wolves, and they're putting on their lambskin Clara to trick you. + +Not financial advice. I just hodl, wait and eat crayons. +$BABYELON is an open source peer-to-peer digital currency on the ethereum blockchain that distinguishes itself from other digital currencies in the crypto space through its aim in cultivating a vibrant, productive, and supportive community. Relatedly, as a community driven project, BabyElon rewards holders with an innovative reflection rate, as 5% of transactions is redistributed among existing holders. It is these elements, jointly combined with an experienced team of developers and influencers in the cryptocurrency space that set up BABYELON for long-term growth and progress. + + Immortal? Definitely. Vampire? Probably. Alien? Wouldn’t be surprised. Regardless, when Elon was brought into this world, he was most definitely a baby, and honestly, he still is. Long live BABYELON! + +Website: [http://www.babyelon.co/](http://www.babyelon.co/) + +Twitter: [https://twitter.com/baby\_elontoken?s=21](https://twitter.com/baby_elontoken?s=21) + +Telegram: [https://t.me/babyelonofficialtg](https://t.me/babyelonofficialtg) + +Marketing: Articles have been verified and are awaiting publication on the following news platforms: Yahoo! Finance, USA Today, Marketwatch, Business Insider, Influencive, and more. 50 + articles will be published within the next 7 days. + +Global Outreach + Marketing: + +China - The BabyElon Chinese Marketing Campaign Phase 2 kicks off in less than 8 hours (on weibo, btok, wechat, and more). + +Turkey - Turkish community has been onboarded and in production. + +Vietnamese - Vietnamese community has been onboarded and in production. + +Japan - Japanese Community is being onboarded. + +Contract: 0xdfb4a81727aa961b6ee830720843104fae0fdff9 + +Dextools Chart: [https://www.dextools.io/app/uniswap/pair-explorer/0x20b29f2c6ab60880a0d062a72d33bdee3249e64d](https://www.dextools.io/app/uniswap/pair-explorer/0x20b29f2c6ab60880a0d062a72d33bdee3249e64d) + +Operations: In order to continue cultivating and scaling the BabyElon community, the BabyElon team is hosting daily and weekly Telegram AMA’s where both new and long term members can participate in discussions, ask questions, and get involved with the project. + +Creative Direction: Internal design team led by the well-known creative director of Kishu + +Philanthropy: Weekly Charitable Donations - [https://twitter.com/MillionGardens/status/1412907527419858955?s=20](https://twitter.com/MillionGardens/status/1412907527419858955?s=20) + +Opensea NFTs are already available for bidding + much more to come. +This is assuming you stay together for life. + + +Edit: I want to know in general, but for those that prefer to make i more specific: M(26) F(27) assume 5-10k each in savings, ~35k each income. F is a 3rd year elementary school teacher for a charter school (Title I for years 1, 2, and 4 once the new school is approved). Just a general teacher, not special education, etc. +This is Annual update #3 ([first](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/91j113/15m_invested_25m_goal_30m_30f_w_1_child_liberal/), [second](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/cnt95s/update_2_175m_invested_25m_goal_31m_31f_w_1_child/)). I know my favorite posts in the subreddit are the ones that include all the raw details so i’ll do my best to include the relevant information. + +Quick recap: 32 year old couple in the SF Bay area both working at “FAANG” companies in non-engineering tech roles (ie Senior Data Science Manager for me) and our plan is to be able to retire by 35 but am currently a few years of schedule (wasn’t the case 3 months ago so I take that with a grain of salt). Earning fairly “Fat” bay area salaries but have more modest spend goals in retirement \~75K (excluding housing). I debated whether I should update this year since it feels strange posting mid-pandemic but felt it would be helpful for others to see how crazy the swings can be and how unpredictable rebounds can be (see charts below). + +We both graduated in the middle of the great recession with non-STEM liberal arts degrees (economics) from state colleges. I wanted to go into banking but the career fairs at my university in florida were spartan. Friends with top honors were getting their offers rescinded from the key players and I couldn’t even land an interview. Luckily found opportunities at local tech start ups and two jobs later was recruited to the Bay Area for nearly the same base adjusted for COL but clearly much more upside (full base salary history at the end). + +While 2020 has been rough trapped in a yardless apartment with an active toddler we are fortunate enough to both have remained employed (knock on wood). Covid also tossed in another interesting future option around longer term remote work outside the bay while maintaining \~90% of bay area salaries. So my original plan was to FIRE at 35 could turn into more of a glide out (really wanting to get out of the Bay Area ahead of my toddler starting elementary school). + +**Overall Investment Value as of 8/7**: $2.3M, +54% YoY (prev. 1.75M) + +* 290k from new contributions (large chunk from liquidity event) +* 260k from gains + dividends +* Current Asset Allocation: 53/33/14 (Domestic/International/Bond) 100% in low cost index funds +* Account Split: 57% Taxable (normal broker), 30% Pre-Tax (traditional 401k), 13% Post-Tax (roth) +* This is the majority of my networth. I own zero property, no vehicles, no debt of any type. Have an additional 300k in savings + +**My Favorite Charts (Updated 8/7/20):** [https://imgur.com/a/c6pGm16](https://imgur.com/a/c6pGm16) + +* [Overall Investment Trends Broken Out by Contributions & Gains](https://imgur.com/FspVw39) (Growth is all investment gains and dividends). As you can see this year was a bit crazy with "Growth" almost hitting zero. +* [Total Investments Stacked by Account Type](https://imgur.com/Jrk9zcv) (Helpful to see rapid acceleration of taxable plus you can see when I started contributing to a mega roth after losing access to contribute to a roth for a few years) +* [Retirement Projections](https://imgur.com/7zUi46E): Every year I model out my planned contributions along with very simple 5% gains. +* [Days Between 100k Milestones](https://imgur.com/KvRH5O0): I didn’t update this one. It really stops being useful + +**High level goals:** + +* Targeting >$75k annual spend ($2.5M @ 3% withdraw housing & education). I am nearly at $70k @ 3% withdraw rate today but still need another 2 years for the next two bullets (might also just bump up target to around 100k… have flexibility here and 1-more year syndrome is very real). Current spending is \~12k per month of which 70% is housing and childcare. +* \~500k available for house purchase in MCOL city; something like a Portland, Nashville, Austin, I am originally from Florida… so not there. Need to do more research on full tax treatment and public schools (ie TX has no income tax but high property tax so could be worse off than states with higher income taxes). +* 4-Years College paid for my toddler (state school level, \~23k per year est) + +**Income:** + +* Base Income: $400k \~6% Increase (includes my partner, yes i know this is ridiculous) +* Equity: $300k (1-time step change due to liquidity event but equity has also seen large gains in both new grants and company stock value over the past year, expecting at least the same for the next year but very much depends on company performance) + +**Personal Base Salary History** (Later on equity contributes a large portion of my salary but isn’t included here, note: don’t get overly hung up on the exact ages/dates everything is within +/- 1 year but smoothed out to make doxxing a little harder) + +* 2008 New Grad: $37k +* 2009: $44.5k (+20% new job) +* 2009: $48.5k (+9%, performance based raise) +* 2010: $48.5k (No raise this year, switch jobs at the same salary but more room to grow) +* 2011: $60k (+23.7% Performance based raise, it had been >500 days since my last raise) +* 2012: $66k (+10% annual performance raise) +* 2013: $80k (+21.21% Was a raise to get me closer to market salary and an effort for my employer to retain me, went along with a fancy inflated title) +* 2014: $138k (+72.5%, recruited to the bay area as a “data scientist”) +* 2015: $142k (+3%, percentage wise the smallest raise I ever received. Clearly an inflation based raise) +* 2015: $158k (+11%, Promoted during the year) +* 2016: $170k (+7%) Performance +* 2017: $190k (+12%, Performance) +* 2018: $210k (10%, Promotion) +* 2019: $225k (7%) Performance +* 2020: $240k (+6.6%) Performance + +Again, want more of my life story be sure to read my posts from last two years: + +* Update #1: [$1.5M Invested, $2.5M Goal | 30M & 30F w/ 1 Child, 5 Years to go](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/91j113/15m_invested_25m_goal_30m_30f_w_1_child_liberal/) +* Update #2: [$1.75M Invested, $2.5M Goal | 31M & 31F w/ 1 Child | 4 Years to go ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/cnt95s/update_2_175m_invested_25m_goal_31m_31f_w_1_child/) +You $SPY and SPX 0DTE Option Traders are some of the most savage traders on earth and I absolutely adore your courage to trade such a wild instrument and I really really look up to you guys! + +Ever since I started trading options I always loved trading 0DTE but never really had a real strategy. About 3 weeks ago I finally made the decision to specialize in trading 0DTE options on $SPY , $QQQ or even $IWM and am starting to build a strategy using VWAP and the volume profile. + + Anyways the question I had is, What would be your best advice you would give to someone who wants to specialize in trading 0DTE? It’s really hard to find good advice online about this topic and I would very much appreciate it. +I had planned to roll over 28K to a mutual fund IRA through the financial adviser that reached out to me from the Dave Ramsey site. At the time (1 month ago or so) I did not know much about my options. He pitched the plan to me and it all sounded sweet. The catch however was the 5% upfront fees to any contributions (including the 28K)... + +After some research online (a lot of it here and from you all fine folk!) I decided to go w/ Vanguard. They are charging me 0.04% annual fees, zero upfront fees and the lady on the phone was super helpful and made everything easy. + +Today I very professionally told the DR guy what I am going to do and he say's **"We too offer the no load relationship/fee base, but as Dave says upfront loads are the least expensive way to invest over long periods of time".**...thoughts on that? I find that very hard to believe (albeit I am obviously not an expert on the matter) +I'm so frustrated I'm literally in tears at this point. I've had a lease with two of my girlfriends for the past year and there's been a lot of struggles but overall everyone has gotten along until the end. I manage all of our payments to our landlord but several times my one roommate has been a real pain to get rent money from. Her parents just put money in her account and she transfers it to me so I never understood why she put up such a fuss to pay rent. We use CashApp and at the end of the month they transfer rent money to me and I send it to our landlord. We moved out at the end of April since our lease is up starting the beginning of May so both my roommates have sent in the last month rent to me and since moved back home. However my one roommate did a charge back or some sort of claim with her bank and CashApp has since taken all of her rent money out of my account no questions asked and now I'm $600 short for rent and my landlord has been breathing down my neck and I'm not sure what to do. I have attempted to explain the situation to my landlord but he's been horrible to deal with and since I'm the only one who has ever sent him rent money all he says is I have to send him $600 by the end of the week or we're not getting back our deposit at all. I've tried to contact her but it appears I've been blocked on all platforms by her. I'm not sure what to do at this point as I only currently work part time with school so it would take me weeks to make that amount to cover what we're still owed. I've recovered from my mental breakdown enough to write this out now I literally don't know what to do at this point should I try to contact CashApp again or try going to small claims court or something? + +&#x200B; + +Edit: Two people reached out and asked for pictures of me in exchange for rent money, please don't message me with something like that :( +Saw the lady at Walmart today change the price of a dozen eggs to $6.42. A dozen eggs cost almost $7 now. Wtf, how long can this go on before the bubble bursts? +I'm interested in hearing everyone's favorite FAT-themed memberships, subscriptions, services, etc. I think the concept of employing fixers and similar services is fascinating and a world that's not easily Googleable. + +Example to give an idea of what I'm talking about: Health Advisory services, as mentioned in a recent NYT article about class divide during COVID. These can help ease access to testing, experts, etc. The one listed is $80k/6 months + +The point is, I'm interested in hearing about everyone's favorite 'little known' services that non-FAT type's may not even have known existed. I for one (on the path to FF...getting closer) didn't know about the private health advisory service. I'm interested in learning about these not just for consideration, but I think these kinds of services live in a very interesting world, i.e., I was [reading](https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-turmoil-at-mark-zuckerbergs-private-family-office-2020-2) recently about Zuckerberg's family office, managed by the secretive ICONIQ capital. The services and memberships it offers I think are fascinating, and would love to hear others that you all use/have heard of. + +EDIT: Thanks so far all; these are excellent. List so far: High-end vacation home swap; armored luxury vehicles; fire insurance; concierge doctors. + +Let's keep it going. Would love to hear about the more squirrely services in the realm of 'fixers', off market buyers/sellers, etc. My sense is a lot of those services may all-inclusive to family offices and law firms. +From the article: + +> U.S. job growth continued at a brisk clip in March, with the unemployment rate falling to a new two-year low of 3.6% and wages re-accelerating, positioning the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by a hefty 50 basis points in May. + +> The Labor Department’s closely watched employment report’s survey of establishments showed that nonfarm payrolls increased by 431,000 jobs last month. + +> Data for February was revised higher to show 750,000 jobs added instead of the previously reported 678,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls increasing 490,000. Estimates ranged from as low as 200,000 to as high as 700,000. + +https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/u-s-job-growth-solid-in-march-unemployment-rate-falls-to-3-6 +I never heard about this subreddit until someone from here PMed me an hour ago and asked if I could do an AMA here. So bear with me if some of what I say doesn't make sense to you or jive with your way of life. Okay, let's do this. AMA. + +Edit: For more background of who I am: + +Hi, I'm Allen Wong. I was told to create an AMA here after I[ posted that comment](https://np.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/67zv7a/my_dad_does_tile_for_a_living_this_is_one_of_the/dgv60tg/?context=2) that became the top post of /r/bestof + +How I went from "rags to rich": I develop apps. My most popular app is called "5-0 Radio Police Scanner", which lets you listen to police radio chatter from around the world. As of 2012, my apps have been downloaded by over 20 million people. Since then, it's been downloaded by millions more (I lost count, sorry). + +My parents: My parents were raised in the slums of China. They fled here and raised my brother and me in New York City. My mother worked in a sweatshop in Chinatown before she quit to become a homemaker in her 30s. My father was a herbalist before he passed away unnaturally 3 months after I graduated from college. After his passing, no one in the family had a job (he passed away at the beginning of the 2008 recession). + +How I got started: A few months passed and I found a full-time job at Columbia University. Since I was the only one in the family with an income, I self-taught myself how to create apps during my free time. I then created apps on the weekends and weeknights in hopes of making some side income. I didn't expect this hobby to end up making me millions. My father's sudden passing caused my mother to become mentally ill (though, she has mental problems before then as well). As she suffered from paranoid psychosis for five years straight, I took care of her. She finally got better recently. + +What I do now: During my free time, I code apps, do photography, write books, do volunteer work, give free advice to young entrepreneurs, help less fortunate people, travel the world, and enjoy my short time here on Earth. +Bought a macbook on ebay on the 15th of June for £1600, it got "dispatched" the same day, without a tracking number. Got a notification that the seller's account has been suspended for suspicious activity. + +I called eBay and their agent filed a refund request, but had to wait 3 business days. In the meantime the seller actually recovered their account. + +3 business days later eBay stepped in and made a decision to refund me in 3-5 business days. Later that day, the seller uploaded a tracking code and sent me a package that turned out to be a handwritten envelope with a homemade "invoice" that I paid for the item and it will be dispatched in 21 business days. + +Next day, since the package was delivered, the refund was overruled. I contacted them immediately and they opened a return case instead. They made me sign an official declaration that I didn't receive the item in the package. + +A day later, my account is suspended for abusing the buyer protection policy, and they reassured me the ban is permanent and won't be getting a refund. + + +Here I am, with a piece of paper for £1600. A laptop wouldn't even fit. Royal Mail has the tracking code on the envelope, with the weight of 0.012kg and everything. Didn't have to sign for it just came through the letterbox. + + +I paid with a credit card. + +What are my options? +If you google 'usps change of address' on an Android phone, the top hit will be an add that brings you to a scam service that will do the change of address for you. If you go to it on mobile, it looks very similar to the USPS change of address form (uses similar style and the same colors). + +Turns out, it is a scam. You fill out the same form as the official one, but they file it for you. But instead of it costing $1.80, it costs $80. + +So I have a feeling my chargeback is not going to work. So my question is, am I just out of luck or is there something else I can do? I'll still try a chargeback obviously, but I'm not counting on it. + +EDIT: For all of the people saying 'It is clearly third party how could your stupid wife fall for this??'. There are several sites that do this, some of them are clearly not the correct one. The one she got tricked by was *very* similar looking to the official usps. It has the same color, same forms, almost identical logo. And on mobile in particular, it looks even more similar. + +Also, I reported the site in a few different ways, and I can no longer find it in search results. It used to be an ad (I reported the ad to google) but that ad seems to have disappeared. + +EDIT 2: Not only did the ad disappear, I can't find this site anymore when I search for it with Google. It seem to have disappeared. I can still get to it because I know the URL, but otherwise I can't find it. I wonder if my reports actually did something? + +EDIT 3: I previously mentioned that the change of address company was associated with another company as the BBB had the CEO of the both. This was a mistake by the BBB which has been corrected and I have removed the reference to that company. +I began to wonder if FIFA could actually use blockchain technology. Because I think it would be an excellent addition to the game. I recently read an [article](https://coingosh.com/2022/08/18/why-l2s-could-finally-make-aaa-games-go-to-the-blockchain/) about how L2s could bring AAA games to the blockchain. And, given that EA and FIFA's partnership will end after FIFA 23, this would be a great time to shake things up. Because blockchain technology and gaming are both stable, game developers have created an entirely new gaming system that allows players to earn money while playing. I honestly believe FIFA requires it because I know a lot of people who have grown tired of playing the same game year after year. + + +Consider a system in which you can sell your players in order to obtain FIFA crypto tokens. That, I believe, would also attract a large number of players to the game. The crypto world is expanding faster than I ever imagined. Earning money while playing is possible with almost any game that captures a person's interest. At least for me. What do you think? +This may all be hearsay, but I understand that there are food "counter-subsidies" in the US to pay farmers to not grow (or is it not sell) their crops. + +What are the details of this program and why is it in place? What might be the economic detriment of having food prices too low? + +EDIT: Link + +[Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/01/AR2006070100962.html) + +I quit my job in July and I was applying everywhere to get some work fast unfortunately nothing was happening and then in august I got a job at Kroger luckily for me they pay every week I’ve been there for about 3 weeks now and I’ve been using every paycheck I get to catch up on my mortgage and pay bills and credit card debts I have I stole a roll or napkins from work and I’ve been using that as toilet paper it’s lasted a good bit but I’ve run out a day ago and today I got paid and I finally had some spare money to buy toilet paper and a couple of snacks it was 30$ basically half of my savings but I’m happy I was at -57$ for 3 months before today and I feel like things are starting to look up unfortunately I lost my car if I had 600$ I could probably get it back but at the moment im utilizing Public transportation unfortunately it’s in Houston and the bus stops are so disgusting I just wanted to share with someone I don’t have anyone to tell +I rate locked at 3.5 for a multifamily jumbo fannie loan just a few weeks ago. My lender says its 4.25 today for the same loan. In your opinion, How much will this affect the housing prices going forward in 2022? + + +ALL RIGHT, I'm halfway through my ~~first~~ third coffee after sporting a little hangover, so here we go..... - Edit (some typos exist due to different trains of thought merged into a bit of a mess and one can forget to edit some words which once connected to the train) + +***TLDR*** \- The need of ethically sourced rare earths from allied nations is paramount. There are environmental issues (leachate from tailings dams, erosion and radioactivity to name a couple) at rare earth mines such as the Bayan Obo mine in China, Mountain Pass in California and Mount Weld in W.A but of these issues are of different scales. EU and USA have regulatory bodies investigating supply chains which will be meet U.N guidelines whilst also provide them with autonomy. The means of achieving such independence include sourcing materials through recycling to produce rare earth elements to some effectiveness which does lessen dependence of certain producers and decreases waste simply through re-use such as ***NEO*** tsx, ***NMT*** asx and ***LIT*** asx. Some companies are trying to eliminate the need of rare earths altogether (Honda and Jaguar for example). The question is are non-ree-ev cars better? The general consensus is no. If recycling doesn't meet production quota's is - *environmentally friendly REE mining*. Sure, the plant will still need diesel for years (even the plant will be EV operated eventually) but it is way more environmentally friendly than it used to be. The companies which still rely on them if they still require rare earths - there is sorting equipment such as TOMRA (***VML***) and Steinert (***NTU***) which eliminate the need of tailings dams and deplete the radioactive run off risk. + +***Ok this is going to be ranty as fuck*** but - [u/BuiltDifferant](https://www.reddit.com/u/BuiltDifferant/) asked me a good question yesterday about this specifically within the yesterday’s daily (my answer being ***VML*** and they knew about it already), so no worries mate, I'll put my useless framed piece of paper that says "Bachelor of Environmental Science" - with a geography and geology double major (and yes surely there are plenty here who will be way more qualified in this field of almost 80 k members because I'm just have a bachelor degree - and some may nit-pick and have even better suggestions, which is fair enough (this is what makes democracy good) - so I admit I am **FAR FROM AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD**), but anyway, I may as well use my toilet paper degree with what limited memory and remaining cognitive ability I have for once for you *special people* and see what I can use this boundless resource at our fingertips which more often than not utilise for *frivolous & time wasting purposes* to see what I can find for you good folks. I'm just doing this in one day.... + +We kind of get what *'environmentally friendly'* means - not posing threat of environmental degradation. We get what *sustainable development* means - the ability to prosper whilst not wrecking the future generation’s ability to. Mostly these are loaded words because often there are companies whose 'talk' is more glorified than their 'walk' - the media we are aware are ran by people and are businesses themselves so the system 'money talks', so there have been plenty that have gotten away with the issues they were the point source of (discounting Rio with the sacred site they exploded and some others). So, one must look at the environmental risks rare earth mining poses. + +ANYWAY, before than - lets touch on the types of deposits - the USGS have summarised the types well - (a) carbonatites, (b) peralkaline igneous systems, (c) magmatic magnetite-hematite bodies, (d) iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits, (e) xenotime-monazite accumulations in mafic gneiss, (f) ion-absorption clay deposits, and (g) monazite-xenotime bearing placer deposits. [https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/o/pp1802o.pdf](https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/o/pp1802o.pdf) Bradley et, al. p. 11. Carbonatite deposits worth mentioning are the massive Bayan Obo mining district in Inner Mongolia, China - check the scale. (It is also worth noting that 55km SW of that mine, there's another which is 4 km at its widest.) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/hv7fivgg7ss71.jpg?width=913&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c1a52fd21ee9c431f83c7645e8b9839d2fcfff8 + +*Look at this hole - the scale of operation is around 16km* + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/iwawwrrk7ss71.jpg?width=1086&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bec957cfa812246565f8b0836e7edd4dfec0168 + +*Bayan Obo tailings dam* + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/uyeig59o7ss71.jpg?width=1060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bc78038efecc6ce70718ab38cd57088947337af2 + +*Mountain Pass, California mine (MP Materials)* + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/79qapz4t7ss71.jpg?width=1088&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9b889ea2f4fa6506877c6c180d027620a6a186c + +*Mt Weld, Lynas Corp - LYC asx* + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/r9sz3byv7ss71.jpg?width=1018&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01d070904156233692c746eeca70ebad2c741f02 + +*Here is another big hole - Rainier Wolfcastle \\"Nature's biggest holes\\" - \\"Special Edna\\" S14, E 7 The Simpsons* + +***Environmental issues:*** + +Radioactive elements such as thorium and uranium are often associated within the mineral assemblage of some deposits. There are also plenty of Ree's in their own right - periodic table is a good start, and they are further divided into heavy and light ree's which are utilised with different end-uses.... So U and Th, are a part of the accessory minerals —monazite, perovskite, pyrochlore, and thorite [https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/o/pp1802o.pdf](https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/o/pp1802o.pdf). Greenland Minerals GGG have hit the wall because of this - the new Greenland government is drafting legislation to ban anything regarding uranium on the island [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/business/greenland-minerals-mining.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/business/greenland-minerals-mining.html). Unsure of what will happen here, but its looking bleak long term - I feel sorry for investors but I am all for a nation/ dependency's right for self-determination. If they do manage to throw information in their white paper suggesting they are able to ameliorate the U issue through sorting technology, then are fine. Once again, democracy won in this case. Looking back at the investigations of the Ranger Uranium mine, it was evident that potential threats included potential bioaccumulation of U, which could impact the food chain which my crazy friend told me about + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/251ad1vz7ss71.jpg?width=637&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17b1f3c1ef1ba276b2c38155e34adb825da5b43b + +Is that a platypus or a squirrel I see on the left? \\"Lisa the vegetarian\\", S 7, E 5 The Simpsons + +through waterborne and airborne radionuclides and also create major issues for the Bininj and Mungguy people. Sulphate and magnesium concentrations increased during the first ten years of mining due to run off during an overflow event. So, the Greenland government is definitely justified in its opinion. (Later there is further Greenland discussion) [https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/servlets/purl/20265803#:\~:text=The%20environmental%20impact%20study%20for,and%20airborne%20and%20waterborne%20radionuclides](https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/servlets/purl/20265803#:~:text=The%20environmental%20impact%20study%20for,and%20airborne%20and%20waterborne%20radionuclides). + +China has had various issues since they wanted to be the rare earth hub. They did things their way. There are other problems with tailings dams such as toxicity and leaching "The total concentration of REEs in surface soils ranged from 156 to 5.65 × 104 mg·kg−1 with an average value of 4.67 × 103 mg·kg−1, which was significantly higher than the average value in China (181 mg·kg−1)." [https://www.nature.com/articles/srep12483](https://www.nature.com/articles/srep12483) \- smooth brain crayon stuffing interpretation i.e me - 'that's a much bigger number than the other one'... They also utilise pvc pipes, cause widespread erosion which can render once productive agricultural regions useless, use chemicals such as ammonium sulphate and ammonium chloride to leach the rare earths out of the regolith, and at times concrete dams containing leachate can be littering the hills in the hundreds once remediation efforts of the surrounding region have finished. Lynas is not *'innocent'* either (Malaysia), but they are working towards new plants in Kalgoorlie and Texas. [https://e360.yale.edu/features/boom\_in\_mining\_rare\_earths\_poses\_mounting\_toxic\_risks](https://e360.yale.edu/features/boom_in_mining_rare_earths_poses_mounting_toxic_risks) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/z0ogddx68ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=3deb5e3c57acbedca48a58382104ae3c3b45d995 + +[https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-wrestles-with-the-toxic-aftermath-of-rare-earth-mining](https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-wrestles-with-the-toxic-aftermath-of-rare-earth-mining). + +It brings the ethical issue that we wanted this technology to stay cheap- ish, so responsibility for our purchase choices sits with us, or is it the CCP's fault for not being forward thinking with their environmental regulations? A study has been done about the *Willingness to pay (WTP)* in order to gauge the public mindset if they care about the issues such as pollution, erosion, radioactivity, groundwater pollution, salinity etc in order to pay through higher prices to a) clean up previous cases of pollution and b) create a system with new infrastructure to decrease the likelihood of this happening in the future. + +[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214790X20302951](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214790X20302951) + +It's perhaps a bit of both but things are changing our fault and the CCP's. However, the CCP has created a super group where they have formed 2 large umbrella companies to create better regulations in the REE mining sector so hopefully they will create better standards (and stronger pricing powers as the articles headline suggests). + +[https://www.mining.com/web/china-to-form-two-rare-earth-giants-to-strengthen-pricing-power/](https://www.mining.com/web/china-to-form-two-rare-earth-giants-to-strengthen-pricing-power/) + +The fact that China is the source of most rare earths has been a bit of a bargaining tool - we need to be on our best behaviour or else... We have had some geopolitical turmoil recently as well which I do not wish to go too much into - I mean what could that submarine in the South China/ West Philippine Sea hit? I have an idea - anyway, it’s obvious that China has developed a monopoly of this highly sought-after product, so I will let this flow chart detailing their risks for three main future based sectors from the site below: [https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/42852](https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/42852) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/3vdor31b8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=90944b7e9d48574a0b4525c5774cac0f42ab4061 + +So basically Europe is well aware of their situation..... + +Since China (and Myanmar) are the source of these vital products, and they cause environmental issues there, but China can use them as a bargaining tool, it brings up the issue of NIMBY's (AKA Greenland with U)- the *not in my backyard* brigade. Who would want to have pollution and radioactive waste in their environment? I get it. But, to what end are they willing to possess the fruits such as technology sourced from others labour and environmental degradation in distant lands so the environmental effects barely impact them? We also need to secure our supply chain as well. There are changes in Europe and North America surround these issues where A) they source the REE materials independently B) they refine their own REE from the source material independently C) they do this through *environmentally friendly* practices *(basically way more environmentally friendly than has been the previous standard).* + +There are ethical phones as well [https://www.fairphone.com/en/](https://www.fairphone.com/en/) \- so I am unaware of how 'good' they are - I'm running around with an Apple iPhone 13 pro and I have ear buds - I basically use Apple because I am lazy AF when it comes to adapting to other phone tech. Maybe in the near future I'll make the switch. + +Lets talk ***Europe*** \- there are currently no active REE mines within the European continent. However, here's a journal article about REE in Europe if they do manage to get cracking, [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169136815300755](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169136815300755) + +If they do get cracking, the EU has the ERMA (European Raw Materials Alliance) and EIT (*European Institute of Innovation and Technology*) Raw Materials as regulators to ensure that whatever product is mined or part of the supply chain within Europe, green principles are a must? They are really anal about this, which is good.... SO, there are ***10 principles*** within the ***UN Global Compact*** \- which the EU follows: + +Human Rights + +[Principle 1](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-1): Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and + +[Principle 2](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-2): make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. + +Labour + +[Principle 3](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-3): Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; + +[Principle 4](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-4): the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; + +[Principle 5](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-5): the effective abolition of child labour; and + +[Principle 6](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-6): the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. + +Environment + +[Principle 7](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-7): Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; + +[Principle 8](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-8): undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and + +[Principle 9](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-9): encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. + +Anti-Corruption + +[Principle 10](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles/principle-10): Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. + +[https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles](https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles) + +So in the future, if you are speculating that a penny stock may break out into Europe, you definitely want to be placing your dollarydoos in a company which meets these principles as a minimum (also the right thing to do as well imho gtlah)...... + +Also, ***Russia*** has reserves of 12 million tonnes of REE, and they are priming themselves to be ready for producing up to 7,000 tonnes annually by 2024 [https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-rareearths-idUSL8N2F73F4](https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-rareearths-idUSL8N2F73F4) \- but will it be *environmentally friendly? Who knows? (Will they follow the global compact though? Will China? Hell, will we?* We have that $2 billion amount of investing to be distributed around Australia's rare earth sector which could see (fires off rare earth watch list - so dodgy pennies which might not even see 1 cent could be mentioned) Abx, Alk, Aoa, Ar3, Arr, Aru - have to say this - '*shovel ready*', Asm (South Korea destined product), Auz, Aym, Dre, Dtr, Emt, Epm, Fnt, Gbz, GGG (Greenland), Has, Hav, Hym, Ilu, Ixr (Uganda atm), Jrv, Kta, Lcy, Lin, Lot, Lyc (the big daddy received $30.4 mil US in funding from the Pentagon to build a Texas LREE processing facitilty), Mlm, Mmc, Mnb, Mrd, Mtm, Ntu, Nva, Orm, Pek (mining @ Tanzania, rare earth refinery @ UK), Pgm, Psc, Pvw, Rbx, Ree, Rmx, Sci, Srl, Svy, Tmr, Trt, Val, Via ( dodgy af? - check the chart and buy/sell ratio - but yeh, well done to the tight hands of the holders), Vic, Vmc and LAST BUT NOT LEAST Vml (they probably won't see a cent from that $2 billion because of being in Canada). Basically that applies to all in the list, I speculate that they'll priorities companies with operations specifically within Australia because Australian jobs for Australian workers and investing in Australia is important and LNP wants to win the election and insert key politically loaded word here..... + +[https://www.pm.gov.au/media/backing-australias-critical-minerals-sector](https://www.pm.gov.au/media/backing-australias-critical-minerals-sector) + +[https://steinertglobal.com/au/magnets-sensor-sorting-units/sensor-sorting/x-ray-sorting-systems/steinert-xss-t-evo-50/](https://steinertglobal.com/au/magnets-sensor-sorting-units/sensor-sorting/x-ray-sorting-systems/steinert-xss-t-evo-50/) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/14xq19af8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=ed19da8409d8bea8b2bdb70b694c0bfe852de919 + +NTU Hree Browns Range Steinert sorting plant - a great way to limit environmental effects whilst improving grades through vibration and X-rays transmission [https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/960069/northern-minerals-tests-sorting-system-on-its-largest-orebody-with-positive-results-960069.html](https://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/960069/northern-minerals-tests-sorting-system-on-its-largest-orebody-with-positive-results-960069.html) + +***Recycling materials*** is obviously *environmentally friendly* because its simply sourcing material that has already been mined. There are companies out there which are doing this on the asx able to extract and repurpose REE's such as Neo Materials TSX NEO [https://www.neomaterials.com/neo-performance-materials-joins-the-u-n-global-compact-and-commits-to-implementing-its-10-principles-to-promote-sustainability/](https://www.neomaterials.com/neo-performance-materials-joins-the-u-n-global-compact-and-commits-to-implementing-its-10-principles-to-promote-sustainability/). Neometals *NMT and* Lithium Australia *Lit* \- battery recycling is simply battery materials, not Ree's which are in the permanent magnet motors, but if they obtain the whole car which is being recycled and not just the battery, they may both become a point source for recycling other products within used EV's and smart phones as well (if budget allows). Who knows what the future holds for both companies? + +OK SO FINALLY - "environmentally friendly mining" in Europe and North America. + For ***Greenland*** (not so environmentally friendly) you may wish to look at Eclipse Metals EPM asx - they have a cryolite/ rare earth deposit which is apparently free of Uranium - the Ivittuut deposit is simply different to Greenland Minerals Kvanefjeld deposit. Unlike GGG, EPM are in the Greenland government's good graces at the time of typing. If you look at the aerial image below, its definitely not 'environmentally friendly' - simply put, the previous mining company which finished back in the 80's did this. [https://www.eclipsemetals.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021.07.07-Greenland-Government-Approves-Ivittuut-Fieldwork-Programme.pdf](https://www.eclipsemetals.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021.07.07-Greenland-Government-Approves-Ivittuut-Fieldwork-Programme.pdf) + +Who knows what equipment they'll utilise in mining - obviously if its the standard equipment, it won't be environmentally friendly. It's all speculation at this point. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/23hp1iji8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=dbd0febb6368f37d3fbfe338b8cfbb64d2320d47 + +EPM's Ivittuut is a brown field project...... Sure and they had a pretty good run over the last few months regarding their share price. I'm unsure about capex and opex - admittedly these terms are pretty new. (I am not holding btw). They obtained the lease for an old mine - so obviously we are dealing with different times. It's like the Greenland government think EPM can improve the area by mining it more.... Environmental related costs will be large when they are finished with production (but drilling may prove the deposit is worth it). At least there is no Uranium. The former pit is now dam on the left-hand side of the image. They apparently have tailings from the previous owner which have been proven to be economic in value so if they have customers lined up, they could be onto some revenue soon. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/2rkjmnml8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=72ded1109e79ea6875fd0096c19cb055826a854b + +Greenland Minerals Kvanefjeld deposit sits roughly 550 m above sea level, 8 km from a major town of Narsaq. It is a greenfield project. on currently undeveloped land where the only environmental risk I guess increased mercury concentrations from melting glaciers. Who knows what risks the mine could pose to the town of 1,400 people? (2.5 %; of Greenland's population) + +[https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/earth-sciences/mercury-found-in-greenlands-glacial-meltwaters/](https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/earth-sciences/mercury-found-in-greenlands-glacial-meltwaters/) + +There are other companies in exploration mode within Greenland listed on the ASX such as ***CNJ*** (Au, Cu, Ni, Co, Pd, Zn, Pb, Ag), ***Ibg*** (Zn, Pb), ***PGM*** (Au, Pd) and ***Igo*** (Cu). Greenland is obviously benefited by being centrally located. Since the ice is melting there will be more deposits exposed - it will be bare rock due to the ice sheet/ glacial erosion which will make things easier for geo's but this benefits of melting ice for exploration geo's doesn't have any issues for the rest of the global population whatsoever...... Unsure of other countries which have mining companies listed on their stock exchanges that are active at Greenland atm but that is all I am aware of. + +***North America*** \- + +Presidents Trump and Biden may have been ***very different leaders***\*,\* but their rare earth policy aligned to a degree - where President Cofvefe Trump's term produced an executive order in October last year to commence investigation in the rare earth supply chain. President 'that fella from down under' Biden's infrastructure deal met a speed bump recently but the senate approved the temporary raise of the debt ceiling, so, crisis averted? These supply chain investigations will be completed by November 12 where companies will make submissions to the US Department of Commerce by the above time [https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/us-department-of-commerce-solicits-6403479/](https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/us-department-of-commerce-solicits-6403479/) + +[https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=21472ae3-82e1-4536-950d-3e33fb7b3aa1](https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=21472ae3-82e1-4536-950d-3e33fb7b3aa1) + +So does this mean a President Biden led US will follow the same if not similar protocols the EU adheres to in the UN Global Compact? Will they follow the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change? + +***End users:*** This is a dynamic situation between Taiwan and China could either be forcing companies to jump to safer shores like North America/ Europe or its just me being pessimistic. If it is purely for growth purposes, then the Taiwan government don't have anything to worry about. Still, Foxconn (Apple car?) [https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Taiwan-s-Foxconn-to-build-EV-plants-in-US-and-Thailand-in-2022](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Taiwan-s-Foxconn-to-build-EV-plants-in-US-and-Thailand-in-2022), Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry (Cayman) Co [https://techtaiwan.com/20210707/li-ion-battery-material/](https://techtaiwan.com/20210707/li-ion-battery-material/) and Delta Electronics [https://www.electrive.com/2021/10/06/stromvolt-americas-announces-battery-plant-plans-for-canada/](https://www.electrive.com/2021/10/06/stromvolt-americas-announces-battery-plant-plans-for-canada/) are all coming to North America in quick succession and with them will come a need for critical minerals - and its they could be locally sourced. Tesla is an obvious other company worth listing and there are plenty others. Mns will have their plant operational in NY within the decade hopefully. + +**Production/ Explorers/ Recyclers:** Until recently, there weren't any rare earth mining operations in North America - this all changed when ***MP Materials (MP)*** (is it worth noting that Chinese company Shenghe Resources is a major shareholder? They are basically everywhere - *Ree* and *GGG* as well as plenty others) restarted operations at the Mountain Pass mine in 2017. Now you have ***Energy Fuels (UUUU)*** who have recently entered the ring to refine rare earths out of their uranium mine as well as target other rare earth mining companies within North America which would prefer their product to stay within the safe confines of their continent taking out shipping risks and potential international disputes. [https://www.the-journal.com/articles/white-mesa-mill-in-southeast-utah-enters-the-rare-earth-market/](https://www.the-journal.com/articles/white-mesa-mill-in-southeast-utah-enters-the-rare-earth-market/) ***ARR*** is American Rare Earths but is ASX listed - we know, they may get going - the chart over the last 6 months looks noice! But simple proximity to a Tesla factory isn't a sure thing. But sure, it could prove to be an advantage anyway. Environmentally friendly, we shall wait and see when they are up and running. Some coal baron's are trying to create a movement directed at obtaining ree's from coal - if you can without generating carbon dioxide, go for it I guess - no need to create mass redundancies if you can keep the dinosaur relevant. ***Redwood Materials*** is involved in recycling ev products. [https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/17/the-new-us-plan-to-rival-chinas-dominance-in-rare-earth-metals.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/17/the-new-us-plan-to-rival-chinas-dominance-in-rare-earth-metals.html) + +Specifically in **Canada** you have companies on the Canadian stock exchanges like Avalon (VML's bigger Canadian cousin which shares Nechalacho), ***Canada Rare Earth Corp CVE: LL***, ***Search Minerals :SMY -*** a winner of a Canadian government grant to get it to production sooner in Labrador\*\*\*, Marvel Discovery: Marv\*\*\* (subsidiary *Power One Resources*) in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia\*\*\*, Mkango Resources (Mka) -\*\*\* Malawi operation, ***UCORE*** is working toward a HREE refining facility in Alaska & have a Hree resource at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island Alaska - they say they will meet ESG standards- principles on environmental, social and governance factors, so once again, we'll believe it when we see it. ***Defence Metals Corp: DEFN*** + +I left ***VML*** last because I know more about them and I am intending on holding long term - and its a little bit of not buying at [u/Doomkoon4648](https://www.reddit.com/u/Doomkoon4648/) or [u/D12kL0rD](https://www.reddit.com/u/D12kL0rD/) or [u/Rude\_Jello\_377](https://www.reddit.com/u/Rude_Jello_377/) prices - but in bizarro world I guess, every dip is an opportunity to average down. It really has the makings of a long-term play. The above policies and situational analysis mentioned leaves me to believe that VML is best placed to benefit in the rare earth production realm on a global scale. They took the surface 150m ree's (predominantly Lree's) from Avalon Advanced Materials for $5 million in June 24, 2019 and they have a 3% NSR type royalty. [https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/49264/Avalon-Receives-Final-Payment-from-Cheetah-Resources-for-Acquisition-of-Nechalacho-Rare-Earth-Resources](https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/49264/Avalon-Receives-Final-Payment-from-Cheetah-Resources-for-Acquisition-of-Nechalacho-Rare-Earth-Resources) + +This site has had a massive history with the deposit identified in 1937. Drilling operations commenced in 1976. There must be thousands of metres of drill samples there - laying in their archive sheds at the site. [https://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/\_resources/43-101\_Technical\_Report-Mar13-11.pdf](https://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/_resources/43-101_Technical_Report-Mar13-11.pdf) + +Like NTU, they have a sorter + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/rhyszzjp8ss71.png?width=390&format=png&auto=webp&s=11ec852c6bef4b49d3c3393a03760ba4a22c167b + +*This is what will be coming to the SRC, or VML sites in Saskatchewan in 2022.* + +[https://im-mining.com/2020/03/05/tomras-src-ties-open-new-north-america-ore-sorting-markets/](https://im-mining.com/2020/03/05/tomras-src-ties-open-new-north-america-ore-sorting-markets/) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/yd3mbb2s8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=f75c33ccd8dac638d95227b50cd81236c1777193 + +*Dene First Nation and Cheetah Resources/ VML employees celebrate the commissioning of the sorter at Nechalacho. The fact that this company supports the local indigenous population is a massive bonus, especially after all the native American community has been through as other groups have experience with colonisation.* + +[https://www.mining.com/traditional-dene-ceremony-marks-first-production-at-nechalacho-rare-earth-mine/](https://www.mining.com/traditional-dene-ceremony-marks-first-production-at-nechalacho-rare-earth-mine/) + +They also have acquired a heavy rare earths project in Quebec for $8 mil payable in 5 installments with some low grade Uranium exposure at the Kipawa and Zeus deposits. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/1d5moznv8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=66496ae1d12d32523ac8835134135935886ed62f + +[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/913955/000113717109000302/ex993.pdf](https://preview.redd.it/wv3j5psjq7s71.jpg?width=637&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40390e58d8748fb53443965d18d12493445c8485) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/prt9gngy8ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0896a2d1c6f58791430413a53a23ee6b5912263 + +Drill pad within the Kipawa and Zeus tenement. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/9uqfnqt09ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=4789d4594383a3fdc7f2a331c43e2f61c09e3961 + +Roughly 20km from where the mine may commence – quite a decent buffer. (It is worth noting that Nechalacho is around 100km away from Yellowknife). Here, since no lakes seem to be interconnected (unsure of hydrogeological flow in this area – but it poses little risk of leaching if they do install a tailings dam). Also worth noting, theoretically a tailings dam won’t even be installed there due to a Tomra sorter if/ when they are up and running at this site. It is also worth noting that the Kipawa community does have some members who are anti mining – which is fair enough. Hopefully Nechalacho will have no environmental issues (they should be okay) so this should provide a decent model for the local community to see the gains from an ethical mining facility. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/7ncfwan39ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=948f656495cdb7a2d8eebcec904154120b426f4f + +From the looks of this - VML doesn't look that environmentally friendly either -at the top right of the image, the bunding wall within that rectangular area looks to be the start of artificial basin for a tailings dam. The sorting equipment negates the need of a tailings dam thus keeping the footprint of the mine down, which eliminates leaching risk. Also the low footprint limits the risk erosion. + +[https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/nechalacho-rare-earth-mining-project/](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/nechalacho-rare-earth-mining-project/) + +It could simply be a waste rock area which it seems there is some already dumped there. In any case, is there really any *environmentally friendly rare earth mining* on the planet? EV machinery will make it so. Point of the matter is that they are working toward lowering their environmental footprint with the SRC processing facility and VML's facility will be next door - so SRC is obviously another potential offtake target. They have had discussions with manufacturing companies in U.S and the E.U about their product but Geoff has been good and has kept who with and what was discussed quiet - and there has not been any paid advertisement disguised as media from him or VML. I believe that VML definitely meets all ten of the principles in the UN Global Compact. Low long-term risk is what I am happy with in the current economic climate. (Or the way my luck has been in my life - they'll be bankrupt next week) haha. + +Cheers for reading people - if you liked it cool. If you didn't + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/1bxjxu579ss71.png?width=437&format=png&auto=webp&s=f318b2f15118c5628a88f7c48d5abbe19fe14130 + +*Its my first day (or big post which I actually used my brain) - S9 E 19 The Simpsons* + +Now the waiting game continues......... + +[https://asx.swingtradebot.com/equities/VML:ASX](https://asx.swingtradebot.com/equities/VML:ASX) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/kqbohmd99ss71.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=88391094860fb5c5a85ddb5ae93ff12bd8d6f7ab + +***It is worth noting the non- rare earth movement:*** + +[In Mahle's Contact-Free Electric Motor, Power Reaches the Rotor Wirelessly - IEEE Spectrum](https://spectrum.ieee.org/mahles-electric-motor-says-look-ma-no-contacts) + +[GM, General Electric to study rare earth supply projects for EVs | Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/gm-general-electric-develop-supply-chain-rare-earth-materials-evs-2021-10-06/) + +[Electric vehicles and rare earths: Key to the electric revolution | Edison (edisongroup.com)](https://www.edisongroup.com/edison-explains/electric-vehicles-and-rare-earths/) + +***Bio-mining seems to be the real deal in the ethical mining sector:*** + +[Biomining rare earth minerals - Enbridge Inc.](https://www.enbridge.com/energy-matters/news-and-views/biomining-rare-earth-minerals) +Article: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/03/22/majority-of-bitcoin-trading-is-a-hoax-new-study-finds.html?__twitter_impression=true + +KEY POINTS + +- Ninety-five percent of spot bitcoin trading volume is faked by unregulated exchanges, according to a study from Bitwise this week. + +- The firm analyzed the top 81 crypto exchanges by volume on industry site CoinMarketCap.com. They report an aggregated $6 billion in average daily bitcoin volume. The study finds that only $273 million of that is legitimate. + +- "People looked at cryptocurrency and said this market is a mess; that's because they were looking at data that was manipulated," says Matthew Hougan, global head of research at Bitwise. "When you cut away the echo chamber of these nonsense numbers, it should be an efficient, well-arbitraged market." + +- The analysis showed that "substantially all of the volume" reported on 71 out of the 81 exchanges was wash trading, a term that describes a person simultaneously selling and buying the same stock, or bitcoin in this case, to create the appearance of activity in the market. In other words, it's not real. +EIP 958, posted on GitHub by Ethereum core developer Piper Merriam, formally proposes that improved ASIC resistance be implemented into the network’s instance of Ethash, a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm.[ccn.com](https://www.ccn.com/ethereum-developer-opens-eip-to-discuss-bricking-ethash-asic-miners/) +For context, I come from a conservative family that loves capitalism. A lot of the economics I learned in school and from books (like Naked Economics) gave me the impression that economists agree: capitalism is good for the economy, socialism is bad. (I also understand that there is a spectrum, and it's possible to have elements of both in an economy). + +Now I'm going to school in California, and everyone here HATES capitalism. No one says that they are socialist, but in class discussions people express socialist ideas. I can certainly understand why people are so frustrated with capitalism (extreme inequality, externalities, etc.) but I'm having a hard time completely rejecting the idea of capitalism. I was taught that market economies have weaknesses, but that's where the government should step in. + +I don't mean to spark a big debate with this question. Neither my parents nor my classmates are economists, and I just wanted to get an economist's perspective. What are the economic facts that everyone agrees on? I know this is a big topic so I would love suggestions for books/ documentaries/ podcasts that might help me learn more. +I wouldn't be saying this if this was a shitcoin. Or a memecoin. Or a coin with no use-case. Because $BOG is simply none of the above. + +I won't tire you with all the tech talk and specifics but essentially everything that they are developing is centred around [BogTools](https://bogtools.io/). It's a BSC protocol which provided oracles. These oracles are fully decentralised and work on-chain, and every time someone buys or sells the native token $BOG, it triggers the oracles to execute the code in their smart contracts. This means they can be used in a number of ways: + +* **DEX Limit Order Trading**: Being able to set a certain price for your BSC buy or sell order to execute and set "Take Profit" or "Stop Loss" -\*orders for any BSC coin on a decentralised exchange like PancakeSwap, not aware of anyone doing this on BSC right now. This will be available April 2nd! +* [BogRNG](https://docs.bogtools.io/getting-random-numbers): The way this works can get confusing, but it's essentially a random number generator which developers can use to build on-chain casinos, lotteries and games that need randomness. +* **BogCharts**: Using the oracles to get price data, the devs have already launched a [beta](https://www.reddit.com/submit#price) version of this for the BOG/USD pair and are aiming to create a free-to-use chart service for any and all BSC coins that displays truly live prices. +* **NFT Marketplace**: Yep, they're also doing NFTs. Their goal is to try to integrate their NFT marketplace with the oracles and use them to execute contracts allowing for the NFTs to have a use and to be gamified rather than just having speculative value. +* [BogARG](https://bogged.finance/): Alternate Reality Game. More on gamification, the devs have made the trading and staking of BOG into a game called Bogged. Every time you sell BOG your wallet gets stained with a shame token, $NGMI (Never Gonna Make It) which is permanent, as in it cannot be traded. This will bring the holder in a disadvantageous positions in further phases of the ARG. + +You can find the tokenomics and the rest of the details and facts either on [BogTools](https://bogtools.io/) or on the ARG website [bogged.finance](https://bogged.finance/), I just want to make a reference to the market cap at the time of writing to compare with other projects. + +So the native token, $BOG's **market cap** is currently just above **$20M, and a circulating supply of \~2,390,000 BOG**. In terms of competitors, I guess Berry Data can still be considered BOG's competitor. However, when one takes into account that BOG has released more fully functioning oracle products in 2 weeks of life than BRY has in over 6 months, not to mention that yesterday BOG surpassed BRY's market cap and then some easily, you'd start to think that BOG doesn't really have any competitive challengers on BSC. Comparisons can be made with ChainLink as well, however the fact that ChainLink is running on the ETH network makes using their services several times more expensive than using BOG's oracles, with BogTools having a much more ease-of-use approach to the whole ecosystem. ChainLink obviously has the backing of institutional money at this point, but that is irrelevant to the quality of the product itself. + +Lastly, I'd say it's laughable at the very least seeing that people still call this a "Meme/shitcoin". It is crystal clear at this point that the momentum that the project gathered early on by using the Bogdanoff memes was a genius way of getting people's attention focused on a project that actually has a useable product to offer, unlike 90% of the BSC scene right now. Yeah, I bought for the memes, but that's because at the time BogTools did not yet have a product roadmap. The developers have managed to create an ecosystem of useable products, filling the huge technological gaps that BSC has being such a new network, while at the same time integrating the native currency as the thing that fuels the whole project, increasing its value simultaneously as the project moves forward. + +When other shitcoins that typically flood these type of subreddits reach market caps of $100-500M, trust me, it’s early. +**Current Market Cap**: $8,927,540 Marketcap (15/04/21 6:00 PM - Now rapidly rising) + +Hello r/CryptoMoonShots, we’re back with big news to talk about Fox Finance $FOX 🦊🦊🦊! + +**What is it?** + +$FOX finance is an auto-staking token on the Binance Smart Chain, which grants rewards for its holders. Each transaction (buy and sell) incurs a 12% transaction tax from which 6% goes to liquidity and 6% distributed to holders according to their stake. + +Liquidity is locked on a daily basis rolling for 4 years. + +1T daily burn for the first 50 days. Additional regular burn of liquidity to try and keep as close as possible to 10% circulating supply. The burn address is also a "HODLer" so it gets a share of the 6% tax based on its stake which is currently about 4% - but this will grow exponentially.Check the burn wallet on BSC scan: [FOX (FOX) Token Tracker | BscScan](https://bscscan.com/token/0xFAd8E46123D7b4e77496491769C167FF894d2ACB?a=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000001) + +We are really starting to notice the momentum now, and the number of FOX wallets and numbers participating with our social media has really started to take off. We moved RAPIDLY from 10k to almost 20k HODLers expected today! + +On April 5th, we hosted an AMA ("Ask me anything") on our Discord where our great leader and founder L1sak revealed his public identity and told us to expect FOX FINANCE to be granted LLC public entity status within days! After becoming increasingly disenfranchised with the current state of the cryptocurrency culture and with BSC in particular, his vision is to legitimize the space and offer holders a project that is legal, trusted, open and offering lucrative investment opportunity whilst also giving back to the environment and the natural world. + +We’ve minted >40 NFTs on Binance Smart Chain so far on our own FOXNFT contract, and will be doing more and more in the coming weeks as we build up our NFT market and platform. We’ve teamed up with 3D and AI artists to really make a huge mark in the NFT space, and for our Trustless Donation Pipeline. [Check out the ones distributed today here](https://imgur.com/a/sIuFdRm)! + +Our model incorporates a constant flow of "FOX IN ACTION" campaigns on our website foxfinance.io. Wallet-drop prizes are awarded for all holders who perform certain tasks like charitable giving, planting trees or using metal straws instead of one-use plastic. Our founder hopes in the medium-longer term to streamline these campaigns and integrate them into iOS and android App development to make this more accessible for the general public. #foxinaction + +We have recently become integrated with Trust Wallet (logo showing) and you can add integration with Metamask by visiting https://foxfinancebsc.github.io/watch-token/ + +With today’s announcements, we have CG and CMC locked and are moving forward quickly toward whitelist on 1Inch, the leading DEX Aggregator! This is an exciting step toward further legitimacy and to offer a reliable alternative to PancakeSwap for buying and selling FOX with innovative tools. + +I'm a HOLDer since the start and have volunteered as an admin and dev, which I have to say has been a pleasure and it's one of the most buzzy and active communities I have had the pleasure of joining. + +We are pairing up with influencers and content providers (with thorough no-bot screening) from all over the world and expect a constant stream of marketing via Twitter, TikTok, Youtube and Google Ads alongside other exciting possibilities we are not ready to announce yet. + +**SAFE?** + +Liquidity is locked: https://deeplock.io/lock/0x3027AD7781700A03496613377152dBa78C38fa55 + +This is no pump and dump. The owner did not take advantage of the ATH, and the admins are all HODLing with everyone else. We really want to see this coin grow and to fund our tech roadmap to make this a real project for change. + +**ROADMAP PLANS** 📈 + +Here’s what’s on the horizon: + +NFTs - We have two different types of NFTs. One is a standard, mass-minted NFT that we hope to use for HODLers, airdrops etc. These have launched and are already being offered to FOX contest winners via our social media campaigns. These include fun things like FOX graphics and GIFs. The other type of NFT we want to start pushing very soon are more unique and include things like 3D printable FOX content, AI art, and more collectible style FOX merchandise. I'm really excited about this one! + +Charity Matching and Escrow - This is important to us. It’s how we plan to get money to the organizations that need it for our mission. We’re working on escrow contracts and other possibilities for collecting FOX donations, possibly with matched by liquidity from NFT auctions. We are working with our legal team to get this approved and in place as soon as possible. These donations will go directly to charitable wildlife and environmental organizations, possibly through The Giving Block, a crypto donation provider. We have several community members who have already donated to WildlifeAidUK, World Wildlife Fund and Saveafox. Our ultimate goal here is a Trustless Donation Pipeline, funneling automated sales of digital merchandise as NFTs through to wildlife charities with full transparency and no human intervention. + +Admin Dashboard - Right now things like Airdrops and prize disbursements aren't easy on BSC. It's mostly done manually with wallet to wallet transfers or interactions through the contract done by someone with credentials. The goal here is for us to have a dApp that combines contracts and web3 code to make it easy to do mass airdrops, awards, NFTs, etc. + +**Website: FOXFINANCE. IO** + +Contract address: 0xFAd8E46123D7b4e77496491769C167FF894d2ACB + +Telegram: https://t.me/foxfinancebsc (>6000 members!) + +Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxfinancebsc #FOXINACTION + +Discord: https://discord.gg/9XZNnTnhqp + +bscscan: https://bscscan.com/token/0xfad8e46123d7b4e77496491769c167ff894d2acb#balances + +How to Buy: https://exchange.pancakeswap.finance/#/swap?outputCurrency=0xfad8e46123d7b4e77496491769c167ff894d2acb (slippage 12-15%) + +Chart: [BogCharts](https://charts.bogged.finance/?token=0xfad8e46123d7b4e77496491769c167ff894d2acb) + +**DYOR** - this project was only released on March 16th and remains in an early stage of development. We have an organized and dedicated team working to consistently deliver on our roadmap promises, but it would be reasonable to expect higher market volatility at this early stage. We have built a large level of ground-level support, legitimacy and technical roadmap completion BEFORE listing and we hope that today's recognition will be an explosive force multiplier for FOX value growth! We have listened to the community regarding requests for an audit to be completed, and this is currently one of our top priorities - we will announce further news on this in telegram and discord. Please be aware that there are other tokens with a similar name listed - please be sure to use the correct contract address or direct link above. +The Door: http://imgur.com/gallery/nWHQT + +My wife and I paid off a large chunk of our student loans last month ($8,000). The problem was it didn't really seem satisfying, it was just money out of our account. +Similar to pulling rings when counting down the days until Christmas; we decided to put 1k squares covering a closet door. Every time we pay 1k off our loans we pull down a square. +Certain squares have goals on them. These are things we can do once we pull the square off the wall. + +I think having a visual like this will really motivate us to get this debt paid off sooner rather than later. + +TL;DR Cover a door in paper. Pay student loans. Take down paper. Complete goals as you hit them. +We were approached by a lady at the shopping centre and she gave all of us a scratchie ticket (the missus, my three kids and I). +They all lost so she gave us all another one. My son had a win! She seemed genuinely shocked as we had won the bigger prize instead of the “standard” prize. + +Long story short; we won a free brunch for the 5 of us at a nearby restaurant as well as a $200 gift voucher for Coles/Kmart/LiquorLand/etc. + +Everyone who wins gets this brunch, but most winners only get a $100 voucher. + +Here’s the catch - while we eat our brunch there will be a presentation playing on a TV. It will be an “investment opportunity” that basically sounds like a timeshare thing. We will receive our gift voucher after the presentation. We are under no obligation to purchase or sign up to anything, nor even actually watch or pay attention to the TV. + +The other big red flag - we had to pay $20 cash to reserve our spot for the brunch, which we will get back the instant we turn up. Apparently this is to actually entice us to come. We can leave straight after this if we really want, but then miss out on brunch and the $200 gift card. + +The company running it is Aniko and these gift vouchers are apparently funded by the government as a way to get people spending money while on holidays. She said most people only win $100 as it’s not really enough to do a lot with, so they spend even more. But we won $200 so we’re special. + +We returned to the shop the next day and I happened to watch the same lady approach 2 other families and give them some scratchies - they all lost. + +Did we get scammed? + +My logic was that they wouldn’t go to all this effort for $20. + +Our brunch is later today and we intend on going. But I’m remaining cautious and sceptical. +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). Last ban length: 262144 days + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/2sQBNuM). +I'm a software engineer, and just getting into algo trading as a hobby. I'm amazed at how backwards the technology in this industry really is. +All I want to do is download some historical data on my headless linux server on a cloud provider and this is the crap I have to deal with: + +IB: +> For security reasons, a headless session of TWS or IBGW without a GUI is not supported." + +Maybe I've lost my mind, but I don't see how a GUI is more secure. Someone **PLEASE** educate me. + +Are these the same kinds of people that used to obfuscate their javascript for security back in mid 2000s? LMAO + + +IQFeed: +No linux client, and no API endpoint. Have to use their crappy GUI based proxy client. For the love of God, WHY?! + +Suck a donkey, IQFeed + + +How does a local client improve security? They don't want to give out their server location? Any half brained monkey with a network monitoring tool can find that info. It gains us nothing, but just adds useless roadblocks. + +Can't wait for someone to come along and put these idiots out of business. + +/rant +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Find the latest Altcoin Discussion thread in [this search listing](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/search?q=author%3Aautomoderator+title%3Aaltcoin&include_over_18=on&sort=new&t=all). + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +I'm fairly young, no debt, no siginificant outgoings (monthly expendeture of approx £700 including rent). I earn 40k and I want to do a 50% salary sacrifice for 2 years so that I can build my pension up quickly and allow it to compound over the years. I have 10k in savings on top. + +&#x200B; + +Is this a silly plan? What are some of the drawbacks? (I don't plan to apply for a mortgage for another 5 years so mortgage loan either). +Text translation: This is a warning from Americans. Do not trust this business with your money. They have done a lot of harm in America. They have committed fraud and say there are good. They are evil. +[https://capital.com/gamestop-share-price](https://capital.com/gamestop-share-price) + +Check it yourself and then get back to your actual job + +&#x200B; + +Edit: update as of 10:30 CST: 83% buyers. Ooooooo scary + +Edit 2: There's been some confusion between this an FINRA numbers. This is a metric for an instant snapshot of market sentiment towards GME by users of Capital.com. Take a look at the below post for FINRA Buy/Sell. + +Spoiler alert: It was at 4:1 as of market close 04/09/21. Bullish AF. + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/mpfegl/41\_buysell\_ratio\_on\_gme\_right\_now/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/mpfegl/41_buysell_ratio_on_gme_right_now/) +By now we all should know that in Jan, Feb, and March of this year, Ryan Cohen bought 9.8% of BBBY's shares + a bunch of options and then sent the board another strongly worded letter. + +This already is kind of strange to me. Does Ryan Cohen really think Bed, Bath, and Beyond is a prime investment opportunity? Is he trying to transform BBBY in the same way he is transforming GameStop? + +I would say hell no to both. Cohen is clearly thinking 10 steps ahead of the industry. The revolution of GameStop is clearly something that he thought of a long time ago, and something that required (and still requires) the collaboration of multiple large companies to be able to successfully launch an NFT marketplace and to do whatever else they are planning. + +So why did Cohen buy these shares? And more importantly, why did he pick options with strikes as high as $60 up to $80 a share, with expirations a year out? + +Here's one important thing that I haven't seen anyone talk about: Options cannot be bought or sold in pre-market trading (except for SPY, I believe, and a few other exceptions). Although Cohen's options would have been highly profitable with the huge volatility of the stock in pre-market, he would not have been able to sell them. And since regular hours was nothing but downhill movement, I am highly confident that Cohen still holds these options. + +The options have expirations in January 2023. Now, we know that per ImmutableX's contract with GameStop, that they are certainly launching ImmutableX's gaming NFT marketplace before the end of 2022, since GameStop certainly does not want to pay out that $25M, or however large the penalty would be. So if Cohen knows the marketplaces are rolling out before 2023, the expiration dates make sense right? + +WRONG. Why would Ryan Cohen buy options now when he SHOULD know that theta decay would make these options less and less profitable as time went on? It would make much more sense to buy the options much closer to the 'event horizon'... whatever reason Cohen believes that BBBY will reach these values. + +Does Cohen believe that BBBY will triple in value within this year alone on fundamentals? Well, maybe, BBBY is very undervalued just GME was at the start of 2021. They took in $9B last year, and with a similar amount of outstanding shares as GME, their market cap at this price is just $2.16B... that's a P/S ratio less than 1. + +So there's reason for BBBY to go up, but will it? Ryan Cohen thinks so. Now, going back to the options, it would make far more sense for Cohen to buy options when it is closer to the time that he believes the stock will take off. He could have bought BBBY all last year. But he waited to buy options NOW. 2/28 and 3/1 to be exact. + +Now, when talking about these billionaires who are almost always much more in the know than we are, they have to be careful of something that we often do not have to be careful of: market manipulation. I do believe that Cohen has to be careful in how he invests in the market with his large amount of money. There's a reason that billionaries don't buy weeklies before announcing or buying certain stocks or derivatives. They'd get crushed by the SEC, who is somehow much more active when it comes to protecting their hedge fund and bank friends than retail investors and whales. Perhaps Cohen picked options with expirations a year out to not be accused of market manipulation. + +I personally think the BBBY letter, while reasonable sounding, is BS. I think it is purely cover to show that Cohen is interested in the fundamentals of the company, when this investment is really a technical play. To get BBBY to $60 or $70 a share requires to break through the same short walls that are preventing GME from running up. Cohen obviously can't buy options on his own stock, so he does the next best thing: Buy options in the next highly shorted stock. He can make bank on the short-squeeze while being protected from being accused of market manipulation. + +If you have been around awhile, you probably are aware of portfolio swaps, the derivative that is related to all the different 'meme' stocks and how they all follow similar trading patterns. SHFs and MSM and their cronies really don't want the public to understand these derivatives and how they work. Now, I don't believe that they are illegal, but is it possible that Cohen knows that these derivatives are not public enough for him to be accused of market manipulation if BBBY squeezes? Hmm, I'm not sure. But it appears that he believes that he can target a stock that is within the basket of stocks that are shorted together in tandem. + +Conclusion: Cohen's purchase of options and the strike prices they are at indicate that Cohen believes that BBBY is going to hit those strikes soon. With GME being tied to BBBY through portfolio swaps, he knows that GME squeezing will squeeze BBBY and other meme stocks as well. Cohen chose to purchase these options now, rather than later, which makes it far more likely that he believes that BBBY will squeeze sooner rather than later, due to theta decay. Cohen may just be using the malicious use of portfolio swaps against SHFs to make another few billion when Cohen launches GME's marketplaces and whatever else they are launching this year +[https://bitinfocharts.com/comparison/dogecoin-transactions.html#alltime](https://bitinfocharts.com/comparison/dogecoin-transactions.html#alltime) + +This is why DOGE was nothing else than FOMO and viral investing. This is why DOGE will fall from the Top10. Will it come back? Sure, after crashing to 1 cent, the viral cycle can start again. And it will be temporal again. + +15474 transactions. The lowest in almost 4 years, in the middle of a bull run. We had 20-30k transactions in 2018-2020, during the crypto winter. + +How many transactions other chain process? + +* Cardano 80k +* Bitcoin Cash 100k +* Litcoin 150k +* Avalancha 170k +* Bitcoin 250k +* Tezos 300k +* Ethereum 1.2M +* Algorand 1.3M +* Fantom 1.5M +* Polygon MATIC 5.5M +* Binance Smart Chain 9M +* Solana 15M (not counting votes) + +Most of these chains are doing transactions not far away from their ATH. DOGE ATH happened in 2013. 