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🔔 The Opening Bell |
It’s been a solid start to Monday’s trading, with a lot of green in most charts. Keep a close eye on AI/tech, oil & gas, and defense stocks as these markets are likely to see significant movement in one direction or the other in the short term. |
Some things to watch for today: |
$TSLA ( ▲ 10.57% ) is up more than 10% today after launching its limited robotaxi service in Austin, a milestone toward future revenue from ride-hailing services. $NTRS ( ▲ 8.64% ) (Northern Trust) surged over 8% in this morning’s trading on reports that Bank of New York Mellon is considering a takeover—though Northern Trust has publicly denied interest. $XOM ( ▼ 0.05% ) and $CVX ( ▲ 0.06% ) (oil & gas) gained ~1% in pre-market on energy demand optimism and amid U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, despite limited disruption in crude flows, though today’s training sessions have not been as strong. Defense stocks $NOC ( ▲ 1.54% ) (Northrop Grumman), $LMT ( ▲ 1.48% ) (Lockheed Martin), and $RTX ( ▲ 0.05% ) rose modestly after the U.S. military strikes in Iran. $CRCL ( ▲ 14.9% ) (Circle Internet Financial) is up another 15% today, following a sharp 80% surge last week, boosted by its stablecoin and digital-asset platform momentum.
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We will go deeper into these areas in today’s newsletter and make sure you are as informed as possible going into this week’s trading. |
Today’s sponsor Doriot offers a unique way for investors of all levels to get into the venture funding space. They are worth considering as a small part of a diversified portfolio, since when successful, they can provide outsized returns. |
More on that below, then we’ll get into today’s key numbers and major market headlines… |
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Introducing VentureStaking™ |
Own the option to invest in tomorrow’s unicorns. |
What if you could invest in the world’s best startups with 90% less risk than the traditional VC model? |
That’s the promise behind VentureStaking™ — a patent-pending model from Doriot. |
It’s like buying call options on founders’ ambition. |
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VentureStaking™ is an innovative new concept that grants you the right to invest in a startup later. |
The platform has not launched yet |
You cannot sign up for an account or start investing yet. What you can do today is purchase a VentureStake™ in Doriot itself, betting on founder Gerry Hays’ ambition to make venture universally accessible and winnable. |
In other words, Doriot is the first startup to launch a VentureStaking™ round. |
How it works |
Buy a VentureStake™ in Doriot today ($10 —$1,000) and lock in a guaranteed allocation in future equity rounds at 10x your stake. You risk 10% upfront, holding back 90% to wait, watch, and choose whether to keep betting — just like poker.
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Express interest + ask questions |
Clicking the button below will: |
Take you to an Expression of Interest form Give Doriot permission to email you
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Express interest in VentureStaking™ → |
Both accredited and non-accredited investors OK. |
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📰 Market Headlines |
 | Markets are mostly green to start the week. |
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US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites sharply escalated Middle East tensions as President Trump ordered B-2 bombers and submarines to attack three key facilities including Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan on Saturday. |
S&P 500 fell 0.15% last week while the Nasdaq gained 0.2%, with the Dow rising 0.08% as markets grappled with escalating geopolitical tensions. The price of oil is expected to spike after Iran’s parliament voted to close access through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key shipping route.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg continued his AI talent spending spree after last week's $14.3 billion Scale AI investment.
OpenAI took down the content from their Jony Ive partnership, apparently over a lawsuit. |
HIMS is down 30% today on news that Novo Nordisk is ending their partnership for their weight loss drug. |
Aflac disclosed a cybersecurity breach that potentially compromised Social Security numbers, health information, and other personal data of customers and employees. |
😱 Fear and Greed Index |
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🧠 Make yourself heard |
Which Company Will Win The Rideshare Battle? |
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🤖 AI/Future/Tech News |
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz's effort to prevent states from enforcing their own AI regulations for 10 years cleared a key procedural hurdle. Meta introduced new Oakley smart glasses starting at $399, featuring 3K video capabilities. Tesla scheduled its robotaxi service to begin in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.
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🪙 Crypto | Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation creating the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Everything Blockchain poured $10 million into five crypto tokens: XRP, Solana, SUI, Hyperliquid, and Bittensor. The Monetary Authority of Singapore declared a de facto ban on new crypto licenses.
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⚔️ Trade wars |
German and French industry banded together to retaliate against US aircraft sector tariffs. South Korea's trade minister pressed about potential US restrictions on chipmakers, as Seoul deals with chip industry pressures and ongoing talks to reduce the 10% blanket tariff currently imposed on South Korean goods. The US Trade Representative secured a three-month extension of Section 301 tariff exclusions on certain seafood products from China.
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📈 AltIndex’s AI Algorithm & Data Signals |
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AltIndex sees $LLY ( ▲ 1.31% ) showing signals that indicate high likelihood of growth in the short to mid term. $LLY ( ▲ 1.31% ) was in the news this week for its acquisition of Verve Therapeutics to go after heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world. They have had a strong month, up over 5%, but have dipped a bit this week, down 3%. Do your own research and consider whether you think this might be a value opportunity. Use AltIndex to help find opportunities and entry points for your own research.
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💡 Ideas, trends, and analysis |
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🎤 What you said last time |
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“If Meta can't sell VR headsets for $300 what hope is there for a $2500+ peripheral?” |
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🚚 Alternative Data |
BBC threatened to sue AI search engine Perplexity for unauthorized content use, demanding an injunction and financial compensation. Lululemon cut 150 corporate positions amid North American sales slowdowns. Vanderbilt slashed up to 650 jobs (2% of the workforce), mainly in research and administration.
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📊 Earnings this week |
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📢 We want to hear from you |
We love hearing from you, and we deeply appreciate your feedback. |
⭐️ What did you think of today's edition? |
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That’s all for today. Did I miss anything? Smash the reply button to let me know. | Cheers,
Brandon |
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