Does Supply Explain DC’s Low Rent Growth?
Washington D.C. rents have risen 27% since January 2019, trailing the national 39% gain. The conventional view blames excess multifamily supply, yet rent performance mirrors the city’s job market more closely than building permits or completions. During the pandemic D.C. lost fewer jobs than the nation, but its slower employment recovery in 2020‑2021 coincided with the deepest rent under‑performance. After permits peaked in 2022, rents rebounded and outperformed the national average from 2023 through mid‑2025 despite higher delivery volumes.
PBO’s Migration Analysis Doesn’t Add Up
The Australian newspaper cited the Parliamentary Budget Office’s (PBO) budget tool to challenge One Nation’s proposal to cap visas at 130,000 annually and achieve net‑zero immigration. The PBO‑based analysis estimates a $100 billion loss in federal revenue over the next decade,...
Calculo to Launch 3x Strategy and Return-Stacked Product
Calculo Capital is expanding its systematic commodity platform with two new products slated for 2026. The 3x leveraged Calculo Supra will sit alongside the existing 1x Terra and 2x Altus funds, offering a higher‑intensity, equity‑like risk profile. In parallel, Calculo...
The Reconfiguration of Mexico’s Supply Chains
Mexico’s exports to the United States reached record levels last week, yet the country’s trade surplus with its northern neighbor contracted. Analysts attribute the paradox to a strategic reconfiguration of Mexican supply chains, increasingly funneling production toward the U.S. market...
Iran Defenses Armed; Panama Ports Taken Back; Urals Deep Discount | Rapid Read 23 Feb 2026
The United States stopped collecting tariffs that had been invalidated under emergency authority, while President Trump announced a sweeping 15% global tariff that exempts Canada and Mexico but hits Europe hard. Panama reclaimed two strategic canal ports after a court...
The Role of Real Estate in F&B Franchise Profitability
Real estate decisions shape profitability in food‑and‑beverage franchising long before menu or branding take effect. Site location, format and lease terms dictate traffic flow, operating costs and scalability. End‑cap, in‑line and freestanding spaces each present distinct trade‑offs between visibility, rent...
China’s New Year Tech Blitz: ByteDance’s New AI Strategy
ByteDance launched Doubao 2.0 just before the Chinese New Year, reaching roughly 155 million weekly active users and touting a pro version that rivals Western models at a tenth of the cost. Alibaba countered with a 3 billion‑yuan voucher campaign tied to its...
Dollar May yet Benefit From Further US-Iran Geopolitical Escalation - BofA
Bank of America sees the U.S. dollar gaining strength if geopolitical tensions with Iran intensify. Rising odds—now 69%—of a U.S. military strike by June could push oil prices higher while global equities weaken, a combination that traditionally benefits the greenback....
Spatial Patterns of Access-Density Mismatch Reveal Infrastructure Gaps and Strategic Opportunities for New Housing
Researchers Jantabadi, Ermagun, and Levinson analyze access‑density mismatch across the fifty most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. They find a statistically significant positive correlation between local residential density and both automobile and transit access, with automobile access exerting a stronger effect....
Bill Ackman’s Big Pivot: Why Pershing Square Bet $2 Billion on Meta—And Walked Away From Hilton:
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed a roughly $2 billion, 10%‑of‑capital stake in Meta Platforms while exiting its long‑held investment in Hilton Worldwide. The move reflects a shift from a fully priced, mature hotel compounder to what Ackman sees as undervalued AI‑enabled...
The Alternative Data Arms Race: Why Hedge Funds Are Spending More Than Ever:
In 2026 hedge funds are pouring tens of millions of dollars into alternative data, turning information velocity into a core competitive lever. AI-driven analytics have lowered the barrier to processing vast datasets—from satellite imagery to web traffic—shifting the edge toward...
Why Copper May Give Silver a Major Boost
The author’s long‑standing bullish thesis on copper is now materialising, with the base metal entering a sustained up‑trend that also benefits silver. Recent market data shows copper prices accelerating as renewable‑energy projects, electric‑vehicle production, and infrastructure spending drive demand. At...
