Investing Thread

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

NFTs will change our understanding of the capital stack ... what is equity and what is a bond within the existing capital structure.

Companies will be able to slice and dice their equity ownership and financing possibilities in ways they cannot even imagine now. 

Companies can sell ownership in specific products, business lines or even RD projects (each is its own NFT token). With the ability to program smart contracts within an NFT, they can program in royalties that revert back to the company.

When it comes to financing, they can borrow against specific assets, goodwill, or even future revenues. Again, with smart contracts, covenants can be programmed in.

This might explain why the coming coinbase IPO might be valued more than the ICE/NYSE.  The NYSE is a dying technology.

Bottom line, the concept of a stock market/bond market could go away ... it will be replaced with something far more robust with far better opportunities.

Thanks for this explanation.

[mu_hilltopper]

Along those lines .. I've always wondered about the Warrior Logo.

Maybe a dozen years ago, the MU Warrior logo was no where to be found on the internets.  So I scanned a paper copy in, and did some photoshopping to sharpen it up, get the colors uniform, remove dust, etc.

I posted it in various places, but also created a logo archive on the wiki and uploaded a whole library of images (https://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php/nickname/logo_archive).  Naturally, google picked that up for all future searches.

I believe that .. when you see a Warrior logo online, you're looking at my scan/original.

I wish I would have added an extra swoosh in the feather or something, so I'd always know that was my handiwork.   

[MU82]

Along those lines .. I've always wondered about the Warrior Logo.

Maybe a dozen years ago, the MU Warrior logo was no where to be found on the internets.  So I scanned a paper copy in, and did some photoshopping to sharpen it up, get the colors uniform, remove dust, etc.

I posted it in various places, but also created a logo archive on the wiki and uploaded a whole library of images (https://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php/nickname/logo_archive).  Naturally, google picked that up for all future searches.

I believe that .. when you see a Warrior logo online, you're looking at my scan/original.

I wish I would have added an extra swoosh in the feather or something, so I'd always know that was my handiwork.   

I'll give you $4.7 million for it!

[Marquette Gyros]

I have a question that is not exactly "investing" but it is from the finance/banking world, so perhaps it could be described as "investing adjacent." People here have such varied experience, I figure someone might know and I couldn't think of any thread where it would be more appropriate.

In a banking environment (GS specifically, if it matters), what is a "staffer"? What do they do? What, if anything, does it mean to someone's career trajectory? I understand that there aren't too many of them (and that it's unrelated to the usual Analyst, Associate, VP, etc., career progression), but I don't really understand what it is. I saw this definition but I was wondering if anyone knew anything more (or if they knew that this definition is garbage).

Super broad word that has no real meaning other than a synonym for employee or worker. Usually used by journalists who have already deployed “employee” or “worker” far too many times in their articles already.

[MU82]

The always-amusing Elon Musk apparently has changed his official title.

He's now the Technoking of Tesla.

EDIT: Now I see it's just an additional title. He's still gonna be CEO.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3672487-elon-musk-becomes-technoking-of-tesla?mail_subject=tsla-elon-musk-becomes-technoking-of-tesla&utm_campaign=rta-stock-news&utm_content=link-1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The always-amusing Elon Musk apparently has changed his official title.

He's now the Technoking of Tesla.

EDIT: Now I see it's just an additional title. He's still gonna be CEO.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3672487-elon-musk-becomes-technoking-of-tesla?mail_subject=tsla-elon-musk-becomes-technoking-of-tesla&utm_campaign=rta-stock-news&utm_content=link-1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha

The CFO changing to Master of Coin is even better, at least for GOT fans.

[MU82]

The CFO changing to Master of Coin is even better, at least for GOT fans.

Yeah, that was funny.

Musk is a piece of work -- albeit a rich MFg piece of work!

[StillAWarrior]

Super broad word that has no real meaning other than a synonym for employee or worker. Usually used by journalists who have already deployed “employee” or “worker” far too many times in their articles already.

I agree that journalists use it as a generic synonym for "employee," but I've learned that in the industry it often has a different specific meaning. It apparently is used to refer to someone who is tasked with making work assignments to other employees (i.e., "staffing" projects/deals). It's not a formal job title, but the "staffer" is someone who is given an additional job responsibility.

[MU82]

The cryptocurrency exchange FTX is seeking naming rights for the city’s NBA arena, currently known as AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami-Dade County took over branding deals in 2018 and is supposed to pay the team $2 million per year, sponsor or no (American’s contract ended in 2019).

The FTX agreement is nearly final, pending a Friday vote by county commissioners. “It’s awesome that we’ve attracted a huge cryptocurrency exchange,” Mr. Suarez said, noting that FTX’s bid “complements the brand” that Miami is establishing.

