HQLA Essentials: Recent Episodes
HQLA
Microacquire is a really cool little startup we've found and is a great way to acquire small private companies, including Software-As-A-Service (SAAS), E-Commerce, Mobile App's, Newsletters, & Crypto startups. They've got all the details a potential buyer could need, and if you're rich enough, or just lacking ideas it could be a great way to start your own little portfolio of small online businesses.
Bill Ackman is up next, with his hedge fund gains, his holding company, and his newest SPAC PSTH. While Bill Ackman has had some impressive celebrity wives, he also has had a lot of beef with other businessmen, including Carl Ichan and Herbalife, which Ackman took a hefty short position against, betting $1 Billion that it would crash to zero.
Pershing Square Tontine Holdings is Ackman's Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) that was set to take on Universal Music Group, however, up against SEC interference, the future of the SPAC is uncertain.
Palantir Technologies has three strong products with three even better names: Gotham, Foundry & Apollo. Gotham software is targeted towards military applications and can interface with drones, satellites, and everything in between to compile data and strategize against the enemy. Foundry aims to improve business functionality, through supply chain management, analytics, and the new ontology simulation engine. Apollo provides the infrastructure to operate anywhere. Some of Palantir's newest clients are impressive, including Scuderia Ferrari, Faurecia, BP, 3M, the UK's NHS, and IBM, as well as many others.
It can be a difficult decision to make, trying to get that ultimate package deal of fees, advice, and aesthetics. In this clip, we aim to cut through the noise and help you jump on the hype. Whether you want to jump on the AMC & Gamestop hype on the US Market or invest in something more homegrown like Macquarie Bank or Afterpay, there are plenty of options out there for you. In this video, we look at Goodments, Stake, Commsec, CMC, Interactive Brokers, E-Torro, and Selfwealth.
Advanced Micro Devices, more commonly known as AMD. AMD has had a record year, clocking massive earnings and revenue growth. Ever since Lisa Su took over as CEO, both the Ryzen and Radeon (CPU & GPU) brands have grown exponentially. However, it's not all smooth sailing, as we see issues with Apple and Amazon developing their own semiconductor microprocessors, as well as the way that AMD will manage supply and demand during this current cycle of chip shortage.
Will AMD survive against big tech making their own semiconductors? Is it still a good growth stock or have we hit the top? What will happen when the chip shortage becomes over-supplied. Let us know your thoughts on AMD below!
Our first segment is about ADA, which is a cryptocurrency on the Cardano blockchain. This one is a third-generation crypto that aims to have a central blockchain, usable by other cryptocurrencies. Some great features include energy efficiency as well as scalability, into hopefully a million transactions a second. Nathan also explains what "interoperability" means. Cardano solves three key problems in a unique way better than other cryptos can.
Ever wondered how to get into investing? But you just don't know where to start? ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, are a great intro to the stock market. They're a great way to buy into a diversified portfolio, or basket, of stocks. Watch this video if you want an understanding of ETFs work and what they can be used for.
Indices (index) are the first area we discuss, with plenty of index-tracking funds, it's very important to ensure you go for the lowest cost available... as long as the ETF provider is reliable.
We also look at some more actively managed solutions, with a particularly popular example of Cathie Wood's Ark Invest.
How does it hold up against the new GMC Hummer or the Tesla Cybertruck, or even the more fictional Rivian R1T? The F-150 has some great unique features like a fold-out workstation, plugins to run all your tools from, a fronk (front-trunk), and even the ability to weigh your load on the truck bed. It's also equipped with all-around lighting, and even the ability to keep your house powered for up to 3 days.
We aren't a fan of ARKX, probably just because it doesn't include SPCE, but also because it really doesn't seem to have a lot of relevant holdings. What even is a geo-spatial mapper? I guess it has the word space in it.
The most relevant holding to this ETF is definitely Boeing, who actually does seem to be making real spacecraft.
Virgin Galactic, known by its ticker SPCE, is a highly volatile, high-growth space flight company, which is supposed to be flying customers to outer space.
After its SPAC through Chamath Palihapitiya's VC Firm Social Capital Hedosophia (with the original ticker IPOA), SPCE has come a long way towards being a real option for actual consumer space flight. It looks at the moment like flights are most likely to start with just touching the upper atmosphere and only just entering 'outer-space' in a technical sense, however, Virgin has plans to get all the way to the international space station. Even though most millionaires agree they would pay $250,000 for a ticket, it may still be some time before SPCE is charging them for commercial space flights, and even longer until the company is turning a profit. Definitely a stock to look out for though, with gains already north of 300% after its SPAC merger in September 2019. Let's not forget they also have Blue Origin (by Jeff Bezos) and SpaceX (Elon Musk's company) to compete with. These Billionaires are very competitive with their space companies.
