Day: August 26, 2024

Why You Suck At Trading (And I Do, Too)—And How To Deal With It

Alright, let’s cut the bullshit. You suck at trading. I suck at trading. Most of us suck at trading. And it’s not because the market is rigged—though it might as well be—it’s because we’re making some dumbass mistakes that run way deeper than just clicking “buy” on some meme stock. So buckle up and let’s dive into why you’re swimming in your tears and sweat watching those red numbers while the suits are swimming in champagne. https://preview.redd.it/v42rknfom2ld1.jpg?width=557&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d171dae8f5f420fc4218a45a49f16a6b7e001fd Obvious Reasons You Suck: FOMO Got You by the Balls: You see a rocket emoji on Wall Street Bets, and suddenly, you’re all in on some crap like AMC at $60, thinking you’ll be rich by Friday. But when that “to the moon” promise crashes back to Earth, you’re left holding a bag heavier than your student loans. Don’t lie—you’ve done it. Hell, we all have. Welcome aboard, sailor. Overconfidence Is Your Kryptonite: You made one good call on Tesla back in the day, and now you think you’re fucking Warren Buffett. So you YOLO your life savings on some obscure biotech stock because “you did your DD.” Fast forward to August 2024, and you’re wondering why your portfolio looks like a dumpster fire. Remember that “DD” you did? Yeah, it was dogshit. Self-education is for the weak, isn’t it? Chasing Losses Like a Desperate Ex: You lose a couple of grand, and instead of walking away, you double down on a different meme stock, thinking you’re about to make a comeback. Spoiler: you don’t. Remember when Bed Bath & Beyond went bust? You were there, chasing it down like a psycho ex, and now your portfolio’s as empty as that store’s shelves. You’re lucky not to have a restraining orders from the market. Now for the Real Reasons You’re Still Broke: You’re Trading for the Fucking Thrill: You’re not here to make money; you’re here because trading gives you a bigger rush than your drug dealer can. It’s not about profits—it’s about that high when a stock jumps 10% and you feel like God. Then it crashes, and you’re back to feeling like a loser who can’t pay rent. Or just no change for a whole minute Tell me to stop when it starts to sound not like about you: You jumped on Intel after the AI hype, not because you knew jack shit about semiconductors, but because the thrill of catching the wave was too sweet to resist. You bought high, sold low, and now you’re wondering why the fuck you didn’t just stick to index funds. Or Nvidia. You’re Emotionally Invested in Crap: You bought Palantir at $30 because you “believed” in their tech, not because you actually understood their financials. You’re holding onto it like it’s your firstborn, even as it tanks, because you can’t admit that maybe, just maybe, you fucked up. Imagine: You held onto Blackberry because, let’s be real, you’ve got a hard-on for nostalgia. It’s 2024, and you’re still clinging to the hope that a phone from 2008 is gonna make a comeback. Guess what? It’s not. Let it go. You Don’t Know Shit About What You’re Doing: Let’s face it—you’re in way over your head. You read one or two Reddit threads and think you’re the next big thing. But in reality, you couldn’t analyze a balance sheet if your life depended on it. So you’re out here buying shit like Robinhood, thinking it’s a sure bet, while the pros are laughing all the way to the bank. If you don’t know what a green candle is… Well, maybe you ARE special How to Stop Sucking: Trade Like A Grown-Ass Adult: If you’re buying a stock, have a goddamn reason that’s not just “because Reddit said so.” Learn how to pick stocks, do some real research, and if you’re just here for the thrill, go to a casino instead—at least there, you get free drinks while you lose your money. Cut the Cord on Your Shitty Stocks: If a stock is tanking, and you’re holding on because you “believe in it,” slap yourself in the face and sell that shit. Don’t get emotionally attached to your investments—this isn’t a rom-com, it’s the fucking stock market. Educate Your Sorry Ass: Stop thinking you’re a genius because you made a few bucks on Dogecoin. Learn how to read a financial statement, understand market trends, and actually manage risk. If you don’t know what you’re doing, the market will eat you alive and shit you out. And—surprise, surprise—learning now is the most fucking accessible thing in trading! It’s your lucky day if you’ve read until this point: my pals from Pepperstone give out a 3-month access to the TradingView terminal and their educational library. Not just the bullshit you can google, but the real deal. Check it out here. Final Word: The market doesn’t care about your feelings or your little dreams of buying a Lambo. It’s a brutal, unforgiving beast that rewards the smart and crushes the stupid. So stop fucking around, get serious, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll stop sucking at trading. submitted by /u/caps-unlock [link] [comments]