8 years ago!! after that, it had 8 Pumps and 7 dumps. The 8th dump is happening right now. The code is a fork of a fork of Litecoin done in 2013, and it hasnt improved sifnicantly since then. It doesnt have the throughput to be a global payment system. Elon just loves the attention and the marketing points. After being in the media so long time, adoption decreased. Investors multiplied by 10, by almost none of you are actually using it, just investing for the profits. + +Invest as you will, just be aware, that those funds could be lost. Don't invest more you can afford to lose. + +PS: Why do I attack DOGE? Because I think it's a distraction for Crypto and damage its credibility. Hundreds of thousands of people will be burnt in this FOMO, and will distrust crypto in the future. It has provided ammo to skepticals, and the reputation damage will take time to repair. Shiba, RocketCum, and many other shitcoins, are the worst of this space. + + +2 and a half weeks will be over before we know it. + +We can't assume everyone has voted, we need 100% participation!!! + +If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask. We have resources posted all over the sub and plenty of kind apes willing to help. + +Let's go!!!!! 🚀🚀🚀 +I [ranted on Twitter](https://twitter.com/dlauer/status/1455559349418475522) and figured I would copy it over to here. Happy to answer any questions on this. + +Ok, it’s time for some game theory. For real! Let’s talk about the conflicts-of-interest at the heart of nearly all equity and option order routing today – rebates and payments. These inducements (that’s an important word) influence how brokers route orders, both for retail and for institutions (e.g., pension plans, mutual funds, etc). + +First of all, for retail, I think everyone understands that PFOF involves market makers paying brokers to send retail orders to them. Most of the time these are marketable orders. Limit orders are usually sent to exchanges. For example, here is Fidelity’s order routing showing marketable orders going mostly to Citadel and Virtu, and non-marketable orders going to NYSE and Nasdaq. Non-marketable limit orders receive a rebate when they are sent to an exchange (between 18 – 30 mils on Fidelity’s routing to NYSE and Nasdaq – 1 mil is $0.0001, so that’s $0.18 - $0.30 per hundred shares). + +https://preview.redd.it/gatwwjfpe7x71.png?width=430&format=png&auto=webp&s=485b197855657aa1e7bc95aeef0ad4871a0b49c5 + +Institutional orders OTOH mostly execute in broker-owned dark pools or on exchanges. These too are often induced to go to the lowest-cost venue – executing in a broker’s dark pool that is routing your order means the broker doesn’t have to pay any fees. Executing limit orders on an exchange often means the broker collects the rebates (cost-plus routing is an option, but isn’t as common as it should be). + +So that brings us to MEMX. MEMX is a relatively new stock exchange, partially owned/funded by Citadel, Virtu, a couple of retail brokers and other financial firms. Their market share has been climbing throughout the year (recently crossing 4%), although only on a per-share basis – by total dollar volume they are still under 1%. + +https://preview.redd.it/xpi23lu8h7x71.png?width=584&format=png&auto=webp&s=b9e651e7de7cc9a3f61c2cbece143f4f04999443 + +MEMX is a preferred destination for trading low-priced stocks in large quantities. Is this because of the superior execution quality that the exchange offers? Or is it because they pay the highest rebates of all exchanges, topping out at 31 - 37 mils? + +But wait Dave – aren’t access fees capped at 30 mils by Reg NMS? + +Yes they are, and I’m impressed with your market structure knowledge. That means that no exchange can charge more than a 30 mil fee. So that means that MEMX is operating at a loss on those trades. How can they do this? Well they’ve got funding – they’ve raised $135M! So they can keep operating at a loss, and attracting order flow by paying the biggest kickbacks to brokers. + +I’m talking about this for two reasons. First, it’s easy to focus on PFOF when we should really be concerned about all order routing inducements. Exchanges paying rebates is almost as bad as wholesalers and PFOF. + +Second, it’s also easy to forget that we, the public, are subsidizing all of these exchanges, especially the ones that pay inducements. Paying these kickbacks results in more orders resting on the exchange, which nets them more of the SIP money that the public pays. SIP fees amount to over $300M that are given to exchanges, which is economic subsidization that keeps exchanges profitable even when their execution quality is shit. + +Instead of an overly fragmented marketplace that is subsidized by the public and inducing orders to be routing for kickbacks instead of execution quality, we should try to create a simplified market structure without subsidization or kickbacks, where orders are routed for the best possible execution quality. + +So back to game theory. This entire structure is a prisoner's dilemma that has led to a race to the bottom. When exchanges do the right thing by not paying rebates, they don't get market share. That's wrong and bad for markets. +After talking to my aunts, uncles, and other family members, I'm reasonably sure that the herd is not here. Most of them have started seeing headlines about bitcoin here and there, but none of them have bought. + +Not a single one of them know about Ethereum and altcoins. And these are mainstream adults with money and exposure to financial media. One is a lawyer at a bank, another a former financial advisor while the last one is an executive at a solar company. + +They've all heard of Bitcoin but know nothing and are borderline interested. 2018, 2019, and 2020 should be the years where we start seeing these people entering. + +Bullish. +**Company Summary** + +Enbridge Inc. ("Enbridge" or "the Company") is a leading energy infrastructure company in North America with about 17,000 employees that are mainly concentrated in Canada and the United States (U.S). The company primarily operates through five (5) segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution & Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services and each of these segments contribute 26.2%, 12.3%, 11.5%, 1.5% and 48.5%, respectively to total revenues. + +Under its key business - Energy Services, the company transports energy through the most extensive and advanced crude and liquids pipeline system that spreads across 17,127 miles globally. The company transports 3 million barrels of crude every day which accounts for almost 63% of the Canadian crude oil production that are transported to the U.S. Enbridge generates stable fee-based revenues from its diversified network of midstream assets.  + +The following fundamentals and factors have been evaluated and summarized to make an investment recommendation regarding Enbridge: + +**Earnings Per Share (EPS) Information** + +* Current Quarter (Q1, 2021) EPS Estimate 0.55 +* Current Year (2021) EPS Estimate 2.05 +* EPS growth in 2020 vs Previous Year -6.52% +* EPS growth in Q4 2020 vs Previous Quarter 19.44% +* Estimated Long-Term EPS Growth Rate 6.00% + +**Dividend Information** + +* Dividend Yield 6.73% +* Annual Dividend $2.61 +* Payout Ratio1.35 + +**Price to Earning Ratio (P/E ratio)** + +* P/E 18.96 +* Trailing 12 months 21.30 + +**Financial Summary (in millions of CAD)** + +[Source: 2020 Enbridge Financials](https://preview.redd.it/x5rnhs3pbbx61.png?width=503&format=png&auto=webp&s=27b80e2123818bdfd521e5579ed4c30749b01dff) + +**Key Financial Ratios as at 2020 FY** + +* Gross Margin 36.75% +* Operating Margin 19.38% +* Net Margin 8.65% + +**Comments and Recommendation** + +Despite the fact that oil prices declined by a significant margin in 2020, Enbridge managed to generate a steady stream of cash flows regardless of the prevailing macroeconomic uncertainty - thus showcasing the resiliency of its business model and making it **a top buy** (especially for value and contrarian investors). + +The company's stock has an attractive forward yield of over 6%. It has increased dividend payouts for 26 consecutive years including a 10% hike in 2020 and a 3% hike in 2021. Tracking the Enbridge stock in line with input from other analysts reveals a 12-month average target price of $52 which is 11% above the current trading price as at the time of writing this report. After accounting for its attractive dividend yield, annual returns will be closer to 17%. + +Through 2023, the Company's management estimates that the Enbridge stock will grow its distributable cash flow per share by 5-7% per year. This should lead to healthy dividend increases of approximately 3-5% in the period. Therefore, ignoring any potential valuation expansion, Enbridge can deliver annualized returns of 10-12% through 2023 and these returns will primarily come from its compelling dividend yield of 7%. + +Original post and full analysis can be found [here](https://info.utradea.com/idea/6091ab39985592700c0400a9) +Dear Apes, + +&#x200B; + +I know I am not the only one to see that something changed drastically with the media this past week. + +While being brutally ignored, falsely reported on, accused and shoved into a drawer named "retail TRADERS" and then attacked with major FUD on all forums, suddenly the tides seem to shift and we really need to figure out why to be a step ahead of our enemies. + +&#x200B; + +Lets start from the absolute bottom. Have you ever heard of News Corp? Sounds like a generic name for the evil cyberpunk corporation owning every medium of information in the far distant future - or simply the shitty, generic name for the biggest media corporation in the English speaking countries. + +https://preview.redd.it/s3otl58jzv371.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f4dd7d8db3e63003c9b1a71089187771f299942 + +What you see above is just what they owned a couple years ago but do you know what they own now? Motherfucking Dow Jones & Company, who also own the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Barrons and Financial News. + +So the same company that shows you some nice movies that you watch with your kids at night is the same company that tells your grandparents immigrants are destroying your country and the same company that tells young Wall Street guys who to blame for their bad quarter. + +&#x200B; + +Now that we got that established, we need to carefully examine what their game plan is. I am sure you guys have seen this video and if not, please watch it for further education: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_fHfgU8oMSo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo) + +&#x200B; + +See, they are not stupid. Well, they could very well be but they do have influence we mere mortals don't have. And influence is just one of those tools that makes your whole life a lot easier, so who cares how smart you are? + +&#x200B; + +Im getting off track. + +&#x200B; + +SO the MSM has a goal and an agenda they are trying to portrait on us and that has changed rapidly. See for yourself: + +&#x200B; + +WSJ earlier this year: + +[https://www.wsj.com/articles/gamestop-investors-who-bet-bigand-lost-big-11613385002?mod=searchresults\_pos15&page=3](https://www.wsj.com/articles/gamestop-investors-who-bet-bigand-lost-big-11613385002?mod=searchresults_pos15&page=3) + +[https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-redditors-find-the-next-gamestop-stock-11613644201?mod=searchresults\_pos6&page=3](https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-redditors-find-the-next-gamestop-stock-11613644201?mod=searchresults_pos6&page=3) + +[https://www.wsj.com/articles/on-youtube-gamestop-hearing-just-another-pumping-opportunity-11613746504?mod=searchresults\_pos13&page=2](https://www.wsj.com/articles/on-youtube-gamestop-hearing-just-another-pumping-opportunity-11613746504?mod=searchresults_pos13&page=2) + +WSJ now: + +[https://www.wsj.com/articles/gamestops-most-loyal-shareholders-are-in-it-for-the-long-haul-not-the-memes-11622971801?mod=searchresults\_pos6&page=1](https://www.wsj.com/articles/gamestops-most-loyal-shareholders-are-in-it-for-the-long-haul-not-the-memes-11622971801?mod=searchresults_pos6&page=1) + +&#x200B; + +Fox News earlier this year (I felt dirty visiting their website but everything for you guys, right?) + +[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/toomey-warns-gamestop-trading-bubble-case-sec-involvement](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/toomey-warns-gamestop-trading-bubble-case-sec-involvement): + +[https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gamestop-finance-elites-populists-sean-davis](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gamestop-finance-elites-populists-sean-davis) + +&#x200B; + +Fox News now: + +[https://twitter.com/cvpayne/status/1401572404854468613](https://twitter.com/cvpayne/status/1401572404854468613) + +&#x200B; + +CNBC/Interactive Brokers then: + +[https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/interactive-brokers-restricted-gamestop-trading-to-protect-the-market-says-chairman-peterffy.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/interactive-brokers-restricted-gamestop-trading-to-protect-the-market-says-chairman-peterffy.html) + +&#x200B; + +CNBC/Interactive Brokers now: + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nufmzc/ibkr\_chairman\_thomas\_peterffy\_warns\_tempted\_short/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nufmzc/ibkr_chairman_thomas_peterffy_warns_tempted_short/) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +I want to be clear. I don't tell you what to think. I don't even know what to think to myself. The only thing I know for sure besides BUY, HODL, WAIT is that if we side with MSM when they report correctly while ignoring/distrusting them on other times, that gives them INFLUENCE over us which is their only power. So why would they change their narrative now? and don't come with the "oh the money must not have been enough" or "look, they are starting to see the light" or "looks like their owners are bankrupt". NO, NO, NO. They are in on it and we need to figure out what they gain from reporting the news like that. + +&#x200B; + +Look, im just an Europoor ape over here who likes to make memes. But I also don't like being bullshitted at. If someone I know does something disgusting and does not apologise, no, its just part of who they are, you can bet your ass when they are nice is because they use you/want or need something from you instead of their personality having changed. + +&#x200B; + +Stay save out there and quick side note, don't forget to enable 2FA for your accounts! + +Cheers +While researching in German publications I found the official site where hedge funds/institutions have to publish their net short positions in german stocks. + +It’s rather detailed and has to be updated regularly. + +So if the people tracking citadels performance need more actual data. This is a little something. -> have a look at this [site](https://www.bundesanzeiger.de/pub/de/nlp?2) and search for citadel. + +You will get a list with current net short positions in German stocks. +[Like this](https://imgur.com/a/Y6NFW3o) + +I am sorry if this has already been posted and is public knowledge. 😊 + +Edit: +Bundesanzeiger (the site) is the official publication platform of the German government. Where all company data etc has to be published. +So many posts here throw outlandish salary's out there, to gain some perspective, I found this site which shows you where you sit in relative to the rest of the population on a handy chart + +[https://www.ifs.org.uk/tools_and_resources/where_do_you_fit_in](https://www.ifs.org.uk/tools_and_resources/where_do_you_fit_in) +Hey guys, this week [MakerDAO](https://makerdao.com/) and [Wyre](https://www.sendwyre.com/), announced the availability of Dai as a trading pair, allowing for fast and compliant conversion of fiat currencies to Dai (Maker’s stablecoin). + +We thought you might have some questions on the partnership, fiat on/off ramps, or anything else happening with our projects or in the crypto space in general. + +You can read the full announcement [here](https://medium.com/makerdao/makerdao-and-wyre-give-businesses-immediate-access-to-dai-stablecoin-in-over-thirty-countries-4fe94957c730). + +Also, if you’re in the Bay Area, join our [hackathon](https://medium.com/makerdao/makerdao-and-wyre-host-unblock-hackathon-come-join-us-this-weekend-in-san-francisco-54eab4b90add) happening this weekend. + +We’ll begin answering questions at 11am PST, and we’ll be checking in periodically for the rest of the day, so keep the questions coming. Excited to chat! + + +More info on Maker: + +[MakerDAO.com](https://makerdao.com/) + +[r/makerdao](https://www.reddit.com/r/makerdao) + +[Join our chat](https://chat.makerdao.com/) + +[@makerdao](https://twitter.com/MakerDAO) + + +More info on Wyre: + +[sendwyre.com](https://www.sendwyre.com/) + +[Blog](https://blog.sendwyre.com/) +I am trying rationalize paying off my mortgage with 200k instead of selling SPY covered calls. Based on the current interest rate in Canada, my mortgage payment is going to be $900( usd equivalent) less per month on a 200k reduction on principal. However, the 200k allows me to sell 6 contracts for $1200 ( $348 strike , Sept 18). Since the premium is better than the mortgage, why should I pay off the mortgage? + +Since my goal is to generate some sort of fixed income, I don't particularly care if SPY drops so what other downside am I missing? + +Edit - thank you everyone for their input! All good advices ! I will probably see how the market is for next few months, specially after the election , to see if it is too risky to put that much money in. +All of us have at least once wished we had made a similar play to the one that [turned $17 into \~6M](https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/05/21076574/he-invested-17-in-shiba-inu-now-he-has-almost-6m) or had gotten into the [right crypto at the right time.](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/06/millennial-dogecoin-millionaire-on-being-paid-in-dogecoin.html) It’s not like we are alone in this thought process - there are more than 1.7 million people right now trying to find the [next crypto moonshot](https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoMoonShots/). For those who are out of the loop, a moonshot is something that has a low probability of becoming extremely successful \[1\]. + +While it’s definitely nice to be the guy who made the correct play, what I wanted to understand is, how likely are you to pick the next big coin? After all, there are more than [2,400 dead coins](https://www.coinopsy.com/dead-coins/#other) that were part of someone’s moonshot not that long back. When a coin is dead, we would end up losing almost 100% of the capital that we invested in it thereby breaking the cardinal rule of investing. + +>*Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1 -* ***Warren Buffet*** + +While Warren Buffet might not be the best example for the crypto world, his advice holds true just as well in all investing spaces - Once you lose your capital, it’s game over. So in this deep-dive, let's see how the less popular cryptos have performed over the years, whether it makes sense to invest in them, and finally, would you have made better returns just by investing in the top cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum?! + +### Data & Analysis Methodology + +All the data used in the analysis has been collected from coinmarketcap.com. Their data is available going as far back as 2014. I collected the price, market cap, and the symbol for all the coins listed in coinmarketcap on Jan 1st of every year from 2014 to 2022. There were only 67 listed coins in 2014. The list has grown to more than 3,000+ as of Jan 2022. All the data and my analysis are shared as a Rows sheet at the end. + +The analysis is fairly simple and I have intentionally made the strategy straightforward so that it’s easy to replicate. We will be comparing the performance of the Top 10 Cryptocurrencies with the next 90 based on the total market cap of the coin. + +[The end of 2017 was definitely some wild time to be in the Crypto space.](https://preview.redd.it/ie9owd9mylv81.png?width=895&format=png&auto=webp&s=4830cb8e014e559cb2754b8f514a90a7f1787ac1) + +I have limited the analysis to the top 100 coins because of two reasons + +1. Even now, close to 95% of the combined market cap of the crypto market is contributed by just the top 100 coins. Adding to this, it becomes more and more difficult/riskier \[2\] to invest in coins having low market cap due to platform and liquidity issues. +2. There are hundreds of new coins that are being launched every day. It’s almost impossible to keep track of all the coins and realistically do proper due diligence before investing. So for practical feasibility, I am limiting it to the top 100. + +### Results + +Before we jump straight into the return calculation, it’s interesting to see how the crypto market has changed over the years. + +https://preview.redd.it/m0fng8moylv81.png?width=649&format=png&auto=webp&s=98fb3edb350696ab03e9136c7b2eaf3ab9f46336 + +In the first few years where crypto was becoming mainstream (2014 to 2017), the top 10 currencies dominated the overall market cap contributing close to 99% \[3\]. Also, during crashes, we can observe a massive shift in capital allocation from Altcoin to Bitcoin → 2017 was one of the best bull runs (barring 2021) where we can see that Bitcoin only contributed to \~39% of the market cap. But once the bear market set in (2018-19), the allocation to bitcoin proportionally increased until the 2021 bull run. + +#### Creating a Crypto Index + +To answer our initial question → Whether it’s better to invest in the top 10 most popular cryptos or the other 90 relatively lesser-known ones, we will be creating an equal-weighted index \[4\]. + +We have two people Alan and Charlie who want to get into the crypto market in 2014, but both are following a slightly different approach. + +Alan will invest only in the top 10 most popular currencies. Every new year, he will go and check the top 10 cryptos by Market Cap and then equally invest between the top 10 cryptocurrencies. Charlie, on the other hand, will do the exact same thing with the only difference being that instead of the top 10, he will invest in the 90 next biggest cryptocurrencies. + +They continue to do this over the next 8 years and now it’s 2022 and it’s time to see who has performed better. + +[Returns shown here are till Jan 1st, 2022](https://preview.redd.it/5u10wctsylv81.png?width=628&format=png&auto=webp&s=aacb02399d50dbd1d1874aba631a97dc354dbaab) + +Would you look at that! Alan who has invested in only the top-10 cryptos did vastly better than Charlie who went for the riskier play of investing in the not so well known currencies. The top 10 cryptos on average performed 5x better than the next 90 and 2x better than just investing in Bitcoin. What’s even more interesting is that Charlie would have done 2x better just putting his money in Bitcoin - Ouch! + +#### Survival + +If you are wondering why Charlie is getting the lowest return in spite of taking the most risk\[5\], it’s because you are forgetting Rule 1 of investing - To not lose your initial investment. + +https://preview.redd.it/mmntwr9vylv81.png?width=714&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c69754b5cbf65bc865d87a11ea5116baf9f5a70 + +The probability of survival of a coin is extremely skewed towards the top 10 currencies. As you can see, over 80% of the top 10 coins from 2014 are still in existence today compared to only 26% of the rest. This trend keeps repeating over the years and your capital would have been decimated. Once it goes to zero, there is no way for it to come back up as any gain on $0 is still 0! + +#### Moonshots + +Finally, we come to what we are all here for! What are our chances of actually hitting a moonshot following this strategy? + +[I have defined a 100x return as a Moonshot](https://preview.redd.it/j8oiifewylv81.png?width=404&format=png&auto=webp&s=fec161da3968b773bb1f96eca3da9c114da48cd9) + +Well, your chances of hitting a moonshot are also much higher following the top-10 strategy. Overall, you had a 1 in 10 chance of getting a 10,000% return compared to the 1 in 30 chance of the riskier next-90 strategy. + +The above chart also shows another interesting stat → Out of the 500+ cryptos that we analyzed, less than 4% of them ended up becoming a moonshot. Think about that for a min - Of all the cryptos you are likely to hear about (*as there is very less coverage if it’s not in the top 100*), only 3-4% of them end up giving you those insane returns. You have similar chances betting on a single number on the Roulette wheel. + +https://preview.redd.it/23hva9qyylv81.png?width=391&format=png&auto=webp&s=9bf4c72e5515d1c77faa01aa82b29eaf590c6289 + +As you can see, of all our moonshots, Ethereum investment in 2016 ended up returning the most at a whopping 397,548%! + +### Limitations + +It’s important to understand the limitations of the current analysis before trying to replicate it. + +1. **Data** \- As I discussed earlier, all the data is from coinmarketcap and I have assumed a coin is dead if it’s not listed in the following year’s data. This analysis is only as strong as the quality of input data \[6\]. I have done extensive QCs but feel free to play around with the raw data to see if I missed something. +2. **Base Effect** \- The market is considerably different now than it was in 2015-17. There is more awareness as well as penetration. So the future growth might not be as explosive as the one that we observed in the past decade, so you should be realistic about your return potential +3. **Intra Year Returns** \- The current analysis only considers returns based on Jan 1st of every year starting from 2014. If we pick another date within the year, we might get slightly different results as there might have been ATHs and ATLs within the year which we are not capturing. + +### Conclusion + +>*It's not whether you're right or wrong that's important, but how much money you make when you're right and how much you lose when you're wrong — George Soros* + +I started the analysis thinking that investing in the not-so-popular currencies is bound to give better returns as it’s more likely they are undervalued due to lower publicity and hype associated with them. + +But, as we saw from the data, in the case of crypto it’s much more profitable just to invest in the top currencies. It’s like the case where being in the game is much more important than trying to hit it big and striking out! + +***If you liked this post, you might like my other analysis on Crytpo:*** [How to consistently make returns from the Crypto market by using Dollar Cost Averaging](https://marketsentiment.substack.com/p/crypto-dca?s=w) + +&#x200B; + +**Data:** All the data used in the analysis [**can be found here**](https://rows.com/market-sentiment/my-spreadsheets/untitled-spreadsheet-3-7fuGkqeJVN8gkvISEezt43/live) *(it’s a treasure-trove of information IMO as you can filter based on the rank, price, market cap - however you like it. All I ask is that if you can find a better strategy based on this data, do let us all know!)* + +&#x200B; + +**Footnotes** + +\[1\] The [word](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/moonshot) itself is derived from the Apollo 11 spaceflight project and is often used to classify something that seems almost impossible. + +\[2\] Extremely small coins are more likely to face liquidity issues, consolidated ownerships, and rug pulls. + +\[3\] For comparison, the top 10 companies in S&P 500 only contribute <30% of the index and that itself is considered to be extremely skewed by some analysts. + +\[4\] An equal-weighted index is where we invest equally regardless of the market cap of the crypto. All the famous indices like S&P500 are market cap-weighted - i.e, bigger companies get a bigger chunk of your investment + +\[5\] I mean the 2,000% return is no joke → S&P 500 barely gave a 100% return over the same period. It’s all relative, eh! + +\[6\] [Garbage in, garbage out](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_in,_garbage_out) +https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/sec-data-show-359-million-144445943.html + +SEC Data Show $359 Million of GameStop Shares Failed to Deliver +(Bloomberg) -- On Jan. 28, the day after GameStop Corp. mania hit its crescendo on the back of a short squeeze for the record books, about $359 million worth of shares were caught in limbo. + +More than 1 million shares were deemed failed-to-deliver that day due either to buyers lacking cash to complete purchases or sellers not having the shares to settle trades, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission data. + +The SEC report, which covers trading from Jan. 15 through the end of the month, is just one more indication of the dislocation in the market for the video game retailer’s shares. + +GameStop stock, for months among the most heavily shorted on the New York Stock Exchange, surged more than 1,700% from Jan. 1 through Jan. 27 as a legion of Reddit users piled on, forcing bearish traders to scramble for shares and brokers to take the highly unusual step of curbing trading. + +While the SEC’s list highlights the extent of the short squeeze, on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum, where the GameStop trade was galvanized, it’s evidence of something else: the unproven theory that hedge funds were engaged in naked short-selling of the shares. + +Short sales -- when an investor borrows shares, sells them and then tries to buy them back at a lower price to profit from the difference -- are an everyday market occurrence. Naked short selling, the illegal practice of selling shares that aren’t known to exist, is just one possible cause of a failure-to-deliver, with more quotidian reasons being human error and administrative delays. + +“Fails-to-deliver can occur for a number of reasons on both long and short sales,” reads a disclaimer on the SEC website. “Therefore, fails-to-deliver are not necessarily the result of short selling, and are not evidence of abusive short selling or ‘naked’ short selling.” + +Failures to deliver can result in fines, losses as well as reputational harm, and in rare circumstances there’s also a risk they could lead to a reduction of market liquidity. + +One thing is clear: the Grapevine, Texas-based company is an anomaly in the data. Ranked by the dollar value of traded shares that couldn’t be delivered -- a sum that was influenced by the ballooning price of GameStop’s shares -- it was the only company to appear multiple times in the top 10 during the period. And it was only one of two companies, the other being Li Auto Inc., to feature atop a list dominated by exchange-traded funds. + +The data, which is released twice a month, tracks securities that had at least 10,000 shares that failed-to-deliver on a daily basis. The total number of shares for each day is a “cumulative number of all fails outstanding until that day, plus new fails that occur that day, less fails that settle that day,” according to the SEC’s website. + +About 2.1 million GameStop shares failed-to-deliver on Jan. 26 before falling to 138,179 on Jan. 29, the day after Robinhood and other brokerages began restricting trading in so-called meme stocks. +I love you man. Your written testimony is spot-on and I truly wish you the best in everything. You certainly have a number of people around the world who appreciate who you are, and I think you are the best of us. I could not think of a better representation of the good in this world, let alone this retarded ban of apes on Reddit. + +The internet is a wild place. Any one of us retards could have hit the lotto by randomly buying leaps in some meme stock then proceeding to act like a sevant even though it would have been just dumb luck. + +But you were different. You did your homework for years, learning about the market and understanding what your strategy would be, all while taking care of your family and no doubt just being an all-around good dude through some incredibly difficult times since 08’. I was amazed to find you when I saw your analysis of GameStop about a month ago. Sincere, funny, and most importantly, incredibly sharp. You earned every single penny of your gains through years of honing your analysis skills to find DeeeeeeeepFuckingValue. + +I just wanted to say thank you. + +Positions: +Gme to the 🌙 +I like the stock and I like DeepFuckingValue +Back story on how I got in this position: I’d always been good with money but have been in a rut. I’m embarrassed to even be in this situation. It’s a long story but I had a horrible roommate who manipulated me. She began refusing to pay rent or would claim she couldn’t after 3 months of things being ok. I of course didn’t want to get evicted so I really had no other choice but to pay it all myself. She also refused to leave for a long time. Luckily she is out of the apartment now. +During all this, I had gotten a new job that seemed to be good with a higher pay and good benefits. Within the first week of starting, I had a contagious health issue & it was a healthcare job so I obviously couldn’t go in. Even with a doctor’s note they held my 3 day absence against me and fired me as soon as I showed up late one time a bit after I had returned to work. It really sucked because I had put my two weeks into my old job and was really excited for this endeavor, but I also left my old job for a reason. I do have a potential job (they said they’re hiring a lot of people and I was the most qualified) to hopefully start next week or two. I also have a few people interested in subleasing her room. + +I’m still left with the debt of having to pay her rent because I was already living just above pay check to pay check when I was paying half the rent and utilties, and I now had to pay 100%. I had to put many of these payments onto a credit card as a result. Not to mention other personal bills I had because of how broke this left me and then the job pulling the rug under me leaving me with no income. + +For reference the inheritance is $100,000. My grandpa left it for me to use in health, education, and emergency. I feel incredibly grateful for it and have hardly touched it up to this point, going to community college and paying with grants and scholarships to preserve it as much as I could, as it is supposed to build interest in stocks. I have tapped into it a bit to help pay the rent and for other living expenses since, again, I am in debt with no income (I have done some small things to get cash here and there but it doesn’t cut it) + +I am wondering if it would be worth paying some/most/all of this debt off with this because I don’t know how long it will take me at this point to pay it off. The rent counts as a cash advance so the interest is really high and Ive missed some payments and have even gone above balance on one. I really just want to get back on track and not have this over my head. + +My Aunt controls the money and doesn’t gatekeep it but maybe I’m just embarrassed and projecting but I feel like she might judge me or think I’m abusing the inheritance. + +Any advice at all is appreciated. + +edit: this post has gotten a lot of input, a good amount I have appreciated. all in all i think it would be best to cut my losses by taking out some money to pay for debt and an emergency fund, and should be able to pay rent easily with my new job (again, i had no problems when i had a steady job and before this situation sucked the money i had saved up, ~$1000). which i know some will say i should’ve saved more but should’ve could’ve would’ve trust me i would have done many things different now. + +i am here to learn and appreciate the straight forward and genuine advice that was given. not so much judgemental comments on my financial situation which i already expressed im embarrassed about. thanks 👍 + +edit #2: i’ve been getting dms and i’m green to all this and can’t tell if it’s genuine people trying to help but it mainly sounds like people trying to sell me stuff, investments and crypto bullshit. look, lady, whatever you’re selling i ain’t buying yo +Given the rise in rates and my low interest rate mortgage, I would like to approach my bank (Citi) about buying back my jumbo mortgage at a discount. It is a jumbo so I am assuming the whole loan is held on their books still and not securitized. + +Some details: Mortgage was created at 2.375% last year. At current rates, marked to market, it is probably worth ~60 cents on the dollar. + +If i were a mortgage trading desk and could identify that loan on their books, I would just buy it back at the marked value or some slight premium from them. + +As an individual, I have had a hard time finding a loan officer who knows what I am talking about or knows who the right person at the bank to help with this would be. + +Does anyone have any thoughts or experience doing this? Recognize that in a regulated industry this could be difficult but I could create a lot of personal value doing this so don’t want to give up…. +Curious to see what peoples greatest investment in the latest decade has been? + +Could also be a lesson or behavior but i'm more interested in hearing in investments! +Feel like I'm learning a ton just lurking here the last few days. Been working like crazy the last 20 years, including running a smb the last 15, which I just sold. Staying on for now to the tune of $200k/year - still enjoy the work and have some earnout targets to work towards. Single earner, wife is taking care of the boys till they hit kindergarten this fall then she's jonesing to work but hopefully something flexible so we can work in a fair amount of travel before kid commitments start going through the roof. + +For others who've sold, was it super chaotic? We moved around the same time which definitely added to the insanity. I probably could have been a lot more organized and handled the whole process better, but there were a lot of days when I felt I was barely staying above water. There was also a part of me that probably never even really accepted it would really go through, or that somehow irrationally feared allocating more resources to the process would somehow ensure its failure. Glutton for punishment in some respects I suppose. + +Finally starting to get a bit better rested and get my head wrapped around things. Obviously feeling super blessed and certainly excited at the prospect of spending more time with the kids (and maybe even eeking out a few minutes for myself one of these days???) - but just feel like i'm constantly fighting a ton of fires. I guess residual moving/settling craziness plus the holidays (and all our birthdays) will do that. + +Any suggestions for someone who'd like to eventually spend some time being semi-involved in the finances but for now needs some training wheels? Happy to pay for good guidance but some of the fee structures for advisors seem out of whack. + +Assets are like so: + +Home \~$500k equity with $1m mortgage + +Retirement \~$650k (probably \~30/70 pretax/posttax $) + +Land $1.5m + +"Fun" Funds \~$820k (single stock, picked a winner and more than doubled in less than a year) + +Cash \~$5.8m (about $1.5m going out the door come tax day) sitting in a 1.7% high yield savings while i figure out where to head with it + +So I guess NW is somewhere in the $8-8.5m range, moved from VHCOL to HCOL (well housing and prop taxes are high in our immediate area, otherwise not too bad). Spend for 2019 was pretty crazy with moving in the picture, but I'd peg more typical spend at around $130k a year, including a $4.6k/mo mortgage. Got my wife her dream car, I'm going without one for the time being but got myself a nice bicycle and am definitely splurging a bit on food. + +Very much appreciate everything I've learned here so far! +How many years of annual reports do Buffet or Munger read about a company? + +Pabrai talked about how Munger wanted to read through the entire history of Coca Cola’s annual reports. Seems like an interesting idea. + +But when evaluating a company for investment, how many years back is a good gauge? + +Your own personal recommendations would also be appreciated! +I wish my broker had shares available to short and puts weren't this expensive. It may squeeze further, but it makes no sense. I don't think I've seen a more expensive stock. +I have been selling everything of value that I don’t need so I can pay off my loan. Once the loan is paid off I will have about $500 more a month from my disability payments. With that money I could move to an area that has more job opportunities. I just need to get out of this tiny town and get a decent job. +Im a university student studying commerce and I’ve started to realize that there has to be an efficient way I can outwork my peers and work over time on a certain online activity to actively or passively gain income. Thank you guys. +So here's the story. I'm in my "starting" teenage years, and I've made some plans for myself. +In the next two years, I am challenging myself to save up at least $2500 for some future investments, but I have a problem; I live in almost the middle of the woods, have no allowance, don't get money from chores, and do not have a drivers license. How do I achieve this goal? (Please notify me if the goal is unreasonable) +All other topics are full with people discussions about everything . Yet very rarely people talk about money, how to make more, tips and tricks, transactions, what happens in a transaction, what happens in the people's minds after a transaction, and all this stuff is hard to find online. +First off - this community has been awesome to read and lurk on for me for months. Reading through others’ situations has helped a ton, so thanks fatFIRE-ers. + +I’m 35m, $1.3M NW, married, 2 kids, very little debt (one small-ish car payment). I started this journey 6 years ago when my income was about $80k/yr and living in VHCOL area and was sick of being poor. I set my sights on getting to $1.2M and making $400k/year by the time I’m 40 (basically a 10 year runway). + +Well, I’m at my NW goal and rapidly getting to the annual income goal (on pace for $320k in 2022) after starting my own consulting firm and really hitting my stride quickly and bringing on some great accounts (that have been very successful engagements). I’ll be honest, I’m not quite ready yet. + +I’ve played the RE game really well, have 2 rentals and my primary residence. Debt to equity % just crossed below 50% and that’s where $1M of my net worth sits. The other $300k is in stocks mostly with a little bit of crypto holdings. + +I’m putting my business in situations to be involved in deal flow and getting equity in start-ups that we help scale. Im pursuing opportunities that can earn me outsized returns on my investments of time/energy/capital. + +My new goal is to get to $5M liquid by age 45 and an additional 2 rental properties so that my cash flow from rentals is about $5k/month (but in long game gets to $10-15k/month by age 60 or so). + +We are pretty frugal, drive older used cars that are reliable, we make sure our young kids have what they need and a few things they want, and we like to splurge occasionally on fancy nice groceries/food, cool shoes/clothes, and an occasional killer hotel for a few nights. + +I have a great tax person, but no lawyer. Awesome support system in family but no one else really to look up to and ask advice from that’s been in a similar wealth situation (I’m as middle class as it gets and so is my family). + +My question here for everyone is - what else don’t I know? What else should I be doing/thinking about? Did anyone else get to this point quickly and not really know what to do next? +I'm making this post in response to u/bvttfvcker and more generally to get some feedback on my thought process. It reminded me of something I had learned recently by following a rabbit hole here on the sub. + + +This is NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE! I have no idea if any of this is right, that's why I'm crowd sourcing an editorial squad. I have practically no experience in stock. + + +The [Brazilian Puts](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/otn94a/can_anyone_explain_the_over_one_million_put/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) have left the question of: Why isn't the price suddenly skyrocketing under the pressure of full force moon rockets now that an assumed 100 million of theoretically sellable shares is off the market? Was it really a glitch? [u/bvttfvcker's post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/qa28sg/what_the_actual_fuck_is_suppressing_the_price/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) raises these questions and I think I have some answers. + + +If these things even exist, what are they and why are they there? u/6days1week [explains the what like this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/qa28sg/what_the_actual_fuck_is_suppressing_the_price/hh0bex6?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3): you have a credit card debt of $10k. You use another credit card to pay off the $10k. You buy $10k worth of stuff. Now you owe both credit cards $10k each. You can make credit cards and can do this forever, increasing your debt whenever you feel like it and never having to pay it back. A great way to describe it. Love it! + + +In this situation, the put is a credit card worth 100 shares. At an upfront cash loss (the premium) they get some GME back for while in the form of "We will buy back shares when the price GoEs bAcK to NoRmAl". The put and a promise of the price tanking is enough to bring your margin call down a few billion dollars when you run the show I guess.  + +Let's take a second to define our imaginary contract. The contract in this scenario says I get to sell my broker 100 shares regardless of price, but I'm losing money if I sell them above the strike price. So if the strike price is 5 dollars I want the price below that. Plus I have to pay them for making this contract; we'll say it's 10 bucks (this is the premium). Even though the strike price is 5 dollars, I won't be profitable until after the shares hit 4.90. + +If they had to execute those contracts the loses could be incredible. If they tried to execute them, however, someone still has to find those shares where ever they can. Almost twice as much as actually exist not including what's locked up already. They were never planning to unless that was a back up plan of some sort. + +The price would skyrocket and they would go bankrupt before they even found half of them. T+2 is when that is supposed to happen. So the only explanation is that they didn't execute the contracts if the price doesn't rocket. + +That leads us into how options affect the market. As promised here's my rabbit hole story: + +On September 22nd Michael Burry retweeted a Twitter market account by the name of The Last Bear Standing. The tweet has since been deleted but you can find it in on the Burry archives. He retweeted a post on evergrande by The Last Bear Standing and said read everything this dude says if you want to learn and be cool. + + +And so I started reading until I hit August 8 and [this beauty](https://twitter.com/TheLastBearSta1/status/1424833306781159433?s=20). TL;DR this is how puts affect the price of a stock. 1 put option and 1 call option both Out of the Money by the same margin (5 dollars for example) are not equal. The put contract weighs the price down more. Then it also concludes that puts are not a reflection of market sentiment, but more likely are the cause of the trend altogether. They are talking about the interactions between spy and vix specifically but the principles would have to be the same. It really is an informative read, and the author explains it well with lots of graphs. + + +Now if all of that seemed obvious to you and you gave up on me I understand. I apologize for my lack of flashy title fonts and absence of graphs and pictures. But here comes the pay off for those of you that stuck around.  + + +Why isn't the price headward free now to rise after T+2? They should have no choice but to close their positions or meet ridiculous margin requirements again since the they lost that bank of imaginary shares. + + +But think about the Swiss cheese cost basis you got from vendors (can't call them brokers anymore) like Robbin da hood. They don't have to know where the shares are coming from until you transfer out. The payment for order flow gang doesn't buy your shares, you're just a number in their book. The name of the game for them is never hedge anything and wait for dumb money to sell.  + + +Simply put, the share will never have to be covered because the buyer will probably sell it in less than a month.  + + +Place a buy through a PFOF vendor, and it gets shipped to the internalizer. Now they have a customer and a buy order so they get to do their favorite thing and use an AI to find a sell through NYSE at the lowest price possible. But why should the share go right to that customer? There's a perfectly good FTD from last month waiting to get covered in the internalizer. This new buy order can sit in the internalizer forever because PFOF doesn't buy it they just send MM the buy order. Neither does the MM most likely. MM just says yeah I can cover that. + + +Oh what's that, short selling and a manipulative AI utilizing a giant spread to try and tank the price convinced the new order to sell a few days later when the price shot down? Well they don't need to worry about finding him a share, but leave his FTD in the system for a few days. I mean the market is t+2 not t+0, no one can get mad. They can use that sell order on the market and bring down the price. Oh what's that, they are the buyer too for that share because they put up a buy order for 60 million shares at just under market price to gobble up all the sell orders they can and then sell them again later? + + +Let's face it, we don't need to know exactly how and when the crime happens but we've seen enough of a paper trail to know at least the fundamentals. Every single buy order or sell order can probably be tilted inside the internalizer to fit just right with the most possible time to close every single order left in live action. + + +To me, and please correct me if I'm wrong, this means Friday didn't start T+2. The counter only will start Wednesday for T+# of days until the shorts really start to feel some January style heat. They've had months to sit around and plan this thing out and you think they weren't prepared for this with 100mil synthetic shares ready to go?  + + +Remember how insane volume was 6 months ago? They covered every share they needed plus some for shorting this week. And maybe next week too. But now they have a real deadline. Those 100mil shares aren't there anymore to drag the price down for max pain or to fight off the gamma ramps. And they certainly aren't pretending to be shares anymore. Although anyone's guess if they even existed in the first place. + +TL;DR + +I believe the puts were real and did expire. SHF have successfully shuffled orders around in their internalization method to not need them to represent shares. + + +This should come with negative consiquences for them. It would seem like losing those puts would give an actual deadline for FTDs that have been juggled by the internalizer. Also buying and holding should have a greater effect on the price. Every DRS share is worth multiple synthetic shares to them or more because they have less ammo to work with and a shrinking true float size simultaneously.. + + +If anything I would have been surprised if 100mil shares ended the whole dance on the spot. That's probably only 10% or less of how many synthetic shares are out there. + + +TA;DR + + +Buy, Register, Hodl. + +Edits + +Formatting and minor details for clarity. + +Edits + +Had to fix my put explanation. I'm a special type of retarded. Ridicule as necessary. Here it is to make the ridiculing more accurate. Praise be to be u/dahnilla for being a wrinkly adult. + +~~Let's take a second to define our imaginary contract. The contract in this scenario says you can buy 100 shares from me if they reach $2, but you only have to pay $1.50 each. So if you're right about the $2 price for GME (Wrong type of special, bro) you get my 100 shares at $.50 per share cheaper than market price essentially making $50, $25 in profit. If I'm right about you being wrong I make $25 bucks and keep my shares. I'm sure that's not the exact pricing of current $2 dollar puts but that's the basic idea. + +So for a fire sale discount price (probably less than 1% of the cost you'd pay even if the price for every share was current market price and price didn't change with all the buying) you get to have an assumed 100 million shares on your books. I never realized just how helpful that was for short sellers until I went down that rabbit hole I promised you~~ + +Doesn't change much except now you know how bad I need proof reading. + +Edits + +At one point I referred to Wednesday and T+2 in the past tense. +I’ve noticed that many of these Big Pharma companies like Pfizer, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Abbvie, etc. all trade with cheap valuations and have immense dividend yields. + +The market is discounting the value of these companies and the amount of growth they posses. + +Yes, they’re big but with their huge budgets and with the best scientists on their teams, they have a great track record of finding new drugs and getting them approved. These Big Pharma stocks are compounders by nature because of this. + +What do you guys think about the healthcare dividend stocks on the market, are they dividend stocks that you’d want to add to your portfolios, or not? + +Credit: https://dissectingthemarkets.wordpress.com/2021/02/21/here-are-a-couple-healthcare-dividend-stocks-to-add-into-your-portfolio/ + [McDonald's worker turned property mogul buys fortieth home (msn.com)](https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/mcdonald-s-worker-turned-property-mogul-buys-fortieth-home/ar-AAS2qZG?ocid=msedgntp) + +More inane articles about property investment. +How are these investments actually sustainable? From my understanding he would have to be MASSIVELY leveraged in order to afford the mortgage repayments. +Hi r/personalfinance! I volunteer regularly at an animal shelter where I help socialize cats to prepare them for adoption. There is one that has kind of grabbed my heart and I am at least partially serious about adopting her. What is holding me back is the financial side of pet ownership. Currently my only pets are some succulents /s + +Here is some of my basic info: + + - 22F + + - Current full time college student, graduating in December with a BSN in nursing + + - Current savings are a little over $1500 + + - Currently working a part time job as a home health caregiver, earning about $200-400 a month, but I could increase that potentially to $400-500 if I picked up more hours and watched less Netflix. + + - Current monthly spending is usually $50-100 in miscellaneous things such as toiletries and meals with friends. I am relatively frugal! + +Initial fees for the cat would be a $40 adoption and a $400 deposit at my current apartment ($200 refundable on move out) plus food and litter supplies (estimating ? $120 right out, monthly will be less). I might be able to get the pet deposit waived by my MHNP that I see for anxiety and get the cat classified as an emotional support animal. The cat would already be spayed, with shots, and microchipped. My parents will be paying my rent and providing my food money until December, where I will move in with them while I study for my boards. When work starts (timeline estimates mid february) I will move in cities to live with my long term significant other. + +I'm a full time student, but I could definitely pick up more hours. I really haven't been saving for anything in particular other than my first month of rent/food for when I move to my new city (rent/bills will be ~$750). Eventually I will need to get a new car, but that can definitely wait until my big girl money comes in. + +My question is: do you think I can afford to adopt a cat? How much do you spend a month on your cat? Is there a certain amount I should save first? + +I appreciate all advice! I also posted this on r/cats + +Edited to correct some numbers + +Edit 2: y'all are so supportive! You have definitely given me a lot to think about. I live out of state from this particular shelter, but I am going back this week to visit my parents during my short summer break. If she is there, I will see if I can adopt her! Also thank you for the gold! That's a first! + +Edit 3: to those of you offering donations, I so appreciate it!! I had no idea reddit was this kind. I do have a PayPal account for those that wish to contribute. + + +Thank you so much to everyone! If the adoption is successful, I'll report back with photos! + + +Edit: I adopted her! I'll post an update with the breakdown of my first month of expenses in the next few weeks! Thank you all so much for your help! +As a sequel to "10 interesting and useful ETFs with less than $1b AUM", I'm back with 10 more ETFs that have less than $1b AUM but that I think are interesting and possibly useful and some comments on each. Too often only the biggest ETFs, or most popular, get people's attention. I think it's worth looking further to see what's out there. + +Starting with a Peter Lynch inspired strategy (Lynch popularized the price/earnings-to-growth ratio), + +1. SPGP: Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF, [https://www.invesco.com/us/financial-products/etfs/product-detail?audienceType=Investor&ticker=SPGP](https://www.invesco.com/us/financial-products/etfs/product-detail?audienceType=Investor&ticker=SPGP) . "Growth at a Reasonable Price" (GARP). This ETF is an interesting combination factor screener. It only selects from S&P 500 stocks, and screens them first for 3-year earnings and sales growth, and second for financial leverage (debt), return on equity, and earnings yield (trailing-twelve-month or "TTM" net income / market cap). Holdings are weighted by growth score, not market cap. SPGP's historical performance is surprisingly good; it beat the S&P 500 since January 2020 and beats both the S&P and traditional CRSP growth/value factors YTD. It also outperforms the S&P on some longer timeframes. Index rebalanced semiannually (3rd Friday June/Dec), and it costs a moderate 0.34% ER. It's designed to hold 75 stocks. Check SPGP out when it rebalances later in the month! + +Moving on to Factor ETFs, + +2. FVAL: Fidelity Value Factor ETF, [https://screener.fidelity.com/ftgw/etf/snapshot/snapshot.jhtml?symbols=FVAL](https://screener.fidelity.com/ftgw/etf/snapshot/snapshot.jhtml?symbols=FVAL) . This ETF tracks and index that calculates scores for: free cash flow yield, EBITDA to enterprise value, book value to price, and forward earnings to price. The first two factors result in it having some tech giants such as FB, GOOGL, AMZN, and AAPL in the index. But not some others, such as TSLA, which scores very poorly on... well, every factor. Banks are just scored on book to price and forward earnings to price, as their business model is not comparable to most other stocks. FVAL provides an interesting way to get exposure to possibly-not-overpriced intellectual property-heavy companies, as well as traditional value stocks. Currently holds about 130 stocks. + +3. FIVA: Fidelity International Value Factor ETF, [https://screener.fidelity.com/ftgw/etf/goto/snapshot/snapshot.jhtml?symbols=FIVA](https://screener.fidelity.com/ftgw/etf/goto/snapshot/snapshot.jhtml?symbols=FIVA) . The international (mostly developed markets) counterpart to FVAL, this ETF fills a great niche since forward-looking international value ETFs are few and far between. Most value ETFs are heavy on book value, and rely on backward looking metrics or ignore free cash flow. FIVA (and FVAL) take a different approach. Currently holds about 120 stocks. FIVA is perhaps the single most overlooked ETF in this entire list -- it provides a unique type of international exposure, and at only 0.39% ER. International factor funds often have slightly higher ERs than total market funds, but may provide much greater total return given desirable macro-economic conditions. For example, since the first vaccine was proven effective (which kicked off the value rally), FIVA has outperformed VEA by about 6 percent. + +4. JVAL: JPMorgan U.S. Value Factor ETF, [https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/products/jpmorgan-us-value-factor-etf-46641q753](https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/products/jpmorgan-us-value-factor-etf-46641q753) . JVAL's index is also a value screen. It scores via four metrics: earnings yield, book to price, free cash flow yield, and TTM dividend yield. Pretty well-rounded in that it includes earnings, book, and yield measures. It does not include forward earnings metrics. Due to the cash flow and earnings metrics, it ends up including some big tech companies like FB, GOOGL, and MSFT. While it includes a dividend metric, the JVAL ETF has a lower 30-day SEC yield than VTV or dividend-focused ETFs such as SCHD, so I would not consider it as a dividend fund. Holds about 350 stocks. + +5. FQAL: Fidelity Quality Factor ETF, [https://screener.fidelity.com/ftgw/etf/goto/snapshot/snapshot.jhtml?symbols=fqal](https://screener.fidelity.com/ftgw/etf/goto/snapshot/snapshot.jhtml?symbols=fqal) . Quality ETFs depart from value ETFs in that they're less concerned about price/earnings metrics. Fidelity's offering in the space weights stocks on free cash flow margin, return on invested capital (one of Charlie Munger's favorite metrics), and free cash flow stability. For banks, it looks at return on equity and debt to assets. This ends up having a lot of overlap with the S&P 500, but it ends up filtering out companies like TSLA and as per its goal, only has about 130 companies overall. Like FVAL, this costs 0.29% ER. Fairly common for US factor funds. + +6. JQUA: JPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETF, [https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/products/jpmorgan-us-quality-factor-etf-46641q761](https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/products/jpmorgan-us-quality-factor-etf-46641q761) . JPMorgan handles "quality" a bit differently. They have 10, yes ten, different metrics that go into measuring quality. They're grouped into categories for "profitability", "solvency and financial risk", and "earnings quality". Loosely stated, they're looking for companies making reliable cold hard cash hand over fist that are not too indebted. Like the Fidelity offering, it ends up looking a lot like the S&P 500 but with slightly different weights. GOOGL currently sits at the top of its holdings. + +Let us not forget commodities, + +7. COM: Direxion Auspice Broad Commodity Strategy ETF, [https://www.direxion.com/product/auspice-broad-commodity-strategy-etf](https://www.direxion.com/product/auspice-broad-commodity-strategy-etf) . A fascinating ETF, it covers 12 different commodity futures in categories for metals, agriculture, and energy. Different from most other commodity ETFs, it's almost like a commodity trend advisor (CTA) fund because it can take both long and "flat" (neutral/no) position in each commodity. This helped COM wonderfully during the commodity crash in 2Q20 because they were able to go flat and preserve value, avoiding the oil crash. If inflation comes back big time, commodities will benefit. And if a commodity bubble bursts, this fund may be able to avoid some of the downside. No K-1 form. Might be my go-to outside of GUNR (equity ETF) for commodity exposure. + +8. CMDY: iShares Bloomberg Roll Select Commodity Strategy ETF, [https://www.ishares.com/us/products/292741/ishares-bloomberg-roll-select-commodity-strategy-etf-fund](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/292741/ishares-bloomberg-roll-select-commodity-strategy-etf-fund) . A somewhat newer offering from Blackrock, this broad commodity fund systematically positions itself to best handle carry cost in the futures curve (and thus adjusts for contango / backwardation curves). It has generally outperformed other popular long-only commodity funds, and avoid being overweight on oil/energy futures. + +Seeking dividends? + +9. SCHY: Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF, [https://www.schwabassetmanagement.com/products/schy](https://www.schwabassetmanagement.com/products/schy) . A new offering from Schwab, it's the international counterpart to SCHD. Its index filters for companies that have made 10 consecutive years of dividend payments, and ranks them by cash flow to total debt, return on equity, dividend yield, and 5-year dividend growth rate. After a volatility screen, the results are weighted by a capped market capitalization approach. A wonderful mirror to SCHD for those seeking reliable income, but who also want to diversify outside of US markets. I predict its AUM will go up by 10x in less than 2 years. Also quite inexpensive at 0.14% ER -- Schwab is likely subsidizing this, in order to help it grow. + +Finally, like it or not, blockchain is here to stay, + +10. BLOK: Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF, [https://amplifyetfs.com/blok.html](https://amplifyetfs.com/blok.html) . The AUM of this ETF is right around the $1b mark, but I'm including it anyway. It seems to be the best-of-breed actively managed ETF for exposure to stocks benefiting from bitcoin mania and blockchain tech. Clearly, it's volatile. And it's not a pure bitcoin/ethereum play -- some small amounts of Samsung, IBM, and so on sneak in due to them having a connection to the space. But it does hit all the big names, including recently listed Coinbase ($COIN). If you can't be bothered to follow or deal with crypto in general but want something that will remain correlated to it, this is the ETF. Pricey at 0.71% ER, but, it's actively managed and still has a lower ER than ARK's funds. + +Disclaimers: this is not financial advice. I currently have a position in FVAL, but no position in any of the other ETFs at time of posting. That may change at any point in the future. I am not predicting future performance for any of these funds. Do your own due diligence (and please post in reply with what you find!). + +What do you guys think? Any of those look like something you might invest in? Anyone else want to comment on a personal favorite small/medium sized fund? +The question is probably debated nonstop on the internet but I feel like it’s entirely subjective. + +It keeps me up at night because I feel like after almost 2 years of some bad losses and lessons, I’ve finally become consistent and net positive trading. I just worry that there’s always the possibility that consistency will disappear at some point. + +I see all over the media that most forms of trading is a scam, you can’t beat just putting your cash in an index fund, blah blah blah. + +Insane amounts of negativity that can make you really second guess your achievements. + +But I’ve actually been consistent through both good and bad days in the market, with this year as an example. + +So my question is if there any veterans here that have found long-term success? I’d really like to hear your own thoughts, story, and journey. + +Thanks! +For I while I have been living in my properties for 2 years and then moving and renting them out. That is great while I am younger (because I am buying lower cost properties like townhouses). But now I am to the point where I would like to live in an actual house and have a yard long term instead of constantly moving around. Also when I am married I will no longer be able to keep moving because I have to consider stability for my wife also. + +Do you really save that much money on things like a loan, taxes etc. by doing what I am doing? +The Bank of Canada is cutting its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 0.75 per cent in an emergency decision announced Friday. + +The move comes amid growing concern about the economic fallout of the spread of COVID-19. + +The rate cut comes following a 50-basis-point cut March 4. + +https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/bank-of-canada-cuts-key-interest-rate-to-0-75-1.1405653 +Hi, so this is taking alot of courage for me to admit, basically for the last 15-17 years, since finishing with my Kids' mother, my life took a huge downhill turn, i've been living "sofa-to-sofa" via friends and the odd GF, I have had ZERO jobs in that time, and as such, i've paid no Tax / NI, also, I have had no bank accounts at all in that time. Basically as far "off the radar" as you can be I think. It was only after a meeting with my oldest daughter last month that she has convinced me to finally get my sh\*t together and get "back to work"! + +&#x200B; + +Only now here's where the problems start! Basically i'm pretty much a ghost at this point. I'm technically "homeless" even though I have a roof over my head via a good friend that I don't want to bring into all of this as he's been so good to me. I've been surviving by selling and trading my record collection, and the odd DJ gig, although I literally make enough to feed / cloth myself, less than 4-5K per year at most, only that is now also 'drying up' so at this point i'm fairly desperate. My daughters Mother let me get my Birth Certificate posted to her house, but that's all I have. + +&#x200B; + +So, how do I go about claiming benefits with no bank or "actual address"? Have I broken the law by not doing anything for all of this time, even though I've had no real jobs (therefore no tax evasion at all)? Please excuse my lack of knowledge, this is all so new to me and I'm just trying to find my way through all of the mess that i've created. + +&#x200B; + +From what I understand, the meagre sum I have made during that time falls well inside the £12K bracket for "personal allowance"? +Hello Apes, + +It's been a little over a year since I posted [The EVERYTHING Short - Mortgage Edition](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ml39bx/the_everything_short_mortgage_edition/)... + +Since posting I have been quietly lurking on the sub (because of my current employer). However, in my free time this week, I felt that it would be important to do check in, see how accurate (or inaccurate) my stance of the Mortgage market was. + +As always, I'm not an expert, this is not financial advice. + +**Reminders:** + +**TA/DR of my previous thesis**: Housing market = bubble / Rocket Mortgage = \[Chuckles\] "I'm in danger." + +**TL/DR of my previous thesis**: Mortgage lenders were over extending themselves, due to the increased demand of the COVID crisis, Rocket Mortgage's balance sheet displays that they are the tip of the iceberg (chose to investigate them since they were #1 of new loan originators in 2020), and Treasury Yields will ultimately cause the collapse of MBS market / crippling the liquidity of the Repo Market. + +**Summary:** + +1. **Background / Current Status** +2. **Part I - Foreclosures / Default Rates** +3. **Part II - Rocket Mortgage 1-year later** +4. **Part III - Bringing it all together** + +**Background / Current Status:** + +**Mortgage Process (Simplified)** + +&#x200B; + +[Dumbed down version of the Mortgage Process](https://preview.redd.it/a6zb4gd4w4v81.png?width=2432&format=png&auto=webp&s=a40c8c4db260fb73088bd39939a424756e5e0c22) + +First, let's remind ourselves how the mortgage market works (Note - this is not meant to be an all encompassing summary, but at a high level providing a diagram of the flow of operations). + +To begin, homes can be bought with cash or are financed through three types of mortgages; Conventional (largest piece of the pie), FHA (Federal Housing Administration), and VA Loans (Veterans Affairs). If you are buying a home with a mortgage, borrowers will need to go to a Loan Originator to get their mortgage (e.g. Rocket Mortgages, Wells Fargo, Chase, etc.). The mortgages are then packaged into MBS's via a Bond Underwriter and sold on the secondary market to investors, utilizing ratings produced by agencies (e.g. Moody's, Standard & Poor's, etc.) to denote the amount of risk (AAA - highest rating). + +**Financing Breakdown (New Homes Q4 2020 vs Q4 2021)** + +Now, let's compare the 2020 financing type vs 2021. For new homes purchased in Q4 2021 (Depicted in the pie chart below), conventional has grown from approx. 