It would be the NBA's first crypto sponsorship of an arena, The Miami Herald notes, but it would also tie a county revenue stream to a relatively young exchange and CEO.

FTX was founded in 2019 and is run by Samuel Bankman-Fried, a 28-year-old billionaire who was one of the biggest donors to President Biden’s campaign.

Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami is selling his city as the world’s cryptocurrency capital. “We want to be on the next wave of innovation,” he told the NYT.

To make that happen, Suarez said he was “refashioning” the city’s “fun in the sun” image. Thanks in part to the mayor’s marketing efforts, tech and finance titans have flocked to Miami during the pandemic.

[rocket surgeon]

anyone into XRP/ripple? was 0.25 a few moths ago.  i decided to take a flyer on it at 0.55 and just sit back & watch.  my opinion-the SEC may try to act as big brother until the big guys have their fill and the price is up up and away, then let the "little guys" pick up the crumbs.  very limited places you can trade it.  uphold is the one i chose.  i'm a little unclear on how long they hold it, but you can invest it right away.  i'm long on it with only a couple $K so 30-60-90 days no matter

[Hards Alumni]

anyone into XRP/ripple? was 0.25 a few moths ago.  i decided to take a flyer on it at 0.55 and just sit back & watch.  my opinion-the SEC may try to act as big brother until the big guys have their fill and the price is up up and away, then let the "little guys" pick up the crumbs.  very limited places you can trade it.  uphold is the one i chose.  i'm a little unclear on how long they hold it, but you can invest it right away.  i'm long on it with only a couple $K so 30-60-90 days no matter

XRP is a big time stay away for me.  Ripple isn't decentralized.

[MU82]

The minimum wage would be $44 an hour if it had grown at the same rate as Wall Street bonuses

https://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-would-be-44-per-hour-if-it-grew-at-wall-street-bonus-rate-2021-3?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20210330&instance_id=28636&nl=dealbook&regi_id=108420427&segment_id=54486&te=1&user_id=d36dcf821462fdd16ec3636710a855fa

The chaos that the coronavirus pandemic unleashed on America's economy turned out to be a major boon for Wall Street traders, according to new data from the New York state comptroller's office.

Wall Street firms paid their New York City-based traders an average bonus of $184,000 last year, a 10% increase from 2019, New York's comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, said in a press release Friday.

But those paydays have been skyrocketing for decades. Since 1985, Wall Street traders' bonuses have grown 1,217% — and that's just part of their overall pay, which was more than $406,000 on average in 2019, according to data from DiNapoli's office.

By comparison, the federal minimum wage has flatlined at $7.25 an hour — or $15,080 annually — for 12 consecutive years. When adjusted for inflation, it has actually decreased by 11% since 1985.

If the minimum wage had instead grown at the same rate as Wall Street bonuses, it would be $44.12 an hour today.

[skianth16]

I agree that journalists use it as a generic synonym for "employee," but I've learned that in the industry it often has a different specific meaning. It apparently is used to refer to someone who is tasked with making work assignments to other employees (i.e., "staffing" projects/deals). It's not a formal job title, but the "staffer" is someone who is given an additional job responsibility.

This is correct. A staffer is someone who is in charge of allocating work. In the banking world staffers will assign employees to work on specific deals/assignments. Typically, there will be some senior people who will be attached to a deal because they are the ones who brought in the work in the first place, and then the rest of the deal team will be need to be assigned to the project.

This can be tricky because most employees will be in a variety of different phases on current projects. Banks do their best to make sure all employees are assigned to a project at all times to maximize revenue. If you're 90% done with your current project, it's not so bad to be assigned to a new one because you'll be wrapping up soon and will be ready to move on. But if there aren't many people in that position, then people will be asked to take on 2 projects at the same time, which can eat up a ton of time. This is why there are a lot of finmeme jokes about avoiding staffers. No one wants to be double booked. Being staffed to multiple deals at a time can lead to very long days and essentially eliminates any free time you may have.

[Not A Serious Person]

Six days after putting it up for auction on the popular NFT marketplace OpenSea, Croatian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova sold exclusive lifetime ownership of part of her right arm for more than $5,000.

https://www.sportico.com/business/commerce/2021/croatian-tennis-player-sells-arm-nft-experiment-1234626090/

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

This sounds like the Polka King premise.