So far, you’ve been guessing, but now it’s clear: Pavel Durov has been charged with 12 crimes.

A case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov was initiated in France on July 8, as reported by the Paris prosecutor’s office. His detention period expires on August 28. According to the authorities, Mr. Durov faces charges related to 12 offenses. The press release (.pdf) published on the prosecutor’s website states that Pavel Durov is accused of: Complicity — managing an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions within an organized group; Refusal to provide information or documents requested by competent authorities; Complicity — possession of pornographic images of minors; Complicity — distributing pornographic images of minors within an organized group; Complicity — purchasing, transporting, storing, and selling narcotics; Complicity — selling or illegally transferring equipment, tools, software, or data designed or adapted to gain access to data processing systems; Complicity — organized fraud; Creating a criminal organization to commit an offense or crime punishable by five or more years of imprisonment; Money laundering of proceeds from crimes or offenses committed within an organized group; Providing cryptography services to ensure confidentiality without certified declaration; Providing cryptographic tools that ensure not only authentication or file integrity monitoring without prior notification; Importing cryptographic tools that provide authentication or file integrity monitoring without prior notification. The investigation of Pavel Durov’s case is being conducted by the Digital Crime Control Center (C3N) and the National Fraud Office. According to the press release, Mr. Durov has already been questioned by investigators. submitted by /u/XGramatik [link] [comments]

Yahoo/Finance: What credit card users need to know if the Fed cuts rates in September?

Finally, the Federal Reserve looks poised to lower rates at its next FOMC meeting in September. Cue sighs of relief from credit card users across the country plagued by rising debt balances. Through the current high rate environment — the target federal funds rate sits at 5.25%-5.50%, a more than 20-year high — the cost of their credit card debt has only grown. Look no further than this snapshot of federal rate data: Average credit card interest rates increased from around 16% in 2022 to over 21.5% today. Credit card debt balances grew by 5.8% between Q2 2023 and 2024. Total credit card debt surpassed $1 trillion for the first time in 2023. In the past year, 9.1% of credit card accounts became delinquent (30 or more days past due). But the Fed’s decisions alone may not offer the relief you’re looking for. After all, plenty of factors influence your credit card’s interest rate. Even if the Fed lowers federal interest rates, you shouldn’t wait to begin paying down debt. https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/fed-rates-cut-credit-cards-221927805.html submitted by /u/Ankle_be [link] [comments]

1$ Million for a Gold Bar

For the first time ever, the price of a gold bar has recently skyrocketed to an astonishing $1 million, driven by a dramatic surge in the value of the precious metal. https://preview.redd.it/3qav53mha0ld1.png?width=408&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e3769aa0afc2c5ef9dddb4f69d7b4571cad9422 Spot gold prices soared to over $2,500 per troy ounce, shattering previous records. With the average gold bar weighing 400 troy ounces, this means each bar is now worth a staggering $1 million. It’s crucial to note that gold bars don’t always weigh exactly 400 ounces, and they are typically traded by central banks and bullion dealers on the international stage – not by everyday investors. However, this unprecedented spike signals a major shift in the market, raising urgent questions about the stability of global investments. submitted by /u/FXgram_ [link] [comments]