70% to 78% (fun fact - the last time Conventional loans comprised this large of a percentage of the market was... you guessed it... 2008 Q1). This growth as driven by a shift from FHA loans, which declined from approx. 16% to a paltry 9%. VA loans also shrunk from 8% to 6%. Cash also rose from 6% to 7%. + +[New Home Sales by Financing \(US Census Bureau\)](https://preview.redd.it/uwt6azk015v81.png?width=702&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a48a0f82f71ad947f118f1ce8f5fecb40dafbd2) + +**Mortgage Rates - Current** + +So, if you have been paying attention, [Mortgage Rates Reach 12-year Highs](https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/21/homes/us-mortgage-rates-april-21/index.html)... at 5.2% for an average 30-year fixed. + +Why is this important? A Reminder from my previous DD... + +"if mortgage rates rise (due to high treasury yields), demand will decrease. If demand decreases, and at the same time supply increases, value will sharply decline." + +"Therefore, when overall housing prices go down, those who are overextended by buying investment properties or 2nd homes, will also sell to cut their losses. Expediting the home value decreases in the area. As the value of the homes continue to decrease, the default risks rise (even on what would be considered "safe"). As risk levels rise, investors who buy the MBS tranches will slow (It's important to callout that the government has been buying up MBS's, but they aren't the whole pie). + +When you see a lack of investors, the middle man will have difficulty selling the mortgages they wrote. Therefore, there's a 'kink' in the process. If the middle man can't get the risk off their books, they can't issue new mortgages, and if they begin to see their "asset" values (aka mortgages to sell) fall below their liabilities, then they are in significant risk for bankruptcy. + +Also, remember, if mortgage rates rise (due to high treasury yields), demand will decrease. If demand decreases, and at the same time supply increases, value will sharply decline." + +**TA/DR:** Mortgage Rates up, Demand down. + +Speaking of demand... + +**Demand - Current** + +&#x200B; + +[Demand is dropping to below pre-Pandemic levels](https://preview.redd.it/uxl6qlay45v81.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=6cad12c23eacc267c50768d36a372851a4c67020) + +Demand is falling rapidly, as buyer's expectations of housing availability worsen (due to lack of supply) and mortgage rates rapidly climbing. Only 20% of all buyers can afford 50% of the housing availability ([sauce](https://eyeonhousing.org/2022/04/buyers-feeling-grim-about-housing-affordability/)). Additionally, only 17% of buyers perceive their housing search will get easier in the months ahead ([which hasn't been seen since 2018](https://eyeonhousing.org/2022/04/buyers-perceptions-of-housing-availability-fall-back-to-2018-levels/)). + +&#x200B; + +[Median Household Income - Source US Bureau of Economic Analysis \/ Labor Stats.](https://preview.redd.it/gs6wrgui16v81.png?width=910&format=png&auto=webp&s=2bb6dd87f9479c26e184d6f0adbadfc0faba2eab) + +Also, demand is being hampered by the rising inflation, which is eating into the average American's share of wallet since Median household income has only increased by $6K since 2000 (adjusting for inflation), whereas housing prices... + +**Prices - Current** + +&#x200B; + +[Avg. Sales Price - Source US Census Bureau](https://preview.redd.it/zafvbzn075v81.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f613f058a0f8fe291c6a7fd5bb6fb82598862b1) + +The average sales price continues to **rise**, even into 2022 with March 2022 seeing the 121st consecutive month of year-over-year increases (up 15% from a year ago). The **MEDIAN** (Note - chart above is average not median... [sauce for apes who don't know the difference](https://www.dictionary.com/e/average-vs-mean-vs-median-vs-mode/)), is **$375,300!!!** (up from $322,000 in 2021). + +So if demand is declining rapidly, why are prices up? + +Answer... Supply + +**Supply - Current** + +[Source Altos Research via the New York Times](https://preview.redd.it/5rfaws4q85v81.png?width=1010&format=png&auto=webp&s=23192071889d3ae986b963aeecb4050443554aab) + +The amount of homes dramatically fell in 2021, especially because of pandemic-related labor shortages, weather constraints, and supply chain issues for raw materials. However, housing starts have hit a 16-Year high (not seen since June 2006) with [1.793 million](https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/housing-starts#:~:text=US%20Housing%20Starts%20at%2016,market%20forecasts%20of%201.69%20million). But, with the rising cost of labor (up 6% YoY) and raw materials (up 31% YoY), the cost to build these homes will dramatically rise. Making it imperative for the price of home not drop, in order to ensure contribution profit (less fixed-costs) remains intact for the builders to remain profitable. + +[Housing Starts - US Census Bureau \(25Y history\)](https://preview.redd.it/o6ml9sp2g5v81.png?width=734&format=png&auto=webp&s=3a515f4fa21c5d69841fcb128eee8eaeee1e7b4b) + +&#x200B; + +[Source: NAR ](https://preview.redd.it/gtk1r1ovj5v81.png?width=540&format=png&auto=webp&s=57be5e1266e6033773de28c314577d505e128907) + +Even though months of supply hit a 20-year low in January, the supply has been increasing back to back months in February and March. With the number of housing sales slowing (due to mortgage rates / lack of demand) and the supply increasing with new construction, we should see more homes available on the market in the later portions of 2022, and cool off the prices. + +However, what else can cause supply to increase rapidly beyond new home sales? + +**Part I - Foreclosures / Default Rates** + +[Mortgage Delinquency Rates - Source MBA](https://preview.redd.it/plqtvnlgc5v81.png?width=697&format=png&auto=webp&s=86d4142486a50613e101f675ba7aab67fcd0afc8) + +Using the chart above, mortgage delinquency rates continue to fall from their peak pandemic rate of 8.22% to 4.65% at the end of 2021, but remain on par with 2007 levels. It's imperative to highlight loans with 90+ days of delinquency (approaching foreclosure) still remain as the largest portion of mortgage delinquencies, albeit decreasing from 2.8% to 2.4% from Q3 2021 to Q4 2021. However, 30/60 Day delinquencies rose from slightly over the same time frame. + +Sounds like a rosy picture...but... let's dive a little deeper, and where we need to look is FHA (since these are the most likely mortgage type to default). Especially considering HUD officials in their annual report to Congress, warned that an elevated number of delinquent borrowers will not cause them to lower insurance premiums **AND** that foreclosures could cause home prices to drop... + +HUD reports that FHA serious delinquencies are down 33% from October 2021 to January 2022, falling from 632K to 422K ([Sauce](https://www.housingwire.com/articles/hud-says-fha-delinquencies-positive-sign-as-it-weighs-premium-pricing/)). That's good right? Well...depends... did foreclosures rise? Yes. Significantly. + +Mainly driven by the foreclosure moratorium ending (July 2021), foreclosures rates are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels with a total of 130,000 FHA homes being in foreclosure. FHA loans are not the only ones being driven into foreclosure, but the market are seeing foreclosures increase as a whole. For example, Q1 2022 vs Q1 2021, foreclosure filings rose 132%, with March being up 35% from the previous month and seeing the 11th consecutive month with a year-over-year increase in US foreclosure activity. It's imperative to denote that the 50K properties starting foreclosure processes in Q1 2022, remains only 57% of what Q1 2020 was (pre-pandemic). However, the sustained growth in foreclosures is worrying. + +So, once a house moves into foreclosure, how quickly does it hit the market? Well, that depends (state-by-state basis) but it can be as quick to 2-3 months until the auction date. Therefore, it's safe to assume additional supply will begin to hit the market in Q3/Q4 2022 and into 2023 (especially if forbearance rates continue to rise). + +**Part I - TL/DR:** Even though overall mortgage delinquencies are down, they are still hovering at 2007 levels, and we need to monitor 30/60 day delinquencies since they are rising. Foreclosures are rapidly rising, but still are below pre-pandemic levels, however this will impact the housing market in later 2022 as these properties will hit the market and increase supply. + +**Part II - Rocket Mortgages:** + +Well...I remembered getting a lot of hate because of my bleak outlook on Rocket Mortgages. So before I update you on the current situation, here's an "I told you so moment" ([Oh and Jimmy Chill](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAEQW0qsPsg), another data point for the inversing his stock picks). + +[Jimmy Chill loves their \\"Management and business fundamentals\\" - March 2021](https://preview.redd.it/th9ix390p5v81.png?width=729&format=png&auto=webp&s=cd8b239afea1a227b7207d05ee6f5fb6c7084422) + +Alright, alright, nobody likes a gloater so let's delve into the details of their [10K](https://s25.q4cdn.com/509921419/files/doc_financials/2021/q4/RKT-10K-2021-Filed-with-Exhibits.pdf) in March 2022. + +So right off the bat, they have 41 pages of Risk Factors (GameStop 10K... 9 pages), doesn't prove anything but was an interesting factoid as I scrolled through a lot text. + +However, let's focus our analysis on the elephant in the room I spoke earlier about, Mortgage Rates. Here's what they had to say (prior to this dramatic rise in rates) as what would happen to their business. + +"As interest rates rise, refinancing generally becomes a smaller portion of the market as fewer consumers are interested in refinancing their mortgages. Higher interest rates may also reduce demand for purchase mortgages as home ownership becomes more expensive. This could adversely affect our revenues or require us to increase marketing expenditures to increase or maintain our volume of mortgages." (Page 26) + +"Borrowings under our financing facilities are at variable rates of interest, which also expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on certain of our variable-rate indebtedness will also increase." (Page 27) + +Furthermore, they are watching the Fed's quantitative tightening closely, because the Fed was propping up the MBS market by buying MBS's issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. Shrinking the Fed's balance sheet naturally will result in less MBS purchasing, aka slowing the secondary market (Creating a bottleneck in the balance sheet). + +**Condensed Balance Sheet** + +[Rocket Condensed Balance Sheet - 10K 2021](https://preview.redd.it/a54w41sds5v81.png?width=681&format=png&auto=webp&s=be02e21bcd9737fbf4819e2fe041e90967d645ab) + +Let's focus on "Mortgage loans held for sale". This is what Rocket is considering fair value of mortgages that they own and are expected to be sold into the secondary MBS market. + +**Why it's important:** With the Fed's quantitative tightening slowing down the secondary market, the 19B in mortgage loans held for sale, will remain on their books for longer. They need to sell their loans in order to drive their income, which took a hit btw in 2021, with their EBITDA decreasing 44.9% or 5B from 2020 (Page 59). This dive in EBITDA was driven by their sales margin being cut, causing their gain on loan sales to drop $4.6B or 30.5% from 2020. + +Also, important to note, the "fair value" can dramatically change. Home prices are still increasing yes, but as mentioned prior: + +1. Supply is due to increase - new home starts are at levels not seen since 2006 / foreclosure rates are on the rise +2. Demand is decreasing - due to poor consumer sentiment and inflation making less people able to afford a home + +**Part II - TL/DR:** With the rising interest rates slowing down home sales there will be fewer loans (originations and refinancing) due to higher interest rates, Rocket must spend marketing $'s to gain market-share or lower their loan standards to receive the volume of loans required to remain profitable. The secondary market will start to slow with the Fed's quantitative tightening, which will cause the price of the MBS to drop and rates to continue to climb (seeing as investors will require compensation for taking additional risk). Therefore, the United States largest mortgage lender is staring down the barrel of two headwinds, and continues to have a highly leveraged balance sheet (where if fair value for home prices drop, due to an increase in supply / decrease in demand), will be a recipe for disaster. + +**Part III - Bringing it all together:** + +1. Rising Mortgage rates spell trouble for the US Housing Market +2. Inflation is dramatically impacting both consumer spending and the cost to produce homes +3. Demand is sharply decreasing for homes +4. Supply is low currently, but will be increasing due to New Homes (housing starts are largest since June 2006...) and Foreclosures hitting the market (we are at 4.6% delinquency - which was same levels around the beginning of 2007, with 30/60 delinquencies slightly rising quarter over quarter) +5. The United States largest Mortgage lender (Rocket Mortgages), saw their EBITDA decrease YoY, even though they wrote significantly more loans (both new and refinances) in 2021 with the historically low interest rates +6. With interest rates spiking, loan originations will slow (won't appear in the statistics for 1-2 months since those purchasing homes potentially will have locked in lower rates from before) and mortgage originators will need to spend even more marketing $'s to capture market share or lower their standards. +7. The Secondary MBS market will slow with the Fed's quantitative tightening, and thus create an issue where MBS security prices will plummet and rates will spike since investors will need to be compensated for the additional risk they will be taking on + +**TA/DR:** Housing market still = bubble / Rocket Mortgage still = \[Chuckles\] "I'm in danger." + +**TL/DR:** Nothing is a "straight line" (as many of you know with the volatility of $GME), however, I believe my thesis is still valid and the warning signs are there that the housing market will have some serious volatility in the coming months / years. With mortgage rates spiking and the Fed's quantitative tightening beginning, the outlook for the United States largest mortgage lender looks bleak, spelling bad news for the overall housing market. Essentially, tick...tock on round 2 for a housing crisis. + +&#x200B; + +**Appendix:** + +"Rocket Mortgages is a highly leveraged company, who's own 10-K filing suggests that they are a ticking time bomb to destruction, if there are issues getting loans off their books, and is being pushed by MSM as a "BUY" by CRYMER. Which should give you complete confidence that any "anti" Cramer play around that time (cough $GME), is the right call." + +**Note:** + +I try to respond and incorporate feedback / commentary as nobody is perfect. Please let me know if there are holes / parts of my argument to improve, as I want to ensure that this is an iterative DD. + +**Edits:** + +1. Typo and wrote Quantitative Easing vs Tightening +We have a townhouse in Melbourne that was vacated 2 months ago and we have now dropped rent by 100 dollars (now 395 per week) and 1 month free rent but still no applicants. + +There are about 400 places for rent in this suburb alone. Some rentals have halved in price. + +What are you guys doing to get yours rented out? +https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/04/uber-uber-q3-2019-earnings.html + +Loss per share: 68 cents vs. 81 cents expected, according to Refinitiv estimates + +Revenue: $3.81 billion vs. $3.69 billion expected, according to Refinitiv +You guys probably already know this, but of all the stock market trading subreddits, r/thetagang seems to have the highest collective IQ and are generally helpful when members ask questions to crowdsource knowledge. + +I don't have a lot of investing experience (formerly all boring and safe holds that I exit way too early on) but recently got lucky and made 80k on GME last month. That's 9x more than my collective savings so I was shocked and anxious. I come from a bloodline that is notorious for addictive gambling and severe alcoholism (a few prostitutes too), so I overcorrected on risk tolerance and have missed out on lots of opportunities. I didn't want to lose all of the GME gains by making bad decisions from an artificially inflated ego over one fortuitous trade, so I lurked harder on r/stocks, r/investing, r/personalfinance, r/thetagang, etc. I do truly love my WSB degenerates, and the other communities feel like responsible parents lecturing people on risky plays, but r/thetagang feels like a smart older sibling who answers your n00b questions but also encourages you to grow and improve on your own through experience. I sold my first covered call on Monday (MVIS March 19 $35 strike for $1,675). It's small potatoes but I want to thank you all for being great and so helpful with all the information you post. I'm working on down-payment money and want to do it responsibly so I can set up my husband, daughter, and me with a permanent home. After 3 decades of life hearing (but not following) my dad's family providing financial advice such as buying things you can't afford, hiding them in storage, and filing for bankruptcy, you have no idea how much it means to have people who answer basic trading questions for you. + + +Best of luck to the Theta crew. May all your options yield hefty returns. + + + + + + +Edit: I apologize - I don't think it was clear that I was being playful in my joke about how the OGs/most experienced of Theta Gang are propping up the general community's collective brain power. All of the mentioned subreddits have great contributors, content and knowledge. I appreciate them all. WSB is fantastic and is my original family... kind of dysfunctional, rowdy, constantly risking their livelihoods gambling. Theta Gang is the Big Brother/Big Sister program, helping poor kids like me do homework so I can get smarter and one day have a better life. r/investing convinced me to sell on the crash of GME last month when someone reminded me that investing shouldn't be emotional. I could have lost all gains because I started getting hyped to make it a lesson to big money, which clouded rational decision making. +Hey everyone + +I love this channel, and i learned a lot in the past 2 years overall focusing on dividend stocks. + + I have a coolest google sheets for my holdings, and I have several websites and newsletter Im subscribe to, that helps me with research + +But when I start on a research for a new investment I have like 3-5 websites and subscription I pay a lot to, to do those researches + +So.. as a software developer and one that loves coding, I started to work on a new platform (web application) + +At the moment I created many graphs that holds historical data (15+ years) per company, so I can find trends, behavior, dividend yields, debt, shared outstanding (buybacks), etc.. + +&#x200B; + +When the platform will be ready Ill share it here as well, and now it's a good time to ask + +what kind of information would you like to see? focus on historical data? + +For now it will be research only platform, later it will have portfolio + holdings and yield features + +&#x200B; + +Have a great week all :) +My folks make a great income from their (almost) passive business which will continue now that they are getting close to retirement age. + +They have about 150k from their cash that they would like to earn some dividends on. Products such as ZWC and VDY seem appealing. + +Obviously growth here is not the primary goal and they don't really need that 150k anytime soon. I think they'd like a nice little recurring paycheck from it. They're not interested in picking individual stocks. + +Suggestions? +From the article: + +> Sources close to the Chinese Government have told Asia Markets a deal that will see China Evergrande restructured into three seperate entities is currently being finalised by the Chinese Communist Party and could be announced within days. + +> State-owned enterprises will underpin the restructure, effectively transforming the property developer into a state-owned enterprise. + +> “The deal is being designed to protect Chinese nationals who have bought apartments from Evergrande, like the ones you see protesting on the streets and also those who have invested in Evergrande’s wealth management products,” the source said. + +https://asiamarkets.com/imminent-china-evergrande-deal-will-see-ccp-take-control/ +Edit 1: Thanks for all the great advise! I think I will sit down tonight and put it all on paper. + +Edit 2: Downloaded mint. It looks like we should be able to live off about $3400 per month, still living comfortably. Now time to keep on budget! + +Edit 3: WOW this got a lot bigger than I thought it would. My definition of paycheck to paycheck might be a little off. To clarify I pay off some of my student loans and cc debt every month, contribute 5% to my 401k, and my account has never gone to zero but it gets close. + +I do live way above my means. That's what I'm trying to stop. I would love to live off 50k and put the rest in the bank which is completely doable. + +I'm just bad with money. I never look at my accounts to see what I spend. It's probably something I got from my parents because they spent money like nothing too. + +I really appreciate all the helpful info! If anyone ever needs tips on how to blow money, I'm happy to help! + +Edit 4: Front Page! Glad my financial problems are now the talk of the inter web. Also, thanks for not calling out my bad spelling! + +Edit 5: I pay taxes, just like most people who don't live with their parents. I do not take home $100k, I probably net about 65% (estimate). This seems to be a big confusion for people. +Moonbud ($MBUD) launched 1 week ago on the BSC (Binance Smart Chain) and already made remarkable progress in achieving its vision. Its transaction fee of 5%, with a breakdown of 2% for distributing back to holders, 1% that continuously burns and 2% that goes to its charity wallet ensures that as long as there is volume, this coin can fulfill its mission. + +&#x200B; + +What makes this token special is its vision. It is charity-driven, which has attracted over **5,500 Holders** in less than a week. A whopping **SIX FIGURES** sum was raised for animal charity donation in less than one week, making it possibly the biggest crypto donation for a small mcap token. This weekend, **meaning in a couple of days**, it will make its first **six-figure donation**, and the plan is to do it every weekend consistently. + +&#x200B; + +The $MBUD team has teased us with multiple updates regarding the coin's future, including: + +​ + +1. Brand new website and logo, both made by professionals in the field +2. Heavy marketing, including IG, Tiktok and Youtube influencers (many already locked down) +3. Imminent Coingecko and Coinmarketcap listings +4. Weekly charity donations, starting with 6 figures (the plan is to reach 7 figures and beyond, obtaining MSM attention in the UK) +5. Top tier NFTs in development + +&#x200B; + +I can’t wait to see the future of Moonbud. This project is unlike any other project – this one is meaningful. Hoping all my fellow doggo lovers support this project and see it through. + +&#x200B; + +Links: + +&#x200B; + +Buy it here: [https://v1exchange.pancakeswap.finance/#/swap?outputCurrency=0xbe8183612f145986a41ad8e8fcfefed1c2f9deba](https://v1exchange.pancakeswap.finance/#/swap?outputCurrency=0xbe8183612f145986a41ad8e8fcfefed1c2f9deba) + +Solidity Audit report: [https://solidity.finance/audits/Moonbud/](https://solidity.finance/audits/Moonbud/) + +Live chart: [https://poocoin.app/tokens/0xbe8183612f145986a41ad8e8fcfefed1c2f9deba](https://poocoin.app/tokens/0xbe8183612f145986a41ad8e8fcfefed1c2f9deba) + +Website(new version next week): [https://www.moonbud.space/](https://www.moonbud.space/) + +Telegram: [https://t.me/moonbudofficial](https://t.me/moonbudofficial) + +Twitter: [https://twitter.com/MoonBud\_Coin](https://twitter.com/MoonBud_Coin) + +Bscscan: [https://bscscan.com/token/0xbe8183612f145986a41ad8e8fcfefed1c2f9deba](https://bscscan.com/token/0xbe8183612f145986a41ad8e8fcfefed1c2f9deba) + +Subreddit: r/MoonBud + +MoonBud Theme Song: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HShYkiuqcVE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HShYkiuqcVE) + +&#x200B; + +Note: If it says “price impact too high” on pancake swap you must click the “v1 old” button on pancakeswap +The sheer volume of people there making 'is X crypto trading site offering 100% ROI per week legit?' posts is scary. Especially so when they make these posts *after* investing, not before. + +On the one hand, I do understand, why has your bank got the right to dictate where you spend your money? It's yours, that is true. + +A recent comment on this sub was along the lines of 'why do they block crypto purchases but not gambling, they're essentially the same thing' and that is true in many respects, too. + +But the problem is just about everyone knows gambling is a risk, and arguably entertainment. Crypto investment often isn't seen as gambling, but as investment, or a way to make money into more money. It can be, but it's far easier to lose money than to make it if you're new and excited and aren't questioning the red flags. + +One of the reasons banks are blocking crypto purchases is because there are often very naive people being targeted by scammers with promises of untold, risk-free riches. This doesn't happen with horse racing so much. + +Someone on r/scams has posted about a very dodgy looking fake crpyto/forex investment site (easily researchable via things like WHOIS, online scam reports etc) and they've already sent money. + +And after being told that their 'investment' site was actually just a scam front, one OP's response was to say 'Damn I'll try to see if Bitcoin or my bank account can help me'. If that comment doesn't scare you and explain, in some way, why financial institutions are wary of allowing customers unfettered access to convert their life savings to a largely untraceable and unregulated cryptocurrency and send it to foreign scammers... then I don't know what will. + +Crypto scams are insidious because people are blinded by the promises of easy money, and think that it's a safe investment avenue. And people are being targeted left and right by scammers telling them how easy it is to make a safe and guaranteed return. Especially when the media is filled with stories about overnight millionaires and huge interest in cryptocurrencies globally. + +Disclaimer: I'm not anti-crypto, I'm anti-people being ripped off by scammers because they don't know enough about crypto. I say this as someone who's got a mix of sensible and shitcoins, thinks crypto has great potential and has variously been in and out of BTC over the years at £400, £800, £1700 and £6000 and made various profits and losses. I get it, I understand it, I work in big tech and advise banks and global brands. + +I also think it's turned into the wild west right now and it's still basically just gambling with better marketing and worse regulation. But there's a reason the gambling industry is heavily regulated and has very strict requirements for KYC, anti-money laundering and problem gambling, not to mention advertising restrictions. + +I'm not saying they're exactly the same, or that banks are paragons of virtue (they're not, I work with them, I know many of the dirty secrets) but in many cases, they're probably not over-reacting all that much to blocking or regulating crypto transactions while things are so chaotic and unregulated. +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/EKU2tVBp9u). +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). Last ban length: 1,048,576 days + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/2sQBNuM). +Your markets are run by bots. Now your /r/Asx_bets daily threads are too. + +Read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) people[.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +[Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX\_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. You have been warned.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) + +Automoderator may provide "Guidance" for Lazy and zero effort posting. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH) +Your markets are run by bots. Now your /r/Asx_bets daily threads are too. + +Read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) people[.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +[Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX\_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. You have been warned.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) + +Automoderator may provide "Guidance" for Lazy and zero effort posting. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH) +I'm using my throw away account. + +My partner refuses to work. He has a lot of what I would consider excuses. He says he's too anxious or depressed. When I confront him he locks himself in his room. His therapist says he needs to get a job and he is in no way a canadent for disability. + +Not working is his business but he makes me spend all my money. I pay 100% of rent and utilities. Because I am on the lease and these things need to get paid because I don't want to be homeless. He makes me pay his credit card bill because he says if he doesn't have gas or his car he won't be able to work/ will have to borrow my car. + +Basically all of my money goes to him. And he plays video games and parties on the weekend. + +I feel like he's controlling my finances. But I'm the only one with money. But he's basically forcing me to spend all my money on either bills or him. I feel trapped. I can't afford to move out anymore. He knows that. + + I make below the poverty level. I feel so so trapped. I guess if I knew if this was abuse or not would help me know how to approach finances in the future with a partner + +**Edit** + +**Sorry I didn't get the chance to respond to most of you. I was in class most of the day.** + +**I got a lot of good advice about detangling my finances from his and what I should focus on on my own finances and my own recovery. The moving back in with my parents is embarrassing but vvvv good advice. Ty** + +**Thank you everyone for caring** +So for most of 2017 I was "on loan" to another department in a required non-tech PM position. Previous (male) Project Manager was paid $75k eight years out of school. I am a woman who made $50k when I started "helping" 3 years out of school. Was in way over my head, but did all right given the circumstances. Got a promotion and a big raise out of it but begged them to hire someone because the boss and the work were quite literally hell and I threatened to quit (hence the promotion and raise). Ended 2017 making close to $59k. + +They hired a guy with "20 years experience" that had nothing to do with our industry and paid him $92k. He was a nice person but absolutely sucked at the job. I trained him for three months but he absolutely floundered. The position got a new, nicer, more reasonable boss during the six months New Guy was there and job got way less stressful. New Guy nonetheless received a terrible review and voluntarily left last month. + +Once again, I am "on loan" because I am the only person who knows the intricacies of the job. Only this time I am still doing the normal work in my actual department on top of helping out. The work this time around is much less miserable so I inquired about the job and rate of pay should I accept it. I was told if I took the position full time I would only be paid $65k because I lack the experience to make more than that. By "experience" they mean number of years of employment history. I am currently four years out of college and have only ever worked at this company. + +So my current boat is, despite my being the only person at this company that can complete these essential functions, my company won't raise me to the same rate as the two guys that failed/left because they had more years of work experience than me. I know I am being taken advantage of, but I am using the company's student loan program to help me pay off my loans, so if I quit during the year I have to pay back the money the company has paid up until the month I quit. That would come to about $3000 as I am trying t burn thru them this year. + +My ultimate question is, does PF feel that years of work experience trumps ability to do the job when it comes to pay rates? Any advice for negotiating with my company or are they correct in limiting my pay because of my fewer years work experience? +Guys I read this article and got worried about my investment in index fund. So the future bear markets will wipe out all my earnings? + + [After Two Of The Greatest Bull Markets In U.S. History, Why Are Boomers So Broke?](https://realinvestmentadvice.com/after-two-of-the-greatest-bull-markets-in-u-s-history-why-are-boomers-so-broke/) + +&#x200B; + +One paragraph says: + +"You will notice that in every case, the entirety of the previous bull market advance was almost entirely wiped out by the subsequent decline. + +So, what happened to all those baby boomers? Well, let’s walk through the sequence: + +1. **Age 30’s:** In 1980 the *“baby boomer”* generation is working, saving, and participating during one the 80-90’s bull market. +2. **Age 50’s:** From 2000 to 2002, the *“Dot.Com”* crash cuts their savings by 50%. +3. **Age 53-57:** From 2003-2007 the full market grows savings back to their previous level in 2000. +4. **Age 57-58:**  The 2008 “Financial Crisis” wipes out 100% of the gains of the previous bull market and resets savings values back to 1995 levels. +5. **Age 58-63:** From 2009-2013 financial markets rise growing savings back to the same levels in 2000. + +>***At the age of 63, “baby boomers” are staring retirement in the face. Yet, because of the devastation of two major bear markets they are no closer to their retirement goals than they were 13-years earlier."*** +Just a vent. I'm feeling crappy and just need to scream this into the void. I'm a full time student. Suddenly a single mom pending a separation from my husband who I found out was cheating on me with a 19 year old. I just failed my first pre-calc exam and brought my grade from a 77 down to a 40. I get paid once a month and $1300 a month. My husband makes around 5k a month but he isn't living here anymore and and stomach is just in knots. I don't know how I'm going to pay the mortgage. Our electricity bill was almost 200 dollars this month. I have $17 to last me until the 1st of November. I just feel so lost and confused and downright scared + +I just emailed my school about CARES act funds. I don't know how I'm going to find time to take this marketing exam because my 9 month old screams every time I put her down and my 5 year old wants to know where daddy went because when I found the nude photos of the girl he's been messing around with me on, I made him leave. He claims he won't pay any child support which I think we both know is bullshit. I applied for food stamps and Medicaid but I don't know if I'll here anything back soon because Monday is a federal holiday. I've been a stay at home mom for years and my only income was a Stipend due to my husband's total and permanent veteran status - if we divorce, I'll lose that. I haven't worked a job since my oldest was 15 months old. The goal was for me to get my bachelor's and then find a well paying job. But that's all gone out the window. + +I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do. I can't even order a pizza for dinner for my 5 year old for pizza Fridays. My husband told me I can forget about ever seeing my step-daughter who's life I have been in since she was a toddler. I just feel hopeless right now. Someone tell me it's going to be OK and how the hell to get myself together +Just want to tell people what I see from my perspective. + +I have been optimistic, but cautious about most large events. HFS and Shills lurk this site and when I see people get excited about dates, I end up feeling bad because a majority of those dates have ended red. It makes me wonder how many new investors are exiting their trades at a loss because they expected moon/lambo due to people hyping a date. + +The only dates that matter are listed below: + +-Past dates that can be used to verify data + +-TBD - Future date of large, cheating hedge funds getting margin called + +-TBD - future date when my bank account has 2-3 commas in it and it resembles a fucking phone number + +- TBD - future date when large cheating hedge funds go bankrupt and possibly to jail for their illegal and manipulative practices. + +Outside of those dates, no other ones matter. The implementation of 002 feels good, but I’m pretty sure it will not be Thor’s Hammer, or the Elder Wand. It has been proven through DD, of which I am super proud of this community for producing and committing to, that the people keeping the share price down do not care about the rules, and they won’t care until the punishment for their actions is either $500,000,000/transgression, or they get banned from the market. + +A domino fell yesterday in London, and 002 goes into effect today. Do not hype this up. I will leave you with the wisest words I have ever read…… + +“Buy. Hodl.” + +Edit 1: look at that….. a red day, and I guess 002 was delayed until tomorrow. Good thing we didn’t hype this up and now have to look for reasons why our predictions didn’t come true like QAnoners. + +I believe this will squeeze, just not when everyone expects it to or due to any catalyst we hype up on here +I was thinking 3 SCHD, 3 SPHY, 1 QYLD, 1 PEY and then looking for discounts on STAG, ENB, JEPI, and a few lower cost stocks I'm looking at (DDF, MFA, and NYMT). + +I'm 30, this is my "play" fund, so as long as I'm beating the like .5 percent I'd get in savings, I'm good. I'd like to keep a backbone of monthly payers that I can use to reinvest (hence QYLD and STAG), but I'm open to suggestions beyond that. +Long time lurker. Currently have a very long way to go on my lofty goals. However I just wanted to get your guys thoughts. + +I have 5 individuals in my life that are close friends or family that each have wealth ranging from 10M-75M. As I’ve spent a lot of time around them I’ve noticed one trend: they are all largely unhappy. + +Each one of them has a terrible marriage or alcoholism problem. It also seems that they can just never relax either. What I imagine is they have worked so hard in life to gain this position that they can never turn the switch off and sit back. + +I have always told myself “when I get to that level I’ll be laid back with not a care” but now I find myself thinking about work 24/7 and I wake up at 5am no matter what now. How do you combat this? +This correction HAS been needed and it just happens that the South Korea FUD was the catalyst. + +Having a correction is also a psychological "fix". After a long bull run, if there isn't a correction, we start to become sceptical which in turn creates weak hands on the first sign of "FUD". + +After a correction, a new "bottom" price is created and in our heads we think "Ok... now that's correction is out of the way, we can increase again... so let's buy up". + +EDIT: Seems everyone has a different opinion on what a "correction" actually is. How long is a piece of string eh? +I have a 2018 Jeep Renegade with 92,000 miles on it (valued at approx 14,000 for trade). After some digging I've found that its nearing the end of its life span and has the potential for catastrophic failure within the next ~30,000 miles. It has no problems right now so I was looking at trading it in. My thinking was that getting an older, used commuter car for 10k or less will do several things for me: + +- lower my insurance (which is high due to an at fault accident in 2020) +- potential for better gas mileage depending on vehicle I trade too (jeep gets all of 26 mpg city). +- cash in pocket from trade would let me rebuild my emergency fund MUCH faster, as I just bought a house rather than paying exorbitant rent. + +My issue is no one in my family is financially responsible, particularly with vehicles, and has told me that this is a terrible idea and I'm not sure why/if theres something I'm not seeing. I know the used car market is inflated right now but my jeep is just going to keep losing value until it has a massive failure. Any advice, insight, or opinions appreciated! + +Additional details that may be helpful: I don't need a large vehicle, looking for something small, reliable, and gets good gas mileage, I will be commuting about 5 miles a day. I bought the jeep outright and make no payments, my budget cannot support a car payment so new is basically out of the question. + +Edit for further clarification: Ive had some issues already with my jeep consuming excess oil and then an oil leak that I was told could have caused an extra 20k miles worth of damage to the engine (ran with basically no oil). I was looking at trading it now BECAUSE it has no issues. I don't want to wait until it needs significant work to try to get something out of it. thanks for all the replies so far! +I purchased a commercial property in CA for $1M earlier this year (before COVID 19). The previous owner purchased the property many years back from $2.4M. The property tax came back based on $2M. The city has taken the position that the value is greater than the purchase price. I've argued that the property has been vacant for over three years and when the previous owner purchased the property it had a national tenant with a long term contract. I've been following the property for three years and negotiating with the previous owner. I thought I got a new deal, but who knows. Especially now with COVID 19. I've argued with the city that the tax should be based on the purchase price because of Prop 13, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere. Any suggestions? The formal appeal process can take as much as two years and it's hard to rent the property with such high property tax that's not based on FMV. Thanks! +SHF are trying to look like this price movement is the beggining we all been waiting for, but it's not, do not fall for it. They are trying to make you buy calls which are going to expire worthless. Buy the stock and hodl. They control the price, they manipulate it up or down. But we own the float! + +Not a financial advice! +I’m sure this has been posted about a bunch before, but want to post a reminder as I was just attempted to be recruited to one of these! + +I saw right through it once she started actually talking numbers, and was skeptical from the beginning (mostly because I swear to god this girl never broke eye contact with me) but here’s the story: + +I work at a Barnes and Noble and this girl around my age (mid 20s) came up to me asking help finding a book (After researching the scheme, apparently they target places like this! Another guy was approached at a Target) I don’t remember how but we got into conversation about wanting to give back to our communities and wishing we had more money to be able to get by and spend more time doing that. The convo went on for a few mins and then ended and that was that. But then later, kid you not, she startled the hell out of me just by standing in an isle that I walked by. I don’t know why I was so surprised, it’s a store, so people browse... but I was. She then started the convo up again, saying she’ll see what she can do, no promises, but she’s in this business group where they mentor each other and make enough money on the side to get by, yada yada. Why she wouldn’t have mentioned that the first time we talked, I have no idea (perhaps some psychological trick). + +We exchange numbers, she calls me a few days later (which felt weird; I’m not against calling, but I’ve never met another person my age that didn’t text first if we didn’t know each other) and we agree to meet for coffee a few days later. + +At coffee we chat and she essentially interviews me and I end up telling her my life story basically (honestly don’t regret it, it was kinda nice to hear myself say it all out loud 😆) and she says I’m a great fit, but she doesn’t want to give me more info yet, I have to read 30 pages of this book that she’ll send me a PDF of (I forget the title but you can find it by searching Amway scam lol), and we agree to meet again. God this sounds insane, typing it out haha. + +Second meeting was tonight. She asked me some more questions, and then finally I get to see what this secret business is all about. What do you know, Amway! Graphs of literal pyramids! $218 start up fee! Having to buy all of your household products through the company! Making $9 commission from $300 sales (which she said was amazing and I had to stiffen a laugh)! More talk about how exclusive it is! How she’s had such great mentors through this! I can soon get $3,000 a month, even though that math doesn’t add up! + +Immediately after the meeting I called my best friend and told him everything and we had a laugh. I googled the scheme and found boat loads of similar stories. Out of curiosity I texted her a link to a video about the scam, and she sent me a block of text that sounded like a Scientologist explanation (“Don’t believe any negativity! Everyone else is wrong, we’re right!”) + +Thought I’d share the story in case anyone got or gets tricked into this. She was good. Thought for a hot sec I might have made a new friend, a group of like minded business folk, and some extra cash. Of course though, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. + +One good thing that came out of it was that now I’m more motivated to find a real group like this in my city. + +TL;DR young, enthusiastic girl started a convo with me at a Barnes &amp; Noble, talked about some exclusive business mentor ship group that made good money on the side, interviewed me &amp; told me to read a book... annnnd it is a scheme. + +Beware, folks! The schemers are relentless and at a store near you! + +EDIT: text screenshots of her response to the scam video - https://imgur.com/gallery/lBMoyPK + +EDIT 2: just need to add this 😂 https://youtu.be/lC5lsemxaJo + +EDIT 3: she texted again! https://imgur.com/gallery/Ri9sU7d +CMIE estimates 18.9 million salaried jobs have been lost April-July. Thats over 20%of total salaried jobs of around 91.5 mln(as per last labour survey report of NSSO).. And we are only talking loss of jobs. Loss of incomes is more severe due to pay cuts. Tough times ahead. +First ever post, I created an account after lurking for a year to share. + +I know that everyone enjoys good charts. [HERE](https://imgur.com/a/oBw9iy6) I included my salary progression specifically so that people can get a more accurate idea as to software salary growth rather than thinking that everyone starts at $100k/yr. + +**Obligatory Origin Story:** + +My financial journey started in my early 20s when I realized that I wanted to RE. I was married with a single child. As a college dropout I had limited job opportunities. My work (call center) was demanding with long hours and very limited upward mobility. I made $24k/yr after overtime. + +I missed my kid's milestones, missed holidays, and it was difficult to even take cheap vacations with my friends/family due to work. I decided that this 'working' thing was clearly a fools game. I looked into it and played with online calculators. They showed me that I was going to be working forever. According to conventional wisdom I would need 1-2 million to retire at 70. + +I grew up poor and ended up very risk averse with money. This prevented me from making several very bad decisions. I refused to go into debt without a clear plan to get myself out of it. I had refused to do student loans, I had no credit card debt, and I had a paid off car. + +*… fast forward nearly a decade* + +I worked my way up the call center ($40k/yr). I bought a house near work. I worked full time and went to school full time. I used work's tuition reimbursement to return to college and paid what I could out of pocket. I applied for and received several small scholarships and financial aid. Eventually I graduated college with minimal (20k\~) student loan debt. + +I also got divorced. + +*Life Tip: Communication naturally breaks down sometimes. Repair it if you can before its too late.* + +I ended up with a master's degree, a software engineering job making $60k/yr and (after a few years of spousal support and debt payments) a nearly blank slate in my 30s. + +I also by this point had found MMM and learned a lot about personal finance. + +**The Goal Line:** + +Since I lived on $24k/yr previously, I decided that $600k invested plus a paid off residence was the finish line. + +I am not horribly worried about a crap market immediately after I retire. My skills are in high demand and "I took a couple years to write a novel and take care of my kids" would not cause me (as a hirer of engineers) to bat an eye. I am hopeful that by the time my skills are too rusty to have an easy return, my nest egg will have grown enough that sequence of return risk will be minimal. + +Furthermore I love the idea of taking jobs for periods of time where I am not tied in. Six months working at bakery. Teaching a few semesters at a local college. Something on my feet to keep me from getting lazy around the holidays. + +**Accumulation Phase:** + +I took the simple path to wealth. I skipped real estate. I avoided side hustles. I didn't start a business or get equity in anything. I worked at a normal W2 job. I got slightly better than average raises and switched employers twice. I never FAANG'd, but my income was and is fantastic for a MCOL location. + +I lived on less than I earned and I invested the difference. I maxed my 401k yearly. I maxed my Roth IRA as long as I could. When I had the surplus, I started a brokerage account at Vanguard. Nearly 100% of my money is in index funds. + +I remarried and had more children. + +My wife is \*not\* a FIRE advocate, but she makes as much as I do, saves more, and has more in assets as well. She could FIRE tomorrow if she so desired. I say all of that to say the important disclaimer: our finances are separate. Her money is hers and is not counted at all in my retirement plans. We share a mortgage, joint accounts for vacations and bills, etc. But the majority of our pay goes to individual accounts and does not comingle. + +**Crossing the line:** + +Adjusting for inflation from my original 600k number, the finish line was \~$670k. The stock market has been insane over the past couple of years and my savings rate is 70% on a six figure salary. I'm at \~$800k invested. + +I didn't stroll over the finish line, I leapt over it. I expected to feel exhilaration. Accomplishment. Balloons and cake and fireworks. Instead it all feels wrong. + +I thought that when I retired I would have a community/tribe of like minded people. I thought I would have people to call up for a midweek "cocktail and laugh at the rat race". Despite being very social I have been generally unsuccessful at spreading the gospel of FIRE. COVID and a young family has also prevented any real networking. + +My mother is in her 60s. I help her with her taxes and recently her budget. She was just forced to move from her rented home of 20 years because the owner is selling. A frank discussion found that she has no savings to speak of, no retirement savings at all, no home equity. Whenever she loses her current job, she is likely to be forced into retirement. Social Security will replace half her income at best and renting in this market is costing her double what she was previously paying. Can I truly quit my cushy job and enjoy my time knowing that she may need financial assistance in the very near future that I would not be able to provide? + +Having children has been fantastic but COVID has shown me that I am not going to be happy and fulfilled doing 100% of the childcare. I took months off work when our daycare closed and I treasure that time. But daycare is required for my mental health. I didn't budget at all for daycare post FIRE (which is currently 40k/yr). + +We don't fully own our home. We are prepaying a portion of the mortgage per year, so I am \~40k off having that paid off. The kids 529 accounts are not where we would like them. I planned on filling them slowly over the next few years. + +MMM and livingafi are my two favorite bloggers in the FIRE community. Both of them got divorced post-retirement. I don't like to think about it, but being honest it would be foolish to \*not\* plan for it at least a little bit. My wife and I have a house together. If we split the value, I could not then purchase a home and keep my budget. Additionally, I am accustomed to the economic benefits of splitting bills and would be shocked to pay a whole electric bill. + +My original plan didn't adequately account for healthcare. In my ignorance I thought that I would be able to get healthcare for mere hundreds a month. My wife has no intention to retire and her insurance is adequate for our needs. But relying on her further exacerbates the problems that could occur with a divorce. Or even if she comes around to the idea of FIRE. + +My wife has concerns that if lifestyle inflates further ("Why don't we vacation in Spain for the holidays?") that she will be forced to pay for me/children and significant conflicts will occur in our relationship. What happens when teenagers start eating us out of house and home? What happens when they join sports or need braces? + +Further down that line of reasoning, my wife is concerned with the concept of getting off the treadmill and being unable to get back on. "What happens when your budget is wrong?" Its easy now to go back to work, but if 15 years from now we end up with medical problems that require lifelong increased expenses we would have no ability to adjust to it. + +**Current day:** + +I have decided to not get off the treadmill. I am at the top of my career. I reset the finish line in my spreadsheets to $1million. Another year or three should pay off the house, better fund the 529s, reduce the daycare costs, and give me the ability to pay for insurance with invested money. I don't know how to handle my mothers potential needs but I am better situated employed than not. Be that assisting with a home or simply being a check, I cannot do it if I'm not working or better off. + +I've lost my passion for FIRE. I have been excited to hit this finish line for nearly 20 years and now all I see are holes in my parachute and no real ability to predict how much is enough. I don't believe this is the "one more year" syndrome so much as literal problems that need to be resolved prior to jumping. + +I'm hoping that I will regain my fire for FIRE if I look at this as a set back that I can overcome once I spit the sand out of my mouth. +https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/26/people-skipping-medically-necessary-drugs-because-they-cost-too-much.html + +For many Americans, the cost of regularly taking and filling their medications is too much. So much so, 44% of respondents in a new online poll say that within the last year, they did not purchase at least one medically necessary prescription because of cost. +**\*Obligatory** – I am not a financial advisor, and this is not financial advice. I am simply an idiot with internet access. I've labeled this post as "possible DD" as it contains some speculation regarding the votes. + +**TL;DR** Form N-PX is the annual proxy voting record for “Registered Management Investment Companies”. These are primarily filings for mutual funds & ETFs (funds) and shows us how each fund voted their shares regarding all proxy votes they cast for companies’ issues for their annual meetings. + +I was able to review the filings of 196 funds’ voting records for GME’s last vote for the 2022 annual meeting (6/2/22) and found that just 53 of the funds voted FOR the increase to the authorized common stock from 300M to 1B (this is not actual shares in circulation but is the maximum amount to be allowed into circulation) 53/196 = 27.04% voted FOR the increase. + +**73% of registered funds voted AGAINST GameStop management’s recommendation for an increase to the authorized common stock from 300M to 1B shares.** 8 Filings were omitted due to the file being too big for my computer to open so the % could go up or down slightly. + +Vanguard and Blackrock funds voted FOR the increase. Vanguard funds hold large positions in GME and their votes alone FOR the increase to common stock outweighed all 73% of funds who voted AGAINST the proposal. + +# Form N-PX Proxy Voting Results + +From 7/26/22 – 8/31/22 196 ‘funds’ filed form N-PX which lists how they cast their proxy votes for GME’s voting issues for the last annual meeting, which took place on 6/2/22. + +Of the 196 funds who cast votes and filed form N-PX, just 53 funds voted FOR the increase to the authorized common shares from 300M to 1B. This equates to 27% of funds voting FOR the increase. + +**Important note:** There were 8 filing entities whose files were too large for me to open (thanks for the shitty website SEC) so they have been omitted from this research. Here is the list of filing entities that are not included in this research: + +Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III, Filed 8/30/22 + +Allianz Variable Insurance Products Trust, Filed 8/18/22 + +American Century ETF Trust, Filed 8/19/22 + +Brighthouse Funds Trust II, Filed 8/26/22 + +Empower Funds, Inc, Filed 8/25/22 + +Fidelity Salem Street Trust, Filed 8/26/22 + +Forethought Variable Insurance Trust, Filed 8/20/22 + +Variable Insurance Products Fund II, Filed 8/26/22 + +If anyone can open these filings and tell me the results, I will update these funds’ GME proxy voting records on this post. + +Here's the link to all the Form N-PXs that were filed for GME's last vote: [Form N-PX Gamestop Search Results EDGAR](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/search/#/q=gamestop&dateRange=custom&category=custom&startdt=2022-06-01&enddt=2022-08-31&forms=N-PX) + +Without further ado, here are the funds the voted **FOR** the increase in authorized shares from 300M to 1B: + +https://preview.redd.it/vdy82qgoshl91.jpg?width=1146&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d521933531c4f136d5e234e852464d0d4af0abfb + +[6.2M FOR votes from 53 funds](https://preview.redd.it/1zouxcfqshl91.jpg?width=1146&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee82b5fd67a178acea0b4d88ea125048a2e2f451) + +The “For” votes surprised me a little bit as Vanguard funds have been loaning out a substantial amount of GME (See my previous [NPORT GME Deep Dive](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/tpm5si/nport_gme_deep_dive_so_much_gme_lending_total/) post), and Blackrock has a lot of shares loaned through their iShares ETFs. However, once I thought on this more, I may have figured out why they voted “For” the authorized common stock increase and its pretty simple. I believe Blackrock and Vanguard may be net long GME AND their counterparty exposure (from lending the securities) is less than the potential long gains. I also believe they located shares to be lent for short selling whereas some other brokers/market makers most likely did not, BUT they won’t force MOASS because it will cause the implosion of the rest of the market, and they don’t want to be blamed for the depression that will ensue. Vanguard and Blackrock are the 2nd and 3rd largest GME shareholders (behind RC Ventures) with 23.8M and 20.6M shares being held outside of their “funds” holdings... This is simply a theory though and isn’t backed by any other data. + +Vanguard’s votes held A LOT of weight compared to other funds who filed their N-PX forms. Vanguard’s FOR votes alone outweighed ALL the votes from the 73% of funds who voted AGAINST the increase. + +Here are the funds that voted **AGAINST** the increase to the authorized common stock: + +https://preview.redd.it/q3cvmkhmthl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c344cf54f7a591a28bb4f034920d7a6d557847be + +https://preview.redd.it/0hu8ionnthl91.jpg?width=1115&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68c06b6d14de7ced33dc0ec6cee6af05c21e7501 + +https://preview.redd.it/o3i8mjrothl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86ec8ec79ea7541a8363e12e82c7d68f8f6d88b4 + +https://preview.redd.it/4ld7v29qthl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d7aa8d58d0576ce7ef42ebf4bfe748b642381d1 + +https://preview.redd.it/gtwv9elrthl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d94d91fb6b678e384c2b6383688a104ba6514bc + +1.91M shares are being held by the funds that voted AGAINST the common stock increase. Interestingly, GME only lists 3.76M votes AGAINST the proposal in total. + +[3.76M Shares voted against proposal 5 \(Authorization to increase common shares from 300M to 1B\), listed on GME's 8-K filed on 6\/3\/22](https://preview.redd.it/ec55o8t7uhl91.jpg?width=1581&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6b0fa0019af3c65567415dcc272ebf9453262f5) + +That means that only 1.85M shares are left to vote AGAINST the proposal (this could vary some as holdings are bought and sold). Are you telling me that of all these Institutional holders for GME, that just 1.85M more AGAINST votes were cast? + +Street Street (6.8M shares) + +Geode Capital (3.2M) + +Mason Capital Management (2.3M) + +Bank of New York Mellon (2.1M) + +Northern Trust (1.8M) + +Charles Schwab (1.8M) + +These are the top shareholders (behind RC Ventures, Vanguard, Blackrock) and several of these institutions had their funds vote AGAINST the proposal. I believe there may have been a fair amount of back-room consolidation on voting (meaning they received more votes than eligible shares), but I can’t prove this. Looks plausible though, especially when considering who the other institutional holders are (BofA, Morgan Stanley, JPM, UBS, Credit Suisse, HSBC, etc.). These entities are the primary stock borrowers of the funds who are lending GME shares (as can be seen in the prior NPORT post). + +I can’t say who is exposed as a short seller (or naked short seller) and who is exposed as a lending agent (and/or [naked lending](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/woyngz/did_he_say_naked_lending/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)) (securities lending counterparty risks), but this list makes sense to me as a lot of these funds were loaning out a substantial amount of their GME shares when I made the NPORT GME Deep Dive post, and my assumption is that their short selling and/or securities lending (and/or naked short/naked lending) positions outweigh many of these funds (or filing entities) long potential gains, making them afraid of a split or split by share dividend in particular. Again, this is just my assumption and isn’t backed by data. + +73% of funds did not want to see this increase occur, and shortly there after we saw the DTCC commit international securities fraud on GME's split via dividend. Interesting. + +Tanks fo reedin +**TA;DR: I looked at the 605 data - Citadel’s short position is so huge it’s distorted the order flow. It’s so massive you can see it merely by looking at where the GME orders are being executed. It also shows they haven’t closed.** + +**TL;DR: Opening a huge naked short position requires market maker shenanigans. Leaving it unclosed requires further market maker fucketry. Both of these should be reflected in the proportion of GME shares executed at various market centers. I looked, it is. A market maker closing a massive short position should be reflected too. I looked, it isn’t.** + +I have been examining the order execution data for market centers handling GME order executions, read on for my findings. Citadel appears to have taken a *massive* short position in Gamestop in January. It looks like they continued to expand this short position via NASDAQ during February and March. They do not seem to have closed this position. + +Opening a massive naked short position in a very short period of time requires abusing market maker privileges. Doing this would result in distorting the order flow. Market centers where the shorting is taking place would see a spike in the proportion of the shares they were executing for the security being shorted. A market maker closing a massive position would cause the opposite. So, if Citadel has opened a huge short position and not closed it we should see evidence of this in the order flow. I looked at the 605 reports and found exactly this. + +According to my analysis of the order flow, Citadel has opened a huge short position, very quickly, in January, expanded it since then, and hasn’t closed it. Please read the following and come to your own conclusions on the quality of my analysis. This is not financial advice. I am an ape on a large dose of Ritalin. + +**Important background information on the special privileges of market makers when shorting** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +When opening a short position in your capacity as a market maker you do so by covering a buy order with your own capital. So, an order comes in for a security and you cover it, which is a way of saying ‘yes, I’ll sell that stock at X price’ even though you don’t already have a seller lined up to sell the share at that price. This is not uncommon, it’s definitely not illegal, and it’s very helpful to the market. In fact, one of the reasons market makers exist is to sell shares they haven’t yet lined up a seller for. This allows the market to flow smoothly as sales can happen quickly. It’s expected that the market maker will line up a seller for the share you brought from them very soon afterwards (often within seconds). However, they are not required to do so. Instead of lining up a seller for the purchase you just made from them, the market maker can take on a short position for that share (they are ‘short’ the share they sold you, so you essentially have an IOU from them). + +When shorting in this manner, the market maker gets special privileges under regulation [SHO §§ 242.200 - 242.204](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/part-242) which allow them to short in cases where others cannot. Regulation [242.203](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/242.203) allows market makers to be exempt from some restrictions when engaging in market making activities and regulation [242.204](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/242.204) allows some leniency for failures to deliver when the transaction was for market making purposes. Essentially, the regulations covering short sales provide some leeway for short selling while market making. This is good, in theory, because it keeps the market flowing smoothly. + +The SEC explains the importance of market makers shorting [here](https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/regsho.htm) where they explain “market makers must sell a security to a buyer even when there are temporary shortages of that security available in the market”. See the SEC link for a further explanation, they do a fair job of explaining it in section II of that link. The key point is that naked short sales by market makers are not an accident, they are a feature of the market. + +**The MOASS theory** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +Citadel has opened a *huge* short position in GameStop and hasn't closed it. The position was large in 2020, but expanded significantly in January of 2021 and continued to expand during February and March (I do not discuss any points after March as my data ends there). This short position is so large that it is multiple times the outstanding shares. Opening such a large short position, so quickly, requires that most of the short positions are naked. + +This is the theory I set out to test - has anyone opened a large naked short position during January and then expanded it during February and March? + +**Order flow data** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +[SEC rule 605](https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/34-43590.htm) requires market centers to release data on the orders they execute. This data excludes most retail sales and multiple forms of conditional sales. However, it does include a substantial portion of the volume, enough to give us information on which market center is executing orders for a particular security during a given month. Crucially, for my purposes, it allows us to identify broad trends in the order flow between these market centers. In most cases, this data is not very helpful because it is missing most of the interesting information (for example, it won’t distinguish between short and long sales). However, in my case it’s perfect because I do not want to rely on any information except the volume - I don’t want my findings to rely on Citadel accurately reporting anything else. + +It’s worth stressing that ***rule 605 data excludes most retail orders***. This is important for us because we already know Citadel is handling most GME retail orders. The short position Citadel has, supposedly, opened is so huge that the distortion in order flow caused would extend beyond retail orders, which makes 605 data the perfect place to look. + +**Order flow data and the MOASS theory** ***(READ THIS)*****:** + +The MOASS theory isn’t just about a short position, it’s about a *huge* short position. So huge that it can only have been created by a market maker abusing their naked shorting privileges. This would require them to sell the security they are shorting for a cheaper price than other sellers on the market at a large scale. Accordingly, more of the orders for the security in question would be executed by the market maker doing the shorting. + +In most cases the proportion of orders being executed is going to remain fairly stable because the selling pressure is going to be widely dispersed. If a share is being sold for X price at one market center, it’ll be sold at a similar enough price at the other market centers too. Sellers will gravitate towards the market center with the best price, so the prices remain almost identical. However, if one of the market center’s is driving the selling pressure by selling for a cheaper price than everyone else, the other market centers won’t be getting sell orders low enough to compete and they will lose out on the volume. Accordingly, if the number of short positions being opened at a particular market center spiked during January, we should see the proportion of orders being executed at that market center spike too. + +The same is true for closing a massive short position. If a market center is buying up a huge amount of shares, there will be a drop in the number of buy orders they execute (because they’re buying the shares themselves rather than selling them to others). The market center will also be reaching out to other centers to buy from them, which will raise the proportion of volume to those centers. + +So, my prediction is simple: if a market maker is opening a massive amount of naked shorts very quickly, they will have a higher proportion of the order execution volume. Conversely, if a market maker is closing a massive amount of naked shorts very quickly, they will have a lower proportion of the order execution volume. + +**How the data should look in the three possible cases:** + +***Hypothesis 1*** \- Citadel shorted GME a lot in January and then continued to do so through February and March: + +1. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will spike in January. +2. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will not go below the baseline in February or March. +3. The proportion of orders being executed by NADAQ or CBOE will spike in February and March (but probably not at both centers). +4. The NADAQ or CBOE spike, if it exists, will be accompanied by an anomalous number of their orders being executed outside of their venue (an artifact of an abrupt shift in order flow without adequate preparation by the market maker responsible). + +***Hypothesis 2*** \- Citadel opened a large short position in January and then closed it during February: + +1. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will spike in January. +2. