☕ You may not get another shot at this stock

Good morning! 👋  

The markets are mixed after the Nasdaq hit its first record close in two years. 

Makes sense. 

Big stock market moves are like eating a ginormous meal in that everybody’s got to pause before dessert to let the food settle. 

Here’s my playbook. 

1 – Government shutdown, part 695 

We've seen this movie so many times that we’ve got the script memorized. 

And it still stinks. 

Newsflash to everybody inside the beltway… knock it off already! 

But that’s a story for another time. 

The most important thing we can do as investors is to stay focused. 

The world’s best companies will continue to sidestep the shenanigans and put up great numbers anyway just like they almost always do. 

Keith’s Investing Tip: Try hard not to let the political rhetoric get to you; it’ll get worse as we head into elections. Money doesn't care which side of the aisle you're on and neither do I. In fact, my guess is that every 5 with Fitzer who’s reading along right now would enjoy getting together with each other to share a meal, great conversation and friendship no matter where we stand. And that’s downright awesome to my way of thinking because it makes our journey together that much more fun, more meaningful and, dare I say it, more profitable, too. Thank YOU! 

2 – Musk v. Altman  

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, saying that the company has abandoned its mission to create AI for the benefit of humanity. (Read) 

What catches my attention is that Musk and his lawyers allege that OpenAI has become a de facto subsidiary of Microsoft. 

Two things come to mind: 

1. I don’t think our legal system is ready; and, 
2. I don’t think it’s a needle mover for either company. 

Stay focused. 

Any weakness perceived by the media which will undoubtedly play this up is very likely a buying opportunity. 

My POV: This notion of being lawsuit happy in this country is out of control. If you've got a beef with somebody, pick up the phone and settle it. Go play golf and settle it. Sit down on the porch, share some barbecue and settle it. What a waste of money and time ... that actually could be used for the benefit of humanity. 🤦‍♂️ 

3 – Google’s Bud Light moment? 

The tech giant is apparently scrambling after pulling the plug on Gemini’s image generation features last week. Things got so bad that even CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that the company is working around the clock to fix things, calling the images that it generated "completely unacceptable". 

One observer, Michael Schellenberger, says the fallout over Gemini is Google’s “Bud Light” moment, meaning the situation is similar to what Anheuser-Busch faced after the company's brand Bud Light was boycotted, following a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. (Read) 

I’m not sure I’d take it that far. 

To me the development highlights another problem. 

AI, despite the fact that we think “it’s the machines” is a very real human construct. And the data that drives it, no matter how you cut it, is biased or has information, relationships, and context within it that can be construed that way if you look hard enough or manipulate it intentionally or otherwise. 

The next big jump will be models that can overcome bias on their own. 

It’s not that far away. 

The trick is that I don’t think Google is the company to do it. 

Continue to short or avoid. 

4 – Last chance to buy Apple 

I began this year with a bold statement in my 2024 Annual Outlook... 

“This will be the year we hear Apple and AI in the same sentence for the first time.” 

As I noted on CNBC yesterday, I think whatever AI goodies Tim Cook reveals at Apple’s upcoming developer conference will be another iPhone moment. (Watch) 

$275 a share. 

Meanwhile, here’s a full length 2-part interview you may enjoy with my friend tech-ace Dan Ives and myself speaking at last week’s MoneyShow. (Watch) 

5 – Tesla could earn billions from open charging stations 

CNBC is reporting that Tesla stands to earn billions of dollars a year by opening US charging stations to drivers of Ford and other EVs. (Read) 

No kidding. 

I said that back in 2012 when others castigated the man for building his own network of super chargers rather than letting Uncle Sam do it. It diverted valuable resources and cash, said more than a few traditional Wall Street managers and analysts at the time. 

My take was different. 

Still is. 

I called Tesla’s charging stations an annuity in the making and said there was no doubt in my mind that the technology he was developing would become a global standard. 

To be clear, I’m not telling you this to toot my own horn. That's not my style; besides, I could just as easily have been wrong. 

I’m sharing this with you to make a point. 

Like many visionaries who have gone before him, Musk is thinking a decade or more ahead of everybody else.  

If you’re an investor, you want to do the same thing. 

Why? 

Because the markets are forward looking. 

I hope you’ve been buying. 

Tesla shares have returned 10,502.94% since January 1, 2012. That’s enough to turn every $1,000 invested back then into $106.029.41 according to finmasters. The SPY, by comparison, has returned 406.28% over the same time frame. 

Imagine what the next ten years could hold??!! 

Now and in an admittedly shameless sales plug, statistics suggest that there are 10-15 “Tesla's” out there right now. The question you want to ask yourself is whether or not you own ‘em.  

If so, excellent – most investors do not. 

If you’d like some help along the way, I’d like to toss my hat in the ring. (Upgrade to Paid) 

Bottom Line  

Many people feel the compulsion to “do something” especially if they’re new to investing or trading.  

Not true.  

In fact, some of the best decisions are to do nothing.  

Owning the right stocks can give you the confidence needed to do so.  

Let that sink in. 

As always, let’s MAKE it a great day – you got this! 

Keith 😊