Pepperstone, Chris Weston: On my command unleash rate cuts

Authored by Chris Weston We look ahead to the final trading week of August with traders hotly debating whether the Fed cut by 25bp or 50bp at the September FOMC meeting and where that leaves risk for the USD, equity and sentiment more broadly. Geopolitical concerns have been raised, with Israel responding militarily to a drone attack by Hezbollah, conducting an offensive in a “targeted manner” on sites in Lebanon. The escalation may well support oil and gold, but I am sceptical it has a lasting impact on sentiment towards other areas of the markets (such as equity or risk FX), that is unless we see signs the conflict brings in other nations, or we saw a risk of an energy supply shock. Nvidia’s Q225 earnings will also get great focus, where the guidance could resonate across the broader semis space. Traders also navigate month-end portfolio rebalancing flows, which could impact at a time when tier 1 economic data through the week is limited. Chair Powell sends a defiant message to markets Last week set an important precedent for markets and offered a definitive view around the Fed’s current thinking – a view that has surprised many in the markets. The July FOMC minutes were clearly dovish, but Chair Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole was arguably his most dovish in years, and it was firm and clear. It will be remembered as the cementing factor that told the market that cuts start in September. Powell was defiant that the Fed’s job on fighting inflation is essentially over, and with the balance of risks having shifted, and with Fed policy seemingly behind the curve, the Fed move to a new phase with a growing sense of urgency to take policy to a neutral setting. Powell offered a strong level of optionality, but that optionality is skewed on whether the first cut is 25bp or 50bp. For anyone still holding a legacy view that the Fed may hold off from easing in September, it seems that ship has well and truly sailed. The August US Nonfarm payrolls to settle the Fed rate cut debate It’s hard to deny how important the August nonfarm payrolls (NFP) print (on 6 Sept) will likely be and could be the defining data point that settles the September FOMC rates debate, and whether the Fed cut by 25bp or 50bp. US interest rates swaps pricing per FOMC meeting Chair Powell essentially made it clear with his view that a “cooling labor market is unmistakable” and that they no longer “seek or welcome further cooling in labor market conditions”. A weak NFP, say below 130k jobs and an unchanged unemployment rate at 4.3%, will likely see many of the economists who were calling for a 25bp cut for September change to 50bp, and US rates markets will price 50bp as its central case. One counterargument to that call would be the influence of US election on 5 November. The Fed like to claim they are independent, but there is a school of thought that voters within the Fed ranks may be more comfortable pulling out a larger 50bp cut at the FOMC meeting after the election on 7 November. One issue with that call is that there is no guarantee we’ll know the outcome of the election by then, so if there is a greater need to bring rates out of a restrictive setting, and the election result is not known, then the Fed will have to wait until the 18 December meeting – an outcome that the markets will see as a policy mistake and take the Fed to task. For now, though, the ‘Fed put’ is alive and well, and unless the geopolitical news flow negatively impacts sentiment Fed cut insurance should support global risky assets (such as equity). However, a more concerned Fed – and one that many are increasingly thinking should have moved away from higher for longer sooner – does give us reasons to believe there could be a tipping point where ‘goldilocks’ macro conditions lead to something more sinister. That is a concern for another time, and as we roll into the new week with sentiment strong, and with the market so intently focused on the NFP report, one questions how impactful the incoming economic data this week will prove to be. Many will note the US core PCE inflation report as the marquee data point this week, but with Powell stressing that the US labour market is no longer adding to inflation risk, the PCE inflation report may only move the dial if we see a print closer to 3% y/y (currently 2.6%). Nvidia’s Q225 earnings to get significant focus A clear risk for equity markets comes from Nvidia’s Q25 earnings (due to Wednesday after market) and the guidance for Q325. Nvidia will beat consensus expectations, they always do, but investors are so ingrained in seeing revenue come in $2b+ above the analysts’ consensus that Nvidia will need to report Q225 sales of $30b+ (consensus $28.77b) and guidance for Q325 of $33b+ (consensus of $31.78b) or we could easily see a sell the news event. Naturally, there are other factors that could impact, with a big focus on gross margins, capex, and guidance on potential delays to Blackwell GPUs which could impact revenue expectations for the January quarter (reported in late February). The options market implies a -/+9.4% move on the day of earnings, so one can certainly expect some punchy post-market movement in the share price, and the NAS100. EU CPI to cement an ECB September rate cut European preliminary CPI (due Friday) may get some attention but with a 25bp rate cut from the ECB all but assured, and a 50bp cut not given any consideration, we’ll need to see a big miss/beat to the 2.2% consensus estimate on headline CPI, and the 2.8% consensus on core CPI to get the EUR pumping. Like many, I have been surprised at the extent of the rally in EURUSD, and… Continue reading Pepperstone, Chris Weston: On my command unleash rate cuts

Since Elon Musk bought and renamed Twitter, no one knew who the investors were that joined him in the deal. Now the list has been made public.

Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Binance, and Fidelity. Even former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Oracle founder Larry Ellison are on it. And of course, there’s the Saudi prince Alwaleed—how could he be left out? This list isn’t just to see who suffered from X’s market cap dropping by a good ¾ but to understand who Elon’s allies are. submitted by /u/FXgram_ [link] [comments]

Europol’s director, Rob Wainwright, stated in 2017 to The Times that TG “creates significant challenges” for counterterrorism operations, “offering some cooperation, but nowhere near what we get from Meta, X, and others.” — The Times, “How Wild West Ethics Made Telegram a Home for Disinformation.”

▪️Telegram is the Wild West of social networks, where almost anything goes. The encrypted app prides itself on championing the freedom and privacy of its users. Terrorists, extremists, and drug traffickers gather under its protective umbrella. ▪️Police and governments have expressed frustration over the platform’s reluctance to cooperate with authorities compared to other social networks. Recently, Telegram facilitated the spread of unrest in the UK after a stabbing in Southport. Users circulated provocative images, urging far-right supporters to take to the streets. ▪️Durov fled Putin’s Russia after a fallout with the authorities. At a tech conference in San Francisco, he said, “Privacy is ultimately more important than our fear of bad things like terrorism.” Nonetheless, some Russian government officials have used Telegram for communication. ▪️The app gained infamy as the favored social network for ISIS to promote propaganda, recruit, and control young people. ▪️Europol’s director, Rob Wainwright, stated in 2017 to The Times that Telegram “creates significant challenges” for counterterrorism operations, “offering some cooperation, but nowhere near what we get from Facebook, Twitter, and others.” ▪️Former French intelligence chief Patrick Calvar said that Telegram is the primary network used by terrorists. ▪️Telegram remains a haven for extremists. The “Patriotic Alternative” group, which Michael Gove accused of promoting neo-Nazi ideology, has about 7,000 followers, and its leader Mark Collett, a Hitler admirer, has nearly 20,000. They are banned from platform X (formerly Twitter). ▪️Telegram was used by Joe Marsh, the organizer of “Patriotic Alternative,” also known as Joe Butler, after the child murders in Southport, to rally users to join a “protest demonstration.” The event’s online flyer featured an image of a bloody handprint. The demonstration escalated into a mass attack on a mosque and the police. In one Telegram chat, users shared police movement information and discussed potential targets. ▪️Fortune magazine dubbed Telegram “an app for finding heroin, guns, and anything illegal.” ▪️The app provides three opportunities for malicious behavior. Secret chats are protected by end-to-end encryption. Users can create channels to post extreme materials with minimal censorship. Groups are formed where like-minded individuals can be bribed and recruited. ▪️The BBC reported that pedophiles use Telegram to provide access to child abuse content. Telegram claimed that user reports about child images are typically handled within an hour and that it proactively seeks to prevent platform abuse. ▪️In 2018, Telegram was briefly banned from Apple’s App Store due to users sharing child abuse images but was reinstated within hours. Apple stated that fixes had been made to prevent such content from reappearing. ▪️Britain’s most racist YouTuber, James Owens, exposed by The Times under the pseudonym “Ayatollah,” joined the public celebration on Telegram when three black England players missed penalties in the Euro 2021 final. ▪️Tahra Ahmed, imprisoned for racial hatred at the Old Bailey after an investigation by The Times, founded the Telegram channel Freedom Festival. It promoted such extreme anti-Semitic propaganda that he even claimed Hitler was “a puppet of the Zionists.” submitted by /u/XGramatik [link] [comments]