E-Commerce stores, how much is it worth for a certain user-base or revenue figure? We find out by comparing a few different Shopify successes. From Vacuum cleaners to Gucci handbags, to the patriotic apparel worn by the far-right.
Amazon is a mega-conglomerate that is only getting larger.
Acquiring brands like Twitch, Wholefoods, and more recently MGM Studios, as well as many others over the last year, Amazon is growing at a massive rate. As we've seen, it's not just from the delivery and warehousing.
Will it be the first company to hit a market cap of $5 Trillion? Who knows. What we do know is that Jeff Bezos has built an automation powerhouse used by over 70% of US households. Scaling rapidly with over 1.3 million employees, AMZN is a holding which has really come to be an essential service in the pandemic.
An important consideration to the investors recently has been around Bezos stepping down as CEO, as Andy Jassy takes the top position. Will Bezos spend his days continuing to intervene? Or will he spend all the time at the Washington Post and on his Blue Origin spaceship?
This is an energy-efficient solution to Bitcoin's major flaws and uses a lattice structure instead of the traditional blockchain structure.
What's the deal with NFT's, are they worth all the Ether? Are they here to stay, or a quickly dying fad that will be lost in the depths of the internet and forgotten by next year?
Never mind all the future stuff for now though, if you want some engaging dinner conversation about how much people are spending on Logan Paul's custom Pokemon Cards, or how Beeple has legitimized Non-Fungible Tokens by selling his NFT at auction house Christie's, then look no further.
In this discussion, we look at everything from definitions to minting to the cut that creator gets when their art is re-sold. It's all on the Crypto Blockchain baby
Wesfarmers is an Australian conglomerate most famous for owning Bunnings (and previously Coles). They've bought and sold many Aussie companies, much like a huge private equity firm would, except these mergers are the largest in Australia.
Jessica Alba launched her company onto the NASDAQ this month. It's currently valued at over a billion dollars but doesn't have the most diverse income stream, with most of the sales currently from diapers and wipes.
The company is now exploring its new market share in the homecare area, with refillable bottles available. However, they have some big competition like Method, which already makes a sustainable line of environmentally-friendly home care products.
Grab is growing more popular in Asia as a real competitor to Uber and Lyft. But they do more than just call a cab for you. They will deliver your food, provide financial services, organize your calendar, allow you to message people, and even help you with marketing your business.
This is a super app because it can really do it all. They're working on growing the platform and the userbase, as well as the functions of the app, to keep you on there for anything you need.
The pre-merged SPAC is trading under the ticker AGC (Altimeter Growth Corp). It has taken some heavy losses in the last month as there has been a huge downturn across the whole tech sector. Check it out and let us know what you think below.
Recently IPO'd, this stock gives crypto traders the picks and shovels to chase the new digital goldrush: buying Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other Altcoins.
We discuss Garry Tan, the original Venture Capitalist who made over 6,000% taking this company right from its seed stages all the way through to the largest direct listing in history.
Massive growth in revenue has been launching the company into high growth. As there are more people trading bitcoin, there is more and more revenue coming through the door. COIN has had over a billion dollars in revenue by the end of last year.
Our car of the day is the Ferrar SF90 Stradale. This was a fun segment where we look at the car that celebrates 90 years of Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari's Formula One team). It looks like this expensive beast comes between the 812 Superfast and the LaFerrari in the product range.
Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) recently changed its name (it was Marathon Patent Group). They've also switched up their methods, they now mine and hold Bitcoin (BTC).
It's a tough one to analyze as all of their gains are unrealized, meaning that they have no real revenue or profit figures, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good investment. As valuations increase, their balance sheet will appear better and better.
The key difference between buying this and straight-up buying bitcoin is that you're believing in their ability to continuously scale-up and mine more Bitcoin. But be careful, you don't always know what's going on with these and you're also heavily reliant on the Crypto Market.
Whether it's breaking out of prison in Jailbreak, solving murders in murder mystery 2, getting adopted in Adopt Me! Or just working at a pizza place, this is a fun stock for gaming.
We talk about how Roblox works with 40 million users and how sticky the business model is with its retention.
Originally we thought it was just a game, but we discovered it's so much more, offering a full marketplace between developers and users.