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will drop below the baseline in February. +3. The proportion of orders being executed by the other exchanges will all rise, with Citadel’s lost share being shared approximately equally (as it buys up all it can). + +***Hypothesis 3*** \- Citadel opened a large short position in January and then closed it in January or they never opened a large short position at all: + +1. The proportion of orders being executed by Citadel will remain at baseline levels. + +**Notes on Citadel and NASDAQ/CBOE spikes or drops:** + +MOASS theory implies that Citadel would have been absolutely hammered in January during the massive influx of buying pressure and the threat of Melvin being forced into closing their position and beginning a squeeze. Accordingly, they would have been drawing all of the order volume to them by shorting all the orders they could to mitigate the upwards price pressure. This would result in the proportion of orders executed at Citadel spiking during January. + +MOASS theory implies that Citadel would have been expanding their short position in February and March while also avoiding their delivery obligations for the shorts opened in January. Expanding their short positions and opening new short positions to defer existing short positions can be accomplished by utilising two market centers with Citadel operating as a market maker in both. Essentially, Citadel could use its own market center and its privileges as market maker (for GME) at a second market center to make a market for itself. This would allow it to continue opening short positions while also shuffling existing short positions through the market. This would result in the proportion of orders executed at CBOE or NASDAQ to spike during February and March. I suspect Citadel would use either CBOE or NASDAQ for this because they are a market maker at both. I do not think they would use the NYSE for this as that exchange allows its market makers less latitude (and makes them compete against one another to a greater extent). NASDAQ is the most likely candidate as, prior to 2020, it does not execute many GME orders which allows Citadel a freer reign over any such orders that suddenly begin coming through that center. + +MOASS theory implies that Citadel would not have been covering their short position throughout this period. Closing a huge short position would cause a drop in the orders being executed at that center (because the center is buying instead of selling and will buy from other centers too). Accordingly, we should not see Citadel’s proportion of order execution drop below the baseline levels. + +**Proportion of GME shares executed at market centers** ***(READ THIS)*****:** + +https://preview.redd.it/anepludcx0z61.png?width=713&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f8e55d6589f05bc2d9b1968d75e757f07a66c65 + +As you can see, the proportion of shares being executed at Citadel’s market center spikes in January, which is consistent with hypothesis 1 and inconsistent with hypothesis 3. The proportion of shares being executed at NASDAQ spikes in February and March which is also consistent with hypothesis 1. There is no drop below baseline in the proportion of shares executed at Citadel’s market center, which is inconsistent with hypothesis 2. + +The proportion of GME shares being executed by the major market centers, as reported under rule 605 data, is consistent with what we would expect if a market center were opening a huge short position in January and then using their market maker status at a second market center to expand and obscure that short position during February and March. + +**Related speculation:** + +Notice the relationship between the drops/spikes in proportion of shares executed at Citadel and NASDAQ. This is consistent with Citadel being the market maker for GME at both. I suspect that the sharp changes in where these orders are being executed reflects Citadel’s attempts to open, expand, and manage their short position. The best places for them to do this are their own market center and NASDAQ, which matches the changes in order flow. I am hoping to gain access to historical NASDAQ level 2 data for this period which may show which of their designated market makers is responsible for their GME executions during this time period. Unfortunately I do not have this data yet, but I have reached out to NASDAQ and others who may be able to provide me with this data soon. + +**Proportion of covered shares executed at alternative venues** ***(OK TO SKIP):*** + +https://preview.redd.it/b1pefghhx0z61.png?width=686&format=png&auto=webp&s=af51e5492c62c779eb9882f8ebdae69ffb1ea147 + +As you can see, the spike of shares being executed at NASDAQ in February is accompanied by a spike in the proportion of orders being covered by NASDAQ but executed at another venue. This is consistent with hypothesis 1, it may indicate the orders being executed by a market maker abruptly moving their execution of a large number of trades from one center to another. + +**Related speculation:** + +This may be related to an attempt by Citadel to market make for themselves and push the price lower. Fighting back the February gamma may also be a factor. + +**Proportion of shares reported under rule 605 compared to total volume** ***(OK TO SKIP)*****:** + +https://preview.redd.it/k7e578csx0z61.png?width=817&format=png&auto=webp&s=e9ee738f2c85938b38cc1dfccd39d05e662318c0 + +I am using 605 data because I believe it to be the most reliable data we have access to. However, it is possible the 605 data could be misreported. Conveniently, we can check to see whether such misreporting is likely by comparing the number of shares being reported under the 605 data to the overall volume for the same period. If there were a sudden drop in the proportion of the GME volume reported under 605, it suggests there may be a reporting error. As you can see, I found no evidence of such an error. This doesn't mean there wasn’t misreporting, but it allows me to continue regarding the 605 data as the most reliable we have access to. + +**Thank you for reading** + +Thank you for reading my analysis. As I mentioned above, I have more data coming. I have also reached out to relevant experts who might allow me to expand, clarify, or correct my findings. I will update this post accordingly. There may be a follow up post if I have additional findings worth sharing. + +***Please be aware that this is not financial advice and all conclusions I have given are tentative. My findings are limited by my own shortcomings, which are numerous.*** +Got my first “big” dividend from my 4 shares of Coke this morning @ $1.28!! Definitely not a lot, but feels great, especially with drip activated! Love this community! +I'm facing a career choice and really unsure about the best option. I have a partner and 3 young kids, live in HCOL area but have good low rent housing that is stable. We have saved a little over $1M between us, no debt and we are in our mid-30s. + +I've been in consulting for 10 years (short stint at a big 3, then a small ~~boutique~~ niche industry firm), so I'm making good money but I'm burnt out on travel. I'm feeling like I need a change, but I'm afraid to give up the money since I know that will cost me more years until FIRE in the long run. + +Here are the options I've managed to land. Any of these salaries would still allow us to save substantially since we keep expenses low, but obviously there's a big difference between the highest salary and the lowest. + +1) Current job, $200k plus bonus but travel 2-3x/month and lots of work stress + +2) Public sector, $120k without much growth potential, no travel. Interesting work, lighter workload + +3) Private sector role, $130k with good potential, no travel. Medium intensity of workload + +4) Non-profit role, $105k, interesting work, very good work/life balance. + +I'm intentionally not giving a lot of detail, because I'm not really asking you to make this decision for me. I'm wondering how other folks would think through this decision if faced with a similar choice in their own life. + +EDIT: Wow, thank you everyone for the thoughtful reflections and advice. This has been very helpful, and great to hear from so many people about their own experiences and choices. Also I should clarify one thing: It seems "boutique" was a misleading word for my current job. I'm not at a well-known strategy shop, but at a small-time niche industry focused place, so that is why I can't just write my ticket into a VP private sector role as some have suggested. + +EDIT #2: For what it's worth, I ended up deciding to go for #2, the public sector role. I thought the work was most interesting and wanted something with no travel at all. Thanks everyone for the advice! +Received the following mail: + +*** + +Dear Investor, + +Greetings from SBI Mutual Fund! + +Please note that the base Total Expense Ratio (TER) of SBI Nifty Index Fund - Direct Plan will be changed from 0.09% to 0.16% with effect from 25.05.2021. + +For details, please refer section "Disclosures" on our website www.sbimf.com or contact your nearest branch of SBI Mutual Fund. + +Thanking you, + +SBI Mutual Fund + +*** + +AMCs milking money for passive investments also. Well done, smh. +People here turn completely brain dead during every bull run. Usually there is a strong consensus here on taking loans for buying bitcoin: **ARE YOU A FUCKING IDIOT?** But during the bull runs, you'll have a whole army of noobs trying to turn a Warren buffet on you saying shit like "wHy sHouLdnT I tAkE A LoAN nUmBeR oNlY gO UP!" + +Remember people. We are not /r/wsb. We are not retards, we don't celebrate loss porn. Bitcoin is about financial freedom and debt is the fucking opposite of that. If you're stupid enough to buy the most volatile asset in the universe on leverage (which is what borrowing money is) you seriously need some help. We don't need you here, we don't need you to encourage others to follow your stupidity. + +Please everyone, educate the noobs and tell them not to play with fire. Bitcoin is an almost safe bet, if your time horizon is very long. If you spend what you CAN'T afford to lose, you're gambling and you'll probably be REKT soon anyway. + +/rant +The claims were for 50k in damage each time, I know one of them was caused by a furnace that has been replaced but I'm still investigating the other. Would you run quickly the other way or is it worth negotiating? + +The price is 350k and occupied bringing in $2600 (about $1000 under market). + + +A new covid-19 variant has been discovered, originated from South Africa with mutations to the spike protein that helps it enter human cells (source - BBC). Will the vaccines be able to combat it effectively? What restrictions are going to be placed? + +From this uncertainty a possible market correction could take place in the UK, but US market especially as it has grown a tremendous amount. How will you be playing this one out? + +For me I've: + +\- Bought Ocado Group and Zoom as I believe it will have another run up similar to the when covid first broke out but on a smaller scale due to precautions such as vaccines. Not a long term play. Ocado group in case of a possible lock down. + +\- Short Boeing due to paused travel too and from countries and I think these restrictions could spread to other countries. + +Let me know your thoughts. +Anyone else scared about soaring inflation? I made a graph, Whilst this is "The FED" and the amount of money they are propping up the markets with. The markets are so interconnected, Intertangled. No one knows who owns what anymore and you can bet there is exposure around the world and I bet they don't even know what some of what they own is, Is is A+++++ rated or absolute dogshit? + +What are your thoughts? For the first time in my investing "Adventure" I have gone over 10% Physical Metals. What do you think the "end game" here is without diverging into wild conspiracy theories. + +https://www.reddit.com/r/economy/comments/n67i9q/i_took_a_look_at_the_fed_balance_sheets/ +I'm using [Freetrade](https://freetrade.io/) to buy dividend income-producing stocks and funds. Dividends received will be re-invested. + +&#x200B; + +My portfolio re-balance goal is 80% dividend growth and 20% growth companies. My ultimate goal is to build a passive income of at least £2,000 a month. I am in my mid 30s. It could take me between 10-20 years to achieve this goal. I'm planning to max out my ISA allowance every year. + +&#x200B; + +As of today, 20th July 2019 my portfolio is worth £12.9K and my income for the month of July is £42.75. I owned about 42 stocks and funds including ETFs and trusts averaging around £300 per position. I paid zero commissions to this date on UK stocks and 0.45% FX fees on US stocks. + +&#x200B; + +I created my own dashboard to track my investments. + +[Dashboard](https://i.redd.it/axugip3j7gb31.png) + +**Companies and funds I owned:** + +* 3M Co +* Colgate-Palmolive +* Twitter +* Pinterest +* Johnson and Johnson's +* Yum Brands China +* Bristol Myers +* AbbVie +* Kraft Heinz +* Spotify +* Uber +* Royal Mail +* Bunzel +* Imperial Brands +* Dominos Pizza +* Vanguard FTSE250 +* Vanguard FTSE All-World +* Fidelity Chinese Special Situation +* IShares FTSE100 HY Dividend +* City of London Investment Trust +* F&C Commercial Property +* Associated British Foods +* Reckitt Benckiser +* Vanguard FTSE EM +* Centrica +* Sainsbury’s +* Lloyds Bank +* Legal & General +* Woodford Patient Capital +* Britvic +* Tesco +* Autotrader +* Barclays +* National Grid +* WPP Group +* Metrobank +* Jupiter Fund +* Silver +* Halfords +* Train line +* 3i Infrastructure +* Fresnillo +* Money Supermarket + +&#x200B; + +Sector Weightings + +[Sector Weightings](https://i.redd.it/u2a4x5o9iib31.png) + +&#x200B; + +Book recommendations: + +* One Up Wall Street - Peter Lynch +* A Man for All Markets - Ed Thorpe +* The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham / Warren Buffet +* The Little Book that Beats the Market - Joel Greenblatt + +&#x200B; + +Update 21.07.2019: Experimental Dashboard + +https://i.redd.it/jhgbhtezmnb31.png +Has anyone here had success getting a loan against their stock assets for living expenses instead of selling a portion of your investments each year? Low interest, like <5% APY, that you can then resettle and roll into another loan for the next year, then on and on basically forever until settling up at end of life. + +I know of some crypto/online banks that you could do this with, but they're higher interest >8% and I don't really want to own that much crypto and am unsure about the long term viability of some of the lenders. + +This would be a strategy to avoid capital gains when selling stocks and allow them to grow instead of selling while still borrowing against them to pay living expenses. + +I'm thinking there may be some private banking options that would work for this but I haven't seen anything specifically. A Line of Credit on a very valuable property could sort of works this way, but I'd prefer to keep my assets in the market. Annuities are also sort of similar, but that's not what I'm after. I'd rather capture the market gains for myself. + +Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to all for the info. I'm mostly a lurker but appreciate this sub! +I have roughly 1000 dollars in savings bonds that were given to me when I was younger most of which have issue dates before 2005 most are I Series a few are EE. I'm wondering if I should cash them out deposit the money into my ROTH IRA and buy VTI and QQQM which are the core holdings of my IRA. The highest interest rate on any of the bonds is 7% most are below 5%. While they don't reach full maturity until the mid to early 2030's I'm thinking I'd be better off just investing the funds instead of waiting on the bonds to appreciate. Not sure if it matters or not but I'm about to turn 29. + Hi All, + +My wive and I (both 33, from the Netherlands) have never done any investing and have quite some savings doing nothing in our saving accounts. We are planning (for starters) on shifting at least 10-20K from our saving accounts to a mixed ETF portfolio in 2022. I have a degree in business and economics, but investing needed some reading up. + +We are now planning on an ETF portfolio of roughly 60% S&P 500(tech) ETF, 40% All world. Possibly including adding a position in an Emerging market ETF as well. the horizon is to use the most for retirement and a bit to help our kids out when they will go to college/uni (first one is currenlty on her way ;-) ) + +Now the question that we can not land on with the current market volatility: How would you approach the buy in? and should we wait a few months for the market to stabalize? + +Any other tip is always welcome! + +Thanks! +So I went YOLO with TAN the other day with Biden being up so much in the polls. Currently experiencing a correction. +Is anyone else in on this $2trillion Biden Renewable Energy play? + +I understand there are a lot of Trump people in here-please be respectful. +Apologies in advance if this is the wrong place to post this. My biggest question is how hard should someone stick to the rule of spending no more than 30% of their take home income on housing? Is this a golden rule (don’t even think of breaking it or you’ll be miserable) or more of a suggestion? + +I’m currently 25 and looking to move to the downtown area of my city when my lease is up. Not only will this be more expensive, but it will make my commute longer. I would have to commute roughly 30 minutes one way, but I work from home at least once a week. Also, I’ve spent my entire life living in suburbs and small towns. I would love the chance to spend part of my twenties right where the fun is if I can afford it. + +Monthly take home: $3,624 +Downtown rent and parking: ~$1,350 +So it would be around 37% of my take home. Is this too much to comfortably handle? + +My current expenses are roughly $2,100 including $950 rent. I think even spending 37% of my income on housing would leave me with plenty of money to put into savings and have disposable income leftover, but a lot of people have warned me that nearly 40% on rent is stupid. + +EDIT: +Here is my current budget: + +Rent $945 + +Utilities ~$80 + +Phone (plan & phone payment): $97 + +Internet $40 + +Electric $60 + +Gas $80 + +Groceries $200 + +Hulu $8 + +Spotify $10 + +Renter's Insurance $14 + +Car insurance $100 + +Student loans $500 (min payment is $300) + +Savings: $500 + +——— + +$2,634 + +To add, I don't want to look for a roommate because the current plan is for my boyfriend to move in with me once his lease is up and help with the expenses. However, if that falls through, I need to be able to cover this place myself. + +Also, I overestimated the distance to my office. It actually looks like the commute would be closer to 30 mins. +I’m 22, turning 23 soon, and have just started at my first full time position out of college. My salary is $50,000 and I intend to contribute 10% of my paychecks (which will go up to 16% when my employers matching kicks in next year) to 401k. I already contribute to a Roth IRA and am on track to max out my contribution for 2021; I intend to max it out every year. Additionally I have a brokerage account that currently has $24,000 in it. This usually brings in $500-800 in cash from my options trading every month which most of it gets reinvested and some goes to my Roth IRA. My employer offers both traditional and Roth 401k. My main question is, should I have both a Roth IRA and Roth 401k? Or should I opt for the traditional 401k? +I've never bought a house before but I am looking to. + +There's a nice house for 130k in my area. The zillow estimated mortgage payment is $500/m. + +You can't even find a rental in my area for less than $800 a month, and a comparable rental would cost $1100 a month. + +There must be some catch here right?? + + +I'm 32, single, and have grown up in the Boston area all my life. I've never lived in another city. I've worked for the same company, in a niche industry, for 10 years, and make high $80s to low $90s. Net worth is $450k. Currently save 45% of gross salary, and I plan to be financially independent by mid 40s. + +I feel like I've hit a wall at my current company in terms advancement opportunities. Our main competitor is headquartered in Philly, and has an opening for a director level position. The interviews are going well, and the ballpark salary is around $140k. + +My preliminary research shows that Philly is a cheaper city than Boston, so a big salary increase + lower CoL is a double win, and will accelerate FI. Having said that, I've also read that Philly is dirty, has a fairly large homeless and drug problem, and higher crime rates overall. + +All of my family and friends live in Boston. I wouldn't know anyone in Philly. The salary increase would be so high though, that I feel like I need to take it just to set the bar for future negotiations with other companies. + +What would you do? + +**Update: Thank you everyone for all of your responses. It's nice to hear from people who live in Philly, and from people who have lived in both cities.** + +**I left this out of the original post, but I do have one parent and one grandparent with health issues. Though they are both improving, part of me feels selfish for leaving the other parent to care for both by herself. As people said though, the plane ride is quite short, so it wouldn't be hard to visit often.** + +**Update 2: Crazy day! I just heard back from another company in NYC to which I had applied several weeks ago. Salary is likely higher than $140k, but CoL is also much higher. Let's see if I can leverage the potential offers against each other. Never been in such a fortunate position before. It seems to pay not to be complacent, and to look for opportunities outside of your home city if possible.** +With so many fucked up socioeconomic issues stirring up the market throughout this year, I guess 2020 has been pretty unique for most traders in that it has probably been either very profitable or very unprofitable depending on the strategy, esp in the first half of this year. I'm asking this out of curiosity, how well have your algos performed this year? +>The story of U.S. inflation in 2021 could very well amount to this: It’s all a mirage. + +>Americans are likely to see prices jump across a variety of sectors next year, thanks in part to Covid-19 vaccines that will potentially turbocharge demand for such pandemic casualties as travel and tickets to sporting events. + +>With prices also climbing for some inputs such as copper and lumber, inflation could very well reach or surpass the Federal Reserve’s 2% target in some months. Financial markets are increasingly pricing in higher inflation in coming years, and debates over whether the central bank should start easing back its record monetary stimulus may intensify. + +https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-07/get-ready-for-the-great-u-s-inflation-mirage-of-2021 +Apologies for the clickbaity headline, but I am pretty sick and tired of hearing people say GME is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY. I politely disagree + +If we assume an average human lifetime to be 80-100 years, that means a GME-like event happens once every 80-100 years, which is incorrect. + +This is not a ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY + +This is a ONE-TIME opportunity + +Let that sink in + +An event like this has never happened before, nor will anything like this happen again. The largest transfer of wealth, the David vs. Goliath to root out corruption, the global bonding, these alone show that nothing of this caliber has ever happened before + +Could this be a Once in a Millennium Falcon opportunity, maybe probably I don't have enough knowledge to comment on that. I hope and pray more events like this happen in the future, but based on the information I currently have, this is a ONE-TIME opportunity + +Say it loud and clear + +THIS IS A ONE-TIME OPPORTUNITY + +HODL like our motherfucking miniscule human lives depends on it. Be ready to liftoff, and love to all my apes. I'll see you all amongst the stars 💎🙌🚀🚀 + +EDIT - HOLY SHIT THANK YOU FOR THE AWARDS - all of them including the Gold, Plat, and All-Seeing Eye given anonymously ;). This post was just my opinion, please save your money for either more GME (Not financial advice, I like the stonk) or for people doing valuable DD. +I know this post blurs the line between fire and fatfire, but I relate to you guys more. + +We are mid 30s with about 3mm. Combined income 900k. No kids. Plan to have one kid, and in next couple of years. + +Obviously every year we keep working is a massive step toward true fatfire at our income levels. But we are both burnt out, depressed, and not looking forward to the standard American lifestyle (even while fired). + +We are both immigrants so internationally minded and both have a desire to become world citizens again. Neither of us have expensive tastes. We both have had lifelong fantasies of wanderlust and travel, and both have taken sabbaticals to test it out and have loved it. + +We are seriously considering becoming world travelers and home schooling our kids as we travel the world. We would have flexibility, if it doesn't work out we could do international schools or even settle in one place for several years (or for life if we choose). + +I figure we can work remotely and downgrade from 900k to 100k combined doing easier less stressful shit. 3mm x 3% rule = 90k passive. Plus 100k salary gets us to nearly 200k which is more than enough for living in most countries we would be interested in and living well. + +I am dual US/EU citizen and she is US citizen. My EU citizenship gives us flexibility as well I believe. Can help with EU Healthcare and even then, I hear expat insurance is nothing close to the insanity of self funded private US Healthcare plans. + +If it all fails, then we can move back to the US with 3mm+ in our pockets and take on more relaxed professions. Not like we will be destitute. We fully accept that our "career paths" will be severely slowed. This doesn't feel like an insanely stupid risk though. + +Are we crazy? Has anyone here done it? Or something similar? Things to consider? +The tone of this subreddit can sometimes be a bit on the moaning side so let's get things a bit more upbeat and explain what proactive plans we have to meet our goals. + +(Note - Waiting for economic collapse is not a plan) +Dear Mods, + +As much as I believe WSB members are degenerates (I should know, I was one of them), I do think that they do a few things right regarding the subreddit. Since this is a very young subreddit, I was hoping people could chime in on making this a better place than WSB used to be. That being said, sometimes it's hard to make improvements without suggestions in the first place so I've put a list of things that I would be interested in and others can add to it. + +1. Pinned post to discuss moves and strategies every morning at 8AM ET on each trading day. I think r/WSB does it with an automod bot. (Daily Discussion thread as noted by u/swolking). +2. A "Useful Information" sidebar similar to the one on r/options. Considering a lot of people are here from WSB, a lot of us don't know much about options other than buying calls or puts and betting on the direction. +3. A pinned suggestions post so that members can reach out directly to the mods and talk about improvements to the subreddit. +4. Post Flairs and Strategy flairs as noted by u/swolking and u/sinbadship + +I am new to this as well, but I can gather the information and useful sources if you guys need any help :) Coronavirus boredom is hitting me hard and tbh, I wouldn't mind the creative outlet. I'll keep adding to the list as people comment. + +Edit: Mods, don't take this as us ragging on you. We love the sub and want to see it grow, just like you guys. +A lot of comments in this sub recently about the advantages of selling on Mondays as opposed to Fridays. Friday sellers got paid big today. It all evens out in the end, pick your strategy and stick with it. +History **is** going to remember when Apes held through mini squeezes between $300-$25k and did not sell at these "Astronomical levels"... + +History **is** going to remember when a retail company became the most valuable company in the world and Apes still did not sell..($35k Stock Price Values GME Slightly above Apples all time high on a market cap basis..) + +History **is** going to remember when Apes continued to hold past $35k..into the hundreds of thousands against all "Financial Expert Advice" ("Cramer".."MSNBC".."Marketwatch"..) + +History **is** going to remember when Apes continued to hold past the hundreds of thousands and into the millions just to expose the flawed system that we are currently operating in.. + +History **is** going to remember when Apes are part of the new 1% When they TRICKLED down their GME position in the Millions, and thats when history will say, "Dam, they deserved it" + +lets cement ourselves boys and gals. This is our chance to be part of something insanely historic. +Hi, + + +I'm in a bit of a big mess. In the tax year 2021/2022 I was trading \*alot\* of cryptocurrency. I did very well but didn't take profits. HMRC take 20% profits on gains but I just kept buying other crypto with the gains. + + +When I finally got round to calculating what I owe with a professional online calculater in Capital gains it's in the region of £150,000. Unfortunately the market crashed really bad and the assets I currently own are worth about £70,000. + + +I currently work self employed and have an income of around £12,000. I also have a property worth around £80,000 which I have about £35,000 in value. I have some credit card debts of around £5,000. + + +In February I will need to declare my return. What I'm a bit confused about is after I declare the capital gains when will HMRC demand the payment? There is a chance that the remaining crypto assets I own will rise again later in the year and I could potentially cover the bill. + + +Should I essentially wait for HMRC to declare me bankrupt? How long does that take? + + +Another issue is my current income isn't covering my bills and I've started applying for jobs. My current self employed business will become additional income on top of a full time wage ideally. + + +I'm just not sure how to take things forward. I'm going to make an appointment with Citizens Advice to hopefully get a better understanding of options. + + +This whole episode has taken a massive toll on me with depression and suicidal thoughts running through my head. I went from thinking I was setup for life to facing this. I know I should have been more clued up on the tax side but when I did it was too late. The HMRC take all the gains and no risk, it's all on the investors who in most cases are naive to the tax rules. + + +Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you +$53 medication rung up at the counter at $18. I almost said something. My hands were shaking as I unlocked my phone to pay. + +But I was down to my last $150 and if I have to choose between ripping off a nation wide pharmacy or being able to buy more groceries then I chose me. +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/bgno7tui1xb81.jpg?width=2240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8feee632c9293654a6b97958c1236f355e4ef344 + +RC as Ryan is referred to in the community is in his mid-30s. He is leading the transformation at GameStop and in his interview with [Harvard Business Review](https://hbr.org/2020/01/the-founder-of-chewy-com-on-finding-the-financing-to-achieve-scale) he demonstrates 5 attributes that make him the ideal leader for GameStop. + +https://preview.redd.it/iadp4tvc2xb81.jpg?width=1602&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e3ceb1ce778369cab66fa91449232b7dc2cd6c3 + +**PASSION** + +RC initially had wanted to disrupt the online jewelry industry, but on a trip to his local pet store he realized he was much more passionate about pets. Passion is a defining characteristic for visionaries and game changers, just look at what Steve Jobs accomplished with Apple and what Elon Musk has done with Tesla. With over one billion dollars in cash ($1.413 billion to be exact as of the last earnings call on 8DEC21), GameStop is expanding its retail business to include a greater number of tech products while always ensuring that customer satisfaction is the highest priority in the company. *(I personally had an experience with the company and both RC & the SVP of customer service stepped in to make things right)*. Delivery times for online orders at GameStop constantly impress its customers, surpassing the capabilities of Amazon, and with the hiring of top executives from Apple, Amazon, Chewy, and more, GameStop's transformation is well underway. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/i69isn3j4xb81.jpg?width=1574&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e594a9c48680a249ae3b026d4c4e9943922f4f5 + +**DETERMINATION** + +There are plenty of people with great ideas but it requires money to bring those ideas to reality and in order to get money one must preserve determination in the face of rejection. In the early stages of building Chewy, RC was turned down by many investors and when hiring talent through LinkedIn, he was also met with a cold shoulder (98% of the time). That didn't stop him though. The rest is history as you know. + +https://preview.redd.it/cwxqn9kp5xb81.jpg?width=1584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db32a972fd86a8c0b75b64f35cb53575df11371c + +**UNDERPROMISE AND OVERDELIVER** + +There are many CEOs, leaders, and individuals in life who talk a big game, not RC. Similar to at Chewy, RC has conveyed a similar sentiment at GameStop where he lets his actions do the talking. In the most recent [earnings](https://news.gamestop.com/news-releases/news-release-details/gamestop-reports-financial-results-q3-2021) announcement, GameStop achieved $1.297 billion in sales for the quarter, a 29% growth from the prior year's figures. As we learn in life, the silent ones in the room are the ones you need to fear most. + +As a shareholder, I love a Chairman, Board, and CEO that embrace an "underpromise and overdeliver" mindset. It avoids any disappointment and rather than wasting valuable time putting together projections amidst covid uncertainties, the GameStop team can focus entirely on growth and customer satisfaction. + +https://preview.redd.it/j5lm7pz68xb81.jpg?width=1572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0fb96ec9e4f64902077954fe2a40ec490c67d35 + +**THE JOURNEY** + +After selling Chewy for billions RC could have retired anywhere in the world. Instead he decided to invest his own money to become GameStop's biggest individual shareholder and scale another company in an industry that he is passionate about. + +As an entrepreneur myself I can relate to the above excerpt where RC points out it's not the money at the finish line that matters, it's the journey. Having the drive to organize a team of world-class employees and wanting to succeed against all odds is not part of any MBA curriculum, furthermore it's not something money can buy. Having a Chairman and leader who covets the journey more than money is what makes me sleep well at night as a shareholder. + +https://preview.redd.it/7yi5t7j29xb81.jpg?width=1576&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac221baaf4d04a60d6b14c9be0ad3984c95e83a5 + +**CAUTION** + +Lastly, being able to exercise astute judgement in all circumstances is a critical component to success. In a recent video I watched with the ex-CEO of Overstock, Patrick Bryne tells a story where Amazon would openly state "I want to buy your company" and send in a team of more engineers than accountants to do due diligence and in the end not buy the company but instead steal their technologies. It is amazing that RC at such a young age (early 30s at the time) recognized these predatory tactics of big corporations and imposed caution over acquiescence. + +This type of cleverness is what I look for as an investor and is a big reason why GameStop has not telegraphed a strategy to their competitors. Keeping the competition in the dark and being the silent one in the room is not only a smart way to do business, but also is the right way to protect your shareholders and maximize their wealth. + +Thank you for reading. + +DISCLOSURE: I am long GME. +A lot of people on this subreddit seem to have multiple strategies, some performing better than others. Usually a strategy involves a central idea and then the developer tries to fully develop this idea until it either proves to be profitable or the idea is understood to be garbage. When do you guys determine that the sharp ratio is good enough, or that the idea is fully developed, or that the whole strategy is useless? + +I ask this because Ive been working on a single strategy for a long ass time and im making slow progress but its still progress. +It's like that moment in the Big Short when Burry says, "I think what you're trying to say is, you've now acquired a net short position and now can evaluate my swaps properly." + +Their behavior is directly connected to what side of the trade they are on. Period. + +If shorts had closed and they weren't getting crushed, they'd be quiet about it and let each of us hang ourselves, and would not be trying like crazy to stop it. + +edit: TL:DRS +Anguish or opportunity as stocks pullback - + +Remember, long-term investing is a huge part of personal finance. If you are young and have decades to let your money grow, these small pullbacks are to be expected. + +The key is to stay grounded and not lose perspective. 2019 is around the corner, which means new funds are available to put to work for 401ks and IRAs. +Hello! Just graduated PA school and got a new job. i have roughly 1200 in expense including rent/phone/electric and groceries a month. I make 85k a year before taxes and approximately 69k after taxes. + +I have 160k in loans from my private masters school. I want to pay back my loans but also start saving for retirement. Im trying to be as frugal as i can until i pay back my loans and want to maximize my efforts. + +Thank you! + +Edit: THANK YOU to everyone who helped me shape an idea of what to do with my investments! +One of the central economic promises of President Donald Trump's young administration is a large corporate tax cut. But according to a note from the equity-analysis team at Jefferies, Wall Street isn't buying that it's coming anytime soon. +http://www.businessinsider.com/high-tax-stocks-show-investors-doubt-trump-tax-cuts-2017-4 +The first shift I ever worked was 4 years ago today on the launch day of COD WWII. I've got a bunch of fun stories from my years I'd love to share. I've been a shareholder since January and keeping up with all the memes, drama, FUD & fun we've had. + +Ask away, + +~ToxicLullaby28 + +Edit: Yes I originally fucked up my name & I fell asleep but I am responding as fast as I can. This blew up more than I thought. + +Edit 2: I'm definitely stating everything I am saying is not financial advice because we never give that here & all of my opinions & views are my own and do not represent that of the company. + +Edit 3: I am heading to bed! Thank you all for your questions I had a blast spending my time answering them. I will attempt to continue answering when I have downtime throughout my workday tomorrow if this post happens to gain any more traction. +Hey just wanted to know how you guys deal with taxes. I do a wheeling strategy (I think) selling naked puts and covered calls and sort of do the Thetagang strategy except I only deal in weeklies. Started last december and been doing it all year pretty successfully and am wondering how its going to effect my taxes. I know its short term gains and will be taxed as normal income. Just wondering if anyone has some good input or considerations for me. +**EOS - Electro Optic Systems.** + +*BLUF: Small-cap Australian Defence contractor. 3 elements of the company: Defence, Space, and Communications. The defence side is the biggest and has several existing contracts with Aus Gov and several overseas countries with more in the works. They make remote weapon systems and counter-UAS (drone) systems. They have taken a big hit to the stock price due to contract/pipeline delays with customers, this delay is resolved and they are resuming delivery of systems. Mature company with a lot of growth potential. Trading \~1/2 price ATH (2/3 MC ATH)* + +**Defence** + +*“EOS Defence Systems specialises in technology for weapon systems optimisation and integration, as well as ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) for land warfare. Its key products are next-generation remote weapon systems, vehicle turrets and counter-UAS systems.”* + +**Current contracts:** + +LAND400 Phase 2 (combat recon vehicle/ASLAV replacement): Remote weapon system (RWS) for the Block II 8x8 Boxer. + +$100mil + Remote Weapon System contract with middle eastern country. Recently resumed after COVID delays. + +$4.25mil contract with NATO country for RWS for remotely operated combat vehicle testing (small drone tank). + +251 x RWS for Aus Gov, announced in July and being finalised + +**Potential Contracts:** + +LAND400 Phase 3 (infantry fighting vehicle/M113 replacement): partnered with Hanwa Defense for this tender (downselected to final two competitors). EOS supply the whole turret and RWS. ([https://www.eos-aus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Turret-Launch-Brochure-WEB.pdf](https://www.eos-aus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Turret-Launch-Brochure-WEB.pdf)) Potentially a huge tailwind as the Army wants \~450 of these. + +Recently released a new counter-UAS product. They are the preferred provider and in contract negotiations with an unknown customer("south of $1bil"). They are in discussions with four more. Pretty cool product that integrates several layers of defence into one useful system. First to do this on a big scale. + +This sector may be in for a treat for a couple of reasons. Defence spending is *increasing* by $270b over the next 10 years ($7b is for Space, this will become important later). Secondly, with the rise of china so too comes the risk of isolation. Reliance on the US/foreign industry is ideally avoided even more. By manufacturing as much as you can in Australia you aren’t only keeping the money here and increasing jobs, you are keeping the skills here too and reducing the vulnerability of your supply lines. + +They also have an EOS US and UAE division. + +**Communications/Space:** + +*“EOS Space Systems specialises in applying EOS-developed optical sensors to detect, track, classify and characterise objects in space. This information has both military and commercial applications, including managing space assets to avoid collisions with space debris, missile defence and space control.”* + +This area makes less currently than the defence sector. + +They have acquired two satellite communications companies. + +The $7b we stashed away earlier, this is where is comes in. Australia has been late to the party with our space agency/military satellites. Without the US we are mostly blind looking north to see what’s up, and that’s not a place we want to be. EOS seems to be the only Aus company with the experience, money and resources to pursue this meaningfully. Although I am getting flashbacks to Sky and Space Global when I read through what they want to do. But at the end of the day, they will literally be strapping shit to rockets. + +Cons: + +These government contracts, while lucrative and sometimes long term, take a long time to finalise. E.g. still waiting on Scotty from marketing from the July announcements for 251 remote weapon systems. + +Some deliveries and revenue have been delayed due to covid. + +&#x200B; + +Position: Held Sentiment: **🚀🚀** **🚀** +Many Engineers at google's self-driving division quit, citing massive bonuses resulting in FU money + +http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/13/14599186/google-waymo-self-driving-salary-compensation-autonomous + + +I am back renting. Shout out to everyone enduring the Rightmove/Zoopla circus check every morning, the anxiety inducing block viewings, the hiked up rent on crappy apartments. Good luck if you're going through it yourself during the festive season, it's been quite the seasonal experience. + +I'd like to ask for your kind wisdom on how to best save money with central heating, which utilities are best to switch to, cheapest broadband options, and any other wonderful money saving tid-bits you wish to offer up. + +Thanks in advance. +Hey, hopefully a soon-to-be first home buyer here! + +Im looking at getting an apartment near the city and have done my research and found a great place. I'm currently talking to my bank about pre-approval and have my booty ready for them. The only thing I'm concerned about is dealing with the real estate agent. + +I've heard heaps of horror stories where the agents have driven offers up by saying that there are other offers when there aren't any, and things like that. I was hoping for any tips, eg, do they have to show me other offers which have been put forward, or things to avoid mentioning so they don't try to swindle me. + +Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks! :) +EDIT 4: It's on track. I remain cautiously optimistic. Stay positive and I'll see y'all at 4pm! + + +FINAL EDIT5: It appears a $20 run from a premarket low of $104 isn't good enough for y'all... Guess what, WE AIN'T LEAVING. Now, someone point me to the goalpost so I can kick the hell out of it!!! + + +Interesting timing of all of the hate regarding the sub's most prominent players, especially before tomorrow, which is the same day in the cycle last year GME ripper over 100% and halted into close. It then went on to climb up to $348 before earnings, before dropping to $172 and recouping to $250 all within two hours. This recent post is discrediting tens of THOUSANDS of combined hours with zero credible data or sources. This is "I told you so" to fill your mind with doubt against some of the hardest working and dedicated contributors in this sub. + +Dude to this dedication and uncovering of information, the cycles theory has been 100% ACCURATE OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. Yes, I'm a firm believer, 6/6 cycles seeing VERY positive price action is enough for me. The hedge funds are stuck, and very generous and ingenious contributors have worked tirelessly to dive into the WHY. + +If this is the case, we will rip tomorrow and Friday. Hopefully. + +#THE HEDGE FUNDS DON'T WANT RETAIL TO USE LEVERAGE, THE VERY THING THAT CREATED THE SNEEZE ON JANUARY 2021. + +They have gone out of their way to distract you from options, put fear in your mind about them, and create false narratives regarding other potential catalysts that stroke your confirmation bias. Popcorn, the fire, jets, building lights, ECT - All distractions. + +If the price doesn't run tomorrow, I'll never return to this sub again. My money is where my mouth is. I have weekly calls I purchased today on the dip below $115, I have April 14 calls purchased a few days ago, and I am an XXX holder who began in January 2021 at $35. + +Everyone should hope that the price runs tomorrow, because it means we can precisely predict at least SOME price action damn near down to the day. Anyone, ANYONE who wants options to fail is someone who bets against GameStop. Anyone who wants DRS to fail is against GameStop. You don't like TA? Don't read it. Don't want to DRS? Don't do it. Don't like options? Don't do them. Hating on DRS or options is basically a bet against GME and should NOT be tolerated. + +Let me finish by saying I've hated a lot of things here for a long time. I've given DRSers a hard time for absolutely no reason, as it's success is my success. Please allow me to clear the air and finally get this fucking MOASS ball rolling with DRS creating illiquidity and holding the shield, and options kicking their teeth in and forcing them to start buying, starting with tomorrow's rip. + + +Good luck everyone, and I'll see you all tomorrow! + + +EDIT: I have to say thank everyone for the well wishes. This has blown up way more than I expected. Best of luck tomorrow, and every single day you hold GME!!! +EDIT2: Thank you all again. I can't keep up anymore lol. Let the POSITIVITY REIGN DOWN and GME REIGN UPWARDS!!! + +EDIT3: This is based off of the cycles theory via u/gherkinit . The credit belongs to him and his team if this thing takes place! +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/ywAGqfUAQE). +My fellow retards i know this question gets asked alot. But what would your approach be to learning more about investing? + +As someone trying to learn the ropes off this game there is alot off information and it feels overwhelming at times. Would it be books or online videos or just read company reports till it makes sense? I see how some of the less smooth brain people here process information and thought i would ask the apes for guidance. + +Sorry to ask, but all ideas and insults are welcome +https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stocks-markets-dow-update-04-22-2022-11650613003?mod=hp_lead_pos1 + +Worries about slowing corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve’s plans to rapidly raise interest rates dragged the Dow industrials to their worst day since 2020. + +Investors this week parsed first-quarter financial results from a range of firms in search of clues about the health of the economy, the consumer outlook and companies’ ability to cope with inflation. Of the companies that have reported so far, about 80% have beat analyst expectations, according to FactSet, which has helped provide some stability to the U.S. stock market. + +“Usually when the economy’s slowing down, or there is a perception it’ll slow down, there are obvious sectors to hide in. Those traditional sectors aren’t as safe from an earnings basis as they are historically because they still are going to have negative impacts from inflation,” said Tavis McCourt, institutional equity strategist at Raymond James. + +The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its worst one-day percentage change since October 2020, losing 981.36 points, or 2.8%, to close at 33811.40. The S&P 500 dropped 121.88 points, or 2.8%, to 4271.78, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 335.36 points, or 2.5%, to finish at 12839.29. + +The recent rise in government-bond yields showed signs of steadying, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note ending Friday at 2.905%, down two of the past three trading days. Yields staged a climb earlier Friday before reversing course. Bond yields rise when prices decline. + +Healthcare stocks are often considered defensive, with money managers betting that consumers will pay medical bills before making discretionary purchases. The S&P 500’s healthcare sector fell 3.6%, its worst day since June 2020. + +Concerns about inflation and the pace of monetary tightening by the Fed also remained at the forefront of investors’ minds this week. On Thursday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell gave investors a clear signal that the central bank is ready to tighten monetary policy more quickly and indicated that it was likely to raise interest rates by a half-percentage point at its meeting in May. + +A rate increase next month, following the Fed’s quarter percentage point increase in March, would mark the first time since 2006 that the central bank increased its policy rate at back-to-back meetings. + +Mr. Powell’s comments injected fresh volatility into a stock market that has been whipsawed this year by the war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and rising Covid-19 cases in China. + +“The market is finally internalizing and factoring in the reality that the Fed really means what it says and it’s not going to back down,” said Tim Courtney, chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors. “Somebody had a saying, and it’s pretty + good: ‘You don’t fight the Fed when the Fed is fighting inflation.’” + +In commodities, Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, fell $1.68 a barrel, or 1.6%, to $106.65. It fell 4.5% this week. + +--- + +Just want to add, there's been some negative correlation between oil and the rest of the market, but today everything was bloody red. +hello, this account was set up for just this question. + +I’m 45 years old. I work as an attorney. I chose this profession so I could work as long as possible and never intend to retire. I have about $250,000 in student loan debt. I have $10,000.00 to my name and no retirement accounts. + +My mom just passed away. I’m going to inherit about $200,000.00. + +My intention is to put the money into an ETF like SPY and stay away for 20 years; and go on living my life as usual. + +Thoughts? +Hedges, you will NOT shake this very patient ape. + +I’ve reached the acceptance phase in all this. I’m maxed out on shares I can afford, so I’ve just buckled up in the rocket and can wait indefinitely for this launch. Even if it’s a “boring day”, I get excited just knowing that we’ve moved 1 day closer to the INEVITABLE 🚀. + +You can not win. + +You will not win. + +Obligatory: 🦍💎🙌🏼🚀 + +EDIT: Whoever gave this the all-seeing upvote, thank you kindly 🐈 +I know a lot of peoples thoughts on this topic, so let me start by saying - I know how incredibly lucky I am! I was never spoiled by my parents growing up and their offer to help me with a house deposit was the most surprising thing I’ve ever heard. It literally came out of the blue. Dad explained to me that he would rather be alive whilst I receive inheritance but would only want it to go towards something like house. He will be semi retiring soon and selling his share in the family business that he is apart of with his brothers. He is expecting to get a large sum of money and has most generously offered me 500k - 600k for a place in Sydney. All he requires is that I build a granny flat for him and mum when they come over for holidays. + +My questions are, for those who have done this, how does this process work? + +If any, what problems did you run into? + +Should I wait a year or so to see what happens with property prices? + + +Any other input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! +Looking at a house currently that splits streets with an awful school district and area. Not the immediate area, but progressively gets worse as you go down. + +But luckily the side of the street it is on is a good school district. So my thought is maybe people would pay more just for the school. But my concern is the area is so close to the (start of) bad location it may not catch the 'school district' wave + +Is this a pro or am I over thinking it? +Ohio-based Murray Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy joining a growing list of bankrupt or struggling miners as utilities switch away from coal. + +The company seeks to restructure nearly $3 billion in debt and obtained some $350 million in new loans to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceeding. + +Murray Energy was the country's fourth largest coal producer in 2018, accounting for 6% of total production, according to the Energy Information Administration. + +The collapse comes despite federal rescue attempts. The deregulatory push has been unable to offset market forces. Coal has been unable to compete with cheap natural gas and the falling cost of solar power, wind and other forms of renewable energy. + +[Bloomberg news](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-29/biggest-private-coal-miner-goes-bust-after-trump-rescue-fails?srnd=premium) + +[FT](https://www.ft.com/content/8185fc96-fa5c-11e9-a354-36acbbb0d9b6) + +[CBS](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/murray-energy-bankruptcy-2019-robert-murray-major-trump-backer-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection/) +>The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 900 points higher, or 3.3%. The S&P 500 jumped 3.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 2.9%. + +https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/03/dow-futures-show-300-point-pop-as-early-super-tuesday-results-favor.html +**SafeGem** is a **hyper-deflationary Utility Token** on **Binance Smart Chain** and **GEMS** is the native currency of SafeGem finance with the **team based in UK.** **The project aims to develop NFT platform that will authenticate precious stones and gems by providing digital certification and passports.** Blockchain is unarguably the most secure place on the internet. What better use for that, than authenticating goods that have a high value because of their uniqueness and originality. + +&nbsp; + +**SafeGem uses two deflationary mechanisms, compared to other tokens which utilize only one.** +1) Reflection +2) Burning function + +&nbsp; + +Reflection is a transaction fee or a tax on any trade (buy/sell). The holder fees is redistributed among existing holders, it's a reward for holders. **6% of all trades goes back to holders.** This is a common feature in all meme and utility tokens. What distinguishes SafeGem from the rest, comes next. + +&nbsp; + +SafeGem employs an additional burn mechanism: **5% of every trade is burned autonomously: removed from the blockchain, completely destroyed.** **This reduces the Total Supply of SafeGem continuously.** SafeGem started with **100 Quadrillion Token Supply**; a week later, they have burned **6 Quadrillion Tokens** leaving **94 Quadrillion** in the blockchain. As token supply goes down, the existing tokens deflate significantly. Most contracts simply redistribute existing tokens to dead wallet (0x00...0dead) and call it a "BURN" whereas **SafeGem truly destroys the tokens.** You can do your checks here at [BscScan](https://bscscan.com/token/0xdfdec49462f7d3c3b0a48e729f77a0645cdfa7c0). GEMS supply reduces continuously, currently sitting at 94 Quadrillion. **That is different from other contracts where Total Supply remains constant.** + +&nbsp; + +Therefore, GEMS holders get rewarded in two ways: 6% from Transaction Tax and 5% from autonomous burn. **This is what makes SafeGem hyper-deflationary.** SafeGem was coded from scratch, with an incredible devs behind it. Here is the [Rug Screen Certificate](https://www.rugscreen.com/scan/certificate?tokenid=9418b11c38) For our safety, **liquidity pool was locked for 12 months and marketing wallets locked for 30 days.** +**SafeGem utilizes two more protocols that distinguish it from the rest of bsc tokens.** +1) Multisig algorithm - A protocol that requires multiple keys in order to access Marketing Wallets +2) MaxTX protocol - It limits the trade to 0.1% of the Total Supply currently 94 Trillion GEMS. You can buy or sell 94 Trillion GEMS per trade. Since the total supply goes down, this limit also decreases making SafeGem Anti-Whale and Anti-Dump Project. + +&nbsp; + +SafeGem is only **10 days old** with **a marketcap of $3M** and **7100+ holders.** **Marketing hasn't started yet, with mobile app due and certain essentials that need to be sorted out first. CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko listings have been applied for and an [Audit is along the way](https://prnt.sc/12pouei). So, there is great stuff ahead for you!! +You can do your research below, Don't forget to read the Litepaper that explains the project better than I did.** >> 86a59a59-6e6f-40fe-9741-dc69328443ac.filesusr.com/ugd/3c61fb_ed361a353ec74a6589eda47cc0d77eba.pdf + +&nbsp; + +**The designer team is currently working on the rebranding. NFT contract is halfway done and the multi-signature function for the marketing wallet is ready now, they are building the interface for it, which means that soon it will be ready to be used. Our devs are extremely dedicated to develop all our features in-house, ensuring a high level of security and professionalism. The team was already contacted by reputable diamond and jewellery dealers that are actually very interested in our product. The community manager has announced to dox herself when we reach 100K holders, as you know the team consists of professionals with full time jobs so we shouldn't expect them to doxx themselves, yet Ruby has stepped forward and she is ready to doxx herself in near future.** + +&nbsp; + +**Here is how you can join SafeGem community** + +🌐 **Website:** safegem.finance/ + +🚀 **PancakeSwap [ >>> V1 <<< ]:** v1exchange.pancakeswap.finance/#/swap?outputCurrency=0xdfdec49462f7d3c3b0a48e729f77a0645cdfa7c0 + + +📈 **Poocoin Chart:** poocoin.app/tokens/0xDfDec49462f7D3C3b0A48E729F77A0645CDFA7c0 + + +🔗 **BscScan:** bscscan.com/token/0xDfDec49462f7D3C3b0A48E729F77A0645CDFA7c0 + + +💬 **Telegram:** t.me/safegemtokens + + +🧡 **Reddit:** r/SafeGemFinance + + +🐤 **Twitter:** twitter.com/safe_gem + + + +&nbsp; + +**Some useful info if you wanna invest** + +Use V1 on PancakeSwap to purchase + +Slippage 13% works the best + +Max Transaction amount: 94,000,000,000 GEMS (94Trillion) +For example, at my local Dillons I get 4xFuel Points for buying gift cards (normally $1=1 fuel point, 100 fuel points = 0.10 cents off/gallon at participating gas stations). I'm getting ready to purchase $156 of stuff off Amazon tonight. By going and getting a Amazon gift card for $156 at Dillons first, I get 624 fuel points (so 0.60/gallon discount), and I usually put 18 gallons in. So I'm getting $10.80 in savings (which is 6.9% of the Amazon purchase) on my gas fill up off the Amazon card alone, not counting my other fuel points I've earned. This works with any gift card they sell - Walmart, Target, etc., meaning if you give gift cards out for Christmas, you keep the fuel points, + +In addition, if you're looking for a simple way to save up for a bigger purchase but aren't great at saving up, you can purchase set value gift cards along the way - say, every paycheck buy a $25 or $50 gift card, and then you'll get the fuel points along the way plus have the money put away in the form of gift cards if you're looking at a larger purchase. This is of course for short term saving only! + +You can purchase the gift cards with credit cards, giving you the fuel discount plus your credit card rewards, to maximize your savings. + +Edit: this got big. Regarding the debate below on 'can you buy gift cards with credit cards', that seems to vary by state and possibly company. Where I am, it works fine, however if you're unsure where you are, it's probably worth checking before you buy.[receipt showing points/card](https://i.imgur.com/0nzt1oC.jpg) I purchased my gift card using cash, since I'm carrying a balance on my credit card already. I have purchased before with a CC, but it was not time in my CC cycle to buy with a CC again. + +Edit 2: saw this blew up overnight, so I added the photo from my trip this morning. I bought milk & a Amazon gift card for $160 for easier math. Not shown on the receipt is a 50 fuel point survey, which will also bring down my gas cost. + +Edit 3: several people in the comments have pointed to the Amex Blue card for giving you 6% back on grocery store purchases. There are lots of good comments & ideas below, thanks everyone! For context, my grocery store and gas station are 3 short blocks away, the max fuel discount is $1.00/gallon, and I fill up a 19 gallon tank once a week (although of course I usually only pump 18 gallons in, I'm not pushing a SUV to the pump!) +Just read this article that chronicles one of the first people in the U.S. to have his student loan debt forgiven under the program. The amount of diligence he undertook to ensure he was on the right plan, was making the right type of payments, and that all his payments were being kept track of properly is astounding. + +I never qualified for PSLF, but given the low success rate of people in the program, I will definitely think twice before recommending it to someone here at r/personalfinance or elsewhere (not that it isn't potentially valuable, but if it's this difficult to jump through all the hoops, it might not be the right choice for everyone that qualifies). + +Article (New York Times, soft paywall): Public Servants Do Get Student Loan Forgiveness. Meet One of the First. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/04/your-money/student-loan-forgiveness.html + +Regarding the title, the actual statistic is: “While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has estimated that one-quarter of the United States work force could potentially qualify for the forgiveness program, only 139 people had made at least 97 qualifying payments toward their goal of 120 as of 2016, according to figures that the Department of Education presented at a conference.” +Why tf nobody talk about the stock split dividend scam anymore?? Don’t GameStop should sue those mf’d? Don’t we must complain at every fk’ place? It affected the stock a lot price is down more than 30%… don’t everyone’s us as individuals should do something to fk those cheater mother fkrs? +Google pays billions of dollars to other companies -- Apple, Samsung Electronics, etc. -- to keep its search as the default option on phones and in browsers, something the Department of Justice (DOJ) believes creates an illegal dominance over the search market. + +Deals like this ensure companies like Apple stay out of the search business. The practice has gone on for years. Google, at one point, paid Apple between $8 billion and $12 billion annually to appear as the default search engine on iPhones and other Apple devices, according to a law suit filed in 2020. + +DOJ attorney Kenneth Dintzer didn’t disclose the amount Google spends to remain the default search engine on browsers and U.S. mobile phones, but described it as “enormous numbers,” reports Bloomberg. + +“Google invests billions securing defaults, knowing people won’t change them,” Dintzer told Judge Amit Mehta during a hearing in Washington, admitting that Google buys “default exclusivity because defaults matter a lot.” + +In 2019, Google began giving Android users in Europe a choice to select a provider to power a search box on their device's home screen, and as the default in Chrome when installed. The changes complied with a competitive European Union ruling. The EU fined Google, saying it had an unfair advantage by pre-installing its Chrome browser and Google search app on Android smartphones and notebooks. + +The change gave users with a phone running the Android operating system and Chrome browser an option to customize and personalize their device, choose and change their search engine based on their preference. It included selecting the apps to download. + +Google, for example, added private, decentralized search engine Presearch as a default option on all new and factory-reset Android devices in the U.K. and Europe. + +Since Google added Presearch 2021, its daily searches have grown from about 200,000 a day to more than 4 million, said Alex Carrabre, head of growth at Presearch. “At the peak it was 6 million per day in the past 20 months,” he said. “It’s just in the Europe economic area.” + +Carrabre estimates Android has about 70% of smartphone market share in Europe, which means there’s strong potential for the fledgling search engine to grow its user base. + +Google’s private contracts with companies like Apple, and Samsung form the basis of the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit, which alleges the company has sought to maintain its online search monopoly in violation of antitrust laws. + +The trial isn’t expected to start until next year. Thursday’s hearing was a daylong tutorial where each side laid out its views on Google’s business. + +[https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/377584/google-exclusivity-and-dojs-battle-over-search.html](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/377584/google-exclusivity-and-dojs-battle-over-search.html) + +The DOJ says Google (Alphabet, Inc: GOOGL) creates an illegal dominance over the search market by paying billions of dollars to other companies to keep its search as the default option. How do you think this news will affect GOOGL's trading price? Do you agree that it is illegal? +○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○ + +**The Art of War, Section IV: Tactical Dispositions** + +*Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then wait for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.* + +*To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.* + +*The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.* + +*Thus on the one hand we have ability to protect ourselves; on the other, a victory that is complete.* + +*What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.* + +*He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.* + +*Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.* + +*Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.* + +*The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.* + +○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○ + +Why am I sharing this excerpt from 'The Art of War'? Because for pretty much the whole of this saga, Papa Cohen has had the following strategic approach: + +1) He has waged battle mostly in secret, hidden and giving very little away, not communicating with or through the media, and instead just sending out occasional cryptic twitter messages. + +2) He has thus not put himself in any situations to commit mistakes, protected and secured GameStop's financial position, and built a fortress like defense of the company that means defeat - the stock going to single dollar figures and/or corporate bankruptcy - is now practically impossible for the enemy to achieve. + +3) His overall approach has been *extremely* controlled, methodical, patient and well-disciplined. The enemy, both directly and through their attack dogs - the mainstream media - have tried to goad a tactical error from him, but have failed time and time again. + +○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○ + +He has adhered to the above approach for what seems now like time immemorial. To the extent that a deviation from this *modus operandi* is really quite shocking. However, over the last month or so, surprises are pretty much *all* Papa C has been delivering: + +A) On 9th February, for pretty much the first time ever, a tweet that is neither meme nor family related but about bigger picture macroeconomics: "Who will be the piñata for all this inflation? 🤨" + +B) Two days later on 11th February, following this up with an even *bigger* bigger picture tweet: "The reverberations of fiscal and monetary policy are likely to be more severe to humans than any climate or societal disaster 💀" + +C) This tweet starting off an emoji chain over the following couple of weeks that reads: "💀 🏴‍☠️ 🩳". Which many have interpreted as the reverse message/warning: "Shorts Aaargh Dead". + +D) Three days ago on March 7th, the sudden and extremely unexpected announcement that RC Ventures has purchased a large stake in Bed Bath & Beyond. So unexpected, in fact, that it lead some members of this sub to post erroneous DD that it was all an elaborate hoax concocted by the enemy. + +E) Accompanying the purchase, a letter to that company's board which - again for the first time - makes openly disdainful statements regarding the enemy and their accomplices: "We also believe management made an avoidable mistake in Fiscal Year 2021 by giving into WALL STREET’s short-term information desires and providing guidance" and "We dislike when a management team spends time accommodating WALL STREET, engaging with television pundits, and telegraphing forecasts to the competition." + +F) Over the last couple of days, openly critical and confrontational to the (most likely Wall Street planted shill) board and CEO of that company, beginning with: "No overpaid execs in the metaverse 🔨" + +G) Following that up with a first ever tweet with more than one sentence: "Sent letter to $BBBY board, got no response. Sent email to CEO asking for a discussion, haven’t gotten a prompt response. Too busy talking to expensive consultants?" + +H) After that, again for the first time ever, a self reply tweet which provided a live update on specific actions he is conducting in real time: "Finally got a response from $BBBY". These last couple of tweets were very intriguing for me, as it was the first time the veil of secrecy over what RC is actually *doing* was lifted...a sudden flash from heaven of an attacking raid he was carrying out! + +I) Finally, the very surprising announcement that Q4 earnings would be released on 17th March. GameStop has been following a very orthodox and systematic schedule to these, pretty much using the previous years' dates as the strict and disciplined template for future arrangements. I think we were all caught off guard by this announcement that it will take place a week earlier than anticipated. + +○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○ + +So my dear Apes, what gives? Why has Father suddenly, over this last month, changed his approach? He is seemingly acting far more boldly, aggressively even, and with much less of a guard up compared to the past. Not just his actions but also his words and style of communication is more attacking, transparent and far more frequent than before. What is going on??? + +Well, let me take you back to two of the lines from the section of 'The Art of War' that I included above: + +*Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy* + +AND + +*Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won* + +RC's strategic approach has been so sound and consistent throughout the last 1.5 years, that I believe he would only change this as drastically as he has done recently...**if and ONLY if** he believes victory has now been set up. The strategy would then shift to "going for the jugular", which requires the tactical approach switching to one of: aggression, surprise attacks at unexpected times, keeping the enemy fearful and guessing what is to come next. I believe we are in that phase now, the final battle when... + +*He who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven* + +**We are in the endgame, Apes.** + +○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○ + +Let me leave you with one final conjecture, which is an answer to the question: "Why now?" + +Perhaps with the markets undergoing a major correction, Papa thinks the enemy does not have as much leverage to continue waging war. Perhaps it is because utilisation of the stock has now been at 100% for more than three weeks, and he thus believes the enemy's ability to attack is weakening by the day. Perhaps he thinks the enemy's funding is being depleted, with their investors increasing uninterested in the fight and possibly under sanctions. Perhaps it is a combination of all of these, and many more factors weighing down on the warmongers. + +My theory, however, is down to the timing of when RC changed tack, which was two weeks after GameStop's Q4 ended. This also meant it was two weeks from the deadline for including DRS-ed shares. It is reasonable to think that ComputerShare would have been requested to notify what the total DRS number is by that Friday 9th February. What if the number reported to Mr. Cohen was the trigger that has given him the certainty and confidence that victory is finally at hand? And that the time for waiting is now done... + +○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○ +pdf of the paper: [http://econweb.umd.edu/\~murrell/articles/Can%20Neoclassical%20Economics%20Underpin%20the%20Economic%20Reform.pdf](http://econweb.umd.edu/~murrell/articles/Can%20Neoclassical%20Economics%20Underpin%20the%20Economic%20Reform.pdf) +Please visit my previous post for a bit of background: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/8b20jb/impact_of_keynesian_fiscal_policy_in_practice/ + +To sum up, my question is that how did Keynes in advocating an active fiscal policy (the details of which are in the link above) influence or affect FDR's economic policy during the Great Depression? How did it impact the US economy? Was what FDR implemented (as a result of adopting Keynes' approach) actually effective? +While studying Econ, and learning about the increasing economic inequality in the US as well as the massively growing gap between classes, I have always heard the same argument on how to combat it: tax the rich. + +Now, I understand the sentiment and why that would seem like it would be a good idea. If you can afford to buy a third home in Nantucket, you should be able contribute more than John down the street who lives off of raw ramen noodles and spare change. But, in practice there is no way to guarantee all of the upperclass pays their “fair share” so to speak. Whether it is through net loss re-works in your books, or foreign bank accounts, or tax havens, there will always be a way for a tax-savy accountant to find a loop hole for the wealthy when it comes to income taxes. + +Whenever we increase income taxes, intending on getting more from the higher groups, it is always the middle class that pays the most and we repeat this cycle over and over and over again. + +So, now for my theory. What if we got rid of the income tax all together? Instead, we switch over to a purely sales based program? There would be a flat 10-15% tax on everything anyone purchases (exempting things like food, and utilities.) There’s no loopholes to skirt through, no accountant to pay off, just a simple: if you buy more you pay more. + +There would be no way around it, and we wouldn’t be suffocating the lower classes with high tax rates. + +Is this a stupid idea? Or am I onto something here. Let me know if I’m being naive or missing the whole point here. +Hello, + +Got advised to post here from other Aussie group. + +33 yo, Married, no kids originally from France/Belgium, working fully remotely for a Eastern European company and living in Thailand.  + +Making $4000 US / month as a lead data engineer/BI developer. (Mainly MS technology)  + +I have a good life here, money wise, can save 50% of my salary.  + +But I’ve been offered a position in Sydney as a consultant for 130PA + 10% super. + +As you may be aware, Europe, particularly France, has become a "strange" area to leave (especially in terms of safety), and the future economic boom is certainly in Asia - Pacific, in my opinion.  + +How is going to be my personal finance in Sydney working in the IT industry ? Supporting my wife for a while, living a modest life. (As I said, I'm not originally from SEA, so I never get used to having nanny, or paying cheap people to do stuff, I mostly cook fresh food at home) + +Given the housing market in Australia, I've heard that I'll be renting for the rest of my life :( I understand that no one really know what going to happen with the housing market, and every newspaper are talking about bubble market, but it's seems like nothing is going to change soon ? + +But in other hand I could enjoy some good family time here. And rising happy kids ? Oh one last things, I visited Australia on a working holiday visa, few years ago, and enjoyed it ! but I was doing well paid job in the outback. + +So, am I stupid if I reject the offer ? Because of the cost of housing ? and COL ? or should I just be patient, works couple of years in Sydney, to get my Permanent Residency and move to an other city and wait for my salary to increase since the IT sector is booming, + +Cheers +Hey guys, I've built a tool that allows you to filter and sort millions of options by multiple metrics. Here's the site: https://fdscanner.com/scanner + +The filters include IV, % OTM, volume, yield on collateral and more. + +For instance, you can set the filters to Puts only, 10-20% OTM, yield on collateral 1%+ and the expiry to 5/15. There's quite a number of blue chip companies there, with strikes around March lows yielding 1-2%. Eg DIS $80P yields 1.55%, AAPL $220P yields above 1%. + +Or [here's a preset filter](https://fdscanner.com/scanner?impliedVolatility=0,100&pctOptionStrike=2,20&lastPrice=0,100&volume=1&openInterest=0&pctOtm=3,8&calls=false&puts=true&shortInterest=0,100&sma200=0,100&sma50=0,100) you want to scan for put options yielding 1% or more, expiring this Friday, but at least 3% OTM with 100 volume. 77 options passed this filter, including T $28.5P, V $155P + +Once you shortlisted the options, you should open it up in your broker as the data is delayed 1-2 hours. + + +Interested to know if you guys will use something like this, or what other tools you are using now. +I figured the chewy taking over amazon talk was just hype talk. Anything to hype up GME. However, after getting a small pup and deciding to get my worm meds from Chewy due to discounts and prices, I've come to the conclusion that Chewy shits on Amazon in every way. If only they did Games huh? + +&#x200B; + +To my surprise, they save all my pets information, they actually call my pets vet to get my heart worm prescriptions (wtf), they fedex ship the meds free, they send daily updates during shipping, they announce when it arrives with discounts to your next order (with prices already lower than any place I've seen), and of course free returns if something goes wrong. I've never seen anything like it. Gamestop is in GOOD hands. If you have a pet, you know. + +&#x200B; + +\*edit. I keep seeing in the comments that Chewy sends "Random portraits of my pets made by hand." At first I thought this was a troll. But multiple people have now said it. Are you kidding me? They send hand paintings of pets from profile pictures? If this is true, that's the most insane (customer care) thing I have ever heard of. Wtf. +https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-15/all-the-views-of-how-the-stock-market-lost-its-grip-on-reality + +Unemployment is spiraling toward 20%. Retail sales just dropped the most on record. Global economists predict the worst recession in eight decades. And stock investors have made peace with it all. + +Up 27% since mid-March, the S&P 500 on Tuesday capped its biggest 15-day run since 1933. So furious has the revival from the fastest bear market been, equity valuations are now back to where they were before it all started. Wednesday’s pullback hasn’t even retraced one day’s advance. + +It’s a Wall Street adage: The stock market isn’t the economy. Rarely has it seemed more true than in the frenzied advance of the past few weeks. +I was told I will not have my job in September due to Covid, BUT I would be paid in full until the end of August. I contribute 5.5% to my retirement account per month with a 6.5% company match plus another 11% myself. Should I stop contribute the extra 11% for next 3 paychecks? + +I also have dependent care flex deducts in my paycheck. Daycare is closed since early March and I won’t be sending my child to there for a while. I still can claim another month of service with flex. Should I stop the deduction next month? + +If I stop dependent care deduction, should I allocate the money to my retirement account? + +These questions are more for taxes reduction purposes more than I needed the money. Thank you for reading and helping! + +EDIT: Wow!!! Thank you so much for your advices! These really change my view of things. + +Providing some details: I got have more than a year of emergency fund saved up and other savings. I have health insurance thru my partner’s company which is much needed for a terrifying discovery last year. I’m a bit under 40, have some stocks and a 401k that are easily pull out (do not want to touch them at all). Still live a rental in NYC but the cost is very low in my area. + +I’m a penny pincher which is why I want to look into tax burden. Also, looking for a new job at this point is almost impossible for me (e.g. childcare, skills after a major health scare, Covid). + +After all your awesome advices, I think I will cut dependent care deduction, allocate the money to the 401k and check if I could even up it. + +Let me know if I am crazy and THANK YOU ALL again!! +here's the not so quick summary: +in 2019 I was working for a startup. one day the director comes and say "sorry but we are having cash problems, it's temporary but the june pay will be pushed to mid july. Mid july comes and goes, not a peep. July 31st we go to office, doors are locked by landlord because director hasn't paid rent for 3 months. + +The company at that stage was basically toast, I remained technically employed, submitted ET case and won it for 2 months of unpaid wages. I remained technically employed until i found a new job in september and resigned. the accountant reports to HMRC that I've been paid in full for june, july, august, and portion of September, and sends me a p45 indicating the same, which is false. + +Administrators take over, got to submit a claim with redundancy payment service and got the max allowed reimbursement (8 weeks capped at 525/week + holiday + nootice) which only covered about 40% of my owed wages. I enquired about the false tax records reported, and was told once the Redundancy payment serivce completes my application, these details would be fixed to reflect my actual income from the employer. that never happened, it still to this day shows that i was paid in full in addition to the redundancy payment service. + +this caused hmrc to calculate that I underpaid taxes and owe over £2000, and they start automatically taking out 200/month out of my pay. I have been dealing with them since September, and they still refuse to fix it. + +here's what i went through + +- Was asked to submit in writing all the evidence i had, which i did (submitted emails, RPS forms, ET claim and judgement, payslips, bank statements), and was told a special team would contact me to deal with this issue, no one ever did. + +- Called again, was told my case was closed because it's not their jurisdiction to change my income info. was told I have to ask previous employer to submit Earlier Year Update, told them i have no contact and employer no longer exists, was told to wait for special team call back, never got a call. + +- Called again, was told to speak with liquidator and ask them to submit EYU, spoke to liquidator which was giving me a 1 weak turnout to respond to my emails, and basically told me there's nothing they can as they don't have EYU submitting capabilities, and they tried to sort the issue out with HMRC but they were not responsive. eventually they just gave me a letter saying how much money i was owed and said that's it nothing else they can do. + +- called HMRC again, was told the system wouldn't allow them to change my tax records and a special team would have to call me back in 13 days and manually fix my tax record, that was 25 days ago, still no call. + +- called again, was told the same schtick the system doesn't allow blah blah blah, wait for special team call and deal with this manually. + +and here we are, i just watched another 200 quid go out of my payslip today, and there's nothing i can do about it. + +I don't know what to do, they won't call back, i'm waiting 45min+ on hold every time i call, the hold music is giving suicidal thoughts. + +I feel like a thief just walked up to me and started slowly taking money out of my pocket while looking straight in the eye and saying "sorry can't stop the system won't allow it" + +WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO??? + +Edit: thanks a lot for all the advice, I have multiple avenue to approach now 1)speaking with local MP, 2)filing a complaint with HMRC, and 3)speaking to an accountant +Hi, I'm u/flokki_the_monk. + +You may remember me from such classic posts as: + +[The Liquidity Fairy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/v7yucj/virtu_ceo_to_the_extent_there_is_not_liquidity_on/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +[ Virtu CEO: \\"to the extent there is not liquidity on a lit exchange, fundamentally the wholesalers are providing INFINITE LIQUIDITY at the NBBO.\\" If price is supply vs demand, what happens with an infinite supply? Providing INFINITE LIQUIDITY sure sounds like ignoring TOTAL SHARES OUTSTANDING. ](https://preview.redd.it/vmpf9br660s91.png?width=902&format=png&auto=webp&s=ae0b257729f2ae73dbaf4632dbc3e4238d2cf635) + +[FSOC Friday night secrets](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/smufv2/financial_stability_oversight_council_press/) + +[ Financial Stability Oversight Council press release Friday 2\/4: \\"potential risks to U.S. financial stability arising from open-end funds, PARTICULARY THEIR LIQUIDITY AND REDEMPTION FEATURES.\\" The XRT ETF is an open-end fund. ](https://preview.redd.it/cbhe1nuc60s91.png?width=971&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ea832a15ba25e9bc6fe3c7c605c3519a7b35e49) + +[That time they burned down the file storage building.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/sknn6d/so_the_sprinkler_system_on_the_ceiling_was/) + +[ So the sprinkler system, ON THE CEILING, was disabled by a falling shelf? For the entire building? And he has determined this already, but also firefighters can't get anywhere close? ](https://preview.redd.it/pfc4dipf60s91.png?width=1174&format=png&auto=webp&s=69634732633d3acf986ae13d8e51421174f22b36) + +[Bill Gates is totally fine, but hide the tapes.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/o6drqi/bill_gates_gme_interview_in_jan_the_section/) + +[ Bill Gates GME interview in JAN - THE SECTION REMOVED LATER ](https://preview.redd.it/pxfid77i60s91.png?width=653&format=png&auto=webp&s=fef225983f6b981586bff2c28f65265a1c81818a) + +[DFV is waiting at ComputerShare](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/q30k55/incontrovertible_proof_that_dfv_loves_computer/) & [Recent Update](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/xvpunb/dfv_is_waiting_at_computershare/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +[ DFV is waiting at ComputerShare. ](https://preview.redd.it/727q3kgl60s91.png?width=1005&format=png&auto=webp&s=5b84a8750752de56aa5fa829981d2ff6693b488c) + +[The "I love Coke" (Reed) Vortex Theory:](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/we0pg3/i_love_coke_ryan_cohen_on_why_gme_nft_is_going_to/) + +[ \\"I love Coke\\" - Ryan Cohen on why GME NFT is going to take over the world. ](https://preview.redd.it/v8488z2o60s91.png?width=1016&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f83013cef5764d51c6ae113eacbff1bb4a93715) + +Or other [general](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/rkpba1/like_rats_fleeing_a_sinking_ship/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [shit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/uekrp1/deutsche_bank_raided_by_authorities_friday_morning/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) that came [around.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/owgcln/boa_apparently_needs_123b_for_something/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +[The actual suit I wear when digging through Wall Street's bullshit.](https://preview.redd.it/1uree4jr60s91.png?width=1010&format=png&auto=webp&s=d7a8bf427d752aae83a015a509d4b3be3baa8e37) + +# Today, however, I do not bring you shitposts, tinfoil, or memes. + +[This is my Sheriff outfit.](https://preview.redd.it/qy09rihv60s91.png?width=1015&format=png&auto=webp&s=def7ed81377f892bd09d2a4fbed191f9d1555922) + +# Today I show you the DD on how Melvin Capitol concealed crucially important positions from 13F reporting, deceived Congress through his testimony, then made a killing on those shorts with a perfectly timed Archegos meltdown. + +[First, we're working from this page, the Fintel 13F history for Melvin Capital](https://fintel.io/i13fs/melvin-capital-management-lp): + +[Melvin 13F History Fintel Screenshot](https://preview.redd.it/2o8exgpx60s91.png?width=625&format=png&auto=webp&s=f6d603b2c53677585a5f8bc64077dd20fad9689b) + +The first thing that should stand out immediately is that the report for 2020-12-31 reporting period has TWO amendments, with filing dates 2 MONTHS and 6 MONTHS after their initial due date. By itself, this clearly suggests that Melvin is either too incompetent to keep track of the positions in their portfolio, or that they are a bad actor willing to conceal positions from their reporting. However, the real dirt is when we go deeper and consider the timeline. + +[2020-08-14 Filing](https://fintel.io/i13f/melvin-capital-management-lp/2020-06-30-0) \- There is no VIAC short position. This is for the June BEFORE GameStop popped, and was filed in August 2020. + +[Melvin 2020-06-30 13F](https://preview.redd.it/1vy9gllz60s91.png?width=670&format=png&auto=webp&s=a1e8d494d4278a4602862cba4dba4faed137de96) + +VIAC price is $27.46 at this time. [Historical pricing chart for VIAC at Fintel.](https://fintel.io/chart/us/viac) + +[VIAC 08\/14\/20 $27.46](https://preview.redd.it/qba577r170s91.png?width=1896&format=png&auto=webp&s=99de75f0e6880f3fae6613e8db8771d1103b8693) + +Now we'll move 3 months ahead to the [2020-09-30 Filing](https://fintel.io/i13f/melvin-capital-management-lp/2020-09-30-0) \- Melvin has added a nearly $18M short position in VIAC for 640,000 shares with a price average of $28.01 listed. 4 months from these positions, and just 2 months from when this report was filed, GameStop will sneeze. VIAC price at this time is $31.90, which means that Melvin is already underwater on the short. + +[Melvin 2020-09-30 VIAC](https://preview.redd.it/8r9tn3o470s91.png?width=783&format=png&auto=webp&s=1b50d6f3f727e2b0cd78769f28521e4f79b182be) + +Before we get Melvin's next 13F, let's set the stage. The GameStop Sneeze occurs around Jan 25th 2021. The world is rocked by the implications of naked short selling. Melvin Capital is scrambling to survive, and telling everyone that they closed their shorts. Just two weeks after this explosion, Melvin has to file their end of year 13F and reveal the positions they held 2020-12-31. Everyone is watching this filing like hawks, and Melvin knows that people will be looking for other places that Gabriel Plotkin and the fund are still exposed. + +The [2020-12-31](https://fintel.io/i13f/melvin-capital-management-lp/2020-12-31-0) filing drops on February 16th 2021, and the world rushes in to see the GameStop position for themselves. What isn't listed there, however, is the aforementioned VIAC put. Clearly this suggests that Melvin closed this short position sometime between 9/30/2020 and 12/31/2020, considering it was on the previous 13F, but not this one. Melvin knew he couldn't conceal the GME position, there were too many eyes looking for it exactly. Instead, he chooses to hide things that we aren't focused on. + +[2020-12-31 No VIAC Put in Melvin 13F](https://preview.redd.it/topwur0770s91.png?width=769&format=png&auto=webp&s=768c0cf6851428b72bda24383f813225665f68f0) + +Good thing Melvin closed that Put, because at the time of this filing (2/16/2021), VIAC has climbed to $59.14! Melvin's put position, with average share price at $28.01, would have been crushing. On top of the GME situation, it certainly would have weighed heavily on their ability to meet collateral requirements. **Oh, not to mention that this is just 2 days before their Congressional Testimony on 2/18/2021.** + +[VIAC 2\/16\/21 $59.14](https://preview.redd.it/z3wfc2g970s91.png?width=1043&format=png&auto=webp&s=248c1c333a6a6c33d6c061c310734aa89cd31a3c) + +In a free and fair market, this would be the end of our story. In this world, however, money buys justice. 2 MONTHS after this 13F was filed (and 4 MONTHS after the original reporting period) Melvin is somehow allowed to file a [2021-12-31 amendment](https://fintel.io/i13f/melvin-capital-management-lp/2020-12-31-1) on 4/28. + +[Melvin 13F late amendments](https://preview.redd.it/t2hrbved70s91.png?width=693&format=png&auto=webp&s=4d68033641f6ff58a073fe964495d8648c0be8cb) + +And what do you know? THE VIAC PUT WAS NOT CLOSED! NOT EVEN CLOSE! PLOTKIN INCREASED HIS PUT AGAINST VIACOM BY 409%. He's now short on 3.26 million shares. Considering the average share price has risen to $37.26, Melvin has been shorting like crazy all the way up. Sound familiar? It's also worth noting the other considerable positions listed here that were excluded from their original report. + +[Melvin Amended VIAC short 409&#37; increase](https://preview.redd.it/bnh7povf70s91.png?width=783&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3ae8b019d515c7cd3f3bddf2dc0141e94a8f36d) + +So why would Melvin file this amendment now? **Maybe because they're finally clear of being snapped**. In the interim between the filing on 2/16 and this amendment on 4/28, VIAC squeezed from $59.14 to $100.34, then plunged back down to $37.92 before flattening out. + +[VIAC 4\/28\/21 $41.43](https://preview.redd.it/3sysg24i70s91.png?width=1042&format=png&auto=webp&s=6837b9d86b55a74b6f6299e5ac8721bb23384713) + +So WTF happened to it? Well, just 19 days later on 5/17/21, Melvin files their next 13F for the period [2021-03-31](https://fintel.io/i13f/melvin-capital-management-lp/2021-03-31-0). It shows that Melvin closed the VIAC put position entirely. + +[Melvin 2021-03-31 13F VIAC Put SOLD](https://preview.redd.it/86hot5kl70s91.png?width=770&format=png&auto=webp&s=8591ffadbc95a8b33db4be40400b9f03af88580b) + +This means that Melvin closed this position on or before 3/31/2021. What an insanely lucky bastard, considering that VIAC crashed with only days to spare for Melvin to close the short position. On 3/22, Melvin would have been on the hook for $100 per share. Thankfully for Gabriel Plotkin and Melvin, another fund that's long on VIAC gets blown up at the perfect time to save his ass, and provide tons of distraction to take the market's mind off GameStop. You may have heard of them: **ARCHEGOS. Begining March 24th 2021, Wall Street Banks started liquidating Archegos' extreme long exposure to VIAC.** [Timeline of the Archegos Meltdown here.](https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-markets-blocktrades-timeline/timeline-diary-of-a-meltdown-how-the-archegos-capital-fire-sale-went-down-idUSL1N2LS332) + +[VIAC $45.10 3\/31\/2021](https://preview.redd.it/xjte2jgo70s91.png?width=1046&format=png&auto=webp&s=0cc291943fe705198afd12b4f77de6a86cc9982e) + +Now, keep in mind that these 13F only report the positions held on the date of the reporting period, as well as updating any positions listed on previous filings. This means that Melvin likely had exposure to far more than the 3.2M VIAC shares revealed by the amended 13F, having continued to short as hard possible after the original 12/31/2020 report in order to fight down the price - just like they did with GameStop. + +**In Review:** + +* **Melvin hid an enormous Put in Viacom from his 13F reporting. This is a crime.** +* **Melvin's hidden Put in Viacom would have deeply damaged his balance sheets.** +* **Melvin survived with only days to spare, saved by the Archegos meltdown, which took media pressure off the GameStop situation, and financial pressure off his balance sheets.** +* **Melvin likely made fuck loads of money shorting all the way up VIAC's climb, then closing after the crash, just like they tried to do to GameStop.** +* **Melvin's false 13F was filed just 2 days before Congressional testimony where they insisted their shorts had been closed. The amended 13F, in combination with the sale on the 2021-3-31 filing, proves that was a lie. Melvin had an enormous short position in VIAC, was actively shorting VIAC, and lied to protect both himself and his position.** +* **The Archegos Meltdown would go on to consume the majority of the public's reporting and attention to do with Wall Street fuckery. Regulators and investigators across the globe were suddenly handed a much "bigger" crime to solve (Apes vs Banks), a dead body (Archegos is gone, GME shorts still fighting), and an emergency timeline (Credit Suisse & Nomura meltdown).** + +# Join me next time for DD on how Melvin Capital conspired with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley to throw Archegos to the wolves, loot the body, and leave Credit Suisse holding the bag. + +[\\"It's the Death of a Whale, Man.\\" - Biff Loman](https://preview.redd.it/30nzx3xq70s91.png?width=1020&format=png&auto=webp&s=99254f9a31d7887e2ee3298721d0e6b96e1cdef2) +I make $120k per year plus a bonus (probably won't get one this year) that ranges from $5k -$15k. I have approximately $62k in student loans divided between four loans: (1) $20k at 7.9% interest; (2) $28k at 6.8% interest; (3) $9k at 5.41% interest; and (4) $5k at 5% interest. + +The first three listed are federal loans that qualified for Covid-19 forbearance, and therefore have not accrued interest since March. I have not made any payments during the forbearance period (ending 9/30) because I wanted to save money in case I lost my job due to Covid-19. Though I did lose my job, I was given a generous severance and then landed a new (and much lower paying) job a few weeks later. Because of the 'savings' and the influx of cash resulting from the severance overlapping with my new income, I have a seemingly healthy cash reserve. Also, by the end of this month, my monthly budget will be funded through the end of the year. + +I'm inclined to payoff the $20k student loan with the 7.9% interest rate. FYI - I don't believe it would be feasible from a cash standpoint to pay the $28k loan. One of the main reasons I want to pay the loan off is to reduce my monthly minimum payment because my new income is significantly lower than the salary at my old job. I can still afford to pay the current monthly minimum and more with my lower salary, but I like the peace of mind of having a larger buffer in case of an emergency. + +But, I've also wondered if it makes sense to do something else with the money, such as invest $20-25k with a robo-advisor. Or, pay for new siding on my house, which needs to get done as there is some damage that may be causing mold problems. My S.O. and I are saving for the siding project, but it probably won't be fully funded until 2023. I'm a little nervous that the longer we wait the bigger the bill. + +I'd appreciate any feedback. Thank you! +I opened a business this year, and it blew up. I went from making 40k per year and my day job, to my business generating north of 400k. + +I have kept the best books on my business because I was so busy. I’m assuming a owe a ton of taxes on this money. I’ve set aside about 100k to account for taxes but I’m wondering if it’s even enough? + +I have some expenses. Probably about 50k or less in expenses. (I run a flood damage restoration business.) so the expenses are quite low. I’m afraid that the IRS is gonna bury me. Should I consult with a CPA ASAP to help me determine if I’ve saved enough for taxes? +My question is, why doesn't the problem of public debt get the attention it deserves from the government in the US? This is true for both political parties. Currently, public debt stands at over 120% of GDP. It is at the highest it has ever been even surpassing levels during WW2. The total public debt held by the public is forecast to rise to 185% of GDP by 2052. This comes at a time when the population of the US is ageing. In 2016 the portion of the US population over 65 was 15%. By 2050 this is expected to rise to 22%. Therefore there will be even greater pressure on the government to provide social services either through higher taxes, greater borrowing, or both. Now I understand that the current public debt level isn't at crisis levels, but so far there is no foreseeable political will to tackle the problem. Another argument which I hear is that interest rates are close to zero making borrowing cheap. However, interest rates are subject to changes as we are seeing right now. Another thing is that most of the government spending is on benefits which don't provide tangible returns on investment in the economy. So what is the reason for the government allowing this to happen? + +Sources: + +[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEGDQ188S](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEGDQ188S) + +[https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57971](https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57971) + +[https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf](https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf) + +[https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/](https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/) + This is a link to Michael Robert's [blog](https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/), I see a lot of people on the far left cite him as a reputable economist that agrees with their ideas (but honestly I think this is based on confirmation bias) so I wanted to know whether he's credible and what you guys think. +I'm not looking for sympathy, but I just want to share my story so that someone else doesn't have to go through it. + + +This morning I surrendered my dog, Jude, to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. I had been living in a place that didn't allow dogs and snuck him in. The reason I did this was because I never had the money to pay per deposits or live in a pet friendly place. + + +Please make sure your able to take care of ALL the financial aspects of pet ownership. + + +Edit: Thanks for having a great dialogue about this and for both kinds words and tough love. I hope this learning experience is something other people grow from in addition to me. +I’m 21 currently living and studying in Sydney at uni, and have around 50K saved for a deposit with another 35K in shares I could liquidate if I need to. I’ve been thinking about buying my own place but have been constantly advised by my family to NOT buy an apartment/unit at all costs. Given the crazy prices in Sydney, I’m not sure I will be able to afford a free standing home. + +Why is there such a strong negative sentiment towards apartments/units and are they really as bad as people say?? +Can I just say how sick I am of seeing tone deaf 'advice' like this on car-related vent posts??? + +I have been dealing with on and off car problems with different vehicles for about the last three years. Every time I go out to start my car, I get a little twinge of anxiety and I'm just like.... please be good and turn on. + +I know I'm not the only one. + +Do people think we enjoy this feeling?? Like fucker, don't you think if I could **afford** a new car thats what I'd be driving?? New cars are $20k+ and that's just money many of us DON'T HAVE. We are forced to drive whatever we can afford, and many times, what we can afford isn't very good. + +Then there are those that are like "jUsT taKe puBLiC tRaNsPoRtAtiOn!" + +Here's the thing. Here in the US, there are a lot of places where public transportation is unreliable or nonexistent. I live in a rural area where there is no bus line, no train, and no uber service. The ONLY way I am getting to my job 50 miles away is to take a car. + +And don't fucking tell me to move to the city closer to work. I can't afford that any more than I can afford a new car. + +God I could really go on and on about this because I have a lot more to say on this subject but I have to leave for work soon so I'll leave it at this. + +Please cross your fingers for me that my car starts up and doesn't throw a check engine light today. + +***Edit: Thank you kind stranger for the award!*** + +***Edit: Wow....I had no idea my little early morning vent would blow up this much! Thank you for the awards and for all the comments, it's nice to know there's so many other people who just get it.*** +It doesn’t seem like you can time the market so where is the money made? Just luck? I’ve been wondering about this because $tocks aren’t doing me that well rn. I didn’t make much of anything either because everything went down and I’m back to where I started, still holding +I am currently saving for a pair of headphones, that will be the most expensive thing I have ever purchased for just my self, for pure entertainment , coming in at $7K. Talking to some mates about the same deal, the general answers seems to be around watches, which range from couple of grand to a few dozen grand and push bikes, same as watches, as I have to admit my most expensive purchase at present is my bike at 4k. + +One mate is a rev head and has a car he works on as a project and drives when he gets time. + +So wanted to see what other people have dropped money on purely for personal enjoyment. +Note: this post has been expanded from the 5 companies in the title to 11 companies also including Snowflake, Airbnb, Qualtrics, Affirm, Deliveroo and Opendoor. There are a number of other suggestions in the comments of similarly ill-fated IPOs which I could not add for brevity's sake. + +11 of the biggest COVID tech IPOs in 7 different categories (cloud, crypto, gig economy, app economy, e-commerce, fintech, and real estate), all crashed following stellar public offerings. Prices rounded to the nearest digit. + +* SNOW went down from $430 ATH in Dec to 314 in Feb to 232 on Apr 30 and 185 today. +* COIN sunk from ATH of 429 to 250 after narrowly missing earnings expectations today. At one point on the day of its IPO, retail traders were lapping up COIN for as much as $**429**. I will note though that BTC crashed yday for those unaware. As if ARKK bagholders weren't hurting enough! +* DASH crashed from ATH of $256 in late Feb to $110 yday before reporting a bigger-than-expected loss today. They're up 8% in after-hours. +* BMBL halved from $85 ATH to $39 after beating expectations yday. +* WISH crashed from ATH of 33 to 8 after earnings yday. +* CPNG is down from ATH of 69 to 31 after reporting a higher than expected adjusted loss yday. +* Qualtrics (XM) crashed from ATH of $57 to 29 today. +* SPAC merger OPEN crashed from $39 in Feb to its all-time low of 11 today after Tuesday earnings. +* ABNB crashed from $220 on Apr 28 to $133 after-hours today, down from its ATH of $217 on Feb 11 and up from its ATL of $125. The company announced today that their net loss tripled. +* AFRM is down from ATH of $147 in Feb to 47 today. +* Deliveroo (LON: ROO) crashed from ATH of £3.9 on IPO day to £2.3 on Apr 26 and trades at £2.4 today. + +The one newly public tech company that seems to have weathered the storm is Roblox, which reported great earnings on Monday. + +But it's not just tech companies that IPOd in 2020-2021. Hot 2019 IPOs Lyft, Uber, Pinterest, and Snap - which - except for Lyft, all reached their ATHs during COVID - saw significant gains during the pandemic, have also crashed since the end of April. + +* LYFT tanked from $63 on Apr 28 to 46 today. Previously, Lyft dipped below $23 (ATH is close to $80) three times during COVID, most recently in Oct. +* In the same time period, UBER crashed from $58 to $44. +* PINS is down from 78 to 55 since Apr 27. +* SNAP dipped below $50 from 70 from Feb 23 to Mar 29 and is trading at 50 again today. + +These companies aren't just sliding in after-hours or on the day after reporting earnings, we're looking at a prolonged downward trend over weeks either preceding or following earnings. +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +I have tenants that have been living in a property I own for over a year now. Today I got a text message saying that they discovered a bunch of nails on the gravel parking pad at the back of the house. + +They told me that they have had three flat tires since they've moved in and believe that this is the cause. The nails have been removed but tenant's are upset about the flats they have received + +I'm not sure how to respond. Am i to blame for the flats? + +Edit: they also sent me a text saying the property should have been properly inspected. Though they movied in during the winter months so there might have still been snow on the ground. Which is why I might have missed it. + +Edit 2: some people have asked if I have done recent construction or know how the nails got there. And the answer is no to each. +Here is my theory though: The property was a flip and was completely renovated. I faintly remember a big dumpster in the back of the house near the parking pad where a bunch of scraps were kept the first time I went to view the property as a prospective buyer. The dumpster was removed the next time. Didn't think much of it.then is snowed. Possible source of nails? But this was a year and a half ago. +and this is why every time I get a paycheck I have a duty to "protect my investment" + +by Buying -> hodling -> DRSin -> becoming an infinite pool member. + +Remember, that as long as Ape is NOT FKIN leaving, there is NO WAY OUT for the Short Side. + +Keep going, the End is NEAR, PAIN is AHEAD. + +More than they expect. + +Not financial advise. +Fellow Mashed Potato Brains, + +First – Monke Diamond Hands Banana Rocket Rocket Rocket Rocket Moon + +**This is not financial advice. This is speculation based on my limited understanding of SEC rules and documents. Sources linked. Please read edits.** + +**TLDR**: **My opinion** is that Shorts will continue to drive the price down with ladders and try to break the chain of consecutive days where GME is listed as a threshold security. ~~They need at least 1 non-Failure To Deliver day before EoD Thursday.~~ **If** ~~they~~ **an individual short gets even 1 day without** **~~aggregate~~** **Failure To Deliver then the entire 13 consecutive day count restarts \*for that short.** ~~They~~ **The shorts as a whole need 5 consecutive days without aggregate Failure To Deliver to have GME fully removed as a threshold security. Selling is good for them and bad for diamond hands. Ape strong together. Diamond Hands get the Rocket Ship.** **No idea if achieving 13 consecutive days will force the squeeze or not.** + +&#x200B; + +**My opinion** is that Shorts don’t plan to cover their position by Tuesday. They don’t have to. Instead, they will drive the price down for as many days as possible and attempt to break the chain of consecutive settlement (read: business) days where they fail to deliver. GME has been listed as a **threshold security** (see below) for ~~10~~ \*37 consecutive business days (please check my math. I had to count on my fingers). \*Individual Shorts (not the short collective as a whole) need to break their chain of failure to deliver on that threshold security before it reaches **13 consecutive business days**. “Participants of a registered clearing agency must immediately purchase shares to close out fails to deliver in ‘threshold securities’ if the fails to deliver persist for 13 consecutive settlement days.” \[SEC Rule 204\] (link below) + +**If diamond handed monke can HOLD strong and reach 13 consecutive days \*of failure to deliver\* as a threshold security, then the shorts** ~~will~~ **(in theory) should have to cover the positions by buying GME shares or equivalent shares of like kind and quantity.** ~~If maths good, that puts Thursday Feb 4th as day #13.~~ **Ape hold strong.** + +**\*\*Edit 5: Math not good. Jan 18th was holiday. We are at 37 consecutive days. Edit 3 & 6 at bottom for more details.** + +&#x200B; + +We've seen confusion, fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounding what happened Monday Feb 1st. Remember that FUD is one of their greatest weapons against retail investors right now. They want to use it to divide retail and to convince people to sell based on emotion. I’M NOT FUCKING SELLING! + +**Warning: I am not a financial professional or a financial advisor. I read at a grade-3 level. This is not financial advice.** + +\- Read below here if you can or care. + +1. Why no squeeze Monday after $320+ close on Friday? + +Shorts weren’t required to cover their positions on Monday. I think that they have T+2 (time of close + 2 business days) to cover their position. If true, this means they have until EoD Tuesday to cover. After that, they will have failed to deliver on the security. That isn’t good for them, but it isn’t as bad as it sounds. Failure to deliver is like a steppingstone in the process. After 5 consecutive business days with \*aggregate Failure To Deliver, the stock is listed as a threshold security. NYSE Threshold Securities can be checked here [https://www.nyse.com/regulation/threshold-securities](https://www.nyse.com/regulation/threshold-securities) + +It takes 13 consecutive days being listed as a threshold security before the positions must be closed **(If the rules still apply to them)**. \*I believe this is individual short positions that must be closed not all the shorts as a whole.\* + +So, instead of covering, shorts spent the day driving the price down to a more favorable position for them. They may have scared away some paper hands along the way too. + +2. How does that help the shorts? + +Lower price means it costs less to cover and the Shorts have more room to negotiate with other funds. A cheaper darkpool buyout is good for them. If they can lower it enough, covering becomes a non-issue compared to a full on squeeze. + +Shorts want to avoid days where GME fails to deliver and they want to create non-Failure To Deliver days to break the chain of consecutive failures to deliver. This is easier for them if the price is lower. + +3. So squeeze on Tuesday/Wednesday right? + +I don’t think the squeeze happens Tuesday or Wednesday. I think the shorts are setting up the next part of their plan. I think if the squeeze happens this week, it happens because the shorts reach 13 consecutive days where they fail to deliver. This means diamond hands and limiting the number of cheap shares that shorts can buy after ladder attacks aka diamond hands. + +4. We’ve heard this before. So what? + +I agree with the idea that adding RC & friends to the board had a positive influence on the stock price. I don’t think that was the only thing happening when we saw price rise during mid-January. Going back to the idea of 13 consecutive days as a threshold security, we can refer to our NYSE tracker [https://www.nyse.com/regulation/threshold-securities](https://www.nyse.com/regulation/threshold-securities) + +~~Starting at the beginning of the year, we see that Jan 4th is the first day GME is marked as a threshold security~~.<- True but it was already listed as a threshold security starting Dec. 8th. It stays listed as a threshold security through Jan 15th. Remember we don’t count weekends so the count resumes January 19th (18th was a holiday) ~~January 18th. On the 18th, it falls off the list for the day and comes back on January 19th.~~ ~~Without this single day drop-off, the 13-day countdown would have ended at EoD Wednesday Jan 20th.~~ I believe that the price jump we saw can be partially attributed to the fact that \*some of\* the shorts NEEDED to avoid another Failure To Deliver or they would risk being uncovered. That was pre-spike. Now ~~they~~ some shorts are in a similar position closing in on \*their own\* 13th consecutive day. They will do whatever they can to avoid that 13th consecutive day because that means they will avoid having their record books searched through by someone outside their firm/fund.se + +**Threshold Securities** + +Def: Threshold Securities are equity securities that have an aggregate fail to deliver position for + +· Five consecutive settlement days at a registered clearing agency; and + +· Totaling 10,000 shares or more; and + +· Equal to at least 0.5% of the issuer’s total shares outstanding. + +If you see any mistakes or if I missed something, let me know. Looking to keep this as accurate and up to date as possible. + +Relevant links + +SEC - [https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/regsho.htm](https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/regsho.htm) + +See rule 204 “Closing-out Requirements” + +Edit: 'We must hang together or surely we shall all hang separately.' - maybe some smooth brain that has his face on money + +&#x200B; + +Edit 2: It has been brought to my attention that I didn't count Jan. 18th as a holiday when checking the threshold securities list. Going back to check my work now and will mark any edits that are made. Information will not be removed, but I will do my best to address any mistakes I have made. Thank you for your help. + +&#x200B; + +Edit 3: Dec. 25th, Jan. 1st, and Jan 18th were all holidays and NYSE was closed. Going back we see Dec. 8th has GME listed as a threshold security. It was correctly pointed out ( u/AlexGu812 ) that this brings us to 37 consecutive days. I don't know enough about this stuff to confidently say what that means. I think it may have to do with the close-out requirements or it could be a sign of bad faith actions. "The requirement to close out fail to deliver positions in threshold securities that remain for thirteen consecutive settlement days does not apply to any positions that were established prior to the security becoming a threshold security" <-- This may explain why we haven't seen mass closeouts despite passing the 13 day threshold. + +Sourced from [https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/34-50103.htm#P235\_88503](https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/34-50103.htm#P235_88503) \- relevant section can be located with the find tool and typing "98". For me, it is 1 of 18. Clicking the 98 hyperlink will take you to a written example provided by the SEC. + +&#x200B; + +Edit 4: If you feel this doesn't matter because the SEC won't enforce it then please consider contacting your representatives. Rules and regulations should be enforced. We can't encourage a lack of action just because things are hard or more complicated than we thought they would be. + +&#x200B; + +Edit 6: The 37 consecutive days are the shit splatters on an otherwise decent toilet. Let's try to clean it up without automatically assuming foul play. This is a thought exercise, **but I do not know if it holds true in the real world.** + +In the post, I refer to "The Shorts" as a collective, but that's incorrect to assume. Not all shorts are making the same decisions or acting at the same day/time. We know that Failure to Deliver is measured as an aggregate, which is a net balance. If delivered are (+) and failed are (-) then we can figure out if a security failed to deliver by seeing if the net total is positive or negative (my understanding is that as retail we get the data as it becomes available rather than being able to measure it ourselves in real time). Within that net total, some actors will deliver their shares and some will fail to deliver. **Just because a security fails to deliver on the day doesn't mean every actor has failed to deliver. It just means the aggregate is net negative (for this example).** If this line of thinking is correct, it is possible that no individual actor has failed to deliver a threshold security for 13 consecutive days. + +**Again, edit 6 is a thought exercise. Additional input, comments, criticism, and other lines of thinking are welcome.** + +~~Strikethrough~~ (removed) , \* (added), and "edit #" are used to mark changes. +Lets clear out few things based on whats happening today. + +1) The price drop has nothing to do with anything. This is a standard Quarterly Ethnic cleansing of all noobs who came to double their money in a month. We see 30-40 % correction regularly. If you can't stomach it .. GTFO + +2) Roger's Shitcoin is nothing more than a centralized pump and dump scheme. Its led by some really shady people and has actually never been battle tested. If it didn't have Bitcoin in its name then it would be trading at 5 $. + +3) But we do need to recognize that we have a serious mempool issue. We can't honestly preach people that they can buy fraction of Bitcoin or that Bitcoin can solve problems in Venezuela if it bloody takes 30 $ to send a 5 $ worth of Bitcoin. + +There have been studies which show that doubling the Lane size simply doubles the traffic. That will happen here too if we increase the blocksize. But problem here is that we need to survive for 2 years till we have proper long term solution which has been tested like we did for Segwit. + +I work in Tech startups as a developer. I supported the Core team over the whole 2X crises because it seemed like a hostile takeover by others over the repo and Dev team. But we need to recognize that ground reality in last 6 months has changed. We have 10X more people now. I have a complete crypto Boner for LN right now but honestly if I was working on a startup which was growing at 10-20X per year and I said that a scaling solution would come in 2 years .. I would be fired the same day. + +As a developer, 2nd layer solutions make complete sense to me. Its like Horizontal vs Vertical scaling but at what mempool size do we realize that we have a problem which we need to address. + + + +Rant Over. + +Edit: To the kind soul who gave me Reddit Gold. Thank you , I don't really deserve it. I actually feel ashamed. I have been part of this community from Early 2013 without any contributions. I have not even looked at BTC codebase properly. Learning on LN starts today. +Thoughts on Quant MFs? + +Their MFs are doing very good. But then, why the AUM is low ? Is it because they are more aggressive & people are wary that future returns may not follow the past results? + +They seem to do exceptionally well. TER is okay / good. What am I missing here? + +||3Y Returns|TER|AUM (in Cr)| + +|Quant Flexi Cap|37.2%|0.58|640| + +|Quant Tax|39.9%|0.57|1943| + +|Quant Absolute Growth|30.8%|0.56|681| +Good morning all, + +Shitty cnbc recording guy here + +Caught this on squawk box this AM + +Quotes: + +“We don’t know where all the bodies are buried w/ every derivative out there” + +“There is a very large shadow banking system … that has been made larger by increased regulations in the banking system” + +Fed officials “thought pushing people into shadow banking was a strategy and its fine” +Hello everyone, I’ll get straight to the point. I am looking for advice on the best place to put an initial investment of ~$4,000 which will be followed by a recurring weekly investment after that. The ETFs that have caught my eye the most are VOO, VTI, and SCHD. I am 23 years old so I have lots of time to invest and hold for the long term. The capital gains of VOO and VTI are great but the higher dividend yield that could allow me to buy ever more shares faster with SCHD is also very attractive. I’d greatly appreciate any insight or wisdom that any of you could give to me on this. Thanks in advance! +Mod team. If we have been promised anything since the formation of this sub, it is transparency. So why, every time there is something happening within the mod team, you all act like you are sworn to secrecy? + +From Pink’s post today, it seems clear that she does not feel free to talk about an incident involving the mods. + +My inferred understanding of this incident (through re-reading her post) is that Pink had concerns about another mod possibly having become compromised. She took those concerns to the mod team and was met with dis-respect if not open threats. + +She is now stepping back because of that pressure. + +Fuck that noise. You are OUR mod team and I am assuming that you have put procedures in place for whistleblowing. Here is what I want: + +1. Superstonks written policy and procedure on whistleblowing, including protective mesures for whistleblowers. + +2. Superstonks written policy on hearing about, suspecting or recognizing a corrupted Mod and a timeline on how they will be dealt with. + +Seriously, this is no fucking joke. Show us your professionalism and transparency. + +Edit: I am being accused of being a shill, spreading FUD, gotten a few more suicide prevention reports and a zillion downvotes. It’s all good. We’ll get transparency or more crafted “press release” style answers and whichever we get, I will be holding my GME until I can smell the cosmos from my driver-side window. + +Edit 2: Comments are being deleted faster than I can respond. I logged every comment made and the ones that agree with a need for transparency are disappearing. If you have commented and then had it deleted, please message me. + +Edit 3: To whoever is awarding me “Snek” awards twice a second… thanks for spending your money here and not on shorts! +With the higher tax credits I’m been thinking about starting a small scale solar farm. I live in Louisiana but energy rates are fairly low here so CA seems most promising. I can find a few acre of land with what looks like a power hookup from 30-40k. I’m not sure the cost of panels in CA but using prices here probably looking at about break even with some kind of 20-30 year financing at 5% for land and panels. The driver is getting the full 60% credits. In CA if you’re under 1MW of production it’s the same rules as residential. Looks like over that, and especially over 5MW, you’re paying much more fees and subject to more rules. Anybody been looking into this? +https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-bezos/amazon-founder-bezos-divorce-final-with-38-billion-settlement-report-idUSKCN1U1011 + +(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos' divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, was finalized by a Seattle-area judge on Friday, paving the way for her to receive $38.3 billion worth of Amazon stock, Bloomberg reported. + +In April, Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, said in a filing that 4% of its outstanding stock or 19.7 million shares would be registered in MacKenzie Bezos' name after court approval of the divorce. + +The couple announced their plan to divorce in a joint Twitter statement in January, causing some to worry that Jeff Bezos could wind up with reduced Amazon voting power or that he or MacKenzie would liquidate large position. +38 single male here and I recently blew through my lean FIRE target of 1.5MM and am sitting at 1.7MM. I'm finding that work isn't particularly stressful and just waiting for financial milestones to pass at work is tempting. ESPP, RSU vesting, and bonuses are spaced out through the year such that it feels like a carrot dangling in front of me. I do understand that time is the ultimate non-renewable resource but I guess the fear of plunging into uncertainty and the ease of accumulating more wealth quickly is the comfortable and convenient option. + +Can anyone out there share anecdotes of when and how they pulled the trigger? Was there trepidation and how did you get over it? How did it turn out? +After lurking on this sub for the better part of a year, I thought that I would share some good news about how this sub has helped me. + +&#x200B; + +For some background: I'm a 1st generation college student, "aged-out" foster youth who recently graduated after 7 years of trying. I suffered from a TBI during college, leaving me both disabled physically and partially mentally (both with mental health issues, a learning disability, and possible MS diagnosis). To top it off, I've been homeless 6+ times in my life, twice during my college career. During this ordeal, finances were my #1 concern since I don't have family to back me up when the going gets tough. This meant eating scraps during college 'winter break', crashing on someone's couch during a transition, or getting internships from cities multiple miles away so that they would offer me housing and pay over a long summer period. + +&#x200B; + +While the process wasn't pretty, I hadn't had formal access to budgeting or information about things like healthcare and 401k's. My upbringing didn't teach me and my university sure as heck didn't assist. That being said, this sub was my saving grace. This community has kept me out of the hole regarding credit card debt, bad credit scores, and high APR rates for car loans. As of today, I have just accepted a job offer of 63k/year (in the midwest) and start next week; this is 3x larger than my highest hourly rate since I started working at 16. + +&#x200B; + +I can't thank this community enough. You acted as both my parent and mentor giving me guidance when I needed it most. The best that I can do is make this hopefully inspiring post and give my heartfelt gratitude/advice to others. So, from the bottom of my heart; thank you. + +&#x200B; + +TLDR; OP broke 3rd generational poverty due to this sub; please give yourself a pat on the back and keep doing what you're doing! <3 + +&#x200B; + +Edit: I returned to see that this had blown up!! Thank you for all of your well wishes and advice. I will never forget today or the love that I feel right now. <3 +Unpublished and scheduled to be posted on the federal register tomorrow. This will close several loopholes that market makers and HF have over retail investors for all trades routed to IEX. + +[https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-07676.pdf](https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-07676.pdf) + +The purpose of the proposed rule change is to enhance the Exchange’s Retail Price Improvement Program for the **benefit of retail investors.** Specifically, the Exchange proposes to make the following four changes: (i) revise the definition of Retail order in IEX Rule 11.190(b)(15) to **apply only to the trading interest of a natural person that does not place more than 390 equity orders per day** on average during a calendar month for its own beneficial account(s);7 (ii) **provide Order Book8 priority to Retail Liquidity Provider (“RLP”) orders9 at the Midpoint Price10 ahead of other non-displayed orders priced to execute at the Midpoint Price;** (iii) disseminate a “Retail Liquidity Identifier” through the Exchange’s proprietary market data feeds and the appropriate securities information processor (“SIP”) when RLP order interest aggregated to form at least one round lot for a particular security is available in the System,11 provided that the RLP order interest is resting at the Midpoint Price and is **priced at least $0.001 better than the NBB12 or NBO13**; and (iv) amend the definition of RLP orders so **such orders can only be midpoint peg orders**,14 cannot be Discretionary Peg orders,15 and cannot include a minimum quantity restriction.16 The proposed changes are designed to further support and enhance the ability of non-professional retail investors to obtain meaningful price improvement by incentivizing market participants to compete to provide such price improvement. + +Retail Liquidity Provider means a broker that routes retail orders through the IEX. You can call your broker and see if they are an RLP for IEX. + +**Ape speak:** + +*This completely negates the ability for other firms to see retail orders before execution and then act accordingly to manipulate the price. This would give retail orders* ***Priority over other non-displayed orders. These orders are routinely used to drop price even when buying pressure is increased.*** + +Read some of the DD to learn a bit on how **non displayed orders** are likely being used by citadel and friends to manipulate the price. + +Overall, it seems like a major step in the right direction to help level the playing field. It looks like it has to go through the traditional comment period before approval. (Not an advance notice). + +Still reading will add more as needed. +Hello all. Woke up this morning to see my mailbox (and all my neighbors) had been literally pried open and gutted. It's been about three or four days since I last checked it, and I hand't received my W2's last I checked (which always go out in January) so I'm assuming the worst and that they were taken. + +&#x200B; + +I've already filed a police report. What should I do now? What should I look out for? +Net profit of 525 crore in Q1 2020. + +Earnings Per Share of Rs 54.50 => around Rs 216 for a year. + +P/E > 75 (16500 / 216) + + +https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachLive/7d292e2e-63b3-4985-b430-2f485174d339.pdf + + + +Comparing with other companies, ITC profit after tax is Rs 15085.97 crore while Nestle is Rs 2031.32 crore. But ITC market cap is 200,000 crore, and Nestle's is 160,000 crore, despite ITC posting 5x more profit than Nestle. + +Maruti suzuki with profit after tax of 6183.30 (3 times that of Nestle) has a lower market cap of 149,000 crore. + +Is this sustainable or some kind of bubble? Why does Market value Nestle so much? + +I am looking to invest as it has good corporate governance but the price seems unreasonably high +Hey Gang. + +&#x200B; + +In conjunction with the Overlords of Reddit and the **Mod** community, we have written submissions for the [Social Media Anti Trolling Bill Draft Legislation 2021](https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/publications/exposure-draft-social-media-anti-trolling-bill-2021). + +&#x200B; + +This is in response to the call for [Public Submissions](https://consultations.ag.gov.au/legal-system/social-media-anti-trolling-bill/) from those involved in the Operation of Social Media Forums. + +&#x200B; + +We value transparency here, so below is a copy of my written submission in relation to the potential impacts on r/ASX_Bets as a result of the legislation in it's current form. + +&#x200B; + +Remember, the legislation is only a **draft** at this stage. + +&#x200B; + +Anyone who has a extension or an alternate to this view feel free to comment below. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +&#x200B; + +I am a sub-reddit moderator for the Australian Stock Market sub-reddit, r/ASX_Bets. + +&#x200B; + +Some specifics of the sub are necessary prior to detailing my position for the Public Submissions. + +&#x200B; + +We have grown our sub from creation in March 2020 to approximately 85 thousand members. From the access we have to Reddit’s growth graphs and empirical data, we can reasonably presume that this growth rate has been quite swift. A myriad of factors are required for explanation to contextualize that growth, suffice it to say that we have expanded rapidly due to demand for the platform. + +&#x200B; + +Our rules structure is very clear. We have a priority pinned post that details the rules, a welcome message that directs new users to the rules and they are also a part of the side bar on the main sub feed. Within the best of our ability and within the confines of the culture, we moderate to those rules. + +There a 5 Moderators and although we run the day to day with a degree of autonomy, we make our significant decisions via ‘*majority rules consensus*’ in our group chat. Culture is specifically important as I will detail later, especially in relation to the proposed Bill. + +&#x200B; + +The nature of our sub could best be described as irreverent, fun, edgy and high octane. We primarily have content posted on the more speculative end of the ASX exchange, as a result this attracts a certain type of user. We periodically receive requests from companies to market their products to our users and we have remained united as a team in not allowing any of these to contravene Reddit rules. + +&#x200B; + +To the best of my knowledge, we are one of the largest ASX stock forums. We have periodically been in contact with the ASIC and we enjoy a good relationship with them. We actively seek out and ban ‘’\*pumpers\*’’, a term used to describe those who co-ordinate manipulated attacks on specific stocks, another unique and necessary part of our culture. + +&#x200B; + +We run competitions, give-away’s and ban contests, which all contribute to create the culture we have on the sub. The mod team is an active presence on the sub and we enjoy a good relationship with our user base. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The central concerns regarding the proposed Bill are 3 fold and relate to the Bill and its potential impact on our Sub. + +Primarily, the actual purpose of this proposal. + +The second part is related specifically to culture of our Sub, the third to the sharing of information and the implications of such an action. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Put simply in regards to the first concern: How is this proposed legislation different, in any meaningful way, to a social forums ‘’**Report and Ignore Function**?’’ + +It appears that the focus here is on the punitive element as opposed to any preventative aspect in regards to promoting awareness of personal responsibility in relation to how you deal with the online world when on the receiving end of the content. + +&#x200B; + +In no way do I promote or support cyber bullying, but I also understand in a world that relies so heavily on being online that one must accept the reality of that world. Our Prime Minister has been quoted as saying ‘*’I want to ensure our kids are safe*’’ in relation to this Bill, surely a focus on instilling the necessary resiliency and techniques to manage these situations are a better way forward, or at least a dual approach in relation to a punitive one for offenders. + +&#x200B; + +I have no direct issue with punitive measures, more with the metrics for assessment in regards to the terms that define an offence. We have well established regulations regarding what constitutes hate speech and these should be upheld, the rest is a more subjective conversation. In addition to safety, I would prefer that we are equipped and capable of handling these situations. + +&#x200B; + +Within this primary concern is also the factor of who is able to meaningfully pursue alleged offenders under the Bill, once the title of offender has been specified. Will it be a cost prohibitive exercise, encouraging those with means to further suppress any opinion they might not agree with whilst simultaneously further demoralizing others who are unable to afford this brand of justice? + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +To deal with point 2 in regards to how the Bill can impact our Sub. + +&#x200B; + +The stock exchange is an unforgiving environment, highly nuanced and very challenging to operate in. Without going into a lengthy explanation on the position of the retail investor its enough to highlight that they do make up a minority market share and presence. + +We are well aware of the laws surrounding collusion and co-ordinated retail purchasing, hence the description on ‘’*pumpers*’’ above. Our sub provides a place for discussion, debate and for the challenging of ideas. It provides a place for users to post their Due Diligence and research on companies, their frustrations, humor, wins and their losses. + +We have our **Flairs** (*the descriptive tag applied to the post*) designed accordingly, to delineate the specific content of each post. The nature of our sub is that the individuals involved are passionate about their content and extremely robust discussions are the inevitable result. + +We allow a certain degree of conflict and colorful language, precisely because its the most contextually accurate way for our users to get their perspectives across. All who participate do so of their own free will and the culture is leveling in that regard, being that to participate in the discussion the user accepts the boundaries of that discussion are wide and allow a level of discourse that in another circumstance may be considered inappropriate. + +&#x200B; + +To put it more concisely, they participate precisely because they enjoy that type of discourse conducted in that type of environment with cognizant and willing users. + +&#x200B; + +Implicit within your engagement in such a forum is the presupposition that you accept the nature of said forum. + +&#x200B; + +We have concerns that the proposed Bill may cause a significant impediment to those discussions taking place, which in turn will severely impact the thriving culture of our Sub. The relationship to ‘’*trolling*’’ or accusations of such is self evident and I don’t think requires further explanation regarding the highly exploitable nature of such a Bill. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The 3rd concern relates to the actual content of information posted on the sub. + +&#x200B; + +We have a large number of users who post highly researched thesis’s on specific companies listed on the Stock Exchange. All our information is publicly available and complies with the relevant laws regarding disclosure and inside information. If it does not, the content is deleted by the Mod team and the user is banned. Highlighted within our rule structure is **Rule 5**, which says in full: + +&#x200B; + +\*\*- Don’t give or act like anything here is financial advice.\*\* + +&#x200B; + +Underneath this bold heading the text further explains ‘’*You make your own mistakes. There ASIC, are you happy now’’* + +&#x200B; + +This rule neatly captures the cultural element discussed earlier. The rule is clear, the quip underneath contextualizes the rule and its relationship to personal responsibility and our reputation as a bit of a ‘’*rogue*’’ place to be. + +We support the rules, we encourage free thinking. + +&#x200B; + +Our primary concern here is that ‘’*trolling*’’ can be ambiguous and is a highly subjective term. Our users post the content on anonymous user profiles, although each profile does indeed exhibit its own personality as the user becomes more familiar with the forum and vice versa. We have posting (karma) requirements for posts, meaning our ‘’auto moderator’’ will automatically delete any post not from a recognized user. + +Being that the users on a sub decide each individuals profile ‘’competency’’ by voting them up or down in relation to their content, the playing field is self levelling. Trusted users who post quality content get voted up, others get voted down and their content becomes harder to post. + +&#x200B; + +Essentially, this is the quasi-democratic system of Reddit taking effect and any democracy functions in its most truthful form as an anonymous process. + +Surely the absurdity of a users anonymity being compromised due to down-voting a post they don’t agree with under the guise of it being a ‘*trolling*’ action is self evident, yet I don’t see any specific boundaries within the proposed legislation where this absurdity, or any other extrapolation of similar, would be prohibited from manifesting itself. + +&#x200B; + +We strongly feel that our users will be disinclined to post content when they can be potentially exploited and their anonymous profile threatened under the guise of ‘’*trolling*’’. In turn, this will severely impact the points discussed above regarding culture. + +We have a reporting culture regarding ‘’*trolling*’’ already, it has been created by the Mod’s and is adopted, expanded and utilized by the userbase. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The cultural aspects of the sub have been shaped by the moderating team but embodied by the users to create conditions where this type of growth has been possible and encouraged. We feel the proposed Bill significantly undermine this, at least in so far as it is able to be exploited. + +&#x200B; + +Our Sub reddit has been molded in a way to suit the requirements of the users who wish to engage with such a environment. No one is forced to join in, all are free to leave at anytime. + +&#x200B; + +If you are going to provide a place in which people can think for themselves, you are going to risk offending people. + +&#x200B; + +The entire notion of freedom of thought or speech is predicated on the fact that this may put you in opposition to others. Freedom and choice by their very nature are divisive. + +&#x200B; + +Online privacy has more aspects than simply protecting freedom of speech. People are often more inclined to shares personal information in an anonymous setting with like minded individuals. This is precisely the concept behind the many ‘anonymous’ organizations or help groups. People provide donations, advice and many other things fundamentally essential to us as humans that they otherwise may be hesitant to do if their privacy is easily compromised. + +&#x200B; + +If a Bill, although premised upon the concept of increased sensitivity and a duty of care towards others feelings, is able to be arbitrarily applied to any circumstance where a person feels ‘’*trolling*’’ has taken place and the result is the compromised nature of another’s ability to remain anonymous or be free to express themselves, then the bill becomes self defeating. + +&#x200B; + +Indeed in its worst circumstance, it becomes a tool that exploits the very thing it was initially designed to protect. + +&#x200B; + +username-taken82 - Moderator +Hey Gang. + +&#x200B; + +In conjunction with the Overlords of Reddit and the **Mod** community, we have written submissions for the [Social Media Anti Trolling Bill Draft Legislation 2021](https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/publications/exposure-draft-social-media-anti-trolling-bill-2021). + +&#x200B; + +This is in response to the call for [Public Submissions](https://consultations.ag.gov.au/legal-system/social-media-anti-trolling-bill/) from those involved in the Operation of Social Media Forums. + +&#x200B; + +We value transparency here, so below is a copy of my written submission in relation to the potential impacts on r/ASX_Bets as a result of the legislation in it's current form. + +&#x200B; + +Remember, the legislation is only a **draft** at this stage. + +&#x200B; + +Anyone who has a extension or an alternate to this view feel free to comment below. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +&#x200B; + +I am a sub-reddit moderator for the Australian Stock Market sub-reddit, r/ASX_Bets. + +&#x200B; + +Some specifics of the sub are necessary prior to detailing my position for the Public Submissions. + +&#x200B; + +We have grown our sub from creation in March 2020 to approximately 85 thousand members. From the access we have to Reddit’s growth graphs and empirical data, we can reasonably presume that this growth rate has been quite swift. A myriad of factors are required for explanation to contextualize that growth, suffice it to say that we have expanded rapidly due to demand for the platform. + +&#x200B; + +Our rules structure is very clear. We have a priority pinned post that details the rules, a welcome message that directs new users to the rules and they are also a part of the side bar on the main sub feed. Within the best of our ability and within the confines of the culture, we moderate to those rules. + +There a 5 Moderators and although we run the day to day with a degree of autonomy, we make our significant decisions via ‘*majority rules consensus*’ in our group chat. Culture is specifically important as I will detail later, especially in relation to the proposed Bill. + +&#x200B; + +The nature of our sub could best be described as irreverent, fun, edgy and high octane. We primarily have content posted on the more speculative end of the ASX exchange, as a result this attracts a certain type of user. We periodically receive requests from companies to market their products to our users and we have remained united as a team in not allowing any of these to contravene Reddit rules. + +&#x200B; + +To the best of my knowledge, we are one of the largest ASX stock forums. We have periodically been in contact with the ASIC and we enjoy a good relationship with them. We actively seek out and ban ‘’\*pumpers\*’’, a term used to describe those who co-ordinate manipulated attacks on specific stocks, another unique and necessary part of our culture. + +&#x200B; + +We run competitions, give-away’s and ban contests, which all contribute to create the culture we have on the sub. The mod team is an active presence on the sub and we enjoy a good relationship with our user base. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The central concerns regarding the proposed Bill are 3 fold and relate to the Bill and its potential impact on our Sub. + +Primarily, the actual purpose of this proposal. + +The second part is related specifically to culture of our Sub, the third to the sharing of information and the implications of such an action. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Put simply in regards to the first concern: How is this proposed legislation different, in any meaningful way, to a social forums ‘’**Report and Ignore Function**?’’ + +It appears that the focus here is on the punitive element as opposed to any preventative aspect in regards to promoting awareness of personal responsibility in relation to how you deal with the online world when on the receiving end of the content. + +&#x200B; + +In no way do I promote or support cyber bullying, but I also understand in a world that relies so heavily on being online that one must accept the reality of that world. Our Prime Minister has been quoted as saying ‘*’I want to ensure our kids are safe*’’ in relation to this Bill, surely a focus on instilling the necessary resiliency and techniques to manage these situations are a better way forward, or at least a dual approach in relation to a punitive one for offenders. + +&#x200B; + +I have no direct issue with punitive measures, more with the metrics for assessment in regards to the terms that define an offence. We have well established regulations regarding what constitutes hate speech and these should be upheld, the rest is a more subjective conversation. In addition to safety, I would prefer that we are equipped and capable of handling these situations. + +&#x200B; + +Within this primary concern is also the factor of who is able to meaningfully pursue alleged offenders under the Bill, once the title of offender has been specified. Will it be a cost prohibitive exercise, encouraging those with means to further suppress any opinion they might not agree with whilst simultaneously further demoralizing others who are unable to afford this brand of justice? + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +To deal with point 2 in regards to how the Bill can impact our Sub. + +&#x200B; + +The stock exchange is an unforgiving environment, highly nuanced and very challenging to operate in. Without going into a lengthy explanation on the position of the retail investor its enough to highlight that they do make up a minority market share and presence. + +We are well aware of the laws surrounding collusion and co-ordinated retail purchasing, hence the description on ‘’*pumpers*’’ above. Our sub provides a place for discussion, debate and for the challenging of ideas. It provides a place for users to post their Due Diligence and research on companies, their frustrations, humor, wins and their losses. + +We have our **Flairs** (*the descriptive tag applied to the post*) designed accordingly, to delineate the specific content of each post. The nature of our sub is that the individuals involved are passionate about their content and extremely robust discussions are the inevitable result. + +We allow a certain degree of conflict and colorful language, precisely because its the most contextually accurate way for our users to get their perspectives across. All who participate do so of their own free will and the culture is leveling in that regard, being that to participate in the discussion the user accepts the boundaries of that discussion are wide and allow a level of discourse that in another circumstance may be considered inappropriate. + +&#x200B; + +To put it more concisely, they participate precisely because they enjoy that type of discourse conducted in that type of environment with cognizant and willing users. + +&#x200B; + +Implicit within your engagement in such a forum is the presupposition that you accept the nature of said forum. + +&#x200B; + +We have concerns that the proposed Bill may cause a significant impediment to those discussions taking place, which in turn will severely impact the thriving culture of our Sub. The relationship to ‘’*trolling*’’ or accusations of such is self evident and I don’t think requires further explanation regarding the highly exploitable nature of such a Bill. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The 3rd concern relates to the actual content of information posted on the sub. + +&#x200B; + +We have a large number of users who post highly researched thesis’s on specific companies listed on the Stock Exchange. All our information is publicly available and complies with the relevant laws regarding disclosure and inside information. If it does not, the content is deleted by the Mod team and the user is banned. Highlighted within our rule structure is **Rule 5**, which says in full: + +&#x200B; + +\*\*- Don’t give or act like anything here is financial advice.\*\* + +&#x200B; + +Underneath this bold heading the text further explains ‘’*You make your own mistakes. There ASIC, are you happy now’’* + +&#x200B; + +This rule neatly captures the cultural element discussed earlier. The rule is clear, the quip underneath contextualizes the rule and its relationship to personal responsibility and our reputation as a bit of a ‘’*rogue*’’ place to be. + +We support the rules, we encourage free thinking. + +&#x200B; + +Our primary concern here is that ‘’*trolling*’’ can be ambiguous and is a highly subjective term. Our users post the content on anonymous user profiles, although each profile does indeed exhibit its own personality as the user becomes more familiar with the forum and vice versa. We have posting (karma) requirements for posts, meaning our ‘’auto moderator’’ will automatically delete any post not from a recognized user. + +Being that the users on a sub decide each individuals profile ‘’competency’’ by voting them up or down in relation to their content, the playing field is self levelling. Trusted users who post quality content get voted up, others get voted down and their content becomes harder to post. + +&#x200B; + +Essentially, this is the quasi-democratic system of Reddit taking effect and any democracy functions in its most truthful form as an anonymous process. + +Surely the absurdity of a users anonymity being compromised due to down-voting a post they don’t agree with under the guise of it being a ‘*trolling*’ action is self evident, yet I don’t see any specific boundaries within the proposed legislation where this absurdity, or any other extrapolation of similar, would be prohibited from manifesting itself. + +&#x200B; + +We strongly feel that our users will be disinclined to post content when they can be potentially exploited and their anonymous profile threatened under the guise of ‘’*trolling*’’. In turn, this will severely impact the points discussed above regarding culture. + +We have a reporting culture regarding ‘’*trolling*’’ already, it has been created by the Mod’s and is adopted, expanded and utilized by the userbase. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The cultural aspects of the sub have been shaped by the moderating team but embodied by the users to create conditions where this type of growth has been possible and encouraged. We feel the proposed Bill significantly undermine this, at least in so far as it is able to be exploited. + +&#x200B; + +Our Sub reddit has been molded in a way to suit the requirements of the users who wish to engage with such a environment. No one is forced to join in, all are free to leave at anytime. + +&#x200B; + +If you are going to provide a place in which people can think for themselves, you are going to risk offending people. + +&#x200B; + +The entire notion of freedom of thought or speech is predicated on the fact that this may put you in opposition to others. Freedom and choice by their very nature are divisive. + +&#x200B; + +Online privacy has more aspects than simply protecting freedom of speech. People are often more inclined to shares personal information in an anonymous setting with like minded individuals. This is precisely the concept behind the many ‘anonymous’ organizations or help groups. People provide donations, advice and many other things fundamentally essential to us as humans that they otherwise may be hesitant to do if their privacy is easily compromised. + +&#x200B; + +If a Bill, although premised upon the concept of increased sensitivity and a duty of care towards others feelings, is able to be arbitrarily applied to any circumstance where a person feels ‘’*trolling*’’ has taken place and the result is the compromised nature of another’s ability to remain anonymous or be free to express themselves, then the bill becomes self defeating. + +&#x200B; + +Indeed in its worst circumstance, it becomes a tool that exploits the very thing it was initially designed to protect. + +&#x200B; + +username-taken82 - Moderator +Hey Gang. + +&#x200B; + +In conjunction with the Overlords of Reddit and the **Mod** community, we have written submissions for the [Social Media Anti Trolling Bill Draft Legislation 2021](https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/publications/exposure-draft-social-media-anti-trolling-bill-2021). + +&#x200B; + +This is in response to the call for [Public Submissions](https://consultations.ag.gov.au/legal-system/social-media-anti-trolling-bill/) from those involved in the Operation of Social Media Forums. + +&#x200B; + +We value transparency here, so below is a copy of my written submission in relation to the potential impacts on r/ASX_Bets as a result of the legislation in it's current form. + +&#x200B; + +Remember, the legislation is only a **draft** at this stage. + +&#x200B; + +Anyone who has a extension or an alternate to this view feel free to comment below. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +&#x200B; + +I am a sub-reddit moderator for the Australian Stock Market sub-reddit, r/ASX_Bets. + +&#x200B; + +Some specifics of the sub are necessary prior to detailing my position for the Public Submissions. + +&#x200B; + +We have grown our sub from creation in March 2020 to approximately 85 thousand members. From the access we have to Reddit’s growth graphs and empirical data, we can reasonably presume that this growth rate has been quite swift. A myriad of factors are required for explanation to contextualize that growth, suffice it to say that we have expanded rapidly due to demand for the platform. + +&#x200B; + +Our rules structure is very clear. We have a priority pinned post that details the rules, a welcome message that directs new users to the rules and they are also a part of the side bar on the main sub feed. Within the best of our ability and within the confines of the culture, we moderate to those rules. + +There a 5 Moderators and although we run the day to day with a degree of autonomy, we make our significant decisions via ‘*majority rules consensus*’ in our group chat. Culture is specifically important as I will detail later, especially in relation to the proposed Bill. + +&#x200B; + +The nature of our sub could best be described as irreverent, fun, edgy and high octane. We primarily have content posted on the more speculative end of the ASX exchange, as a result this attracts a certain type of user. We periodically receive requests from companies to market their products to our users and we have remained united as a team in not allowing any of these to contravene Reddit rules. + +&#x200B; + +To the best of my knowledge, we are one of the largest ASX stock forums. We have periodically been in contact with the ASIC and we enjoy a good relationship with them. We actively seek out and ban ‘’\*pumpers\*’’, a term used to describe those who co-ordinate manipulated attacks on specific stocks, another unique and necessary part of our culture. + +&#x200B; + +We run competitions, give-away’s and ban contests, which all contribute to create the culture we have on the sub. The mod team is an active presence on the sub and we enjoy a good relationship with our user base. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The central concerns regarding the proposed Bill are 3 fold and relate to the Bill and its potential impact on our Sub. + +Primarily, the actual purpose of this proposal. + +The second part is related specifically to culture of our Sub, the third to the sharing of information and the implications of such an action. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Put simply in regards to the first concern: How is this proposed legislation different, in any meaningful way, to a social forums ‘’**Report and Ignore Function**?’’ + +It appears that the focus here is on the punitive element as opposed to any preventative aspect in regards to promoting awareness of personal responsibility in relation to how you deal with the online world when on the receiving end of the content. + +&#x200B; + +In no way do I promote or support cyber bullying, but I also understand in a world that relies so heavily on being online that one must accept the reality of that world. Our Prime Minister has been quoted as saying ‘*’I want to ensure our kids are safe*’’ in relation to this Bill, surely a focus on instilling the necessary resiliency and techniques to manage these situations are a better way forward, or at least a dual approach in relation to a punitive one for offenders. + +&#x200B; + +I have no direct issue with punitive measures, more with the metrics for assessment in regards to the terms that define an offence. We have well established regulations regarding what constitutes hate speech and these should be upheld, the rest is a more subjective conversation. In addition to safety, I would prefer that we are equipped and capable of handling these situations. + +&#x200B; + +Within this primary concern is also the factor of who is able to meaningfully pursue alleged offenders under the Bill, once the title of offender has been specified. Will it be a cost prohibitive exercise, encouraging those with means to further suppress any opinion they might not agree with whilst simultaneously further demoralizing others who are unable to afford this brand of justice? + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +To deal with point 2 in regards to how the Bill can impact our Sub. + +&#x200B; + +The stock exchange is an unforgiving environment, highly nuanced and very challenging to operate in. Without going into a lengthy explanation on the position of the retail investor its enough to highlight that they do make up a minority market share and presence. + +We are well aware of the laws surrounding collusion and co-ordinated retail purchasing, hence the description on ‘’*pumpers*’’ above. Our sub provides a place for discussion, debate and for the challenging of ideas. It provides a place for users to post their Due Diligence and research on companies, their frustrations, humor, wins and their losses. + +We have our **Flairs** (*the descriptive tag applied to the post*) designed accordingly, to delineate the specific content of each post. The nature of our sub is that the individuals involved are passionate about their content and extremely robust discussions are the inevitable result. + +We allow a certain degree of conflict and colorful language, precisely because its the most contextually accurate way for our users to get their perspectives across. All who participate do so of their own free will and the culture is leveling in that regard, being that to participate in the discussion the user accepts the boundaries of that discussion are wide and allow a level of discourse that in another circumstance may be considered inappropriate. + +&#x200B; + +To put it more concisely, they participate precisely because they enjoy that type of discourse conducted in that type of environment with cognizant and willing users. + +&#x200B; + +Implicit within your engagement in such a forum is the presupposition that you accept the nature of said forum. + +&#x200B; + +We have concerns that the proposed Bill may cause a significant impediment to those discussions taking place, which in turn will severely impact the thriving culture of our Sub. The relationship to ‘’*trolling*’’ or accusations of such is self evident and I don’t think requires further explanation regarding the highly exploitable nature of such a Bill. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The 3rd concern relates to the actual content of information posted on the sub. + +&#x200B; + +We have a large number of users who post highly researched thesis’s on specific companies listed on the Stock Exchange. All our information is publicly available and complies with the relevant laws regarding disclosure and inside information. If it does not, the content is deleted by the Mod team and the user is banned. Highlighted within our rule structure is **Rule 5**, which says in full: + +&#x200B; + +\*\*- Don’t give or act like anything here is financial advice.\*\* + +&#x200B; + +Underneath this bold heading the text further explains ‘’*You make your own mistakes. There ASIC, are you happy now’’* + +&#x200B; + +This rule neatly captures the cultural element discussed earlier. The rule is clear, the quip underneath contextualizes the rule and its relationship to personal responsibility and our reputation as a bit of a ‘’*rogue*’’ place to be. + +We support the rules, we encourage free thinking. + +&#x200B; + +Our primary concern here is that ‘’*trolling*’’ can be ambiguous and is a highly subjective term. Our users post the content on anonymous user profiles, although each profile does indeed exhibit its own personality as the user becomes more familiar with the forum and vice versa. We have posting (karma) requirements for posts, meaning our ‘’auto moderator’’ will automatically delete any post not from a recognized user. + +Being that the users on a sub decide each individuals profile ‘’competency’’ by voting them up or down in relation to their content, the playing field is self levelling. Trusted users who post quality content get voted up, others get voted down and their content becomes harder to post. + +&#x200B; + +Essentially, this is the quasi-democratic system of Reddit taking effect and any democracy functions in its most truthful form as an anonymous process. + +Surely the absurdity of a users anonymity being compromised due to down-voting a post they don’t agree with under the guise of it being a ‘*trolling*’ action is self evident, yet I don’t see any specific boundaries within the proposed legislation where this absurdity, or any other extrapolation of similar, would be prohibited from manifesting itself. + +&#x200B; + +We strongly feel that our users will be disinclined to post content when they can be potentially exploited and their anonymous profile threatened under the guise of ‘’*trolling*’’. In turn, this will severely impact the points discussed above regarding culture. + +We have a reporting culture regarding ‘’*trolling*’’ already, it has been created by the Mod’s and is adopted, expanded and utilized by the userbase. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +The cultural aspects of the sub have been shaped by the moderating team but embodied by the users to create conditions where this type of growth has been possible and encouraged. We feel the proposed Bill significantly undermine this, at least in so far as it is able to be exploited. + +&#x200B; + +Our Sub reddit has been molded in a way to suit the requirements of the users who wish to engage with such a environment. No one is forced to join in, all are free to leave at anytime. + +&#x200B; + +If you are going to provide a place in which people can think for themselves, you are going to risk offending people. + +&#x200B; + +The entire notion of freedom of thought or speech is predicated on the fact that this may put you in opposition to others. Freedom and choice by their very nature are divisive. + +&#x200B; + +Online privacy has more aspects than simply protecting freedom of speech. People are often more inclined to shares personal information in an anonymous setting with like minded individuals. This is precisely the concept behind the many ‘anonymous’ organizations or help groups. People provide donations, advice and many other things fundamentally essential to us as humans that they otherwise may be hesitant to do if their privacy is easily compromised. + +&#x200B; + +If a Bill, although premised upon the concept of increased sensitivity and a duty of care towards others feelings, is able to be arbitrarily applied to any circumstance where a person feels ‘’*trolling*’’ has taken place and the result is the compromised nature of another’s ability to remain anonymous or be free to express themselves, then the bill becomes self defeating. + +&#x200B; + +Indeed in its worst circumstance, it becomes a tool that exploits the very thing it was initially designed to protect. + +&#x200B; + +username-taken82 - Moderator +'Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt - many jobs being lost!' - trump + + +Interesting as it may be, Amazon has been going on hiring sprees around the country, recently hiring as many as 50k employees. They have new warehouses in Michigan opening, and the newspapers are widely reporting the jobs coming as a result. + + +MarketWatch published this today: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/many-young-people-shouldnt-save-for-retirement-says-research-based-on-a-nobel-prize-winning-theory-11664562570 + +I am extremely suspicious of this "research". Sounds like the sort of story governments that want to have you by the balls when you're old would push to prevent you from being financially independent. + +It's a mathematical truth that starting saving and investing earlier leads to greater gains later in life and helps you being independent. +It seems like everyday now there’s a new post about someone selling all their stocks because of something President Trump says, or new posts full of concern trolling with little to no investing content. I get it, he’s plainly unconventional and isn’t a herald of stability. If that comes as a shock to you, frankly if anything he says or does comes as a shock to you, you haven’t been paying attention during the last 2 years. His platform hasn’t magically changed overnight, and tariffs did not just spontaneously fly out of left field. + + +Politics is an awful, awful, awful determinant in investment decisions. Warren Buffett has time and time again repeated that sentiment, and if you think you have a better investment dogma than Warren Buffett then hats off to you, but I’ll take his word over anyone else’s. + + +No one knows where this market is going. If they claim they do then they are lying to you. All you can do is stick to your investment philosophy and risk tolerance and go from there, but I implore you to take the advice of Warren Buffett and leave politics out of your investment decisions. Good, profitable businesses will continue to do well despite those circumstances. + + +This is the official $GME Megathread for r/Superstonk. Please keep ALL conversations contained to Gamestop and related topics. + +**Not enough karma?** Here's a [**quick guide**](https://zapier.com/blog/how-to-get-karma-on-reddit/) on how to get it. + +# [announcements](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/wiki/index/announcements) + +* Make sure to check the Announcements regularly. 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Regulations preventing evictions expire at end of year. Literally a few hours later another article pops up on my feed saying how housing prices are expected to continue to increase next year and into 2022! So which is it because I missed out on a home in my dream neighborhood about a year ago and am waiting for another one to pop up but not if its gonna be priced through the roof! I was hoping for prices to stabilize somewhat.....I am in south florida btw...so very high housing prices overall. +With oil prices rising, how are you guys treating oil stocks? +For instance, Sunoco has an 8.66% dividend. I'm thinking of moving some 401k into a few oil stocks + President Joe Biden and White House officials are continuing to downplay recession fears, even as they brace for a highly anticipated report that could show the economy shrinking for a second consecutive quarter. + +"We're not going to be in a recession, in my view," Biden told reporters on Monday. "The employment rate is still one of the lowest we've had in history. It's in the 3.6 (percent) area. We still find ourselves, the people, investing." + +"My hope is we go from this rapid growth to a steady growth. And so, we'll see some coming down. But I don't think we're going to -- God willing -- I don't think we're going to see a recession," he continued. + +While there is no steadfast rule governing what defines a recession in the United States, it is commonly understood to be two consecutive quarters of the country's gross domestic product -- or GDP -- shrinking. But a small group of economists on the Business Cycle Dating Committee officially define when the US economy is in a recession, and they define a recession as involving "a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months." + +The US is expecting a number of key economic reports this week aside from the second quarter GDP numbers coming Thursday, including Tuesday's consumer confidence survey and Friday's Personal Consumption Expenditure index. The Federal Reserve also meets on Wednesday to discuss interest rates. + +Top Biden administration officials continue to insist the economy is not in recession amid widespread inflation. + +Source: [https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/25/politics/white-house-recession-worries/index.html](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/25/politics/white-house-recession-worries/index.html) + +**President Joe Biden says ‘we’re not going to be in a recession, in my view’.** + +**Do you agree?** +I've lived in flatshares all my adult life but I'm feeling the need to get some more control over my living situation and maybe try renting myself. I've calculated of how much more that would cost and between the increased rent and not being able to split bills my total living expenses (rent + council tax + bills) would jump up 55% to roughly a third my take-home income. + +Now, I know that spending a 1/3 of your income on living situation is a perfectly reasonable amount (according to the internet at least). So why do I feel extremely guilty for letting myself think of upping my living standards in exchange for not being able to save as much month to month? I mean I know why it is (grew up in a not-so-well-off family and have a pretty funny relationship with money because of that) but how do I get rid of it? + +On one hand you've got not spending money on much unless necessary and on the other you've got indulging wants on a whim. The balance is definitely somewhere in between that. What's your personal approach to negotiating those? +Hear Ye Hear Ye, we have a matter before the court. + + +u/PortelloKing has made a claim of a [24 Bagger](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/rvhdjt/my_first_double_bag_il/hr5jf1l/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) on SXY. + + +A purchase price of 0.178 was sent through, the stonk is currently over $4. + + +However, some cunning investigation by the mods (ok, we opened Commsex and looked at a chart) has revealed a large discrepancy in the SP and the date OP claimed to purchase. + + +The culprit: 1:10 consolidation. + +OP did come clean regarding the consolidation, however, we don’t take kindly to this type of ruse, so this one is going out to the mob for a verdict. + +Are they simply a retard? + +Are they trying it on? + +Are they intentionally misleading the good folk of r/ASX_Bets? + + + + +Options below. + +[View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/rvr1lm) +I'm not going to pretend to be an expert in options, but I know that the topic has been taboo in this sub... And for no good reason as well. There are safe options strategies that can and should be discussed in our fight for the MOASS. Every path should be sought out. Charles Gradante in the post recently suppressed on Reddit pretty much validates that it was Call options on GME that mooned the price. Go watch it if you haven't... It gives me chills. + +If you want MOASS as bad as I do, you'll seek out all paths to it. Price is extremely low right now which means options are VERY cheap. With the upcoming price action in January (FTDs due), we could very much see a squeeze in January. I know enough about options that you'd want to buy expiration dates after the expected price movement so maybe Feb or March expiration dates might be worth noting. + +I am in no way against DRS... But I'm not against call options either. Heck DFV was all about calls and exercising options when they went in the money. I think it's an absolute shame call options aren't being talked about as openly as it should. I'd like to change that here in this sub. + +Thoughts? +Doing uni part time and finally got a job wirh a part time contract rather than casual in a sector I love. + +I read barefoot a couple of months ago and finally cracked $2000 yesterday. I’ve never had that money saved without it being towards something. + +I feel really good about it, and just wanted to share it with people who get it +I used to buy stuff all the time thinking that the more I have, the happier I will be. I grew up poor, so I didn't have many nice things growing up. When I started working, I would always spend my money buying the trendiest items, latest gadgets... anything I saw other people post about on social media or in my circle of friends. I thought having what they had will help me fit in. Until it all became too exhausting. + +Late last year, I had a good look at my finances and was surprised to see how much money was wasted on things I didn’t really need, or I only used for a short while and have completely forgotten about. Mind you, I wasn’t that bad. I was still saving a bit but definitely less than I expected. I decided to change my habits and finally take control of my money. I listed down all my goals, created a savings account where I would transfer money for my bills and savings right after payday and religiously tried to live off the remaining amount. + +It’s been 4 months and I just realised something: I am actually happier living with less. It’s like the desire to keep up with everyone just disappeared. I see things for their long term use instead of their short term gratification. +I couldn’t care less if my phone is 3 years old, it’s working fine. I cleaned up my wardrobe and now own some staple items: 3 pairs of jeans, 2 coats, some casual and formal shirts. I have 4 pairs of shoes. I don’t mind if people think I wear the same 3 shirts because the truth of the matter is, they actually don’t care either. I have decluttered my room and thrown away so much stuff that used to be money. The money that I had in exchange of my time. I was sad to see how my time on earth ended up being another item in the bin. + +Somehow, I also stopped feeling so pressured that everyone is buying a house and I’m still sharing a flat. This is what I can afford and that’s ok. + +I’m saving around 40% of my income now. The less I spend on material things means I now have more to save for the important things in my life like travelling and saving up for an early retirement. + +If you ever feel the pressure of having more possessions or comparing yourself to others, think about this: all these stuff are just resources we won't see when we're dead. Try your best to be a good person, find your purpose in life and learn to live with peace and contentment. +My position has always been that the best traders are the ones who can make profit even in a bearish market, and that those trading strategies are often the best ones to employ regardless of market conditions. If anyone here has managed to do this in the past three weeks or so, I’m curious how you managed to do it - either having supernatural timing with Tether or simply cashing out and re-entering the market at key times. I can’t think of a single moonshot that has happened in three weeks, so I suspect profit would be made strategically rather than simply finding an incredible project three weeks ago and going all in. +I think everyone on this page talks about money and how much they're making. I've sometimes seen some people feel disheartened when they compare their own income to it. But, I saw this info earlier, I would've posted the picture here. But, pictures are not allowed. The info is as follows: + +&#x200B; + +**Top 1%: £175,000+** + +**Top 5%: £76,800+** + +**Top 10%: £54,900** + +**Top 13%: £50,000** + +**Top 25%: £37,000** + +**Top 37%: £30,000** + +**Top 50%: £24,400** + +&#x200B; + +As always income can be misleading as it can be different depending on where you live. But, this is still nice to look at the average and not feel disheartened when seeing other people's salaries. + +&#x200B; + +Source: [https://twitter.com/MillMoneyUK/status/1326861952182857729?s=20](https://twitter.com/MillMoneyUK/status/1326861952182857729?s=20) + +&#x200B; + +Edit: Thanks to SnakeyEM down below in the comments to provide the original source which is: + +[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/percentile-points-from-1-to-99-for-total-income-before-and-after-tax](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/percentile-points-from-1-to-99-for-total-income-before-and-after-tax) +One of these will be the anchor to my portfolio. I always hear a lot of, "Just invest in the S&P 500 if you want to yield what the market yields,"which would be VOO, but then I see a ton of VTI or VT recommendations on here. + +Do any of you have the time to give me some pros and cons or your personal opinions? 34 years old and hoping to retire by 60. Making 102k salary right now, 20% saved via 401k and Roth IRA. About 68k saved right now. I don't know if any of that matters, but I figured I'd offer some context. + +Thanks for your time. +Wholesale prices rose 0.2% in October, less than expected, as inflation eases + +https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/15/wholesale-prices-rose-0point2percent-in-october-less-than-expected-as-inflation-eases.html?__source=androidappshare + +Looks like premarket is up big on this news. Yet another sign inflation is slowing. +https://np.reddit.com/r/IndiaInvestments/comments/cfw0zx/will_yes_bank_go_bankrupt + +https://np.reddit.com/r/IndiaInvestments/comments/cgrlfg/do_we_see_any_coming_back_for_yes_bank/ + + + +We had some great discussion from 7 months ago about Yes bank. Some were worried and some were confident that Yes bank will NOT fail. + +I don't know if you call the current situation a failure or not, but some of the speculations was interesting to read after 7 months. +Welp, many of you have said that real estate income or small business income shouldn't be counted as part of your FIRE number. I kinda took offense of that notion in the past. I thought to myself that if I save enough to encounter 10% vacancy, have a healthy reserve, I should be OK. Who would knew this Pandemic just threw all of these conventional RE wisdom in the trash. + +A huge part of my post FIRE income would have come from my real estate investments. It's totally rocky right now with very uncertain future due to the shutdown. But I am still hoping for the best. + +I did take this sub's recommendation and built a pretty sizable Cash/Bonds/Stocks mix. FireCalc showed that I have a 98% success rate to live off that stash for 20 years without any additional income. I am in my early 40's. And yes, I am counting on some SS and a sizable "inheritance" (It's a house I bought for my parents in the 90's. It's paid off. I still own it.) + +Since this pandemic, I took an unpaid leave from my job and it suppose to end after 3 months. It has been 6 weeks without any work and I am feeling the best!!! + +I don’t have to do the stupid daily stand up to report to the higher being what I have been up to. No more nagging emails from HR, my boss, compliance and IT department. ZERO stress! I get up every morning to have coffee and breakfast without getting rushed, situate my kid to the remote classroom, read news on my computer, go for a little nice walk, have home made lunch, take a nap, do a workout, watch movies, bake a dessert with my kid… Wow, I didn’t know life can be this good. The dreadful feeling that eventually I still have to return to work really puts me down. If only if I could count on my RE investment, I would have pulled the trigger with no hesitation. + +Some FIRE folks said that it doesn't have to be 0% or 100%. Deep down, I really want to just take a chance. I am good for 20 years at least using my savings. My real estate income didn’t go down to 0 even in this hellish climate. + +What if I don't live very long? That would sucked real bad if I die prematurely. Maybe I should just take a chance and live a little. Humans are extremely resilient. We change, adapt and survive. It doesn't have to be one formula fits all. +Hi, I am a new dividend investor and I started one month ago. Yesterday, I bought one share of Microsoft at $294. Now the share price is at $285. Is this considered a dip, or should wait a little longer? Is there any other stock or etf I should be investing in right now? +Yes, the market will recover: that’s a fact. + +However, it can take a long time to recover. The nasdaq took over a decade to recover in some instances. + +I understand the sentiment of “hold and even buy more when they start to go down” but if you are in your 60s and want to retire soon and can’t wait a decade and see your portfolio get smashed for years I think it’s understandable to go cash + +But if you are young, ride this out. + +Just please consider that there’s no all advice fits all here. Some of us are older then others. I’m young but if my dad was considering going mostly cash at his age of 67 I would understand. What if the market doesn’t recover until he’s in his mid 70s? +Hey Superstonk, + +Earlier today we had a visit by Bill Pulte (u/RealPulte) who was eager to engage with our community. + +Y'all did a great job of being your welcoming, curious, skeptical and raucous self, and generally, the impression we got is that Bill had a great time! + +After a few hours, however, Bill and the mods agreed that a more organized approach might be helpful to get the most valuable questions direct to his eyes, so here's your opportunity to ask him anything. + +Please vote on the questions, so we get the best ones to the top, and in a few days he'll return to respond to them in a written AMA format, exact date to be announced soon. + +&#x200B; + +[credit u\/hyperblu7](https://preview.redd.it/h2bv32y8zls81.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=870fa853833e6dcd7bd51f339c474ba59ca46666) + +edit: I am smooth brained. Meme credit to u/hyperblu7 \- [https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/u05dfe/sorry\_excuse\_my\_friends/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/u05dfe/sorry_excuse_my_friends/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) +While I still have a long, fun, way to go before mastering trading, I do believe I have implemented a trick in my analysis that can help everyone. I don't see it mentioned often around, so I assume it is not common. + +The advice is to, right before entering a trade, open a blank chart of the same instrument and perform another analysis with the opposite bias. If, for example, you wanted to go short on GBPUSD, try opening a new GBPUSD chart and start looking for reasons to go long instead. + +I find doing this helped me immensely to assume a more neutral view of the markets. We often don't realize that we are marrying a position that, in reality, isn't as clear as we convinced ourselves to be. +My win rate went from 20-30% with shit RR to almost 80%, 1-3 RR per win. Exact same strategy but of course lower number of trades. Why did this happen? I am thinking that I must have been trading "noise" for the past few years but now it is trading more solid SR levels are everyone looks at not some random support resistance +What we're seeing now is just the beginning of a major pushback by SHF's, and confirmation for me at least that we're on the right track. + +The Streisand effect was at max after NBC edited out the section where GG talked about dark pools and GG simply retweeted it. The thing that happened in plain sight in that interview that GG didn't get proper recognition for was when the 3rd man started suggesting repeatedly that GG should do some "speaking engagements", "help everyone understand", by which I think we can all presume he meant 'paid speaking engagements' since that's clearly how the machine works. If you watch that section GG just shook his head and laughed it off. He knows what that's about, and he knows the path he's chosen is the road less travelled. + +My guess as to what's happened since is this: Citadel realise that they have both an incoming regulatory investigation and a narrative problem. They've kicked the can by shutting down the story and ignoring it, but GG's tweet with the missing interview set the stage, this will get bigger. What to do? + +They get hold of best pal Andrew Sorkin, widely read finance journo and guy who came up with the TV series Billions, which follows a hedge fund owner whose life approach is to steamroller regulators and enemies and win by whatever means necessary (they say you should write what you know). + +They need more public visibility he'll likely have said, they should use their 'standing' to point out that they are the establishment and these reddit types are conspiracy theorists. Get back to social/youtube, be forward, I'll draw them into a narrative where we misrepresent some of their DD so it sounds like crazy nonsense he might have said, nobody checks sources for us MSM types anymore, so people will believe us, see our inserted interpretations, think that's what reddit thinks, and decide reddit are crazy. + +If this sounds familiar to anyone it should, it's a version of the Theranos end-game PR gameplan. If you haven't seen any of the Theranos documentaries, go find one, the HBO one was good. In summary: Multi-Billion dollar blood testing tech startup run by forceful exec who has managed to bend influential people to her will and coerce others to control the narrative has actually lied to conceal the fact that the tests don't work at all and Theranos as a company is a scam. + +The journo that finally broke the Theranos story (after being threatened incidentally) said something a lot like this: When you were looking at it none of the parts made any sense, and everyone kept dismissing them. But once you took the 10,000ft view and came to the only logical realisation the whole thing was built on lies, it all made sense. + +SO: Recognising these kinds of approaches are being deployed helps us better manage how we react to them. Clearly they have a need to being doing this or they wouldn't bother. I've said it before, I'll say it again: For a bunch of people that, ahem, "closed in January" they all seem mightily preoccupied by a situation that "doesn't exist" and shouldn't make the slightest difference to any of them. +I got fucked with blackberry. Couldn’t sell covered calls on my shares. + +Now TDA Suddenly blocked RKT! This is ridiculous! Any stock that trends up suddenly gets restricted and we can’t do shit about it! + +Fuck TDA! +With the market down significantly for the year, what are some examples of great companies that are values right now? Also please provide a reasoning why you think it’s at a good price to buy. +Hi all, it seems like there is a growing percentage of people going into cash hoping for a large market correction (+15%). Do any folks recall situations where inflation rose fast, but no large market correction actually happened? + +Thank you. +EDIT: Numbers are in $CAD + +Hello everyone, I've been following this subreddit for almost 2 years and recently hit a milestone I wouldn't have reached this early if it wasn't for all of you. I wanted to give my thanks, as well as show you how I ended up where I am for anyone interested in reading. + +Current financial breakdown: + +- Checking Account: $3201.89 +- Savings Account: $19,199.92 +- Investment/Retirement Accounts:$78,736.47 + +TOTAL: $101,138.28 + + +2016 ($14k NW end of year) + +[June]  - Just graduated from highschool and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. With college application deadlines coming to an end very soon, and having my teachers, guidance counselors, and parents rush me to make up my mind, I randomly decided to take an accounting major in college because I heard it was in demand. + +[September] - Began my first year of college as well as maintaining 30+ hours at the grocery store I was working at throughout highschool. + +2017 ($31k NW end of year) + +[February] - First semester of college was coming to an end and I was completely miserable. The work was not difficult, the load was not too much for me, but deep in my stomach it just felt so wrong. I knew it wasn't for me and I began showing symptoms of depression because of it that even my close friends began to notice + +[April] - After 2 more months of feeling unmotivated and depressed I decided to pull the plug and drop out. I had no plan B, it was a spur of the moment decision and it felt like the 1000lbs I was carrying on my shoulders was finally gone. + +[June] - Spent the last 2 months working at the grocery store full time and my parents were fed up. We we're arguing every day because of my decision to drop out and after a heated argument they kicked me out the house at 19 years old. + +[July] - Spent 2 weeks with a friend while looking for a place. Ended up finding a basement apartment for cheap and moved in. I knew the minimum wage grocery store job wasn't going to cut it so I found an ad for a construction labourer position paying slightly higher ($35k/yr) and got hired. I spent the rest of the year slaving away and saving every penny I could. I was living VERY cheaply + +2018 ($46k NW end of year) + +(June) - After almost a year of working my ass off, starting earlier then everyone, staying later then everyone, coming in on the weekends to sweep and clean up, the company owner began to be very fond of me and gave me the position of Lead Labourer. This new position almost doubled my income, putting me at $60k/yr. Although the massive pay increase tempted me to splurge, I continued living as if I was still making $35k, and dumped all the extra money into my investment accounts. + +2019 ($72k NW end of year) + +(January - December) - This year not much changed. I was working the same job and still living in the same basement apartment alone. I continued living extremely frugally and was focusing on adding as much money to my investment accounts as possible, even if that meant sacrificing things I really wanted. + +2020 (101K NW end of year) + +(March) - Bought a car for $11k as a birthday gift to myself as I was tired of taking the bus. + +(April) - COVID hit, but thankfully I was able to continue working, most weeks actually working more hours then usual. + +(September) Been working consistently the whole year with no breaks or shutting down due to the virus. The same company owner that gave me a promotion in 2018 asked me if I'd like to train to become a crane operator and I gladly accepted. My wage will remain the same, but once I'm fully certified in about 3 - 4 years I can expect $120k/yr. + +(December) - Just deposited the cheque that puts me at $101k NW! Thank you all for the motivation! +I've seen some discussion on this sub recently blaming some people that they are here only to make profit. To make quick money. "Why do you care about price going up or down if you are never selling?" and other silly arguments. + + +And let me tell you. Yes the majority here, is in it for the money. It's because we are screwed. The society is still expecting an average male to earn a lot of money and provide for their family etc. but people in their 30s have been f**d in the arse for the last 15 years or more. + + +No wage growth, no prospects in many countries, constant financial crisis that keeps hitting and hitting us from all sides, and now inflation which will melt our savings, that is if we are lucky to have any savings in the first place, education system is a joke in most countries, crippling debts, high cost of living, rents going up and up, and so on and on, I could go on forever. + + +Crypto for a lot of us is the only way out, our only way to be able to afford a house or a flat in the future. So yeah, you bet I'm in it for the money and I don't give a damn what people think. Priority number one for me is to provide for my family. + +Edit: Thank you for the rewards, please but don't spend money on me. Instead, please donate to Ukrainian charities: +https://np.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/tgc00n/want_to_support_ukraine_heres_a_list_of_charities/ +SamuraiCheems + +Just stealth launched - 4K Market Cap + +🥷SamuraiCheems🥷 will be your favorite degen. Created to be hyped by the community and shilled everywhere. + +Do your part , shill this everywhere and lets make a shit load of money 💰💰 + +Marketing push will be big so hold your $SMC to see some big figures coming.... or sell for peanuts, sellers get rekt 📈 + +🟢Buy : 2% + +🔴Sell : 3% + +🚀 POTENTIAL 1000X + +💻 BASED TEAM + +🔐 LP LOCKED / CONTRACT VERIFIED + +CA : 00x3ab873e47f6ce6180e4dae9f778a4736a2647ff4 + +TG : [https://t.me/SamuraiCheemsOfficial](https://t.me/SamuraiCheemsOfficial) + +✳️MILESTONE ✳️ + +\~40K Market Cap + +➡️TG Group Pins + +➡️Hard Shill + +➡️Soft Shill + +➡️CMS Reddit Posts + +40K+ Market Cap + +➡️Influencer Tweets + +➡️Major TG Pins + +➡️Major TG Calls + +150K+ Market Cap + +➡️Live DOX + +➡️Moonarch Snipes AMA + +➡️Major Influencer Tweets (Messiah / Caesar & More) + +400K+ Market Cap + +➡️Ads Poocoin + +➡️Ads Bogged Chart + +➡️TravLadd AMA + +🔔武士奇 姆斯🔔 + +📯刚刚隐身推出 - 2K市值 + +🥷SamuraiCheems🥷 将是您最喜欢的变种。 旨在被社区大肆宣传并随处可见。 + +📯尽自己的一份力量，到处撒谎，让我们赚大钱💰💰 + +📯营销推动力会很大，所以拿着你的 $SMC 来看看一些大人物的到来......或者卖花生，卖家会得到回报 📈 + +🟢购买：2% + +🔴销售：3% + +🚀 潜力 1000 倍 + +💻 基础团队 + +🔐 LP 已锁定/合同已验证 + +📯CA：00x3ab873e47f6ce6180e4dae9f778a4736a2647ff4 + +📌TG: [u/SamuraiCheemsOfficial](https://www.reddit.com/u/SamuraiCheemsOfficial/) + +🐋🌊 LFG 伙计们🐋🌊 +https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/where-has-all-the-money-gone-from-the-system-11575966965857.html + +The author suggests that linking PAN with transactions has lead to money being dried up. What could be other reasons behind it? +If Gme announces 200 million votes we have our catalyst. Proxy statement points to requesting an early vote (thanks to other apes for finding this) + +I’ve never been one to request upvotes so instead please share this information when you see people talking about voting throughout the community + +I like the stock + +I like to vote + +Edit since there are a lot of questions about voting. If you were a shareholder on April 15th your brokerage should be sending out proxy materials very soon. Some have already gotten them some haven’t. If you haven’t I would recommend calling or messaging your brokerage later today. The email will tell you how to vote as will gamestops website. Hope that helps clear up some of the questions! + +And since this got so much visibility I do think this is a potential catalyst, but more importantly it will show the corruption of the financial system through counterfeit shares and naked shorting. So I get to have a free market and Kenny g goes to jail? You son of a bitch I’m in. Vote!!!!! +As an American, a pipe dream of mine has always been to own a second, modest home in France and live there for 3-4 months per year. I've been running potential numbers lately to see how realistic this dream might be, and I think I could eventually make it work *only if* I can rent it out while my family isn't there. + +I would likely purchase something close to the Alps, so skiing would be the biggest draw. I would probably end up doing short-term rentals through something like Airbnb with a solid property manager. + +Has anyone ever done something like this? What sort of returns do you target? If I could generate enough rental income just to cover the mortgage, I'd be happy, but I'm curious if there is an industry standard. + +Thanks in advance! +https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/09/microsoft-xbox-series-x-price-release-date.html + +Microsoft on Wednesday announced that its new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S gaming consoles will be available on Nov. 10. Pre-orders start on Sept. 22. + +The high-end Xbox Series X will cost $499 while the entry-level Xbox Series S will cost $299. + +Microsoft will also offer a financing plan that allows customers to pay for either console over 24 months. The Xbox Series S costs $24.99 per month on that plan while the Xbox Series X will cost $34.99 per month. +Hello Everyone! + + +Hello all, so this has been getting a good reception and helping people in many ways, and I'm just so happy for that. Is everyone holding up okay? Lots of turbulence in the world right now, as well as personally for alot of people. It's okay to take a breather! + +So earnings was yesterday, and DRS numbers were revealed! Pretty decent IMO. The Nft marketplace was also officially given a launch window, which is also bullish! Ryan Cohen has also been aggressively tweeting and calling out short selling, who knows what he has in store for the coming weeks. + + Anyone need food or essentials? Please reach out to the community and speak up! No shame. Many here can help make sure that you and your loved ones are good. There is no reason anyone should be without. Ive seen so many comments of people in tough times, it just absolutely pains me to see this. I don't know how to even do this. I'm sure we can find a way in keeping this responsible and anonymous. Anonymous is the word, no one is asking for anyone to be doxed here. + +No one should be without. We're all family here. Even if this helps a few people then it's worth it. + +If you need help, if you're struggling, please ask. We are all a collective community, and there's no shame in seeking support if you need it. Also you don't need to be in the same area, hopefully you can find someone/people to help! If you just need to vent that's fine too. + +Just wanna go over a few ground rules for this post. Feeling frustrated and tired here IS okay, but spreading FUD is not. A little leway will be given but outright saying you sold (true or not) isn't the best to post. Also helping out is absolutely okay, and welcomed, but I think the line has to be drawn at things like official charity links and gofundmes. Also remember that while this is an online community, we are all individual investors. But also remember that needing help is okay and youre not alone. + +And for the critics, not everyone who's struggling is over leveraged. Alot can change in a year, and you just never know what people are truly going through. A little compassion never hurts 😄. + +Cheers everyone 🍻 + +Use your gut and ape help ape! WAGMI. And remember, short sellers are the dumb stormtroopers of the investing galaxy 🩳🥴👨‍🚀🌌 ! +(Not little for me) Turning 18 on Wednesday and get access to my child trust fund that has about £1000 in; how would you spend this? Would love some advice, I’m thinking of learning to trade and putting some money in but other than that I’m not sure :) +I truly need to make more money and would love your input. I have a college degree and work for a decent company in sales but really don’t make much. I have a great credit score and very little debt. I’ve been venturing into the cryptocurrency world the past few years which has had its good and bad moments. I’m currently looking for side project suggestions for earning supplemental income but I would definitely quit my job if another opportunity has more potential. I would be willing to take classes or get another degree if it was the best route. What would you do if you were me and needed to get ahead? +I just lost 6000 euros as a deposit to reserve a property we wanted to buy because we couldn't confirm a mortgage approval in time, which ended up being my fault. The sellers we're being very strict. + +I've lost 7000 GBP before from a client that didn't pay their invoices. But I don't see that as a loss since I also made a lot of good money from that same client. + +For me a loss is like losing money in a stupid way. Like an investment doesn't count because risk is part of investing. + +But this deposit I lost was just bad judgement on my part right from the beginning. I lost it in a stupid way. + +What's the most amount of money you lost in one go in a stupid way. Like you just threw it in the trash. +Hi. Can anyone tell me how a $1, $20, $50, and $100 Note looks today? + +Many years ago an aunt sent us some banknotes. Is it still relevant or has it changed? + +I live in Israel and wanted to exchange the money for local currency. Will they accept it? + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/zeo7vvtgeqo81.jpg?width=1311&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cabe8625fe92bedd24ab6597be46740a1438fca3 + +&#x200B; + +We also found 50 euro note. Is it possible to use them? + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/1649a3jpiqo81.jpg?width=1960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49c3cf7ac47c0a7a3efe90e3f3cd8cf1563106f5 +If you got 40k a year for life what would you do?; + +A. During your free time? +B. With the money? + +The thing with this thought is that you can’t have another job. + +(Also you must pay your bills out of the 40k) +I am okay with risk (not crazy, but more risk than like SHCD). I currently own AGNC, NLY, MORT, and HNDL and will be putting a lot into SCHD, but I am just curious what stocks you would recommend that have high yields and aren't too risky for 4-5 years :) +At closing prices ($148/share) he currently has $22,845,638, including: + +50,000 shares + +800 4/16 $12 (LOL) calls, which I can count as 80,000 shares + +$4.84m cash + +&#x200B; + +So, to reach the $260,000,000 market cap that GME had in July 2020, we need his 130,000 shares to increase by about $237 million - which leaves us at an increase of $1824.26 per share, or a share price of $1971.26. + +I then rounded this number up to $2000, because large pretty round numbers attract clicks from you retards. +**\*Obligatory** – I am not a financial advisor, and this is not financial advice. I am simply an idiot with internet access. I've labeled this post as "possible DD" as it contains some speculation regarding the votes. + +**TL;DR** Form N-PX is the annual proxy voting record for “Registered Management Investment Companies”. These are primarily filings for mutual funds & ETFs (funds) and shows us how each fund voted their shares regarding all proxy votes they cast for companies’ issues for their annual meetings. + +I was able to review the filings of 196 funds’ voting records for GME’s last vote for the 2022 annual meeting (6/2/22) and found that just 53 of the funds voted FOR the increase to the authorized common stock from 300M to 1B (this is not actual shares in circulation but is the maximum amount to be allowed into circulation) 53/196 = 27.04% voted FOR the increase. + +**73% of registered funds voted AGAINST GameStop management’s recommendation for an increase to the authorized common stock from 300M to 1B shares.** 8 Filings were omitted due to the file being too big for my computer to open so the % could go up or down slightly. + +Vanguard and Blackrock funds voted FOR the increase. Vanguard funds hold large positions in GME and their votes alone FOR the increase to common stock outweighed all 73% of funds who voted AGAINST the proposal. + +# Form N-PX Proxy Voting Results + +From 7/26/22 – 8/31/22 196 ‘funds’ filed form N-PX which lists how they cast their proxy votes for GME’s voting issues for the last annual meeting, which took place on 6/2/22. + +Of the 196 funds who cast votes and filed form N-PX, just 53 funds voted FOR the increase to the authorized common shares from 300M to 1B. This equates to 27% of funds voting FOR the increase. + +**Important note:** There were 8 filing entities whose files were too large for me to open (thanks for the shitty website SEC) so they have been omitted from this research. Here is the list of filing entities that are not included in this research: + +Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III, Filed 8/30/22 + +Allianz Variable Insurance Products Trust, Filed 8/18/22 + +American Century ETF Trust, Filed 8/19/22 + +Brighthouse Funds Trust II, Filed 8/26/22 + +Empower Funds, Inc, Filed 8/25/22 + +Fidelity Salem Street Trust, Filed 8/26/22 + +Forethought Variable Insurance Trust, Filed 8/20/22 + +Variable Insurance Products Fund II, Filed 8/26/22 + +If anyone can open these filings and tell me the results, I will update these funds’ GME proxy voting records on this post. + +Here's the link to all the Form N-PXs that were filed for GME's last vote: [Form N-PX Gamestop Search Results EDGAR](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/search/#/q=gamestop&dateRange=custom&category=custom&startdt=2022-06-01&enddt=2022-08-31&forms=N-PX) + +Without further ado, here are the funds the voted **FOR** the increase in authorized shares from 300M to 1B: + +https://preview.redd.it/vdy82qgoshl91.jpg?width=1146&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d521933531c4f136d5e234e852464d0d4af0abfb + +[6.2M FOR votes from 53 funds](https://preview.redd.it/1zouxcfqshl91.jpg?width=1146&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee82b5fd67a178acea0b4d88ea125048a2e2f451) + +The “For” votes surprised me a little bit as Vanguard funds have been loaning out a substantial amount of GME (See my previous [NPORT GME Deep Dive](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/tpm5si/nport_gme_deep_dive_so_much_gme_lending_total/) post), and Blackrock has a lot of shares loaned through their iShares ETFs. However, once I thought on this more, I may have figured out why they voted “For” the authorized common stock increase and its pretty simple. I believe Blackrock and Vanguard may be net long GME AND their counterparty exposure (from lending the securities) is less than the potential long gains. I also believe they located shares to be lent for short selling whereas some other brokers/market makers most likely did not, BUT they won’t force MOASS because it will cause the implosion of the rest of the market, and they don’t want to be blamed for the depression that will ensue. Vanguard and Blackrock are the 2nd and 3rd largest GME shareholders (behind RC Ventures) with 23.8M and 20.6M shares being held outside of their “funds” holdings... This is simply a theory though and isn’t backed by any other data. + +Vanguard’s votes held A LOT of weight compared to other funds who filed their N-PX forms. Vanguard’s FOR votes alone outweighed ALL the votes from the 73% of funds who voted AGAINST the increase. + +Here are the funds that voted **AGAINST** the increase to the authorized common stock: + +https://preview.redd.it/q3cvmkhmthl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c344cf54f7a591a28bb4f034920d7a6d557847be + +https://preview.redd.it/0hu8ionnthl91.jpg?width=1115&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68c06b6d14de7ced33dc0ec6cee6af05c21e7501 + +https://preview.redd.it/o3i8mjrothl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86ec8ec79ea7541a8363e12e82c7d68f8f6d88b4 + +https://preview.redd.it/4ld7v29qthl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d7aa8d58d0576ce7ef42ebf4bfe748b642381d1 + +https://preview.redd.it/gtwv9elrthl91.jpg?width=1114&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d94d91fb6b678e384c2b6383688a104ba6514bc + +1.91M shares are being held by the funds that voted AGAINST the common stock increase. Interestingly, GME only lists 3.76M votes AGAINST the proposal in total. + +[3.76M Shares voted against proposal 5 \(Authorization to increase common shares from 300M to 1B\), listed on GME's 8-K filed on 6\/3\/22](https://preview.redd.it/ec55o8t7uhl91.jpg?width=1581&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6b0fa0019af3c65567415dcc272ebf9453262f5) + +That means that only 1.85M shares are left to vote AGAINST the proposal (this could vary some as holdings are bought and sold). Are you telling me that of all these Institutional holders for GME, that just 1.85M more AGAINST votes were cast? + +Street Street (6.8M shares) + +Geode Capital (3.2M) + +Mason Capital Management (2.3M) + +Bank of New York Mellon (2.1M) + +Northern Trust (1.8M) + +Charles Schwab (1.8M) + +These are the top shareholders (behind RC Ventures, Vanguard, Blackrock) and several of these institutions had their funds vote AGAINST the proposal. I believe there may have been a fair amount of back-room consolidation on voting (meaning they received more votes than eligible shares), but I can’t prove this. Looks plausible though, especially when considering who the other institutional holders are (BofA, Morgan Stanley, JPM, UBS, Credit Suisse, HSBC, etc.). These entities are the primary stock borrowers of the funds who are lending GME shares (as can be seen in the prior NPORT post). + +I can’t say who is exposed as a short seller (or naked short seller) and who is exposed as a lending agent (and/or [naked lending](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/woyngz/did_he_say_naked_lending/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)) (securities lending counterparty risks), but this list makes sense to me as a lot of these funds were loaning out a substantial amount of their GME shares when I made the NPORT GME Deep Dive post, and my assumption is that their short selling and/or securities lending (and/or naked short/naked lending) positions outweigh many of these funds (or filing entities) long potential gains, making them afraid of a split or split by share dividend in particular. Again, this is just my assumption and isn’t backed by data. + +73% of funds did not want to see this increase occur, and shortly there after we saw the DTCC commit international securities fraud on GME's split via dividend. Interesting. + +Tanks fo reedin +ETH is so forgotten in this little micro segment of time. It's all about Bitcoin and their philosophers making proclamations onTwitter. The last macro headlines for ETH were ICO meltdown, hack and SEC. But all the while the engines are running behind the scenes numb to fear and FUD. Metropolis is getting closer every day. A reduction in block reward, closer every day, Raiden, closer every day. A thousand surprises, DAPPS, new entrants, closer every day. Does anyone think that Vitalik is watching Netflix right now? And by Vitalik, I mean him but also the thousands of developers inspired by his vision. + +It might be September when the attention of this beautiful, maddening and ADD community turns back to Ethereum, or it could be next week. But does anyone here doubt that this volcano is going to blow sometime in the next three months, if not now, then when Metropolis comes out? If you've spent as much time as I have watching this community, it seems incredibly obvious. I felt this way in December and I bought more ETH without a second thought. That's all the timing I'm capable of. + +I wish Bitcoin well. But soon Ethereum is going to stop playing games, we'll grow out of this adolescent stage much more quickly than anyone thinks, and we are going to the fucking moon. Remind me, Bot. Not Vicki, I cut it off with that gold digger months ago. +Hi all, + +I see a lot of posts on this forum that ask the rent vs. buy question. There are plenty of calculators out there, some more elaborate than others, but the basic gist of it is that your break-even point is typically around the 5-7 years mark. + +My wife and I bought our first home in December, 2015, so we're approaching that five-year mark, and I wanted to take a look to see how we're faring. + +Before we bought, we were renting a home below market value, and we needed to get out of that situation for various personal reasons; although we were set on buying, I thought it would be interesting to look at what things \*would have been\* if we chose to rent instead. + +We bought a 3br 2ba home in the suburbs of a major city; cost of living is moderate to high (median home value around here is $450k; cost of food, fuel, tradespeople, etc. are all higher here than in surrounding areas within the region). Had we rented, we probably would have gone into a 1br apartment until we had our first child, when we'd go to a 2br place, and finally to a 3br place once we had our second kid. That's too complicated, though, so let's just make an apples to apples comparison - let's assume that we would have rented a roughly equivalent home the whole time. + +Without further ado, here is the analysis: + +Actual Costs of Ownership + +|Type|Cost|Comments| +|:-|:-|:-| +|Mortgage, down payment, closing costs, taxes, insurance, PMI|$109,311.00|$266k mortgage on a $280k home, refinanced twice to get better terms| +|Maintenance|$16,210.30|\~1.2% of purchase price, per year| +|Home Services|$6,681.56|House cleaning, lawn service - things we wouldn't have done if we were renting| +|Home Improvement|$3,611.15|Minor improvements, like adding mulch| +|Capital Improvements|$44,173.57|Major improvements, like adding central A/C| +|Appreciation|\-$62,000|Home value went from $280k to $360k; after 5% closing costs if we were to sell, we're $62k better off| +|Equity|\-$37,000|Used equity to kill student loans, but we *did* earn it| +|Opportunity cost of Up-front cash|$12,523.72|S&P has increased by 48.6% since we closed with $26k-ish| +|**Total**|**$93,511.30**|**Total costs minus benefits**| + +\[edited to incorporate equity and to note that mortgage includes taxes, insurance, and PMI\] + +~~I just took a look at roughly comparable homes for rent in the area (there aren't many), and they are going for \~$3,000/mo; when we bought, they were going for \~$2,500/mo, so let's just split the difference and assume $2,750/mo for the 55 months since we bought, and we get $151,500.~~ + +On average, a 2br apartment goes for $1,800/mo here; there aren't very many 3br houses comparable to the one we live in now, but if we were willing to live in a townhome, we could get one for $2,500/mo. Move would have to have happened after two years since we were expecting a child, so our total rent would've been $120,700. We already broke even! Yay! + +\[edited to be slightly more realistic in that we could've done a 2br apartment for a couple years\] + +I started looking to figure out \*when\* we broke even, but that is a big pain in the neck, so I won't bother. + +Some lessons learned in the past 4.5 years: + +1. Rent is the maximum you pay to put a safe roof over your head every month; mortgage is the minimum. We pay $1,491/mo in mortgage, but our total cost of housing (excluding things you'd need to pay for regardless, like electrical / cable) has averaged around $2,050/mo. Mortgage only makes up about 74% of my cost of housing. +2. Ownership means a lot more irregular expenses. I may be paying less on average, but there are some months when I need to spend upwards of $5,000 on my home because of things that break down. +3. Initial negotiation was *critical*. We got into a bidding war with another couple and initially agreed on $305k (initial asking price was $299k), but after inspection we negotiated that number down; after our appraisal came in low, at $280k, we refused to pay a penny over $280k. The sellers threatened to walk, but we held firm, and they eventually relented. +4. Pure dollars and cents are important, but there is something to be said about security and pride of ownership. We own our home; we aren't subject to the whims of a landlord, and we will only move out of our home on our terms (or if there is some disaster). If we want to do something, the only limitation we have is what our township allows, and we have the freedom to do things ourselves or contract it out, which has meant that I've been able to do some things I'd never have learned to do in a rental situation. I take pride, for example, in the ceiling fans, outlets, and light fixtures I installed before our first child was born; I take pride in the roof I replaced on our shed; I take pride in the fact that I fixed our boiler in March, when a sensor was dirty and malfunctioned as a result. You can't really put a price on that. +5. Although ownership was right for us, it very easily could've been wrong if we were not fully prepared for the financial commitments that come with owning a home. It wasn't great to have to dump more than $10k into things nobody could see, all within two months of each other in 2016. That could've put us in a debt spiral if we were not ready for that type of eventuality. +6. Appreciation is somewhat arbitrary. While our purchase price was probably lower than it needed to be, current value has been driven somewhat by luck. + 1. Our next-door neighbor intended to sell his home to family for $275k in 2016, but someone came in and offered him $340k, which he took. That person made some great improvements and moved out last year, selling for $397k. + 2. Part of our low appraisal was that homes in this neighborhood were just not turning over, so it was tough. In the 4.5 years since we bought, five out of the ten homes on our block have sold, all to people similar to us. The neighborhood has gone from aging and quiet to young and vibrant. There were zero kids on my block when we moved in; now, there are 13 kids under age-10. + 3. Homeowners have virtually all made appreciable improvements to their homes - one has added a second floor; two have put on additions; my nearest neighbors have all done significant tree and landscaping work, all of which improved curb appeal. Had much of this not happened, there is no way our home would be worth $360k, even with all of the improvements we made. + +I hope this helps folks who are considering buying! + +\[edited to add point #6 above\] + +Edit: A lot of you have noted that I didn't account for equity I've earned. You're right, I didn't - that's around $35k-ish. However, I know that the average $2,750/mo for a 3br rental is not really fair since there are so few comparable homes that are for rent in my area. At the end of the day, understating how much equity I have and overstating how much it would've cost to rent for the past five years probably works out to about the same amount, so I'm calling it a wash. + +Edit: Christ on a cracker, people. Since when did "moderate to high" cost of living act as a stand-in for NY/BOS/SF? Those are incredibly high cost of living metros that are way outside the norm for the United States. My area is on par with much of Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, etc.; obviously lower than NY/BOS/SF, and higher than Nashville, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, etc. The median home price is around $200k, and the median home size is around 2,000 sqft. My place sold for $280k and is 1,100 sqft - on the high side of moderate. C'mon, now! + +Edit: For those asking about tax breaks, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the standard deduction and capped state and local tax deductions at $10k. Based on those two factors, it no longer made sense for us to itemize our taxes, so we do not get any tax advantage from owning our home. + +Edit: To clarify re: rental price vs. purchase price ratio, yes it is a little off-kilter. We are in an owner-heavy area where rentals are basically limited to apartments. It's super tough to find a comparable rental home (there are literally 5 within a 10 mile radius, and none are absolute comps), which means that people who *do* want to rent are paying a hefty premium to do so, with such low rental stock. A 2br apartment is in the $2k/mo neighborhood, but I have no clue how much it'd sell for since all the apartments are in large complexes that have a single owner. + +Last edit (?): To clarify on cost of living, which many of you seem to be hung up on, *my specific house* does not serve as an indicator of my area's cost of living. To wit: + +* Median household income in the US is just shy of $60k; in my county, it is just shy of $100k (top 40 in the country, top in the state); in my township, it is around $120k, or double the national median. This is high-income. It may be low compared to SF, but that means it's just not *extremely high-income*; it's just high. +* I got my median home price wrong; it's not $200k anymore, but it's $274k. Median home value in my county and township is $450k, 65% above national median. Home prices are not *high*, and certainly not high compared to areas where median home values are above a million, but they are certainly not *low*. They're moderate, and on the higher side of moderate. I got a good deal on my house, which is not particularly representative of homes in the area since it is small (1,100 sqft), has low-end finishes, and was missing some things that are broadly expected in the market (garage, AC); it's still missing those high-end finishes and a garage. +* The area in which I live has a lot of old money; home prices are likely not higher because they don't turn over as much, and because people who live here *stay* here. A result of this is that prices for services are pretty high. A few years ago, I got estimates to replace a deck. Got four quotes - two from people nearby and two from people in the lower-cost county next to us. The quotes from the people in my county were $9k and $10k; the quotes from the people in the county next to us were $4k and $5.5k. A tree job is going to cost you 30% more here than it will 30 miles to the east or west. +* Do the three bullets above make my area "high" cost of living? No, they don't. But to suggest that, because homes cost much more in a handful of markets, my area is somehow "low" cost of living is to ignore the reality of the majority of people in the country. I certainly got a great deal on my home, even accounting for the tons of money spent. +* If you're going to say that a county in the top 2% of counties in the country in terms of household income isn't wealthy, that's your prerogative, but it probably demonstrates a highly skewed perception of wealth and income. +I grew up in a middle class family and both of my parents worked tech in the bay area. I pursued the same career and was lucky enough to be hired right out of college as a SWE during the initial tech boom. I worked for a couple of years and debated on doing a start up. My boyfriend at the time, now husband! encouraged me too. I did and it was really hard. I was barely breaking even every year but now 5 years later, I was able to sell my start up to a larger company because I was never one to be the next big thing anyway. After all the legal fees and taxes, I am looking at roughly 6m! More than halfway towards our 10m goal. + +I'm 29 now and my husband is 31. We have two kids (2 and 6 months). My husband is a physician and is paid roughly 300k a year. I am thinking of taking a couple of years off and being a SAHM until my kids are in school since my husband's job will pay for more than enough of our spending. So, I'm just not sure what to do now? + +I will be looking into a financial manager and am interested in what you all have to say. Who do you see? Do you do it yourself, how do you do it?A couple of things we're looking into doing now. Pay off the last 200k on our house. My two younger siblings are pursuing graduate degrees and will owe roughly 100k combined which I could pay for so they can start their career debt free. Pay off the remainder (\~150k) of my husband's medical school debt. My PIL also have 50k left on their house that we could help with. My mom is self sufficient as she owns a restaurant but I think it would be nice if we could pay for some restorations that could increase revenue. My father and his new wife (She's 30, he's 55) are considering buying a new house which I could afford to chip in for but I'm not sure I want to as she is one of the most vile women I have ever met. Any good ideas on what to do with that?Setting up a college fund for the kids is good as well, I don't know. I am grateful for my life now but I'm not sure what to do with this newfound wealth. What did you guys do? + +&#x200B; + +EDIT: Thank you so much for all the replies, I just made this post on a throwaway to see what other's opinions were and a lot of you guys have provided a lot of insight. My husbands and I are the only ones that know about the big sell. I think we will keep it a secret for now until I finish figuring out the logistics of everything. But we've agreed to pay off the house and his medical school loans so far. I know a lot of people are saying that it is smarter to reinvest than to pay off but for us personally, knowing we have no debt is worth more for us. +A lot of you also have been saying that I did not grow up middle class but low income in the Bay Area is less than 117k. My parents growing up were netting maybe 130-140k with 3 kids. Its crazy how expensive it is here. +Is it just me or has there been a huge increase in the number of low quality posts about ETFs that has been steadily rising over the last few months? In the last week there have been multiple that clearly hasn’t done the minimum of reading or research, eg by asking about ETFs that track the S&P500 and are available to EU investors. + +I don’t mean to be snarky, but the search function is a thing, the sidebars here and on other finance and FIRE subreddits are a thing, and google is a thing. +# If you find this interesting please follow my account for more DD. + +# I'm also working on an Excel file which will provide all fundamental data about a stock, more info about that on my account. TLDR at bottom! + +**Introduction** + +With the change and progressing to extremer climates, global warming is coming our way. It has been shown world governments are incapable of properly taking action against this threat. Since it seems like global warming won’t be stopped, we will have to start adapting to the new extreme climates. One way of ensuring a comfortable living/working space in this grim future is by making use of HVAC (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning). **And that’s what got me thinking**. My family has been hell bent on **NOT** getting air-conditioning. But with the summer temperatures ever more frequently reaching +40c with a humidity of +70%(Hup Holland Hup) it’s becoming unbearable. Sleepless nights, overheated pets, fainting, old people dying and just losing your will to live. These are all issues more people around the world are starting to face. Every place on earth is getting more extreme. Every place on earth is getting more need for Climate control. And every company is looking to profit of that! This is why my next play is in the HVAC industry. + +**Finding our compatible companies.