[rocket surgeon]

anyone into XRP/ripple? was 0.25 a few moths ago.  i decided to take a flyer on it at 0.55 and just sit back & watch.  my opinion-the SEC may try to act as big brother until the big guys have their fill and the price is up up and away, then let the "little guys" pick up the crumbs.  very limited places you can trade it.  uphold is the one i chose.  i'm a little unclear on how long they hold it, but you can invest it right away.  i'm long on it with only a couple $K so 30-60-90 days no matter

  just an fyi-it hit 0.86 today

[rocket surgeon]

  just an fyi-it hit 0.86 today

  Last time I checked...91

[rocket surgeon]

$1.05....

[Coleman]

Lots of red flags with Ripple.

I do have some Bitcoin and Litecoin.

[Goose]

I have owned XRP for several years and have been too lazy to sell it. With the recent upside move I think I might use this a reason to get off my ass and sell it.

[SERocks]

Couple of years ago, at the highs (which is my thing), I bought a basket of coins.  LTC, ETH, XRP, XLM, BNB and SUB.  I did not buy any BTC, but wish I had.  I spread a couple thousand over that basket.  I put most into ETH and LTC.  But a nice chunk in BNB, XRP, XLM got less and SUB the least amount. 

Of all of them, ETH has done well, about a triple.  Still under water on LTC.  BNB has been a rocket, from a purchase price of $13 to $381.11 today.  Obviously wish I had bought more of that.  SUB was delisted or whatever happens to a coin when it goes belly up.  And still under water on XRP and XLM as well.

However, my overall investment is up five fold so far.  Since it was "play" money I am going to leave it all and see where it is in 10 years or so....Still remember looking at bitcoin in 2012 at $12 per coin, but not being able to overcome the barriers to entry.  Too bad I did not spend a bit more time trying to figure it out then.

[rocket surgeon]

they've made it a little more difficult to buy xrp as of a couple weeks ago, but if sec ruling goes in the "good guys" favor, this could get interesting.  i got it in uphold and even that one kept declining transfer from associated bank.  it went thru on my much smaller community bank which has like 2 branches.  i've been with them for over 30 years

[Goose]

SE

I did similar about three years ago and got antsy on Bitcoin and have traded it too many times. I wish I held out the whole time. My thought was similar to yours and do believe owning these probably makes sense for the long haul.

[Not A Serious Person]

I'm taking an informal poll to see how much you know or understand about any of this stuff. No right answer, this is more curiosity as to how deep you are into the crypto world. And a non-crypto investing thread might be the perfect place to ask.

Has anyone ...

* staked coins in liquidity pools?
* done any yield farming?
* store coins in a wallet (i.e., metamask) or cold storage (ie., ledger)?
* bought an NFT?
* traded through an AMM (automatic market maker)?
* borrowed against a coin on collateral?
* Used a futures contract like perpetual or synthetic?
* bought an ICO?

* Know what DeFi is?
* Know What Uniswap is?
* Know the difference between the Binance Smart Chain and the Ethereum Network?
* know what gas fees are?
* Know what layer 2 scaling solutions are?
* Know what ETH 2.0 means?
* Know what ERC-20 tokens are?
* Know what web 3.0/IPFS/Filecoin are and why I lumped them all together?

Why do I ask?  Because I believe the answer to the questions above represents the biggest thing that is about to happen to finance/banking ... maybe ever.  A massive earthquake is coming and everything we know about investing, banking, insurance, money, central banking, trust, estates, etc is about to massively change in ways we cannot begin to understand.

[Hards Alumni]

I'm taking an informal poll to see how much you know or understand about any of this stuff. No right answer, this is more curiosity as to how deep you are into the crypto world. And a non-crypto investing thread might be the perfect place to ask.

Has anyone ...

* staked coins in liquidity pools?
* done any yield farming?
* store coins in a wallet (i.e., metamask) or cold storage (ie., ledger)?
* bought an NFT?
* traded through an AMM (automatic market maker)?
* borrowed against a coin on collateral?
* Used a futures contract like perpetual or synthetic?
* bought an ICO?

* Know what DeFi is?
* Know What Uniswap is?
* Know the difference between the Binance Smart Chain and the Ethereum Network?
* know what gas fees are?
* Know what layer 2 scaling solutions are?
* Know what ETH 2.0 means?
* Know what ERC-20 tokens are?
* Know what web 3.0/IPFS/Filecoin are and why I lumped them all together?

Why do I ask?  Because I believe the answer to the question above represents the biggest thing that is about to happen happened to finance/banking ... maybe ever.  A massive earthquake is coming and everything we know about investing, banking, insurance, money, central banking, trust, estates, etc is about to massively change in ways we cannot begin to understand.

I can say yes to 2/3 of these.  Also, I generally agree.  And a lot of people will be left on the wayside by smart contracts alone.  The amount of pure bureaucracy (and the jobs that go with it!) they will remove is what I think the largest disruption in the workforce will be outside of automated transportation.