Search results for: Risk
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What’s the Trade War Really About?
China is an emerging economic juggernaut. China’s annual GDP growth rate was 6.5% last quarter. Technically, the growth rate is around 10%, but there’s 4% inflation. And China has maintained an even higher average growth rate over the past few decades. Some people doubt these official numbers. But disposable income in China is also rising by around 6.6%, and I…
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First Stage Investor Issue No. 31
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Mailbag: The Biggest Startup Mistake and the Fed’s Debt Addiction
Q: What’s the biggest mistake you see founders make? A: Good question. I’m so focused on determining what startups need to do to become successful that I’ve spent less time thinking of their most common pitfalls. So I sat down and made a list. I came up with 19 mistakes to avoid. And one stood out above the rest: not…
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tZERO Tries Tokenization
TZERO went live last Thursday. If you’ve never heard of tZERO, that’s okay. I’ve got the full story for you below. Just know that I think tZERO is so important that I will be tracking it closely over the coming months. TZERO is an SEC-compliant platform/exchange where token securities (cryptocurrencies that stand in for securities such as stocks, real estate,…
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Market Update and Keeping an Eye on New Coins
Dear Member, Crypto markets have been relatively stable over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the government shutdown has slowed the launch of major upcoming platforms, such as Bakkt and Fidelity Digital Assets, as they cannot receive approval to begin operating from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission until it’s over. However, the market appears to be taking this news in stride,…
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Mailbag: Startup Investment Expectations; Ethereum vs. Bitcoin
Q: What is your expectation of the investments we make in these startup companies? What is the turnaround time for profits? Do these companies need to go public with an IPO before we can expect any real gains? A: Startup investing requires a long-term perspective. When you buy equity in an early-stage startup, you should assume that it will take…
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Rhode Island Fears Missing Out, Ethereum Classic Gets Some Money Back
It’s been a rough week for government workers. The current government shutdown, now on day 29, is the longest in U.S. history. The shutdown hasn’t been good for crypto, either. Both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are shut down, which means there are a number of delayed crypto projects still waiting for government approval.…
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Founders Can Just Say No to VCs
The New York Times ran an article last week that triggered a Twitter storm in the venture capital (VC) community: “More Start-Ups Have an Unfamiliar Message for Venture Capitalists: Get Lost” (by Erin Griffith, who used to write for Fortune magazine’s well-regarded VC-focused Term Sheet newsletter). The article argues that VC’s demand for rapid growth has a downside. “For every…
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The World Bitcoin Was Created For
Ten years ago this week, Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block on the Bitcoin blockchain, the Genesis Block. He included a small text note in this block. It was the title of a recent headline in London-based newspaper The Times. The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks Bitcoin launched in January 2009, at the height of…
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First Stage Investor Issue No. 30
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Buy (or Hodl) Through Crypto Winter
As you know, 2018 was a rough year for crypto markets. But I’m quite optimistic about 2019. We have a number of catalysts that could catapult the market higher in the near term. And the long-term case for cryptocurrency has never been stronger. This year’s first piece of encouraging news is a big one. Bakkt, a new crypto firm launched…
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Best of 2018: Startups
The holidays have come and gone, and 2018 is drawing to a close. But before we jump into the new year, we’re taking some time to reflect. So for the next few days, we’re looking back at our favorite Early Investing reads of 2018. Today’s focus is startups. As loyal Early Investing readers know, this year we added more crypto…
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Airdrop Alert: VEE
Note: Remember, airdrops are free crypto. Companies use airdrops to promote use and awareness of the coin. Investors hope the coins rise in value. There’s no risk in play here. But there are potential rewards. Airdrop Recommendation: VEE Dear First Stage Investor, Today’s airdrop is VEE (VCOIN), via Airdrops.io. VEE is airdropping 75 VCOIN (roughly $5 calculated in private sale…
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Politicians Don’t Know Best
Theoretically, our elected representatives are supposed to represent the will of the people. But when it comes to “sin” issues, like marijuana (medical or otherwise), casinos, alcohol and tobacco, politicians of all stripes give in to their worst big government impulses. Their instincts are to restrict, control and police. And they are all too willing to ignore the voters and…
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News Fix: Robinhood Keeps Besting the Banks
Happy Saturday! The only people who hate Robinhood more than the Sheriff of Nottingham are the financial establishment. Robinhood started with no-fee stock trading. It later added crypto. Now it’s expanding into no-fee banking. No overdraft fees. No minimum deposits. None of the stuff people hate. But what’s really driving the banks nuts is that Robinhood is offering a 3%…
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Illinois Bets on Cannabis, Casinos to Solve Pension Woes
December is typically a slow month for markets, but not this year… Here are the stories I’m paying attention to this week. Chicago Mayor Wants Legal Marijuana Revenue To Fund Pensions (Forbes) Oh how the tables have turned… Illinois’ pensions are underfunded and overpromised. Now the state is hoping to solve the problem, in part, by legalizing and taxing marijuana.…