** + +I only want to invest in the best companies. Living in The Netherlands I personally don’t know the best brands, luckily, I’ve got great internet. So, after spitting through some review sites these are the 5 public companies that came out best when looking for “Best HVAC/Air-conditioning companies/brands”. (Not ranked) + +1. Carrier (Day&Night, Bryant, Toshiba & 15 more) + +2. Trane (American Standard, Thermo King & 7 more). + +3. Daikin (Goodman, Amana). + +4. Lennox (Service Experts, Allies Air Enterprises). + +5. Johnson Controls (Hitachi, York) + +**Understanding the HVAC market.** + +Before we continue to further analyze the companies, we first need to understand the HVAC market. + +Some facts: + +1. The HVAC business has been valued at $91.30B in 2020 and is expected to reach $173B by 2024 and $367B by 2030. That’s a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of +/-15%. + +2. The most popular countries for Air Conditioning (AC) per household are: Japan 91%, USA 90%, Korea 86%, Saudi Arabia 53%, China 60%. + +3. Global stock of AC is expected to grow to 5.6B by 2050, up from 1.6B in 2018. (This is 1 AC sold every second for the next 30 years). + +4. Less than a third of the global households own an AC. + +5. 8% of the 2.8B people living in the hottest parts of the world own an AC (Brazil, Indonesia, India, African countries). + +6. AC demand is increasing every year going from 97,60M in 2012, up 111M in 2018. + +As can been seen in the above statements the HVAC business is very well integrated in some large countries. But the most exciting prospects are those of the developing countries. In Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and India only 16%, 16%, 9%, 6% and 5% respectively of the households have AC. This is a MASSIVE market just waiting to be exploited. + +\- The Indian AC market stood at $4,3B in 2017 and is expected to surpass 11B by 2023, that’s a CAGR of over 17%. This rising growth is led by rising infrastructure development, growing demand for housing and the constantly rising temperatures and consumers purchasing power. + +\- The Middle Eastern and African market is expected to have an CAGR of 4,9% during 2019-2024. + +\- The Indonesian market is currently experiencing a 2% CAGR in AC demand over 2012 till 2018. + +\- The US is expected to have a CAGR of 3.1% from 2020 to 2030. + +\- Europe is expected to have a CAGR of 6% from 2019 to 2025. + +\- **The global HVAC market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 5.5% from 2018 till 2024**. + +**Market share.** + +This was actually really really difficult to find free sources on and I can’t really make a clear picture out of it so here are the numbers: + +\- 2013 North America market: Carrier 17%, Daikin 15%, Trane 10%, Johnson 9%, Lennox 6%, LG 5%. + +\- 2013 Global AC market: Daikin 13%, Carrier 10%, Johnson 8%, Trane/LG 4%. + +\- 2018 Indian market share: LG 17,7%, Hitachi 7,9%, Daikin 7,4%. + +\- HVAC Used by construction firms in USA: Carrier 29%, Lennox 17,3%, Daikin 8,2%, Trane7,3%, LG 1,8% Johnson 1,8%. + +\- 2020 global “Wall-Mounted Fan Coil Units” market: Daikin 29%, Trane 26%, Carrier 12%, Johnson 7,5% + +My conclusion from this and other information found online is that globally Daikin is the biggest followed by Carrier, Johnson, Trane, LG and Lennox. I accounted for all known acquisitions since 2013 in the market share. + +**An introduction to the Companies** + +**Carrier** + +Carrier products and related services include HVAC and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation, fire and special hazard suppression systems and equipment, security monitoring and rapid response systems, provided to a diversified international customer base principally in the industrial, commercial and residential property and commercial transportation sectors. + +Employees: 53,000+ + +Countries active: 160+ + +Market Cap: 25,959B + +**Key points:** + +\- 85% of sales are in the USA or Europe, they are however planning to expand globally. + +\- 51% HVAC, 29% Fire and Security, 20% Refrigeration. + +\- Since April 2020 carrier has split off from Raytheon Technologies, allowing them to focus fully on the HVACR market. + +\- Carrier is planning on cutting 600million in costs by 2022 (4% of current COGS) + +\- Carrier has recently launched its “BlueEdge” platform, providing aftermarket service to customers and minimizing machinery downtime & costs. The platform will offer 3 different plans of service to customers. Currently 82% of all Carrier’s revenue comes from products, this is a clear move to increase its services revenue. + +\- As stated above, Carrier is planning to move more towards (digital) services. + +**Strengths:** + +\- Well established brand within USA and Europe. + +\- Leader of the HVAC market. + +\- Very efficient products. + +\- Diversified + +\- 500+ patents and 115y of experience. + +\- Owns cheaper sub-brands. + +\- #1 HVAC brand for 10 consecutive years according to Builder Magazine + +\- Increased focus on smart systems and apps. + +**Weaknesses:** + +\- Trying to enter markets with well established competitors (Johnson Controls, Daikin) + +\- Excessive dependence on the American market. + +\- No lifetime warranties + +\- No concrete plans for taking over the Asian market. + +**Trane** + +Trane Technologies Public Limited Company manufactures industrial equipment. The Company offers central heaters, air conditioners, electric vehicles, air cleaners, and fluid handling products. Trane Technologies serves customers worldwide. + +Employees: 50,000+ + +Countries active: 100+ + +Market Cap: 28,189B + +**Key Points:** + +\- Since February 2020 Trane has split from Ingersoll Rand allowing it to fully focus on its HVAC business. + +\- Revenue: 73% Americas, 12% Asia/Pacific, 15% EMEA. + +\- Revenue: 79% Climate, 21% Industrial + +**Strengths:** + +\- 120y of experience. + +\- Known as reliable, efficient and silent. + +\- Major investments in reducing carbon emissions for its systems. + +\- Opportunity for expanding to Asia and the Middle East. + +\- Reduced product emissions by more than 50% + +**Weaknesses:** + +\- Heavy dependency on the American market. + +\- No concrete plans on expansion in the Asian/Middle Eastern market. + +\- No strong focus on apps/smart systems. + +**Daikin** + +DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD. manufactures air conditioning equipment for household and commercial use. The Company also operates chemical, oil hydraulics, defense system, and electronics businesses. + +Employees: 76,000+ + +Countries active: 150+ + +Market Cap: 53,273B + +**Key points:** + +\- Japan sales rose 7% YoY + +\- Americas sales rose 13% YoY + +\- EMEA sales rose 7% YoY + +\- Asia/Oceania sales rose 10% YoY + +\- Revenue: 89,6% HVAC, 8,1% Chemicals, 1,7% Oil Hydraulics, 0,6% Defense + +\- Daikin creates Semiconductor-etching products. Making them well positioned for the “new” tech boom. With the sales of chemicals almost increasing 10% YoY. + +\- Daikin provides warheads for the Japanese military. + +\- Owns Goodman. + +**Strengths:** + +\- Leader of the Indian AC market, creating products that can withstand the extreme conditions in the country. Being able to operate at temperatures as high as 54c, creating AC’s that do not corrode due to sulfuric acid. and also, being able to be dropped from 1m height, to withstand the rough roads. + +\- Grew its profit in FY2020 while all others decreased in revenue. + +\- Produces products used for Semiconductors. + +\- Has a clear plan to expand it’s influence in emerging markets such as India and the Middle East. + +\- Creates the full supply line for HVAC products, from refrigerants to AC-units. + +\- Heavy R&D expenses. + +**Weaknesses:** + +\- China-Us frictions. + +\- Slowdown of the Japanese economy. + +\- Does not have trailer refrigeration. + +\- Outdated apps. + +**Lennox International** + +Lennox International Inc. provides climate control solutions. The Company designs, manufactures, and markets heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment. Lennox markets its products worldwide. + +Employees: 11,000+ + +Countries Active: 70+ + +Market Cap: 10,617B + +**Key Points:** + +\- Revenue: 60% Residential, 25% Commercial, 15% Refrigeration. + +\- Mainly present in America. + +\- Increasing net profit margin. + +**Strengths:** + +\- Currently has the most efficient split system. + +\- Launching the Better Air initiative, focused on increasing indoor air quality, a Covid play. + +**Weaknesses:** + +\- No concrete plans for expanding into emerging markets. + +\- Not known for the best reliability. + +\- Stagnating revenue and negative shareholders equity. + +\- Unreliable apps. + +**Johnson Controls** + +Johnson Controls International plc operates as a diversified technology and multi industrial company worldwide. The company operates through Building Solutions North America, Building Solutions EMEA/LA, Building Solutions EMEA/LA, and Global Products segments. The company designs, sells, installs, and services heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, controls systems, integrated electronic security systems, and integrated fire detection and suppression systems for commercial, industrial, retail, small business, institutional, and governmental customers + +Employees: 105,000+ + +Countries Active: 150+ + +Market Cap 32,898B + +**Key Points:** + +\- Launch of its open blue system. Giving customers total control over their building, temperatures, facial recognition ventilation, security, contact tracing and more all in the palm of your hand. (Seriously check the videos, really impressive). This is a clear Covid play and very well timed. + +\- Owner of York and a joint venture with Hitachi. + +\- Strong plans for Asian expansion. + +**Strengths:** + +\- Very good smart systems and mobile apps. + +\- Launch of it’s OpenBlue system. A digital platform to connect every part of your building. + +\- Using Covid to their advantage in launching products and services. + +\- Well aware of the need to expand in China/Asia + +\- Build a state of the art headquarters in China. + +**Weaknesses:** + +\- Many negative reviews on its Hitachi brand + +**Comparing the companies their financials.** + +TTM DATA + +|Million $|Carrier|Daikin|Trane|Johnson|Lennox| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|**Share Price**|34,93|18,85|129,22|44,40|288,09| +|**Div Yield**|0,94%|0,79|1,64%|2,34%|1,07%| +|**R&D Expenses**|402|652,8|237|319|69,60| +|**Revenue**|18,173|23,526|15,957|22,637|3,605| +|**Net Income**|1,812|1,351|965|802|358| +|**Cash**|2,704|3,559|1,303|2,805|37| +|**Debt**|12,029|5,316|5,573|7,219|1,354| +|**FCF**|1,982|1,877|1,182|1,459|633| + +&#x200B; + +|TTM|Carrier|Daikin|Trane|Johnson|Lennox| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|**P/E**|26,70|30,32|25,32|42,33|31,05| +|**EPS**|2,09|4,62|4,05|1,05|9,28| +|**Payout Ratio**|15%|3,25%|52%|99%|33%| +|**Debt/Equity**|0,55|0,82|1,80|1,03|1,03| +|**Term Cash/Debt**|\-|2,39|2|5,49|5,49| +|**Current Ratio**|1,33|1,88|1,28|1,36|1,36| +|**ROE**|12,5%|9,6%|13%|3,8%|3,8%| +|**Net Margin**|9,97%|5,74%|6,05%|8,39%|8,39%| +|**R&D/Revenue**|22,12%|27,74%|14,85%|14,09%|14,09%| +|**Interest Coverage Ratio**|28|23,63|7,09|2,64|2,64| + +&#x200B; + +|Revenue|2015|2016|2017|2018|2019|2020|TTM|CAGR| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|**Carrier**|16,709|16,853|17,814|18,914|18,608||18,173|2%| +|**Daikin**|18,384|19,619|19,622|21,989|23,818|24,482| 23.526 |5%| +|**Trane**|13,300|13,508|14,197|15,668|16,589|| 15.957 |2%| +|**Johnson**|17,100|20,837|22,835|23,400|23,968|| 22.637 |7%| +|**Lennox** |3,467|3,641|3,839|3,883|3,907|| 3.605 |5%| + +&#x200B; + +|Net Profit|2017|2018|2019|2020|TTM| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|**Carrier**|1,227|2,734|2,116||1,812| +|**Daikin**|1,447|1,814|1,814|1,639|1,351| +|**Trane**|1,302|1,337|1,410||964| +|**Johnson**|1,611|1,128|1,076||802| +|**Lennox**|305|360|408||341| + +&#x200B; + +|NPM|2017|2018|2019|2020|TTM| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|Carrier|7%|14%|11%||10%| +|Daikin|8%|8%|8%|7%|6%| +|Trane|9%|9%|9%||6%| +|Johnson|7%|5%|4%||4%| +|Lennox|8%|9%|11%||9%| + +**Conclusion** + +First of all, I should start with saying that Lennox really shouldn’t have been included, they are on a completely different level than these 4 other companies. Also, Johnson had some fuckery going on in all their 10k’s so these numbers might not add up, let me know if you found something. + +Looking at the company’s financials and numbers it’s a tough decision to make, all companies a pretty close to each other. There are however some things that stand out: + +\- Carrier has a significantly higher NPM then the competitors. + +\- Lennox might be in financial trouble. + +\- Daikin spends the most on R&D relative to its revenue, I see this as a big plus. + +\- Johnson their revenue is growing the fastest on a 5Y CAGR. + +\- Johnson their P/E is much higher than the competition. + +\- Johnson their Dividend is the higher % wise + +\- Daikin has increased sales in 2020 while other companies have seen a drop. + +\- Daikin’s NPM is stable at around 8% while Carrier’s NPM has grown explosively. + +\- Trane has a high debt/equity ratio + +\- Both Carrier and Daikin have a very strong Interest coverage ratio. + +\- Johnson's TTM would be better without an irregular expense of 602M + +Now on to the less financial aspect of the data. + +I really like the way Daikin presents their annual report, they have clear strategies on how to better engage the Indian market. They are also showing that they know where their market growth protentional lays and are willing to act on it. Furthermore, what really strikes me as interesting is that Daikin produces materials for semiconductor testing, this might be a goldmine in the upcoming tech revolution and Daikin has shown to be well aware of this upcoming trend. Carrier on the other hand has not properly breached the Asian/Middle eastern market yet, they have stated to expand their geographical presence but I have found no conclusive strategies in how to do so. What is impressive about carrier is their high net profit margin and willingness to act on a more digital environment, an area where Daikin is currently lacking. + +To conclude this research properly, if I had to choose a company right now, I’d being going for Daikin. Their well-presented data and goals for emerging markets, combined with their semiconductor products make me believe they are most suited for rapid growth. Their geographical location also puts them in a better position for Asian dominance. And their Goodman sub brand is well known in America and a direct competitor to Carrier. Carrier is a close second, with impressive brand recognition and attractive financials. One thing carrier does well that Daikin does not is transport refrigeration. In my opinion trucking is going to play a much larger role when self-driving trucks start to appear. +&#x200B; + +[Mitigating Anxiety is Mitigating the Unknown, and Mitigating the Unknown is Mitigating Downside Risk](https://preview.redd.it/p7iethoi3fz71.jpg?width=3907&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0576d1b2c223bce6cb25dbb3e47bcdc661b5fe4a) + +Note: Its a long post. Please don't forget to upvote if you like the content. I worked hard on it and I want folks who experience trader anxiety to benefit from my work. Over 5000 words, 15 minute read. + +**Overview:** For those of you who consider yourself seasoned traders, ignore this... although I promise you that you will learn something. For those of you who have anxiety issues I think this will prove to be an invaluable resource. I'm going to put a lot of time into writing this and it is directed at those who have high amounts of anxiety while trading in the markets. + +# Reddit is an Enabler of Trading Anxiety: + +Back in the day I used to post a metric ton of highly detailed DD on Reddit. I posted my research on Reddit for a simple reason ... I wanted feedback ... I wanted to crowdsource my DD. One of the primary issues I continued to run into was few, if any, added any substantive value in the comment section. I would post DD and 2-4 weeks later I would get a flood of comments of folks who never commented on the thread before, but nevertheless tanked me for all the money they made as a result of reading and taking action on a ticker I wrote about. It was then I noticed that people on Reddit are frequently looking for justification to throw money at anything that may bring them a return. As it turned out the information I posted provided that justification. But this was not the reason I posted the research. Once again, I wanted to crowd source DD. + +I stopped posting DD on Reddit altogether. It was a lot of work for too little feedback. I can do a complete deep dive & workup on a company in my head with a pad and pencil within an hour. Putting it all together and posting the information takes considerably more time. I realized that there is a large segment of people who wanted to be told what to invest in with a detailed summary as to why. They generally want to know the risks, they want to know the possible rewards, and they wanted to know when to buy in, average down, and sell. I therefore opted instead to publish a daily newsletter instead of positing on Reddit. + +People on Reddit are buying what they don't understand with information posted by people they ought not to trust. A great deal of DD on Reddit only comes about when some poor fella is bag holding deep and suddenly realizes that he/she wants to share the amazing value with the world under a misguided understanding that they may be able to generate undue interest in the stock. DD on Reddit is bag holders paradise. DD posts on Reddit nearly always means the author is losing money. Remember more recently when SNAP, WISH, or PTON dumped on very poor earnings? Did you happen to notice all the DD that was posted on those tickers days to weeks after? Those were bag holders folks. In part, their anxiety from their losses led them to the desperation of taking to Reddit to pitch trash. + +Reddit is a trash heap of poorly written "DD" and bad advice. For every solid bit of analysis found on reddit there are thousands of poorly written items that are neither "due" nor "diligent." How much "DD" have you seen posted, for example, with absolutely no consideration for the risk factors? If they're missing a risk section can we honestly say they're being "diligent" ... or are they just trying to pump a stock? And there are plenty of new retail traders who have absolutely no clue what they're doing for these fellas to prey on. + +There is a reasons so many new retail traders are taking to Reddit for answers. Reddit has received a lot of attention in the media as a result of the GME/AMC fiasco. So new retail traders see Reddit as a place to look for guidance, but instead of guidance, they end up looking for profit in a sea of bad advice. Many are new to the market, they do not know how to read the financials, they do not know how to assess economic conditions, and they do not know how to read/assess (or even find) 10-K's, 10-Q's, 8-K's, earnings calls, etc... They do not know how to value a company, how to identify entry and exit points, how to assess debt, how to conduct competitive analysis, and some even think technical analysis is all you need. They do not know how to assess trailing PE, forward PE, PB, BVPS, PEG, current ratios, PS, Enterprise Value, GAAP EPS, NON GAAP EPS, operating margin, and the list goes on & on & on. And even if they could somewhat do all of this, they don't have the time. So what's the result? ... Massive amounts of confusion, massive amounts of ignorance, and massive amounts of fear of the unknown. + +# Fear of the Unknown is the Number One Reason for Trader Anxiety: + +The reason that most of you suffer from trading anxiety is a lack of confidence in your picks which leads to a great deal of fear of the unknown. And there is only one way to eliminate the fear of the unknown. ELEMINATE TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE THE UNKNOWN. And if you're are trying to eliminate the unknown through scrolling through insufficient DD posts on Reddit, then your anxiety will likely be amplified when you suddenly find out that most of your trades will fail. + +# Eliminating the Unknown will Eliminate Anxiety: + +Before I retired, I spent 8 years in the Marines as an Infantryman and 13 years in the Army as an intelligence analyst. I've been on the receiving end of information and the production end of information. I've seen the horrible results of bad information, and the absolutely amazing successes in good information. In my experience analysis should overwhelmingly be risk based. Assessing and mitigating risk in my former line of work meant an increased likelihood of mission success, friendly lives saved, and civilian lives saved. The less information you collect and process, the more you simply do not know. Having too many unknowns greatly increases risk and diminishes the chance of mission success. I approach trading in the same fashion. And I know from experience the largest risks come from the unknowns. Learning to identify and spot those unknowns comes largely from experience but you need to begin somewhere. There are 3 types of unknowns. + +* **Known Unknows:** These are the items you know you do not know. The overwhelming amount of your effort when assessing an equity is dedicated to filling in the gaps of those items you know you do not know, but would like to know. And much of it is easy to find, but what if you can't? There are many cases in which you would like to know something but the information is not available. In those cases you look for indicators of the information requirements you need to make your case. Remember, you are both looking for indicators that justify your trade and indicators that do not justify your trade. For example, if you are invested in Ruger, Smith & Wesson, an ammunition manufacturer, or an outdoors sporting goods store, the [F](https://stocktipstips.substack.com/p/a-message-for-stocktips-subscribers)[BI's NICS Firearm Background Checks](https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view) tracker is a damn find indicator. There are hundreds of government indicators and thousands of open source indicators available. You just need to know where to look. +* **Unknown Knowns:** These are things you know, but either forgot you knew, or failed to apply what you knew to your analysis. Perhaps you have solid information to go on, you just didn't thing to use that particular source. To remedy this you simply need to critically think about what you know and how it applies to your analysis. For example, we all know there are websites that check online traffic patterns. Did you ever think to apply this as an indicator for the online retailor you're invested in? I'm willing to bet no! +* **Unknown Unknowns:** This is perhaps the most dangerous, as it is ALMOST completely derived from ignorance. The more ignorant we are on a certain subject matter the more we run into unknown unknowns. Once you've started on your known knowns, identified your known unknowns (and their indicators), assessed your unknown knowns, you draw your attention to the unknown unknowns. Essentially this is asking "what the hell am I missing and where can I go to find it," or "where can I look to find the things I do not know I'm missing?" + +# Eliminating the Unknown and Mitigating Anxiety: + +Investing first and researching later is no way to go about business and it can greatly increase your anxiety! The more you know about your company and the current and future economic conditions, the less anxiety you will have. (Note: Much of the data referenced below can be found under the statics tab of [any given company on Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL/key-statistics?p=AAPL). Bottom line is if you know the relative value and prospects of what you own, and the risks thereof, your confidence goes up, and your anxiety drops considerably! + +* **Assessing the Known Knowns:** When you begin your analysis you will always start with assessing what you know. You know, that no matter what company you're looking at, you will generally want the following: + * A forward PE (Price to Earnings) that is lower than the trailing PE, unless you think the market forward PE consensus is wrong. + * A PE that is relatively lower than sector/industry peers unless you are expecting massive growth. + * A BV (Book Value) and BVPS (Book Value Per Share) that is closer to the market cap/share price as possible as compared to industry peers. + * A PS (Price to Sales) ratio of one or less (ideally less than industry/sector peers) of unless, once again, you're expecting massive future growth. + * A PEG (Price to Earnings Growth) ratio of one or less unless you are pricing in massive growth (Few if any tech companies have a PEG ratio less than one). + * An enterprise value that is near, or higher than, market cap. Unless, once again, you are expecting massive growth. Companies that have a enterprise value significantly lower than market cap can be possible buyout opportunities. + * Manageable debt relatively lower than industry peers. (A current ratio above 1 but lower than 5) + * The company can pay their dividend (see payout ratio) + * A solid amount of cash on hand. + * Moderate to high amounts of institutional investment. + * A solid and growing operating cash flow and operating margin. + * Increasing YoY Quarterly Revenue Growth and YoY Quarterly EPS Growth. + * Trading at a value on a pullback of no negative consequence. + * Solid forward guidance + * A history of insider confidence through insider buying + * Solid buy rating analyst coverage and upgrades (Take it with a grain of salt, there are more shitty analysts out there than stars in the sky). + * Share buybacks are always nice + * Did you read the most recent [10-K and 10-Q?](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html) + * Did you read the the Risk Factors on the most recent 10-K and 10-Q? + * Did you read the latest [SEC filings?](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html) + * Did you review the last 4 earnings (Seeking Alpha collects them all to include the earnings transcripts under the news section under any given ticker) + * How many analysts cover the stock, what rating did they give, and has it been recently been [upgraded or downgraded?](https://www.benzinga.com/stock/aapl/ratings) +* **Eliminating Unknowns About the Company:** You can never eliminate all the unknowns about the company. But you can ask yourself the following: + * Is the company at risk for an offering? + * Can future revenues cover additional debt and reinvestment? + * What are the chances the company does not preform as expected? + * How critical will it be for my investment if the company misses EPS projections? Its an important question to ask. Companies underperform EPS all the time amid earnings. More often than not it means the company is still growing, just not at the rate analysts expected. For most profitable companies, missing EPS projections does NOT mean the company isn't profitable. Companies with a positive EPS should typically be better off this quarter on the books than the previous quarter. + * Is the company's goals realistic and obtainable? + * Is the company under or over shooting projected guidance? + * Are analysts under or over shooting guidance? + * Is the space the company competes in overcrowded? + * Is the company losing or gaining market share as compared to competitors? + * Does the company have a competitive advantage or disadvantage? + * Is the leadership competent? +* **Eliminating Unknowns About the Current and Future Economic Conditions:** This can be tough but at minimum you should study current and [upcoming economic datasets](https://tradingeconomics.com/) and ask how a positive or negative change in the various categories affects your company. You will also want to come up with your own short, medium, and long term projection of economic conditions and how they will affect your company. Always pay attention to the [economic calendar](https://www.reddit.com/r/StockMarket/comments/qsubyk/next_weeks_economic_calendar_1115202111222021/)! + * Inflation Rate (Low is good for preventing dramatic shifts in personal spending, high is good for paying off long term debt. Remember if inflation ever gets to a point where people economize on needs and cut back on wants, it can mean bad news for the wants!) + * Semiconductor Shortage + * Worker Shortage (Can they meet demand with the workers they got? If not can they beat previous quarters EPS with the workers they got?) + * Supply Chain Bottlenecks (Check their domestic inventories as a solid indicator of how affected they are by this) + * Rising fuel and Energy Costs + * Rising Shipping Costs + * Government & Regulatory Environment + * Federal Reserve Policy + * Reliance on China and Chinese Economic/Regulatory Environment + * Unemployment Rate and Labor Force Participation Rate (Too high less people are buying, too low and the cost of labor goes up) + * Always Pay Close Attention to the [ECONOMIC CALANDER](https://www.reddit.com/r/StockMarket/comments/qsubyk/next_weeks_economic_calendar_1115202111222021/) and the results reported! + +# Perspective and Expectation Management Also Mitigates Anxiety: + +It's gonna go to the moooooon!!!! No it isn't! Read my part on Big money below to find out why. It's important that you have reasonable expectations. It's important that you have a decent and realistic perspective on the outcome of your trade. Doing this will go leaps and bounds toward mitigating your anxiety. + +* **There is NO Such thing as a Perfect Stock:** If your anxiety is so through the roof that you're forgoing great trades on good companies, cut that shit out! There is no such thing as a perfect stock and you will always need to accept a certain degree of risk! +* **Do not Sweat Minor Misses in EPS:** You're company barely missed analysts EPS or Revenue Expectations? So what!!?? Are they profitable? Are they growing? If they had positive revenue and EPS, chances are they're still growing on the books. Sure their rate of growth may have changed but they're adding money to the balance sheet! It would be one thing if they lowered guidance, but short of that a small EPS miss isn't nothing to frown upon and might put you in the position to buy some more stock for a cheaper price on a really good company! If holding a little longer gives you anxiety then its because you're attempting to get money quick by swinging trades, which is fine, but can add an additional layer of anxiety. I love it when companies miss small but stand by their guidance. The street has a fit as the share price sells off, affording me the chance to enter in. +* **Expect the Unexpected and Have a Plan:** Black Swans happen. Major unexpected economic shifts happen. Your dry bulk carrier will catch fire or lose their cargo in the ocean. Oil companies will have spills. Companies get sued all the time. Adjusted economic numbers come out every day of the week. Your stock WILL NOT trade as everyone expects it to. Get used to this and you will mitigate your anxiety. Buy in slowly and have a plan, and you will mitigate it even more. +* **Analysts are Always Wrong:** Firstly it is important to understand that analyst price targets are where the analyst expects the stock to be in a year or so. Not right now. I see a lot of retail traders complaining about the company share price not being at the analyst price target. Its ridiculous expectation management! And unnecessary anxiety. +* **Understand how Big Money Operates and Expect their Antics!:** When large institutions dealing in millions to billions of dollars decide to buy or sell a stock, they are well aware that they will inevitably move the share price. The volume they create can be massive. To mitigate this they will either sell calls or buy puts when they sell a considerable lot of shares, or buy calls or sell puts when they buy a considerable lot of shares. Therefore it is important to understand that institutions can often make money no matter which way the stock trades. Unlike most retail traders they even have the option to go both long & short on the same security at the same time. They can, & do, often go short to take advantage of the bearish sentiment they inevitably create while selling large blocks of shares while locking in their profit using a combination of options strategies. Always remember that retail does not own the market … big money does. This reality forces us to come to grips with the necessity not to fight them, but to ride their backs. This includes having the discipline & courage of our convictions to hold through the bearish sentiment institutions inevitably create, on perfectly good companies, when some big firm takes profit. Consider retail traders like ourselves the small Remora Fish attached to a large Great White Shark (The Institutions), waiting to ride their backs out of but a temporary rut of no true consequence. +* **Trading Psychology:** Psychology plays a large part of why stocks can continue to trade below street value (The value most traders believe fair). Once a stock sells off due to large institutional profit taking, the street wonders why. Does someone know something we don’t? Was there some economic data that cast bearish sentiment on this particular industry or sector? Does the street expect the company to act in a way that will lower its valuation? Such questions, & many more, aren’t just asked by us. They’re asked by everyone who holds a position in the company we do. And these questions cause anxiety. Even analysts may downgrade a stock for no other reason than to tailor their expectations a year out from now. Indeed they hate to be wrong, & they always are. So do not be surprised not only when a security we thought was already undervalued sells off further than expected, but also stays down as it may take time for traders to feel comfortable entering again. Corrections back to street value can often take a few weeks to a few months. Sometimes until next earnings to relive fears of both retail & large institutions. + +# Processes Mitigate Anxiety: + +Processes mitigate anxiety. The more efficient the process the less time you spend searching for places to put that money that's burning a hole in your pocket. Some traders feel as though they are in a rush to hurry up and strike while the iron is hot and put their money somewhere only to find out that they rushed their trades and realized a loss. Below is my process and a few additional pointers for researching equities and it mitigates A LOT of my personal trader anxiety. + +1. **Assess the Economic Conditions First!:** Assessing the economic conditions first grants you the opportunity to single out those sectors that stand to benefit the most from current and future economic conditions. If you do not know how to do this please see an earlier post I made on this very topic [HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/comments/qrtkox/understanding_and_profiting_from_our_current/). Also investing in companies that stand to benefit the most from economic conditions gives you an extra layer of confidence to fight anxiety. +2. **Make a Price Based Assessment Watchlist and Set your Alerts:** A Price Based Assessment Watchlist is simply adding companies that you've 1. Assessed the Current or Future Economic Conditions as Favorable. 2. Did a Quick Review of the [Company Financials](https://stocktipstips.substack.com/p/stocktips-investment-research-series). 3. Set your alert at your desired reassessment price. ONLY when that alert hits is when you do the rest of your research and DD. That way you ONLY use your valuable time on the most promising of circumstances. That way you aren't frantically searching and scrolling for plays, but letting the plays come to you, which helps with anxiety! +3. **Buy on a Pullback of Little to No Negative Consequence:** I love a good dump. Perhaps it comes from a bad market day, perhaps it comes from the sector in general doing poorly that day, and perhaps it comes from a whale taking profit. I don't care. If the financials are great, I expect the company to grow, and the economic conditions are favorable, such a pullback will trigger my buy alerts letting me know its time for a starter position. But first I do a quick assessment to see if there is any recent negative news that is driving down the share price. If there is negative news, I ask myself to what degree is the news of legitimate financial substance to the growth prospects of the company. If very little, I'll be happy to buy that dip. Some would argue that they want to jump in on solid relative strength. Yeah ... they're chasing and I don't chase. I like it when its cold, not when its hot. Later, when my thesis becomes true, then it gets hot and I watch everyone else chase. But buying on a pullback of little to no consequence will give you that extra layer of value and security you may have been looking for. You wont be worried if the security is over pumped and about to fall, but rather patiently waiting for it to pump again. I think the latter of the two holds less anxiety. More profitable too! +4. **Keep Track of the News:** If you want to monitor your investments stop looking at the chart and read all the news that comes out on your company. Two good places to do this are seeking alpha (Put the ticker in and click the news tab) and, believe it or not, StockTwits! The bots and the news scroller on StockTwits are money! Ignore the people there, read the news scroller! +5. **Set Price Alerts on Current Positions:** Set price alerts at 5% above or below your starter position price. Its a lot more easy to go about your day that way, and waaay less anxiety when you can be rest assured that at minimum your investment has not pumped or lost 5%. If your stock does dump 5% and you get alerted, perhaps then you might want to check for bad news and average down as necessary. Otherwise leave it be! + +# Anxiety Mitigating Rules to Live by: + +Some added anxiety killing tips! + +* **If you aren't willing to hold the stock long term, stay away from it!:** So you think you're going to swing it real quick and get out so you don't need to put too much effort into the trade? Think again. The technical analysis guru on YouTube may have a pretty technical set up, but he's going to throw your anxiety through the roof. And only IF you're lucky, you MAY make a profit. +* **Quit Checking your Phone, Set Alerts Instead:** Set share price points where you want to be alerted and quit checking your phone. I promise you that your anxiety is really going to increase when you're fired from work because you spend too much time checking your investments and too little time getting anything done. +* **Stay Away from Risky Options Strategies:** So you wanted to get rich quick so you bough a bunch of naked calls or puts? All or nothing baby!! Well there goes your anxiety. The more professional you are with options the less anxiety you'll have. +* **Be a Net Options Seller:** Covered calls while you're waiting for your position to turn over long periods of time is a great idea. Its like getting a free dividend and it lowers your cost basis. I've been selling POWW calls for the last three months and in addition to profiting from the increase in share price, I've cashed in $0.56 in premium per share, a 9% gain on the overall position on options premium alone. At this point I don't care how the stock trades. Talk about low anxiety huh? I'll sell calls till the cows come home and if the shareprice on the last day before expiry is slightly over the strike on the calls I sold, pending I want to hold on to the shares I'll just roll the options to another month for additional premium. Furthermore when I can't get a stock for the price I want I often just sell an in the money cash secured put if the options premium is worth it. Lets say a stock is trading for $6.00 but the $7.50 strike put is trading for $2.70. That means the real price to me if assigned is $4.80 per share. Talk about a steal! I'll sell that contract all day every day! And with practically no anxiety on a solid company! +* **Don't buy in all at once, do NOT chase!:** Don't just throw in a full allocation all at once on a stock. Rather establish a starter position and buy in slowly in the red. This will greatly lower your cost average and increase your profitability. For example, if you established a starter position but now you find yourself down 5%, you can just buy an equally sized position and now you only need the stock to increase 2.5% to recover from your loss. Does this help with your anxiety? You bet it does! Finally, if the stock skyrockets don't chase it. Enjoy the profit and move on. Chasing has been the windowmaker of plenty of traders ... particularly in the penny stock world. +* **Keep 25-50% Cash to the Side:** Sure it limits your profit, but it can also enhance your profit too. Especially amid uncertain times. The market will never react the way you think it will and it is important to keep some cash to the side in the event the market turns sour. And imagine the amount of anxiety you save by knowing in the long run you can not only double down on a good company, but you can profit more as well. Lets say the stock you're in dipped 25% on a market panic. Well if you bought a reliably profitable company you will eventually recover. But if you used that cash to the side to double down you'll only need to wait until the stock rebounds 12.5%. By the time the stock recovers 25% you'll have made 12.5% profit. +* **Margin is for Emergencies:** Margin for small retail traders should strictly be used for emergencies. One such emergency for me was the big COVID dump. Sure I made some decent money shorting DIS but that alone did not make up my losses. I also had some cash to the side. And I bought the dip. Much to my surprise however the market kept dipping. I took out 25% leverage on my marginable positions. Because I had cash to the side and I saved margin only for emergencies, I was able to profit big from the rebound. +* **Stay away from unprofitable companies and Penny Stocks:** This speaks for itself. I have analyzed a the risk on a bunch of penstocks. And unprofitable companies can often disappoint. Indeed the volatility is there, and there is profit to be made amid volatility. However trust me when I tell you that if you are reading this, it means you likely need help in your trading habits, and you should just stay away from penny stocks and unprofitable companies. +* **If You go Short, Consider Buying a Call:** If you're short, you can lose a lot of money if the trade turns against you. But by buying an at the money call when yo go short on 100 shares, you have the same effect of buying a put when you're long. The max you can lose if you're short and you bought an at the money call, is the price of the call and perhaps just a little bit more in some circumstances. The price of a stock can literally go from $10 to $1000, but still, if you bought a call, your losses are capped at the strike of the call plus premium. You wont even need to cover. When the call is assigned it will automatically cover the play for you. And if the price dips low enough to the point you received enough profit to cover the cost of the call and a little more, you can cover the stock and if you so choose to hold on to the call option, it's paid for! Its a free call. You can sell it if you wish, or hold it as a lotto. But either way you're anxiety is reduced because you can only lose so much on your short position! This is why I laugh when people say "shorts are scared." Big money ALWAYS hedges their short position. They cant stand the anxiety of a naked short and neither should you! +* **So You're Down 5%? Who Cares?:** 5% is nothing but a great place to average down. You did your DD, you've assessed the economic conditions, plenty of institutions are satisfied with the stock, what have you got to worry about? Expect this and let it in to your way of life. It's going to happen. Just average down with the money you have to the side and hold. They will continue to make money quarter after quarter which will increase their book value which will eventually get realized by upward price momentum. +* **BUY RELIABLY RPOFITABLE COMPANIES PRIMED FOR GROWTH, TRADING AT A SECTOR RELATIVE VALUE, ON A PULLBACK OF NO NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE, WITH A DECENT AMOUNT OF INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENT, UNDER FAVORABLE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS!:** Swing for grand slams and you'll strike out, or ground out nearly every time. Swing for base hits and you'll hit base hits, home runs, and grand slams on a very regular basis! + +# You will NEVER Get Rid of All of your Anxiety: + +Its got to be said! You will never get rid of all of your anxiety. You just put a significant amount of cash you worked hard for into shares of a company subject to both positive and negative market forces. There will always be unknowns. Therefore, there will always be anxiety. + +**TL;DR:** First, I HIGHLY suggest you read this if you feel that you are the target audience. The thesis above speaks to the fact that anxiety in trading largely comes from the unknown, & the more you mitigate the unknown the less anxiety you will experience. Above there are plenty of steps you can do to mitigate the unknown, thereby developing your confidence, and become a more profitable trader. I also argue that you can mitigate a large portion of your anxiety simply by understanding what you're buying in an equity, understand the markets, understanding trading techniques, developing a sense of perspective, and buying "*reliably profitable companies, primed for growth, trading a sector relative value, on pullback of little to no negative consequence, with a decent amount of institutional investment, under favorable economic conditions.*" This post is for people serious about mitigating their anxiety and learning how to trade in a manner that will benefit both their mental health and their wallets. In summary, if traders respect their own money and do what they're supposed to do, it will go a long way to mitigating anxiety. +&#x200B; + +[Mitigating Anxiety is Mitigating the Unknown, and Mitigating the Unknown is Mitigating Downside Risk](https://preview.redd.it/p7iethoi3fz71.jpg?width=3907&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0576d1b2c223bce6cb25dbb3e47bcdc661b5fe4a) + +Note: Its a long post. Please don't forget to upvote if you like the content. I worked hard on it and I want folks who experience trader anxiety to benefit from my work. Over 5000 words, 15 minute read. + +**Overview:** For those of you who consider yourself seasoned traders, ignore this... although I promise you that you will learn something. For those of you who have anxiety issues I think this will prove to be an invaluable resource. I'm going to put a lot of time into writing this and it is directed at those who have high amounts of anxiety while trading in the markets. + +# Reddit is an Enabler of Trading Anxiety: + +Back in the day I used to post a metric ton of highly detailed DD on Reddit. I posted my research on Reddit for a simple reason ... I wanted feedback ... I wanted to crowdsource my DD. One of the primary issues I continued to run into was few, if any, added any substantive value in the comment section. I would post DD and 2-4 weeks later I would get a flood of comments of folks who never commented on the thread before, but nevertheless tanked me for all the money they made as a result of reading and taking action on a ticker I wrote about. It was then I noticed that people on Reddit are frequently looking for justification to throw money at anything that may bring them a return. As it turned out the information I posted provided that justification. But this was not the reason I posted the research. Once again, I wanted to crowd source DD. + +I stopped posting DD on Reddit altogether. It was a lot of work for too little feedback. I can do a complete deep dive & workup on a company in my head with a pad and pencil within an hour. Putting it all together and posting the information takes considerably more time. I realized that there is a large segment of people who wanted to be told what to invest in with a detailed summary as to why. They generally want to know the risks, they want to know the possible rewards, and they wanted to know when to buy in, average down, and sell. I therefore opted instead to publish a daily newsletter instead of positing on Reddit. + +People on Reddit are buying what they don't understand with information posted by people they ought not to trust. A great deal of DD on Reddit only comes about when some poor fella is bag holding deep and suddenly realizes that he/she wants to share the amazing value with the world under a misguided understanding that they may be able to generate undue interest in the stock. DD on Reddit is bag holders paradise. DD posts on Reddit nearly always means the author is losing money. Remember more recently when SNAP, WISH, or PTON dumped on very poor earnings? Did you happen to notice all the DD that was posted on those tickers days to weeks after? Those were bag holders folks. In part, their anxiety from their losses led them to the desperation of taking to Reddit to pitch trash. + +Reddit is a trash heap of poorly written "DD" and bad advice. For every solid bit of analysis found on reddit there are thousands of poorly written items that are neither "due" nor "diligent." How much "DD" have you seen posted, for example, with absolutely no consideration for the risk factors? If they're missing a risk section can we honestly say they're being "diligent" ... or are they just trying to pump a stock? And there are plenty of new retail traders who have absolutely no clue what they're doing for these fellas to prey on. + +There is a reasons so many new retail traders are taking to Reddit for answers. Reddit has received a lot of attention in the media as a result of the GME/AMC fiasco. So new retail traders see Reddit as a place to look for guidance, but instead of guidance, they end up looking for profit in a sea of bad advice. Many are new to the market, they do not know how to read the financials, they do not know how to assess economic conditions, and they do not know how to read/assess (or even find) 10-K's, 10-Q's, 8-K's, earnings calls, etc... They do not know how to value a company, how to identify entry and exit points, how to assess debt, how to conduct competitive analysis, and some even think technical analysis is all you need. They do not know how to assess trailing PE, forward PE, PB, BVPS, PEG, current ratios, PS, Enterprise Value, GAAP EPS, NON GAAP EPS, operating margin, and the list goes on & on & on. And even if they could somewhat do all of this, they don't have the time. So what's the result? ... Massive amounts of confusion, massive amounts of ignorance, and massive amounts of fear of the unknown. + +# Fear of the Unknown is the Number One Reason for Trader Anxiety: + +The reason that most of you suffer from trading anxiety is a lack of confidence in your picks which leads to a great deal of fear of the unknown. And there is only one way to eliminate the fear of the unknown. ELEMINATE TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE THE UNKNOWN. And if you're are trying to eliminate the unknown through scrolling through insufficient DD posts on Reddit, then your anxiety will likely be amplified when you suddenly find out that most of your trades will fail. + +# Eliminating the Unknown will Eliminate Anxiety: + +Before I retired, I spent 8 years in the Marines as an Infantryman and 13 years in the Army as an intelligence analyst. I've been on the receiving end of information and the production end of information. I've seen the horrible results of bad information, and the absolutely amazing successes in good information. In my experience analysis should overwhelmingly be risk based. Assessing and mitigating risk in my former line of work meant an increased likelihood of mission success, friendly lives saved, and civilian lives saved. The less information you collect and process, the more you simply do not know. Having too many unknowns greatly increases risk and diminishes the chance of mission success. I approach trading in the same fashion. And I know from experience the largest risks come from the unknowns. Learning to identify and spot those unknowns comes largely from experience but you need to begin somewhere. There are 3 types of unknowns. + +* **Known Unknows:** These are the items you know you do not know. The overwhelming amount of your effort when assessing an equity is dedicated to filling in the gaps of those items you know you do not know, but would like to know. And much of it is easy to find, but what if you can't? There are many cases in which you would like to know something but the information is not available. In those cases you look for indicators of the information requirements you need to make your case. Remember, you are both looking for indicators that justify your trade and indicators that do not justify your trade. For example, if you are invested in Ruger, Smith & Wesson, an ammunition manufacturer, or an outdoors sporting goods store, the [F](https://stocktipstips.substack.com/p/a-message-for-stocktips-subscribers)[BI's NICS Firearm Background Checks](https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view) tracker is a damn find indicator. There are hundreds of government indicators and thousands of open source indicators available. You just need to know where to look. +* **Unknown Knowns:** These are things you know, but either forgot you knew, or failed to apply what you knew to your analysis. Perhaps you have solid information to go on, you just didn't thing to use that particular source. To remedy this you simply need to critically think about what you know and how it applies to your analysis. For example, we all know there are websites that check online traffic patterns. Did you ever think to apply this as an indicator for the online retailor you're invested in? I'm willing to bet no! +* **Unknown Unknowns:** This is perhaps the most dangerous, as it is ALMOST completely derived from ignorance. The more ignorant we are on a certain subject matter the more we run into unknown unknowns. Once you've started on your known knowns, identified your known unknowns (and their indicators), assessed your unknown knowns, you draw your attention to the unknown unknowns. Essentially this is asking "what the hell am I missing and where can I go to find it," or "where can I look to find the things I do not know I'm missing?" + +# Eliminating the Unknown and Mitigating Anxiety: + +Investing first and researching later is no way to go about business and it can greatly increase your anxiety! The more you know about your company and the current and future economic conditions, the less anxiety you will have. (Note: Much of the data referenced below can be found under the statics tab of [any given company on Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL/key-statistics?p=AAPL). Bottom line is if you know the relative value and prospects of what you own, and the risks thereof, your confidence goes up, and your anxiety drops considerably! + +* **Assessing the Known Knowns:** When you begin your analysis you will always start with assessing what you know. You know, that no matter what company you're looking at, you will generally want the following: + * A forward PE (Price to Earnings) that is lower than the trailing PE, unless you think the market forward PE consensus is wrong. + * A PE that is relatively lower than sector/industry peers unless you are expecting massive growth. + * A BV (Book Value) and BVPS (Book Value Per Share) that is closer to the market cap/share price as possible as compared to industry peers. + * A PS (Price to Sales) ratio of one or less (ideally less than industry/sector peers) of unless, once again, you're expecting massive future growth. + * A PEG (Price to Earnings Growth) ratio of one or less unless you are pricing in massive growth (Few if any tech companies have a PEG ratio less than one). + * An enterprise value that is near, or higher than, market cap. Unless, once again, you are expecting massive growth. Companies that have a enterprise value significantly lower than market cap can be possible buyout opportunities. + * Manageable debt relatively lower than industry peers. (A current ratio above 1 but lower than 5) + * The company can pay their dividend (see payout ratio) + * A solid amount of cash on hand. + * Moderate to high amounts of institutional investment. + * A solid and growing operating cash flow and operating margin. + * Increasing YoY Quarterly Revenue Growth and YoY Quarterly EPS Growth. + * Trading at a value on a pullback of no negative consequence. + * Solid forward guidance + * A history of insider confidence through insider buying + * Solid buy rating analyst coverage and upgrades (Take it with a grain of salt, there are more shitty analysts out there than stars in the sky). + * Share buybacks are always nice + * Did you read the most recent [10-K and 10-Q?](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html) + * Did you read the the Risk Factors on the most recent 10-K and 10-Q? + * Did you read the latest [SEC filings?](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html) + * Did you review the last 4 earnings (Seeking Alpha collects them all to include the earnings transcripts under the news section under any given ticker) + * How many analysts cover the stock, what rating did they give, and has it been recently been [upgraded or downgraded?](https://www.benzinga.com/stock/aapl/ratings) +* **Eliminating Unknowns About the Company:** You can never eliminate all the unknowns about the company. But you can ask yourself the following: + * Is the company at risk for an offering? + * Can future revenues cover additional debt and reinvestment? + * What are the chances the company does not preform as expected? + * How critical will it be for my investment if the company misses EPS projections? Its an important question to ask. Companies underperform EPS all the time amid earnings. More often than not it means the company is still growing, just not at the rate analysts expected. For most profitable companies, missing EPS projections does NOT mean the company isn't profitable. Companies with a positive EPS should typically be better off this quarter on the books than the previous quarter. + * Is the company's goals realistic and obtainable? + * Is the company under or over shooting projected guidance? + * Are analysts under or over shooting guidance? + * Is the space the company competes in overcrowded? + * Is the company losing or gaining market share as compared to competitors? + * Does the company have a competitive advantage or disadvantage? + * Is the leadership competent? +* **Eliminating Unknowns About the Current and Future Economic Conditions:** This can be tough but at minimum you should study current and [upcoming economic datasets](https://tradingeconomics.com/) and ask how a positive or negative change in the various categories affects your company. You will also want to come up with your own short, medium, and long term projection of economic conditions and how they will affect your company. Always pay attention to the [economic calendar](https://www.reddit.com/r/StockMarket/comments/qsubyk/next_weeks_economic_calendar_1115202111222021/)! + * Inflation Rate (Low is good for preventing dramatic shifts in personal spending, high is good for paying off long term debt. Remember if inflation ever gets to a point where people economize on needs and cut back on wants, it can mean bad news for the wants!) + * Semiconductor Shortage + * Worker Shortage (Can they meet demand with the workers they got? If not can they beat previous quarters EPS with the workers they got?) + * Supply Chain Bottlenecks (Check their domestic inventories as a solid indicator of how affected they are by this) + * Rising fuel and Energy Costs + * Rising Shipping Costs + * Government & Regulatory Environment + * Federal Reserve Policy + * Reliance on China and Chinese Economic/Regulatory Environment + * Unemployment Rate and Labor Force Participation Rate (Too high less people are buying, too low and the cost of labor goes up) + * Always Pay Close Attention to the [ECONOMIC CALANDER](https://www.reddit.com/r/StockMarket/comments/qsubyk/next_weeks_economic_calendar_1115202111222021/) and the results reported! + +# Perspective and Expectation Management Also Mitigates Anxiety: + +It's gonna go to the moooooon!!!! No it isn't! Read my part on Big money below to find out why. It's important that you have reasonable expectations. It's important that you have a decent and realistic perspective on the outcome of your trade. Doing this will go leaps and bounds toward mitigating your anxiety. + +* **There is NO Such thing as a Perfect Stock:** If your anxiety is so through the roof that you're forgoing great trades on good companies, cut that shit out! There is no such thing as a perfect stock and you will always need to accept a certain degree of risk! +* **Do not Sweat Minor Misses in EPS:** You're company barely missed analysts EPS or Revenue Expectations? So what!!?? Are they profitable? Are they growing? If they had positive revenue and EPS, chances are they're still growing on the books. Sure their rate of growth may have changed but they're adding money to the balance sheet! It would be one thing if they lowered guidance, but short of that a small EPS miss isn't nothing to frown upon and might put you in the position to buy some more stock for a cheaper price on a really good company! If holding a little longer gives you anxiety then its because you're attempting to get money quick by swinging trades, which is fine, but can add an additional layer of anxiety. I love it when companies miss small but stand by their guidance. The street has a fit as the share price sells off, affording me the chance to enter in. +* **Expect the Unexpected and Have a Plan:** Black Swans happen. Major unexpected economic shifts happen. Your dry bulk carrier will catch fire or lose their cargo in the ocean. Oil companies will have spills. Companies get sued all the time. Adjusted economic numbers come out every day of the week. Your stock WILL NOT trade as everyone expects it to. Get used to this and you will mitigate your anxiety. Buy in slowly and have a plan, and you will mitigate it even more. +* **Analysts are Always Wrong:** Firstly it is important to understand that analyst price targets are where the analyst expects the stock to be in a year or so. Not right now. I see a lot of retail traders complaining about the company share price not being at the analyst price target. Its ridiculous expectation management! And unnecessary anxiety. +* **Understand how Big Money Operates and Expect their Antics!:** When large institutions dealing in millions to billions of dollars decide to buy or sell a stock, they are well aware that they will inevitably move the share price. The volume they create can be massive. To mitigate this they will either sell calls or buy puts when they sell a considerable lot of shares, or buy calls or sell puts when they buy a considerable lot of shares. Therefore it is important to understand that institutions can often make money no matter which way the stock trades. Unlike most retail traders they even have the option to go both long & short on the same security at the same time. They can, & do, often go short to take advantage of the bearish sentiment they inevitably create while selling large blocks of shares while locking in their profit using a combination of options strategies. Always remember that retail does not own the market … big money does. This reality forces us to come to grips with the necessity not to fight them, but to ride their backs. This includes having the discipline & courage of our convictions to hold through the bearish sentiment institutions inevitably create, on perfectly good companies, when some big firm takes profit. Consider retail traders like ourselves the small Remora Fish attached to a large Great White Shark (The Institutions), waiting to ride their backs out of but a temporary rut of no true consequence. +* **Trading Psychology:** Psychology plays a large part of why stocks can continue to trade below street value (The value most traders believe fair). Once a stock sells off due to large institutional profit taking, the street wonders why. Does someone know something we don’t? Was there some economic data that cast bearish sentiment on this particular industry or sector? Does the street expect the company to act in a way that will lower its valuation? Such questions, & many more, aren’t just asked by us. They’re asked by everyone who holds a position in the company we do. And these questions cause anxiety. Even analysts may downgrade a stock for no other reason than to tailor their expectations a year out from now. Indeed they hate to be wrong, & they always are. So do not be surprised not only when a security we thought was already undervalued sells off further than expected, but also stays down as it may take time for traders to feel comfortable entering again. Corrections back to street value can often take a few weeks to a few months. Sometimes until next earnings to relive fears of both retail & large institutions. + +# Processes Mitigate Anxiety: + +Processes mitigate anxiety. The more efficient the process the less time you spend searching for places to put that money that's burning a hole in your pocket. Some traders feel as though they are in a rush to hurry up and strike while the iron is hot and put their money somewhere only to find out that they rushed their trades and realized a loss. Below is my process and a few additional pointers for researching equities and it mitigates A LOT of my personal trader anxiety. + +1. **Assess the Economic Conditions First!:** Assessing the economic conditions first grants you the opportunity to single out those sectors that stand to benefit the most from current and future economic conditions. If you do not know how to do this please see an earlier post I made on this very topic [HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/comments/qrtkox/understanding_and_profiting_from_our_current/). Also investing in companies that stand to benefit the most from economic conditions gives you an extra layer of confidence to fight anxiety. +2. **Make a Price Based Assessment Watchlist and Set your Alerts:** A Price Based Assessment Watchlist is simply adding companies that you've 1. Assessed the Current or Future Economic Conditions as Favorable. 2. Did a Quick Review of the [Company Financials](https://stocktipstips.substack.com/p/stocktips-investment-research-series). 3. Set your alert at your desired reassessment price. ONLY when that alert hits is when you do the rest of your research and DD. That way you ONLY use your valuable time on the most promising of circumstances. That way you aren't frantically searching and scrolling for plays, but letting the plays come to you, which helps with anxiety! +3. **Buy on a Pullback of Little to No Negative Consequence:** I love a good dump. Perhaps it comes from a bad market day, perhaps it comes from the sector in general doing poorly that day, and perhaps it comes from a whale taking profit. I don't care. If the financials are great, I expect the company to grow, and the economic conditions are favorable, such a pullback will trigger my buy alerts letting me know its time for a starter position. But first I do a quick assessment to see if there is any recent negative news that is driving down the share price. If there is negative news, I ask myself to what degree is the news of legitimate financial substance to the growth prospects of the company. If very little, I'll be happy to buy that dip. Some would argue that they want to jump in on solid relative strength. Yeah ... they're chasing and I don't chase. I like it when its cold, not when its hot. Later, when my thesis becomes true, then it gets hot and I watch everyone else chase. But buying on a pullback of little to no consequence will give you that extra layer of value and security you may have been looking for. You wont be worried if the security is over pumped and about to fall, but rather patiently waiting for it to pump again. I think the latter of the two holds less anxiety. More profitable too! +4. **Keep Track of the News:** If you want to monitor your investments stop looking at the chart and read all the news that comes out on your company. Two good places to do this are seeking alpha (Put the ticker in and click the news tab) and, believe it or not, StockTwits! The bots and the news scroller on StockTwits are money! Ignore the people there, read the news scroller! +5. **Set Price Alerts on Current Positions:** Set price alerts at 5% above or below your starter position price. Its a lot more easy to go about your day that way, and waaay less anxiety when you can be rest assured that at minimum your investment has not pumped or lost 5%. If your stock does dump 5% and you get alerted, perhaps then you might want to check for bad news and average down as necessary. Otherwise leave it be! + +# Anxiety Mitigating Rules to Live by: + +Some added anxiety killing tips! + +* **If you aren't willing to hold the stock long term, stay away from it!:** So you think you're going to swing it real quick and get out so you don't need to put too much effort into the trade? Think again. The technical analysis guru on YouTube may have a pretty technical set up, but he's going to throw your anxiety through the roof. And only IF you're lucky, you MAY make a profit. +* **Quit Checking your Phone, Set Alerts Instead:** Set share price points where you want to be alerted and quit checking your phone. I promise you that your anxiety is really going to increase when you're fired from work because you spend too much time checking your investments and too little time getting anything done. +* **Stay Away from Risky Options Strategies:** So you wanted to get rich quick so you bough a bunch of naked calls or puts? All or nothing baby!! Well there goes your anxiety. The more professional you are with options the less anxiety you'll have. +* **Be a Net Options Seller:** Covered calls while you're waiting for your position to turn over long periods of time is a great idea. Its like getting a free dividend and it lowers your cost basis. I've been selling POWW calls for the last three months and in addition to profiting from the increase in share price, I've cashed in $0.56 in premium per share, a 9% gain on the overall position on options premium alone. At this point I don't care how the stock trades. Talk about low anxiety huh? I'll sell calls till the cows come home and if the shareprice on the last day before expiry is slightly over the strike on the calls I sold, pending I want to hold on to the shares I'll just roll the options to another month for additional premium. Furthermore when I can't get a stock for the price I want I often just sell an in the money cash secured put if the options premium is worth it. Lets say a stock is trading for $6.00 but the $7.50 strike put is trading for $2.70. That means the real price to me if assigned is $4.80 per share. Talk about a steal! I'll sell that contract all day every day! And with practically no anxiety on a solid company! +* **Don't buy in all at once, do NOT chase!:** Don't just throw in a full allocation all at once on a stock. Rather establish a starter position and buy in slowly in the red. This will greatly lower your cost average and increase your profitability. For example, if you established a starter position but now you find yourself down 5%, you can just buy an equally sized position and now you only need the stock to increase 2.5% to recover from your loss. Does this help with your anxiety? You bet it does! Finally, if the stock skyrockets don't chase it. Enjoy the profit and move on. Chasing has been the windowmaker of plenty of traders ... particularly in the penny stock world. +* **Keep 25-50% Cash to the Side:** Sure it limits your profit, but it can also enhance your profit too. Especially amid uncertain times. The market will never react the way you think it will and it is important to keep some cash to the side in the event the market turns sour. And imagine the amount of anxiety you save by knowing in the long run you can not only double down on a good company, but you can profit more as well. Lets say the stock you're in dipped 25% on a market panic. Well if you bought a reliably profitable company you will eventually recover. But if you used that cash to the side to double down you'll only need to wait until the stock rebounds 12.5%. By the time the stock recovers 25% you'll have made 12.5% profit. +* **Margin is for Emergencies:** Margin for small retail traders should strictly be used for emergencies. One such emergency for me was the big COVID dump. Sure I made some decent money shorting DIS but that alone did not make up my losses. I also had some cash to the side. And I bought the dip. Much to my surprise however the market kept dipping. I took out 25% leverage on my marginable positions. Because I had cash to the side and I saved margin only for emergencies, I was able to profit big from the rebound. +* **Stay away from unprofitable companies and Penny Stocks:** This speaks for itself. I have analyzed a the risk on a bunch of penstocks. And unprofitable companies can often disappoint. Indeed the volatility is there, and there is profit to be made amid volatility. However trust me when I tell you that if you are reading this, it means you likely need help in your trading habits, and you should just stay away from penny stocks and unprofitable companies. +* **If You go Short, Consider Buying a Call:** If you're short, you can lose a lot of money if the trade turns against you. But by buying an at the money call when yo go short on 100 shares, you have the same effect of buying a put when you're long. The max you can lose if you're short and you bought an at the money call, is the price of the call and perhaps just a little bit more in some circumstances. The price of a stock can literally go from $10 to $1000, but still, if you bought a call, your losses are capped at the strike of the call plus premium. You wont even need to cover. When the call is assigned it will automatically cover the play for you. And if the price dips low enough to the point you received enough profit to cover the cost of the call and a little more, you can cover the stock and if you so choose to hold on to the call option, it's paid for! Its a free call. You can sell it if you wish, or hold it as a lotto. But either way you're anxiety is reduced because you can only lose so much on your short position! This is why I laugh when people say "shorts are scared." Big money ALWAYS hedges their short position. They cant stand the anxiety of a naked short and neither should you! +* **So You're Down 5%? Who Cares?:** 5% is nothing but a great place to average down. You did your DD, you've assessed the economic conditions, plenty of institutions are satisfied with the stock, what have you got to worry about? Expect this and let it in to your way of life. It's going to happen. Just average down with the money you have to the side and hold. They will continue to make money quarter after quarter which will increase their book value which will eventually get realized by upward price momentum. +* **BUY RELIABLY RPOFITABLE COMPANIES PRIMED FOR GROWTH, TRADING AT A SECTOR RELATIVE VALUE, ON A PULLBACK OF NO NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE, WITH A DECENT AMOUNT OF INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENT, UNDER FAVORABLE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS!:** Swing for grand slams and you'll strike out, or ground out nearly every time. Swing for base hits and you'll hit base hits, home runs, and grand slams on a very regular basis! + +# You will NEVER Get Rid of All of your Anxiety: + +Its got to be said! You will never get rid of all of your anxiety. You just put a significant amount of cash you worked hard for into shares of a company subject to both positive and negative market forces. There will always be unknowns. Therefore, there will always be anxiety. + +**TL;DR:** First, I HIGHLY suggest you read this if you feel that you are the target audience. The thesis above speaks to the fact that anxiety in trading largely comes from the unknown, & the more you mitigate the unknown the less anxiety you will experience. Above there are plenty of steps you can do to mitigate the unknown, thereby developing your confidence, and become a more profitable trader. I also argue that you can mitigate a large portion of your anxiety simply by understanding what you're buying in an equity, understand the markets, understanding trading techniques, developing a sense of perspective, and buying "*reliably profitable companies, primed for growth, trading a sector relative value, on pullback of little to no negative consequence, with a decent amount of institutional investment, under favorable economic conditions.