Watch out for the risks though, it's important to make sure the userbase is protected, it's also important that they don't just leave for a different game.
Imagine Twitter x Robinhood... Is it a scam?
Who knows. It's built on the blockchain and all we know is that Twitter is boring compared to this.
It's doubling in size each month and $204m has gone into it so far.
Is this the future of social media? Or even the future of investing?
What are your thoughts? Will it fade out soon? Are you on the platform?
Lucid Motors (under pre-merger SPAC symbol - CCIV) is a company made by Tesla's former Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson. It's built to be more luxurious, and go for longer on a single charge than any other electric vehicle on the market. It seems like a great company, but keep in mind they haven't started large-scale production quite yet.
STEM (under pre-merger SPAC symbol - STPK) is changing the game on energy use. They're offering specialized software as a service, as well as battery storage for residential housing.
Ever wanted to know how to get rich? It's actually easier than you think, just follow Tesla Technoking Elon Musk on Twitter.
Signal Advance Inc, Clubhouse, Bitcoin Treasury Assets, Etsy, Dogecoin, even his own stock Tesla. Nothing is safe from Elon's tweets.
If you watch closely, you could be the one making 9,823% next time.
The barebones racing beast McLaren P1 GTR is ready to go head to head with any rival. This lightweight 7-speed V8 with batteries is a track-hungry monster that you can't take on the road.
Of course, if you want to go on the road you can always have the panels removed, or put them back on... or even take them off again, it's your choice, as long as you've got the millions to back the changeovers.
A century of Ferrucio Lamborghini celebrated with the Lamborghini Centenario.
This car is insane and is one of the rarest collectors cars on the road today with only 40 originally created.
There are 20 Coupe models, 20 roadster models & they're only going up in value!
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Cathie Wood is a believer, what more do you need to know? It's in her Ark Finance ETF ARKF, it's also in her innovation fund ARKK and her internet/ web-focused fund ARKW
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We go over the important stuff like: what's the business model around Square? How SQ makes its money, and why we think it's a great point-of-sale (POS) model.
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Our main concern, and admiration, is Jack Dorsey, Square's CEO who also runs Twitter at the same time.
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How far Doordash stock has come since IPO,
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We discuss cloud kitchens, and how they are both helping, and making it more difficult for a delivery service, especially with it being difficult to find any differences
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Competitive landscape: how are they going to successfully compete against Uber Eats, Menulog, and every other random guy with a food app
Fast and full of tech, is the M8 Competition a 911 killer on the track? Or just a big coupe.
The W12 Bentley Bentayga has a new set of tail lights to match the rest of the Bentley family of 2021 design.
Bentley is now keeping up with the times with a hybrid and vegan option on their giant luxury SUV.
But the worst & most annoying part about the car is... why did they have to call it a Bentayga Speed?
Carnival Cruises (CCL) is an old company that MIGHT recover after the pandemic but might struggle with its most recent $950 million ship build cost.
We dive into Chamath Palihapitiya's SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) SoFi.
SoFi seems to be the Neobank changing the game on student loans while providing an all-in-one banking & brokerage solution.
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On one side we have Wall St Bets represented by Keith Gill, also known as Roaring Kitty or DFV.
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On the other side we have Vlad Tenev, the CEO of Robinhood, which limited buy orders and forced sale orders on Gamestop's stock.
But was it all just for his clearinghouse liquidity? Or did the hedge funds like Melvin Capital tell him to do it?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
Power to the ... Investors? // GameStop (GME) to the moon as long as the diamond hands prevail against the hedge funds. Did Robinhood restrict trading because they were told to by Joe Biden and the white house? What does a short-squeeze even mean? We try and answer a few of these questions!
Most importantly, do you like the stonk?
In this segment we talk about:
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Kendall and her Pepsi that stops the riots
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Mark Zucc's Puerto Rican VR demo
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Ben & Jerry's Irish beer-flavored backfire
In this segment we talk about:
A Ferrari 250 GTO
A violin from the Titanic,
Warren Buffett's signed Cadillac,
A Royal cake
A Japanese icon reintroduced - the new Toyota Supra
In this segment, we discuss exactly how much of the new Supra is really made by Toyota.
Hottest Travel IPO of 2020 - Airbnb
In this segment, we go from founding idea, right through to mega Nasdaq hot tech stock.
Even though Airbnb has gone public in the toughest year for travel, we still think it might
have some interesting qualities.
The Future of Insurance? Lemonade Inc.
We explore the relatively new app-based company Lemonade and how it's potentially
a game-changer in the traditional world of insurance.