*" This post is for people serious about mitigating their anxiety and learning how to trade in a manner that will benefit both their mental health and their wallets. In summary, if traders respect their own money and do what they're supposed to do, it will go a long way to mitigating anxiety. +**Many retail investors assume that if there is ONE SHARE exchanged at $10,000,000 then that price will be set as the Market Price. THIS IS WRONG!** + +The current market rules for setting the NBBO require that trades be in ROUND LOTS. + +https://preview.redd.it/uiryz9j6ch071.png?width=437&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd7a63c61ae57dd13c7c1023cc23b8b8e7415c03 + +This means if there is not a trade executed at 100 x GME then that is not setting a new price! Similarly if you want to drop the price you trade in a bunch of 100 blocks. + +Your single trades, unless aggregated by a broker or market maker, will NOT move the needle unless many other people are buying at the same price at the same time. + +I stumbled on this after seeing this post by u\\Xandrul01 about limit orders: + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/oxjki8bx7h071.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=7482cd3d3686cd0b1b4e84867306b3006e59f152 + +"Small orders can possibly not trade on limits the market just touches the price because **odd lots ( less than 100 shares ) are not protected under rule NMS."** + +What is rule NMS: + +" **Reg NMS is a set of rules that defines how trading works in the U.S. for all listed stocks**. + +As automated trading increased, NMS ushered in a new era of competition in trading and introduced a   number of important **protections for investors.** + +In 1994, following the introduction of the Unlisted Trading Privileges Act, or [UTP](https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/4535/text), stocks were allowed to trade on any venue. That meant the primary listing exchange was no longer the only exchange on which a ticker could trade. + +Reg NMS also mandated market-wide cross-connectivity, allowing for a competitive and distributed market. Then the centrality of the SIP ensured that all participants **knew where and what price** the **best bid and offer** for each stock was at all times. + +NMS also prohibited trade-throughs and crossed markets, ensuring that customer orders were **filled at the best prices available**, regardless of what exchange each stock is trading on." + +Source: [https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/reg-nms-dummies-2019-05-09](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/reg-nms-dummies-2019-05-09) + +**TLDR: The NMS rule is VERY IMPORTANT in ensuring that a trade is executed at the BEST PRICE. However if a trade is TOO SMALL (less than 100 shares) then these protections do NOT apply!** + +**SUSPICION**: Since retail buying, especially for GME, includes a lot of 1 share buys, it's entirely possible these orders are NOT being filled at best execution. Market Makers and Brokers (like Robinhood) could theoretically very carefully slowly feed SMALL LOT ORDERS in darkpools at the WORST PRICE. + +This might explain how retail buying can be suppressed to NOT INFLUENCE the market price! It would take 100 share lots at a certain price to hit the ask to set a new NBBO (best market price). + +\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* + +**AS a stock price rises the ODD LOT PROBLEM becomes really bad, for example AMAZON, because their share price is so high that there are less and less 100 block orders.** + +source: [https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/nms-ii%3A-an-odd-solution-for-the-odd-lot-problem-2020-05-07](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/nms-ii%3A-an-odd-solution-for-the-odd-lot-problem-2020-05-07) + +**"**[**Currently**](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/reg-nms-dummies-2019-05-09)**, when you are trading, the SIP shows you an NBBO. That’s the best of the best buyer and seller regardless of which exchange they’re waiting in, although it needs to be for at least a “round lot” (usually 100 shares).** If you’re trying to capture spread, that round lot also ensures you have a “protected” quote, meaning you won’t miss fills if a large trade causes worse prices to trade at other venues (be “traded through”). It’s also the same prices that Rule 605 uses to monitor investors’ execution quality and protect them from bad fills. + +**However, the U.S. market has an “**[**odd lot problem**](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-happens-in-an-odd-lot-world-2019-06-20)**.” That’s because 100 shares of AMZN (for example), at over $200,000 not only qualifies for block size but is multiples larger than the average trade or best bid value. So what tends to happen is that algos and individual investors bid for smaller values of AMZN, creating an "insiders" market at better prices than the NBBO shows.** + +One problem with this is that investors and brokers using the SIP won’t know that there are small buyers and sellers at slightly better prices in the market. + +But there is a good reason to have round lots in a stock like GE, where 100 shares represents around $700. Considering the average trade is around $7,000, the public, protected best-ex quote should represent enough shares to fill the average trade." + +**In short AS the stock price rises there are naturally MORE and MORE ODD LOT PROBLEMS:** + +&#x200B; + +[In short AS the stock price rises there are naturally MORE and MORE ODD LOT PROBLEMS. In GME this is compounded because you have retail that typically buy in small lots anyway and then you have the potential for GME shares to go to $10,000+. ](https://preview.redd.it/kdpqvsn4ah071.png?width=813&format=png&auto=webp&s=c825c26b8ebee18648b115ae02b35948b165dd14) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +[THE SEC realized this is not always an efficient solution for traders, so they proposed to change how Round Lots are determined and can set the NBBO](https://preview.redd.it/vkx82az9ah071.png?width=737&format=png&auto=webp&s=aa1b3311e458dadb716609d87acf61efd7044d3f) + +TLDR: SEC realized this is not efficient as there may be buyers who want to buy 10 shares of Amazon at $22,000 (current price $20,000) and since it is less than 100 round lots it would not set a new NBBO. This also works vice versa for a lower price. + +**NEW SEC PROPOSAL** + +The proposal results in an NBBO that has a more consistent value (green line in Chart 2). [Our data](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/why-intelligent-ticks-make-sense-2020-01-09) suggests this will also significantly tighten displayed quotes for higher-priced stocks. However, there are three consequences that traders might not like: + +1. With the size of a round lot between $1,000 and $5,000 (for almost all stocks), the official NBBO might represent a smaller quote than almost all spread-crossing trades that will be benchmarked against it. +2. **It’s possible that a stock like AMZN could be BID and OFFERED for one share at a one-cent spread. That’s not the kind of size or spread capture that many think is good for liquidity and price discovery.** +3. There are still odd lots. + +**HOW OTHER MARKETS SOLVE THE PROBLEM:** + +**"In other developed markets, the solution to the odd lot problem has been to eliminate the distinction between round lots and odd lots.** + +**Allowing trades in any whole number of shares in turn makes all quotes equal. It also ensures that the true best bid and offer is displayed for all to see.** + +The downside, as [we’ve noted before](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/a-data-driven-intelligent-ticks-proposal-2020-01-23), is that nobody wants to be benchmarked against one-share quotes." + +**TLDR:** Other markets allow price discovery to just function like supply and demand. If there is a single trader willing to sell at $1,000 and a single trader willing to buy at $1,000 then that can be the latest Market Price! If other traders feel that is over or undervalued they will quickly submit their bids and the market will naturally find the best price. + +**The current system means that whomever can trade in 100 share blocks can influence the price significantly! Your one share lots TOTALLY DON'T MATTER unless a broker or market maker decided to group them together, but they can abuse when and when they may not want to group!** + +The SEC rule that created this new NMS II proposal seems to be this one: [https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2020/34-90019.pdf](https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2020/34-90019.pdf) + +It was proposed in September 2020 and it was never implemented (I could not find any confirmation it was ever executed, it seems to just have remained in comment phase forever). + +**TLDR:** Round Lots basically give more power to trades grouped in 100 share lots to set the price (up or down). A single trade for a single share will NOT do anything and NOT set the NBBO. + +Lots less than 100 shares are called ODD lots. ODD lots are not protected by NSM rule which ensures they are executed at the best price. This might be an opportunity for brokers and market makers to execute retail orders slowly in odd lots and give a worse execution and or reduce the impact of retail orders on price! + +ODD lots are a big problem, for example in AMAZON where the share price is $20,000. You would have to have a trade $20,000 \* 100 in order to move the new price, which means there are a lot of individual trades that could improve the price discovery but they don't. + +The SEC proposed a change called NSM II in September 2020 which would give more power to smaller lot orders to influence price, but it was never implemented. + +Other market economies do away with lots entirely- allowing a single share at any price to determine the best market price. Where there is a buyer and a seller= market price. Makes sense to me! + +&#x200B; + +**IMPLICATIONS:** + +I suspect that small order lots could be used to manipulate the price. By simply executing retail orders slowly in small odd lots these orders are NOT protected by the NSM rule and it could mean that a market maker could skim the difference. + +More importantly this does mean that retail orders, which are naturally for fewer shares, do not impact the price as they should. + +This also means that in the event of the GME price surging to incredible levels it will take 100 order lots at the same price in order to move the price up. + +This whole idea is VERY complex and I am not a financial expert. It's entirely possible I'm simplifying this too much or not fully understanding how individual trades could still be grouped or executed. Still the fact that the SEC sees this as a price discovery problem that needs fixing and the fact they're taking to long likely means it's very complex and the establishment probably does not want to change this. I think this is worth researching and would love for more apes to join the quest of how truly price is determined and how price can be manipulated through these different mechanisms! + +&#x200B; + +>**" A better solution involves a market where all orders count equally, and the lit quote is as competitive and inclusive as possible, while also ensuring spreads are deep enough to fill most orders. "**\-Source: [https://www.tradersmagazine.com/am/nms-ii-doesnt-fix-the-odd-lot-problem/](https://www.tradersmagazine.com/am/nms-ii-doesnt-fix-the-odd-lot-problem/) + +EDIT 1: We are SO LUCKY to have amazing Honorable Gentlemen like u/dlauer in this community. + + +As per his comment: "So this is all accurate, with a caveat. It doesn't mean that an odd lot order can be executed outside of the NBBO. It means that an odd lot cannot help to **set** the NBBO. " + +**SPECULATION:** Does this mean that AFTER the PEAK of MOASS... If APES sold VERY MINIMAL QUANTITIES in ODD LOTS then these sells would NOT affect/set/lower the NBBO? This disadvantage for odd lots not setting a price HIGHER could prove to be an advantage for not setting it LOWER... + +&#x200B; +2020, what a wild ride! + +I recently picked up an old device and found it logged into this old alt account, which just over a year ago I used to ask for advice on the new (bigger) house I was buying. Figured I'd update! + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/comments/cy21lm/talk\_to\_me\_about\_4000\_sq\_ft\_homes/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/comments/cy21lm/talk_to_me_about_4000_sq_ft_homes/) + +Obviously at the time, none of us were anticipating a global pandemic, but man, I gotta say this house was one of my better decisions, and the last year would have been so much harder if I hadn't taken the leap. My family is way happier here (outer suburbs), lifestyle wise. We're more relaxed, in better shape (with gyms closed, it's so much easier to exercise here on the local trails, plus we have enough room for a home gym), and we spent the whole socially-isolated summer floating happily in our awesome pool. Having your own pool is completely different from belonging to a club, even a nice a one - trust me. Even distance learning has been okay since all the kids have their own rooms and workspaces now. + +The biggest concern was the commute, which has been completely irrelevant since March, but was manageable before that. An extra bonus: the amount for which we were able to rent our old house almost completely covers the new mortgage payment. Really the only serious letdown has been my wife's hopes that we would be entertaining a lot, but maybe next year... Generally, life is good. + +Big thanks to u/[mograe](https://www.reddit.com/user/mograe/) for the tip about DIYing the pool. I fired the service and it's been easy, kinda fun, and honestly I think I'm doing a better job than they did anyway. Utilities/services here are expensive, but not more than we expected, and luckily neither my wife nor I have fancy tastes, so we furnished the extra space for less than $10K, plus maybe another $15K in minor updates when we moved it. And what with the WFH situation in the Bay Area, property values here have climbed a ton, and if we were to sell today we've easily make 20%. + +Thanks for the reinforcement last year, guys. It's been great. +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +I'll keep this short.. I made a ROTH IRA last year on Schwab. I've been buying VTTSX(retirement for 2060) with $500 every month. It looks like Schwab charges almost 10% per buy(around $50 each time). This seems like a lot but I'm not familiar with ROTH IRA accounts so just wanted to make sure I'm not losing too much money here.. +tldr: The annual 401k contribution limit does NOT include employer matched contributions. + +The annual 401k contribution limit in 2020 is $19,500. I had always thought Employee contributions plus Employer Contributions had to be less than $19,500. This is incorrect. The $19,500 limit is just on Employee Contributions. The 401k limit for Employee contributions plus Employer contributions is $57,000 in 2020. + + Some simple math to help understand. + +Salary: $100,000 + +Employer Match: Dollar for Dollar Up to 10% + +I only opted my 401k for 10% of my paycheck because $10,000 employee + $10,000 employer > $19,500. In actuality, I could have opted in 19.5% of my paycheck. I wasted 9.5% of pre-tax dollars by thinking I had already hit my limit for the year. Hopefully some of you can learn from my mistake. +Hello, + +So I was wondering, what happens if an AMC decides to close a fund due to some major reasons. Reasons could be corporate in nature, liquidation, redemption pressures etc. + +Do below factors matter? + +* AUM of the fund +* Type of scheme - Debt / Equity /Hybrid + +Do investors loose all their money in that fund or are given time to withdraw their investments (event at a loss)? What else should one know about? +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +I have never seen a family like this one. Apes from all other the world, apes from all ages believing in a common cause. + +2008 crisis was very difficult, people lost their jobs, their homes, their savings, their retirements, lots of people lost everything… And here we are 2021, as if nothing happened, nothing changed the system and is as corrupted as before. + +I'm holdling until the end and only sell on the way down. + +I hodl for our parents who helped us be what we are. + +I hodl for our children, to leave a better world. + +I hodl because I know I’m not alone. + +I hodl because you give me the strength to hold. + +I hodl because I know it’s the right thing to do. + +I hodl because you opened my eyes. + +I hodl because I’m tired of so many unfair things. + +I hodl because I read so many touching stories in these subs. + +Every single ape counts, every single share counts. + +No ape will be left behind, all apes will have enough tendies to change his life and the lifes of his beloved ones. + +Thank you apes and apesses, you were able to make me feel once again in my 20’s and this has no price!!! + +Apes together strong!!!! + +&#x200B; + +EDIT: We just came back and I found all these comments !!! Guys it's very touching, it was not my intention !!! All this is price less. I just want to thank every single ape and apesess in here, this is an example on how we are all connected and need each other to survive. Congratulation to all mothers!!!, today or next week!!! We only leave once so take care of yourselves. Let's see what tomorrow monday bring's to us!!! + +&#x200B; + +Second Edit: Thanks to everybody, you all make my weekend!!!. Thanks for all these awards, there was no need. Tomorrow is monday!!!! let's go for it!!!! +In light of the government’s [announcement](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/19/australian-university-fees-arts-stem-science-maths-nursing-teaching-humanities) today that it will pump up the costs of humanities subjects to encourage STEM degrees & ‘job-ready’ grads, I’m wondering what people on this sub studied, and how it has impacted their career. + +Was your study relevant? Did you see economic value come from it? Would you study something else? + +I wrote a long reply to someone on another thread regarding the value of an arts degree, which I’ll paste below. Would love to discuss this new policy in light of the apparent ‘market-driven’ approach the Government is now appearing to take. + +Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sharing their journeys. A great reminder that no two careers are the same, and interesting discussion - reminds you how diverse the user base in on Reddit, and on this sub. +Two weeks ago I paid a $50 app fee and $150 admin fee to apply to an apartment. I haven't heard anything back from the apartment, there are no alerts on the application, my credit hasn't been pulled at all. I've called the number several times but there is never an answer and no way to leave a message. I emailed the guy who gave me the tour directly and still no response. They wouldn't except a credit card, so I can't do a charge back since I used my debit card. Is there any way I can get my $200 back? Or any way I can report them? + +Update: Finally got ahold of someone in the office. She said my application was denied. When I asked her why she said she didn't see a reason on there. I told her my credit was not pulled at all and she argued with me until I said I have an 800 score and I'm LOOKING at my report and it has not been pulled. She just said she'll have to call me back in twenty minutes. + +Update 2: I never got a call back. I called the office again a couple hours later on my break and left a message. I'm most likely going to do a chargeback on my debit card if I can, at least to get the $150 admin fee back, and leave a review on any and every website I can find. Where I live (GA) it's minimum $200 to apply at most places, if not more. +Source: https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/property/mortgages-now-more-expensive-than-renting-research-shows-336705/#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20paying% + +I've seen a lot of people asking why, if they can afford rents higher than what their mortgage would cost why they cannot get a mortgage. This is why. Your mortgage repayments can rapidly increase and soon become unaffordable, unlike fixed rents. (As well as can you pay the mortgage and replace your boiler? The roof falls in? Etc) + +It's bad news all round. + +Edit: I get it, I misspoke - when I said "fixed rents" I did not mean rents are fixed indefinitely. I meant they're fixed for the lifetime of the tenancy agreement and that there is no variable component. +Do you know what happens when a company transitions business models? Roles become redundant. + +GameStop has hired more than 600 staff this year. This is not a sign of a failing business, it is a sign of a changing business with new priorities. Don't let this get positioned as the end of GameStop, it's merely a change of focus. A change that we have all bought into. + +Oh and the CFO leaving? That shit happens all the time. It's business. Relax and trust in RC. +Step 1: Find a product that people love… then make a slightly better version of it, and price it WAY BELOW your cost so that you lose money on every unit sold. + +Step 2: Create a ridiculous mission statement. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling -- your real mission is things like consciousness, happiness, and community. And use the word ‘technology’ a lot. No matter what you’re producing, always pretend that you’re a tech company. + +Step 3: Raise money from investors at an obscene valuation on the basis that you’re a visionary tech company. Don’t bother forecasting profits and creating conservative pro-forma statements, from which investors can derive a sensible valuation of your business. Instead, let the investors imagine how profitable your company can eventually become. + +Step 4: At a minimum, double your losses every year. And, as you continue to burn through investor capital, raise even more money at progressively higher valuations. + +Step 5: At the peak of the stock market bubble, take your company public at twice your last valuation. Reward these gullible investors with limited voting rights, and consolidate your power over the company as you steer it towards greater and greater losses while showering yourself with gigantic compensation packages. + +Congratulations. You’re now a billionaire. +I want to live in one of the units and have the rent cover my mortgage. I looked at a triplex recently in my neighborhood. If I put 20% down, my mortgage would be about $3,500. The other 2 units would bring in about $3,700. It’s not ideal, but I can afford the $3,500 with my partner (we both pay around $1700/month right now). + +I know the obvious risks such as not having a tenant and repairs, but how do I put together a solid plan? What are the less obvious risks and how do I prepare for them? Is it a bad idea in this market? +Hey guys. One last big dramatic post, even though it feels kind of awkward now since I had no idea I'd attract as much attention as I did with [the one yesterday](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/9e24cl/daily_general_discussion_september_8_2018/e5mdelz/). But a few people asked directly what happened and I feel like I ought to do this. (u/trb0x, u/NefariousNaz) + +The amount of self-reflection and encouragement I received was astonishing. And u/jtnichol thank you for the gold! I’ve got a lot of respect for you as a moderator and you’ve been great pulling the sub together this last few weeks especially. + +So I was going into the field for drill (National Guard Reserves US) and I wasn't going to have an opportunity to sell a little peth at a time and edge my liquidation down as u/TheRealDatapunk suggested. When I got back today I saw the amazing reactions to my post and saw that the PETH/Eth ratio changed slightly to put my liquidation at 184.xx. As you guys may have seen, we went to 185.01 on Binance. I took advantage of this bounce to drop the liquidation price again to 165 by selling PETH bit by bit, I'll probably try to lower it further tonight, but I’ve made my peace with getting squeezed out if it happens. It still feels horrible to sell Eth for less than half my avg cost, but it is what it is. + + I feel lucky (For now, although I know we are likely to keep dropping), and also awful for other people that got squeezed so far. u/JakovTheJakovasaur, u/BakedEnt, u/richyboycaldo, I hope you guys made it I really do. It got me thinking: Part of what grew Bitcoin into what it is today was the community. And this sub is a stellar (no pun intended) example of that. We're a community. We talk about the latest toys like Augur or God's Unchained, debate the politics of issuance and such, and provide support and advice for one another. We are all here because we saw the same thing and recognized its’ value. + + These losses suck. We may love the tech but we all invested for the money. Like I said this has been a hard lesson, but even if ETH continues to tank and never recovers to ATH (I still know it can, but if it doesn’t…) then we’ll still be a community of people enthralled by the evolution of this wonderful protocol, and the crypto space in general. The ecosystem won’t die because the price can’t hit 1000 again. + + Looking through the sub I can’t see how any but the most desperate and sadistic trolls would really be entertained considering how well people have been handling their liquidations and supporting one another. We are not undignified, we are not a laughing stock, because we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up for this roller-coaster. +I just want to emphasize again how blown away by what an amazing community this is, and I’m right there with all y’all with heavy losses. +To answer u/91143fd7dc4a5c4e7e74 My loss so far is in the five-figure range. And is (was) most of my savings. It is more than some of you, and less than others. + +I’m young and inexperienced. It isn’t the end of the world for me, and it isn’t for any of you either. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about taking the gamble and putting your money where your beliefs were. Even if it only turned out to be a costly lesson. Take the lesson to heart. Be careful with leverage, diversify (Not just in coins, mind you), never assume you know how far the market “can” go, don’t dismiss the bears entirely, be scrutinizing about the timing of your investment, and don’t FOMO even if you think what you see is cheap. This isn’t your only opportunity to achieve wealth in life, and wealth isn’t all there is to life anyway. I think I am still gonna prowl the sub every so often, but I’m definitely taking a break. + +Anyone that actually read all of this I hope you got something out of it, and l wish you the best! (Even the shorters…good game.) +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Find the latest Altcoin Discussion thread in [this search listing](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/search?q=author%3Aautomoderator+title%3Aaltcoin&include_over_18=on&sort=new&t=all). + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/0t4ygwqh7yn41.png?width=1852&format=png&auto=webp&s=1e40b90c0208e275c82152a28c9e7ceafaba146f + +Hello, + +I started investing recently and because stocks were cheap I decided to load up. Did I load up too early? I bought stocks which i thought would do decent in the long run or at least I would gain money on. Please tell me what you think. + +&#x200B; + +Thank you for your comments everyone I appreciate it. It is a mixed reaction if I bought at the bottom but we all don't have a crystal ball. I do think with in 5 years I will have made money. I might not make as much as I would have liked but I will at least beat the savings account it was in previously. +So I work for a company that is using Covid as an excuse to not pay the expected bonuses and increases this year. + +They have been very hush hush about things and only announced that we would not be getting these benefits the day before they were due. I want to challenge management on this, as I know our company's productivity is up, we have not lost any major contracts, and we have given up our office premises (therefore saving a lot on operating expenses). + +Some of the things I want to know are: +-why the finances don't allow for the expected payments +-why the poor communication +-if bonuses and increases will be backdated when eventually paid(because revenues have not dropped, apparently there are issues with cash collection and cash flow) + +Can anyone give me some tips on how to ask these types of things, strong but diplomatic phrasing and good phrases for redirecting the conversation if management tries to divert? Also all tips on handling tough conversations like this are welcome. + +I'm concerned the talk may get heated, as I know of other instances where the management team reacted very badly to conversations around salaries or people moving on to a new job. It's a smallish firm, run by some interesting characters +Hi everyone, + +First time here. Came looking for any advice, tips, suggestions, etc. about how to start saving for my son’s future. + +My husband and I both came from modest income families who told us to save but never taught us how to save. We had to und our own education, like many people do, and we are now almost at our goal for a down payment for a house. + +Although it feels good to have worked for what we have, it’s been stressful. We would like to ease that stress for our son if possible so he may have a nice amount for whatever he may need (education, car, home)once he’s an adult. + +What kind of savings accounts are out there? Which is the best? Do they require specific amounts to establish? + +I didn’t mention it before, not sure if it matters, but he’s almost 3 years old. + +Any info would be great! Thanks in advance! +After showing up initially after the distribution (before CS booked the shares though...) the German broker DKB now booked out all additional shares. People‘s portfolios are down 75 per cent. Considering IBKR is also booking shorts seems like share distribution didn’t went so well after all… (this seems to affect both GME and GS2C) + +Edit: it seems like it’s probably an issue with the way they booked these shares, it was initially booked as a simple split, not a dividend. Could be a mistake from the clearing house? So now they have to recall the shares and book them book. However, most have received no notice on that sudden action. +Regardless, this would mean one thing: we do not see the full effect of the splividend yet, a lot of people just got IOUs in their accounts +As I'm sure most of you know, PLTR has been a hot meme stock over the past few weeks. This post is aimed at taking advantage of the intense long-dated call buying, to design a strategy that is collecting decay without giving up a ton of upside potential. These buyers are risk-seeking and don't pay attention to relative vol levels, premium, or greeks. + +**PLTR Jan Skew** + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +[PLTR Jan 2022 Skew](https://preview.redd.it/agbw7ngrgmn61.png?width=1528&format=png&auto=webp&s=917cf08b1c66520c83993e3dd9dd4b7fb84e9aa0) + +WSB's call intense callbuying drove PLTR call skew up to fairly high levels. The 60 call, which is about 25 delta, has traded up to 100% IV while ATMs and slight downside options still trade for 80-85%. Skew is so high, I want to sell it. + +&#x200B; + +**The Trade** + +[Jan 15 35 CS](https://preview.redd.it/fy55qmd4hmn61.png?width=1526&format=png&auto=webp&s=b5234a7c4e1bb58c807f760882a6e187d27baaf4) + +The trade I'm putting on is buying the Jan 15 35 Call Spread. + +&#x200B; + +"Whoa" you say, "buying a call spread is a net debit so you're paying theta! Thats not theta gang". Not so fast. The 35 calls are so juicy that (a) they're higher premium, (b) they have higher decay. The 15 calls are fairly cheap in vol terms so (a) low extrinsic (b) low theta. Don't believe me, just check the greeks: the 15C is close to 85 delta while the 35 call is closer to 50d, with a higher decay, higher vega, higher gamma. + +**Trade Details** + +|Month|Strike|Price|Qty|Vol|Fitted Vol|Vega|Edge|Delta|Theta| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|Jan 2022|15.00 Call|11.90|6|80.05%|84.8%|.052|$0.26|.85|\-.007| +|Jan 2022|35.00 Call|5.3|\-6|90.70%|90.0%|.089|$.06|.5|\-.0135| + +Net, I bought these callspreads for $6.60 & a 10.65% vol difference, versus $24.75 in underlying. Gets me long 200 delta total (.35 per spread), which is fine cause I'm fairly bullish on PLTR and want to lean long. I'm collecting *a little* (even though I outlaid premium, this spread decays up \~.25/month). I threw in "edge" here as the vol difference between my shitty spline model and the prices I filled. This spread has $0.30 of edge with respect to where the market vols are priced, and probably even more if call skew comes back down. + +&#x200B; + +My breakeven is $21.60. If PLTR stays from here til Jan (granted, thats holding up a lot of capital), I even make $3.15. Here's the expiry P&L graph: + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/jr8l0jhuhmn61.png?width=1498&format=png&auto=webp&s=38e31c2542b80f54a450492c37cbde0b93914e56 + +&#x200B; + +Max reward:risk is $13.40 : $6.60. I'm cool with 2:1 odds & a little breathing room on the downside. My first post here so any feedback, questions, or discussion is encouraged. Thanks! +> I think we actually have high inflation, but due to these side effects it is showing up in stock prices instead of consumer prices. I believe this, not V-shaped recovery expectations, is the main reason stocks are up. + + [https://www.mauldineconomics.com/frontlinethoughts/valuation-inflation](https://www.mauldineconomics.com/frontlinethoughts/valuation-inflation) +There has been a lot of commentary about high cash rate expectations with posters pointing to the market expectations per the yield curves. The higher the market expectations the louder the crowd was about it. + +There has been a significant shift in market expectations since hitting a peak on 15 June 2022 and to my surprise this hasn't really been communicated by these posters so I'll provide a quick summary. + +The yield on Australian government 10 year debt have reduced by 75bps since peak, dropping from 4.2% to 3.45%. + +Similarly the US 10-year treasury yield have dropped 66bps to 3.48% in the same time frame. + +These are peak rates and there are expectations that the cash rate would reduce thereafter. + +These numbers appear a lot more reasonable and more in line with economist and bank expectations which have a median peak of 2.85% (as per a post from a few days ago). Market and economist expectations will likely converge further over time. + +Implied peak bank variable rate as per economists is suggested at around 4.85% or likely slightly higher than that. + +Implied peak bank variable rate as per market expectations is around 5.48% or slightly higher. + +So it would not be unreasonable to set variable interest rate expectations at 5-5.5% next year before they reduce again based on the information we have today. + +This is important context because I still see people quoting 8-10% interest rate expectations on this forum. + +The neutral cash rate is around 2.5% so anything above that is contractionary to the economy. It doesn't make any sense to expect the cash rate to go significantly above this rate for a prolonged period when inflation isn't supply driven. + +For those of you who want to track market expectations just google "ASX 30 day interbank cash rate futures implied yield curve". These are updated daily and show current cash rate projections for the next 16 months. +Fund management must take some blame for lack of UK startup tech entrepreneurs (according to one of the biggest UK tech investors James Anderson) + how innovation is being harmed even in large companies. UK doesn't understand Tech as well as our US cousins? [https://youtu.be/lKxzUl\_pFbo](https://youtu.be/lKxzUl_pFbo) + +What do you think? Keen to hear from the home turf. +Hi all, + +&#x200B; + +At the weekend I went on a lovely vineyard tour and tasting in Wales (yes, vineyards in Wales!) and the whole concept piqued my interest. + +&#x200B; + +The number of UK vineyards is growing quite considerably, partly fuelled by climate change creating more favourable growing conditions in the UK and elsewhere (interesting [FT article](https://on.ft.com/3f6Vugt) on the broader agricultural impacts). It is also tipping traditional wine-growing areas such as Bordeaux into climates that are unsuitably hot for wine growing. According to the Welsh vineyard owner lots of these French wine firms are now scrambling for suitable sites further north in Brittany and even in the UK. + +&#x200B; + +I'm no expert, but UK wine seems to be growing in prominence and has an increasing number of respect and award winning wines. That said, I'm mindful that sometimes these 'awards' are given out firms that are created solely for that purpose and they don't always indicate great quality. + +&#x200B; + +I also wonder whether post-Brexit there may be a greater market for domestic consumption of UK wine, and additional emphasis from govt and industry to drive exports. Within the UK market there are also ecological/green arguments for sourcing 'local' wine versus imports. + +&#x200B; + +Does anyone have any exposure to UK wine growers or related industries? Or any thoughts on whether there is an investment opportunity here? + +&#x200B; + +Thanks! +I moved into my house 6 months ago and luckily my partner got us on a fixed tarrif costing me about £100pm atm, until 2024, but it all confuses me a bit, will they stabilise and come down or will demand just increase? +[**LINK TO THE SPREADSHEET**](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eKOfpWg_BL0qVGPHDJ7dZCjElpr7XNjmrMubfqrnK9M/edit?usp=sharing) + +In 2016, I realized I'd been paying off my student loans for years with almost *nothing* to show for it - my principal balance was more or less the same. My student loans were just a black hole, a money pit that never ever changed. I felt like I was going crazy, so I took advice from this subreddit as well as other sites and sat down to create a worksheet. By the time I was done, I knew what I'd be paying in my next bill, and I had a clear understanding of how my payments would truly make a dent in my loans. I felt like I finally had a handle on my loans and a clear, concrete plan for the future. Within 3 years, my student loans were paid off completely. + +There's no magic trick, and if you're a loyal reader of this subreddit you probably won't learn anything new. It wasn't about that - it was about taking these ideas (the snowball method, applying different amounts to different loans, etc) and actually applying them to *myself* and *my own loans*. Sometimes all the information in this subreddit can be overwhelming, and you just want someone to tell you what to do. I could understand the idea of a 'snowball' approach well enough, but it was very different to see a big fat $0 projection in my own spreadsheet, for my own loans! Hopefully this worksheet can help cut down on the noise. + +I didn't do things perfectly! It was more important for me to chase the psychological high of paying off a loan than it was to pay the least amount in interest. In year 2, I totally missed my goal. All of that is reflected in the template. And of course, your loans are different from mine. You might have a higher balance or less money to put towards your loans or both. I am **not** trying to pretend as though everyone can pay off their loans in 3 years. What everyone **can** do is get more insight into where their payments are going, and understand how strategic changes in your monthly payments can have big results at the end of the year. + +It's worth noting that when I first created this payment plan, my monthly payments were $317.91 per month. My monthly payments never really went above 2x that original number. The only windfalls I received were a tax refund and one or two occasions where I gave myself an extra loan payment because I was soooo close to paying off a loan. It was more about getting myself used to paying about $600 per month - and making fast progress - instead of paying $300 per month and making almost no progress. + +Now I've created a template version of my worksheet that you can use! Just make a copy of the document for yourself, begin filling in year 1 with your own loan details, and you can figure out what you're paying this month. 3 things to remember: + +1. Columns and cells which are highlighted need to be filled out. +2. I've added a lot of comments throughout the spreadsheet, so don't forget to hover over them! +3. You **do not need to fill out the whole spreadsheet today.** This is 3 years' worth of payments! If it's more important to you that you have a long-term concrete goal about when to pay off your loans for good, fill out the whole thing. If it's more important to you that you know what you're gonna pay the government this month, just fill out the first 30 lines of the spreadsheet (the sections "January 1 2020: State of The World" and "2020 Payment Plan"). + +Please let me know if you have questions! :) +Guten Tag to this global band of Apes! 👋🦍 + +Welcome to all of you wonderful Apes who normally don't pay attention to the German market action, but are joining us today to see where the the absurd spike in price after the market closed yesterday leads to. We all knew that the price was wrong, but I don't think anyone expected *that*. To summarize for anyone who might have somehow missed it, GME closed up a little bit, but shortly after the markets closed it spiked upward *hard* (on no news) after which articles started appearing trying to attribute the AH spike to reports of GameStop launching an NFT marketplace soon. + +My friends, I do not believe that the spike is related to GameStop's NFT plans. GameStop announced *nothing*, there are no new rumors or spicy speculation, the reports cite anonymous sources, and we've known about their focus on NFTs for most of the last year. There is something else going on, driving incredible upward price momentum, and it has nothing to do with GameStop as a company. This is an indication that someone needs to buy some shares immediately, and chose AH yesterday to begin buying them. It could be that one of the SHFs is jumping to try to close their position first, it could be that someone was margin called. Whatever it is, there is no way that it's over. + +This is a very exciting time to be an Ape with Diamantenhände. Please, if you have been on the fence about DRSing your shares, now is the time to take action and dial up the pressure. I value each and every one of you, and I am eager to see what today brings. + +Today is Friday, January 7th, and you know what that means! Join other apes around the world to watch infrequent updates from the German markets! + +###🚀 Buckle Up! 🚀 +*** + + +- 🟩 120 minutes in: **$156.71 / 138,50 €** *(volume: 17918)* +- 🟩 115 minutes in: $156.63 / 138,43 € *(volume: 17177)* +- 🟩 110 minutes in: $156.60 / 138,40 € *(volume: 16830)* +- 🟩 105 minutes in: $155.89 / 137,77 € *(volume: 16216)* +- ⬜ 100 minutes in: $155.81 / 137,70 € *(volume: 16093)* +- 🟩 95 minutes in: $155.81 / 137,70 € *(volume: 15972)* +- 🟥 90 minutes in: $155.62 / 137,54 € *(volume: 15489)* +- 🟥 85 minutes in: $156.20 / 138,05 € *(volume: 14094)* +- 🟩 80 minutes in: $156.42 / 138,24 € *(volume: 13305)* +- ⬜ 75 minutes in: $156.37 / 138,20 € *(volume: 12197)* +- 🟥 70 minutes in: $156.37 / 138,20 € *(volume: 11893)* +- ⬜ 65 minutes in: $156.54 / 138,35 € *(volume: 11482)* +- ⬜ 60 minutes in: $156.54 / 138,35 € *(volume: 11297)* +- ⬜ 55 minutes in: $156.54 / 138,35 € *(volume: 10900)* +- 🟩 50 minutes in: $156.54 / 138,35 € *(volume: 10672)* +- 🟩 45 minutes in: $156.51 / 138,33 € *(volume: 10325)* +- ⬜ 40 minutes in: $156.49 / 138,30 € *(volume: 9783)* +- 🟩 35 minutes in: $156.49 / 138,30 € *(volume: 9561)* +- 🟩 30 minutes in: $156.42 / 138,24 € *(volume: 9172)* +- 🟩 25 minutes in: $156.19 / 138,04 € *(volume: 8856)* +- 🟩 20 minutes in: $156.12 / 137,98 € *(volume: 7263)* +- 🟥 15 minutes in: $156.09 / 137,95 € *(volume: 6490)* +- 🟥 10 minutes in: $157.76 / 139,43 € *(volume: 5119)* +- 🟩 5 minutes in: $158.98 / 140,50 € *(volume: 3767)* +- 🟩 0 minutes in: $158.69 / 140,25 € *(volume: 1295)* +- 🟩 US close price: $131.03 / 115,80 € *($160.51 / 141,86 € after-hours)* + + +*** +FAQ: I'm capturing current price and volume data from German exchanges and converting to USD. Today's euro -> USD conversion ratio is 1.1315. I programmed a tool that assists me in fetching this data and updating the post. If you'd like to check current prices directly, you can check [Lang & Schwarz](https://www.ls-tc.de/de/aktie/gamestop-aktie) or [TradeGate](https://www.tradegate.de/orderbuch.php?isin=US36467W1099) + +Diamantenhände isn't simply a thread on Superstonk, it's a community that gathers daily to represent the many corners of this world who love this stock. Many thanks to the originator of the series, DerGurkenraspler, who we wish well. We all love seeing the energy that people represent their varied homelands. Show your flags, share some culture, and unite around GME! +Hi! + +So, I'm a fairly active young person, and recently I got a hernia. I went to the doctor, who confirmed it was in fact a hernia, told me lay off 90% of the exercise I currently do, avoid exertion generally, and put me on the NHS waiting list for an operation to repair it (waiting times of 5-12 months). + +To me, the idea of waiting up to a year to be able to return to my life as normal feels unthinkable, so I started looking into alternatives. The operation to repair the hernia itself is very simple, and could be done privately in a couple of weeks and cost me about £2,000 all in: about 20% of my emergency fund. The long waiting list is an NHS-specific problem. The hernia's not life threatening, I would definitely survive waiting on the NHS, and it would not affect the way I make a living, but I know I'd prefer not to. The main benefits of having the operation sooner would be peace of mind and ability to return 100% to my normal life faster, ability to perform my hobbies, etc. + +When growing my emergency fund, I've always thought it in terms of covering expenses were I to lose my job etc., and not so much *non*\-life-threatening medical expenses. So, I'm trying, despite being in the heat of the moment, to assess if this is worthwhile expenditure, and something my emergency fund should be covering. + +So my question for you is: is this an emergency-fund problem or a discretionary spending problem? + +Thanks for your help! + +edit 1: it’d take me about 3.5 months to replenish the emergency fund again + +edit 2: thanks so much everyone for your advice! I've decided to go ahead with the operation privatel - health > wealth and all. +Hey guys, I had an idea to create a Generative adversarial neural network to predict trends or prices. + +The input could be price data with let's say a few days missing. The generator would generate a prediction of a trend or a price for the few missing days and then the discriminator would compare it to the real trend or prices. So you would end up with a model that could spot trends or predict prices. What are your thoughts on this? +Hey how's it going everyone. + +I'm looking to get into algorithmic trading and was wondering what a good way to start was. I've checked out quantstart for example but it seems extensive. A bit about my background first, I have a BS in EE CS from a top UC school and I also work as an software engineering intern right now at a well known Fintech company. My backgrounds pretty heavy in CS + EE and mathematics as well and I'm excited to apply my skills towards trading and algorithms where I can also use my software development skills. I also have an offer for a winter internship as a quant dev/analyst a small fund on wallstreet. I'm also deciding on an MFE/CS/applied econ math program next fall or spring as deadlines are coming up. + +Desire: I would like to understand more about algorithmic trading platforms and of course to begin trading, I'd like to learn how to apply my background in ML to markets as well but my main goal is starting slow. I want to do this before my internship begins. I've also began using robinhood and it's alot of fun, I'd love to play around with their api. + +My questions: + +1) My main questions pertains towards the finance side. I don't have trading experience and would like to learn within the next three months. I'd like to learn more about backtesting and begin simulated algorithmic trading with fictitious money before moving on to actual money. Any tips on this? + +2) What platform should I look into to learn more about trading, I'm thinking about equities first and then looking into something like forex or even crypto. Unless a better suggestion you have in mind. I'm mainly interested in commission free and no fees, if that even exists. I know robinhood does this but is there a desktop based platform? + +3) I'm curious about the inner working of algorithmic trading. Are most people using just an autonomous algorithm they run that connects to an exchange/broker? Or are most people building their own exchanges and testing on both? + +4)If there's any good articles or guides/videos you've seen that are applicable that would be great. +I still can’t really believe it. There’s a statistic that says it takes 7 generations to get out of poverty. I hope I’m the last one. And I hope I don’t feel too much like Lip from Shameless. +Just translated something from german wsb. And was asked to post this as a discussion. + +The most important thing is actually **until Friday there** will be another **price** battle in which the short sellers will try to keep as many calls as possible outside the price so that they cannot be executed and the broker does not have to buy them on the market to cover them . +It is particularly critical because **monthly and weekly calls** expire, as far as I know the highest monthly call was **60c 1/29** and **115c 1/29** (left out the new 200c). + +The MM will try everything to push the course **below 60** , **our goal to get to 115** . Until then, **expect massive short attacks** , it will probably be even more blatant than yesterday. Since a price limit is harder to keep higher up, don't be surprised if there is a red tag up until then or the lower limit is 60-80. +For those of you who don't know what is meant, 100xLimit orders at $ 60 are $ 6000 <$ 11500 100x at $ 115 and easier to hold or buy from autistic people. + +And almost most importantly **, put your stop loss out** , the **shortsellers try** to trigger as many as possible with their short sales in order to trigger **a chain reaction of panic selling** . + +Remember **yesterday we saw exactly that** , price dumping at its finest, although almost no short position was powered. + +Should we be **able to hold the $ 115 by Friday** , the banks (! Not the shortsellers) would have to buy an additional 8 million shares to cover the demand for the calls. To achieve this there is really only the possibility 🚀✋🏻💎🤚🏻, + +**Don't be a paper bitch!** + +All figures relate to estimates and information or assumptions and observations from DD from here and the Angelsachen forum. Due to the high trading volume, it is not possible to say how the share is currently distributed !! + +**This is not a financial advice, but an autistic one.** **Always invest wisely and make your own decisions.** + +And now relax America won't open for another 4 hours anyway. + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/mauerstrassenwetten/comments/l56ov7/gamestop\_sammelfaden\_january\_26\_2021/gkt8z0q?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/mauerstrassenwetten/comments/l56ov7/gamestop_sammelfaden_january_26_2021/gkt8z0q?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) +I originally wanted to buy a nice BMW M3 😋, but recently I have realized that Investing my money is a much better idea. Btw I can also probably get another 10k in the coming year so I really need to start thinking about where my money will go. + +Edit: I will most likely go to college for close to nothing because my parents have already saved for my college and I am going to a state school which is very cheap compared to a private school. +Hi everyone, + +I started a (long overdue) gradual investment of €200k in savings a few months ago, thanks to advice from this sub. So far I've invested €10k, in 2 funds - MSCI World Index Fund and Vanguard Global Stock Index Fund. My plan was to gradually invest in these 2 funds over the next 1 year until all savings (minus emergency fund) are used. + + +With the current bear market and inflation rising, would you have any recommendations of whether it makes sense to alter the strategy at all? + +E.g. buy up the funds more slowly (e.g. over 2-3 years), or buy x% in bonds instead (but not sure it makes sense for me - I am early 30s, migrant in Spain, with no short term needs for the money). + +Thanks in advance for your advice! +https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/chris-derose-ethereum-hype-no-substance/ + +The above was a really good article, but not for the obvious reason. Chris Derose is the "Community Director" (whatever the heck that is) at Counterparty. Counterparty is touted as the "smart contracts" answer for bitcoin. The whole story is about a Twitter war he launched basically claiming Ethereum is unneeded sucky vaperware. + +It stinks of desperation, denial, and fear. + +THIS is why we are going to see a mass exodus from Bitcoin, and this is why I predict Bitcoin won't make it. ALL that rotten egg community (my EX community) knows how to do is flame, fight, argue, DDOS, censor, accuse, FUD, lie and basically just create disharmony and confusion. + +I went back to a few boards the other day to just get an eyeball check of how the Classic situation was going. My blood pressure rose so high in a matter of seconds it was unbelievable. I used to find the squabbles amusing. Occassionally even technologically interesting. But it was disgusting this time. I just couldn't get out of there fast enough. I decided I just didn't care anymore. + +And I am a pretty normal guy that once upon a time really loved bitcoin. But you simply cannot live and work and invest in that environment. And you can sense the desperation in the "Core" of Bitcoin and all they do is just lash out angrily and defensively at almost everything, and you can sense the loss of hope and tiredness in the rest of the bitcoin community. + +I used to be sad, but I am just beyond that now. I just don't care anymore, and I don't want to hear it all, and I just want to escape. And I am seeing that growing in the bitcoin community everywhere I look. + +I don't know. I don't know what is going to happen, or when. But the bitcoin community environment is just toxic, and I just can't imagine or see how it continues to remain functional much longer. And this is honestly NOT a "ditch bitcoin" post. This is just therapy. + +There are some good people in bitcoin and I do hope they find their way either out, or to a solution. But I swear - I will never forgive the Core/Blockstream crowd. They have created such a climate of evil and hatred that I cannot imagine anything good ever coming out of them - even if they do succeed, which I honestly hope they do not at this point. + +EDIT: I want to make clear that I am NOT wishing failure on Bitcoin, and indeed, if Bitcoin Classic manages to pull things off - I'll be pretty happy about it. But I am not sure I could support Bitcoin, controlled by Blockstream, in a Lightening environment. So I cannot honestly say I support that. And that is not anti-sidechain, that is just my really deeprooted belief at this point tha nothing good can come from Core/Blockstream, and even if they do succeed, I may never support that.. +Here's a quick summary of the extent of corruption in the US markets... it includes: + +* Executives (e.g., Richard Dugas, CEO of PulteGroup; Jeff Bezos) +* Board of Directors (e.g., Previous board of GameStop, BBBY) +* Consultants (BCG, Bain & Company, McKinsey) +* Media (CNBC, TheStreet, WSJ) +* Regulators (SEC) +* The Fed (Janet Yellen = employee of Citadel) +* Congress (see Nanci Pelosi and campaign donations by Ken Griffin) +* Market Makers +* DTCC + +When you have to ask the question..."Who *isn't* corrupt?!" It's time for radical change. + +MOASS is cosmic justice. + +Buckle Up 🚀🌝 + +https://preview.redd.it/saad3rrwodt81.jpg?width=728&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccbbe02afd3406a85a2ec1dbd49becf632b0a9ed +Your markets are run by bots. Now your /r/Asx_bets daily threads are too. + +Read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) people[.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +[Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX\_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. You have been warned.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) + +Automoderator may provide "Guidance" for Lazy and zero effort posting. + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related.](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH) +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/wsNDGTf5QH). +Got a commsex options account, started looking to gamble my sportbet money and can't work out what the fuck is going on. Are options like shares where you need a buyer and seller or is lack of trades in the market a problem? + +None of the 🌈 🐻 autists on wsb seem to have trouble, am I just dumb(yes)? +Your markets are run by bots. Now your daily threads are too. + +&#x200B; + +This thread is for plans and thoughts prior to the market open period. + +Maybe use this time to read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/asx_bets/wiki/index/) [.](https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2hqqj5/styles/communityIcon_41pmnaqp4zn41.png?width=256&s=59bf38425fb316fdcba30365b272a5f19352f370) + +&#x200B; + +Posts relating to the "Is /r/ASX_bets about finance or effect your mental health?" etc will lead to a ban of the mods chosing. [You have been warned](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASX_Bets/comments/l0l9et/the_does_asx_bets_effect_your_finances_emotions/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share). + +&#x200B; + +[We have an active official/unofficial discord. It's open to all discussions, stonks related and non-stonks related](https://discord.gg/ywAGqfUAQE). + [https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/11/ebay-drops-out-of-facebook-libra-cryptocurrency-one-week-after-paypal.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/11/ebay-drops-out-of-facebook-libra-cryptocurrency-one-week-after-paypal.html) + +&#x200B; + +>EBay, Mastercard and Stripe both announced Friday they will no longer be part of Facebook’s libra cryptocurrency project. +> +>The news comes one week after PayPal announced its withdrawal as government regulators continue to scrutinize the plans. +> +>Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify on the currency at an Oct. 23 hearing before the House Financial Services Committee. +They are buying from a company that describes itself as being "The Next Great Acreage Community in Texas." They plan on buying 2 acres for 130k and just sitting on it in order to fight against the incoming recession. They will get 40k out of my father's retirement to fund this since they believe the money will disappear in said recession. I am Worried they are taking a 6% apr loan and then be screwed over by some people profiting off of their stupidity. They dont plan on actually building a house on it... + +What are their chances that the land is worthless in the future? How safe is their investment? + +UPDATE. + +Hey guys! + +Thank you for all of the comments. I read every one and will show my parents this thread. Indeed some of you guys already guessed who the company is. + +I ended up calling the broker agent and asked about canceling. He refused to tell me how to cancel the contract and asked for reasons. I kept telling him it was not a good investment but he refused to tell me what I politely asked. He eventually said the deal went through and there would be fees. I said thank you and that I would call later. I then hung up. + +The real estate broker then called my father's friend who also invested with him (he was the one who suggested my father go in with him) and a bunch of stuff went down to what became a game of telephone. Apparently the real estate broker thought that I was my father, but that shouldn't matter since I simply requested information. + +I saw that in the contract there was a cancellation clause of letting people know within 7 days. I hope to God that there is no fee. + +I think my family is on board, but my father's friend is mad at me. Even after all my explanations, they still think that the real estate broker that lied to them is their friend. I am going to fight to protect my family ( as cheesy as that sounds) and I'm extremely mad at the broker for taking advantage of them. + +I just pray that there are no fees for canceling the contract within 2 days. I also learned to call my parents more often and ask for updates. If I was in a bad son this wouldn't have happened... +There are a lot of comments here about wheeling or option selling in general not outperforming buy and hold. Below is my 12-months performance, a reasonably large account, only selling options except when being assigned. + +The two large drawdowns in 2022 are due to me not sticking to my own rules (stay small), I saved both of those large trades into a scratch. + +Of course, outperforming the S&P Total return CAGR of \~15% over the past 10 years is next to impossible. But that performance to be repeated for another 10 years is very unlikely. So theta it is for me. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/5bdyziu9u4391.jpg?width=864&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cb1296e7219bbc3a976ce17d275472ef8372e37 +Ummm does anyone else remember Gabe P Saying to congress he covered his short position back in Feb? Should we be contacting Congresswoman Maxine Waters about this news today? I bet some wrinkle brain out there can calculate the gains and LOSSES Melvin has been reporting match up perfectly with the rises and falls of GME's share price. What do you say we try and get Gabe P back in front of the House finance committee? + +I'll leave this here: + +[https://twitter.com/RepMaxineWaters?ref\_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor](https://twitter.com/RepMaxineWaters?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) + +EDIT 5: + +Okay so I went back and rewatched everything Gabe said back in Feb during the first hearing. Here is what I could identify as important. + +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfEuNHVPc\_k&t=17423s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfEuNHVPc_k&t=17423s) + +00:19:57 + +Gabe goes under oath + +00:30:00 + +Gabe begins his opening statement..."in fact Melvin closed out all of it's positions in gamestop days before the platforms put those limitations in place." (Can some ape dig through the data and see if we can prove that to be a lie? If it were true we would have mooned back in Jan. All that happened in Jan was a Gamma Squeeze which I understand is driven by call options etc... not covered shorts. Solid evidence here would be nice.) + +00:34:06 + +"In the frenzy during January Gamestop stock rose from $17 to a peak of $483...... When this frenzy began Melvin started closing out it's position on Gamestop at a loss. (Notice him looking up at a lawyer just off camera lol) + +01:43:13 + +Rep Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) "Mr. Plotkin you made the comment in your testimony a minute ago that you were not trying to manipulate stock. Yet if your short selling a stock 140% um for me on the outside looking in, it looks like that's exactly what you're doing. Explain to me why that's not manipulating the stock?" + +Gabe..."Thank you congressman um for us. I can't speak to other people that were short. Any time we short a stock we locate a borrow. Our systems actually forces us to find a borrow so we always you know short stocks within the context of all the rules." + +01:53:36 + +Gabe..."We run a long short portfolio, the majority of our investments are long investments, but we also have short investments to hedge out market risk." + +03:43:12 + +Gabe...."Umm look I think to some degree markets are self correcting. You know moving forward stocks. I don't think you're going to see stocks with the kind of short interest levels that we saw prior to this year. I don't think investors like myself want to be susceptible to these type of dynamics. (Aren't you only susceptible because the SI is 140%? which implies naked shorts. If they still bleeding then those shorts ain't covered) I think there will be a lot closer monitoring of message boards...." (Hi shills.) + +04:54:41 + +Gabe..."Yeah, hi ahh thank you for the question. you know I, I think ah, I mean I don't have the exact answer to your question. I do think it's worth noting that, you know as the stock price moved higher, you know, there was a three day period where it traded almost 11 times the entire float and so I think that kind of volume gave anyone who was short ample opportunity to cover and probably suggests tremendous either frenzy buying or institutional buying or some sort of combination. We did look at some of the options activity in the stock and you know on friday January 22nd there was options that were expiring that would have equated to 35 to 45 million shares of stock ownership. So I actually don't think the short covering was the biggest driver of the stock. When you kind of look at the volume I kind of think the biggest driver was the aggressive options activity, Umm and then wether it was institutional or retail, just the collective buying." + +okay interpret what you will and do as you want. Hope this helps Apes. + +EDIT 1: Gabe stated in his testimony that they closed all their gme position. + +[https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/testimony-of-gabriel-plotkin-founder-of-melvin-capital-management/8882e0d9-a683-4392-bc2e-87e56ba43baf/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/testimony-of-gabriel-plotkin-founder-of-melvin-capital-management/8882e0d9-a683-4392-bc2e-87e56ba43baf/) + +credit goes to u/[omishikenshin](https://www.reddit.com/user/omishikenshin/) + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 2: Here is a list of all the members of the [U.S.House Committee on Financial Services](https://financialservices.house.gov/about/committee-membership.htm). If one of them is your congress person pick up the phone and give them a call. They don't read emails. + +[https://financialservices.house.gov/about/committee-membership.htm](https://financialservices.house.gov/about/committee-membership.htm) + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 3: Is there a wrinkle brain out there who knows how to calculate the reported losses against the GME share price? Being able to show a correlation would be nice. A clean graph or something might make getting congress on board easier. + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 4: Wow apes thank you so much for the awards. Seems like the community likes this idea. + +1st: Okay well in my opinion getting congress to act takes a lot of consistent PUBLIC pressure. I've listed the congress people in the committee, take some time and do a little DD if one of them represents you. You'll want to find the phone # for both their Washington office as well as there local state office. Congress people travel back and forth a lot so you want to hit them in both places. You will likely just speak to an aid (that's okay) so leave a message with them and follow up a few days later to make sure your message reached them. + +2nd: Some news coverage would help, but I like you don't trust the MSM. However there might be one exception. The Hill. + +As you can see from these examples they have understood and sympathized with us since back in January: + +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atHMYQtunF0&t=483s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atHMYQtunF0&t=483s) + +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTT4it\_f7Jc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTT4it_f7Jc) + +If we could get them to call this out in one of their segments that would apply a ton of pressure on the House Finance committee to act, + +Here is there twitter info: + +[https://twitter.com/thehill](https://twitter.com/thehill) + +[https://twitter.com/esaagar?ref\_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor](https://twitter.com/esaagar?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) + +[https://twitter.com/krystalball?ref\_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor](https://twitter.com/krystalball?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) + +Go forth ape army and make some noise! + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 6: This is not legal or financial advise. You can do whatever you want. I'm just organizing information in one spot so people can do what they believe is right. + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 7: This is what I mean can we some how use math to prove Melvin never covered in Jan and thus lied in Feb during the hearing? u/rensole Got any wrinkles for us? lmao. How about u/Atobitt ? + +Credit goes to u/[aoechamp](https://www.reddit.com/user/aoechamp/) + +"It makes perfect sense. They doubled down and shorted on the way down in Jan. This resulted in 20% gain (from their all time low) in Feb. Now the stock is up 400% from feb, and they’re down 50%. + +Another 2x would be in the $400-$500 range which aligns with the last peak and the expectations of where the margin calls begin." + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 8: Some wisdom from the past + +# “In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.” + +― **Abraham Lincoln** + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 9: 13F filing on 5/17 could shed some light on this. + +Credit goes to: u/[Ok\_Entrepreneur\_5833](https://www.reddit.com/user/Ok_Entrepreneur_5833/) + +"Well I mean that's public knowledge, although it isn't updated often enough and hopefully one day will be as a result of all this since we (apes) demand transparency going forward. + +[https://www.insidermonkey.com/insider-trading/company/gamestop%20corp/1326380/](https://www.insidermonkey.com/insider-trading/company/gamestop%20corp/1326380/) + +This is the latest we have. So when they update the 13F filing again, which is 5/17 we'll know one way or the other. Until then we will not know." + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 10: Can't seem to cross post to r/wallstreetbets Maybe I don't have enough karma? Would someone being willing to cross post this for me? open up the debate to a bigger community? + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 11: This is the way. + +credit goes to: u/Mardanis + +"You lot are like the government going after Al Capone.. fine we can't get you on murder, extortion and rackets so will find something. Boom! Tax evasion! Except this time its lying under oath."