Mario Gabelli: Value Investing Ideas for 2026
Mario Gabelli highlighted at the Barron’s Roundtable 2026 that value investors should target mispriced experiential assets such as media, sports franchises, and entertainment companies. He cited Madison Square Garden Sports as trading at roughly half its calculated intrinsic value and...
Top Superinvestors Are Buying Linde Plc (LIN)
Recent 13F filings show several top hedge funds and institutional managers expanding their stakes in Linde plc, underscoring confidence in the industrial gases leader. AQR Capital more than doubled its holding to roughly 430,000 shares, while Point72 and Gotham also...
No Exit, No Problem? How Asset Owners Can Tame Illiquidity Risk
The share of private‑debt, infrastructure and other illiquid alternatives has surged among institutional and wealth‑management portfolios, driven by regulatory changes and the search for higher risk‑adjusted returns. However, the absence of deep secondary markets and stale pricing creates cash‑flow uncertainty,...
DRAKE & ASSOCIATES, LLC - Filing for Period Ending 12/31/2025
Drake & Associates, a Waukesha‑based advisory firm, manages $418.75 million in discretionary assets for 988 clients. Its most recent 13F filing shows $502 million in securities with a 65.55% concentration in the top ten holdings, led by the Fidelity Total Bond ETF....
GUIDEDMONEY, LLC - Filing for Period Ending 12/31/2025
GuidedMoney, LLC reported $179 million in discretionary assets under management and filed a 13F for Q4 2025 showing $187 million in managed securities. The firm’s portfolio is heavily weighted toward ETFs, with Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) representing 39.79% of holdings and...
The Sixth Jamaican 25-Basis Point Central Bank Interest Rate Cut Since August 2024
The Bank of Jamaica cut its policy rate to 5.50% from 5.75%, its sixth 25‑basis‑point reduction since August 2024 and the first cut in nine months. The move was driven by a milder‑than‑expected inflation impact from Hurricane Melissa, improved agricultural supply,...
The True Global Market-Cap Weighted Portfolio: Gold as 3rd Largest Asset Class?
A WisdomTree chart shows a truly global market‑cap weighted portfolio composed of roughly 50% equities, 30% fixed income, and a surprisingly high 12.7% gold, making gold the third‑largest asset class. The analysis estimates the total market value of gold at...
Do Options Exhibit Momentum?
Recent academic papers reveal that options exhibit robust momentum effects across both monthly and intraday horizons. A 2022 study of delta‑neutral straddles finds that options with strong 6‑36‑month past returns generate superior subsequent returns, with lower risk than traditional short...
Commercial Real Estate Lease Analysis Tool (Updated Feb 2026)
A new Commercial Real Estate Lease Analysis Tool has been released, offering landlords, tenant‑rep brokers, and prospective buyers a structured Excel model to abstract lease terms and forecast cash flows. The tool features three core worksheets—Lease Abstract, Lease CF, and...
New Web App: Short-Term Rentals Acquisition Model
A new web application wraps A.CRE’s short‑term rentals acquisition model, letting users input property data through a guided form while Excel remains the calculation engine. The app validates inputs, runs the model, and instantly displays key return metrics such as...
Toronto Mortgage Delinquencies Hit 13-Year High, Vancouver Quietly Follows
Mortgage delinquency rates in Canada’s two largest housing markets rose sharply in Q3 2025. Toronto’s rate climbed to 0.27%, a 4.5‑fold increase from its 2021 low and the highest level since 2012. Vancouver’s delinquency rate reached 0.19%, more than double its...
The Case for Regulatory Tailwinds Over Traditional Fiscal Stimulus — FMKT as a Structural Play
Policymakers are pivoting from traditional fiscal stimulus toward deregulation as the chief engine of U.S. growth, arguing it frees capacity without reigniting inflation. A landmark Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron and a 2025 executive order mandating agencies to cut existing...
Apple’s App Store Growth Is Reaccelerating
Apple’s App Store revenue accelerated in February, posting a 9% year‑over‑year increase, according to Morgan Stanley. The growth represents a 230‑basis‑point acceleration from January and puts quarter‑to‑date revenue up 7.5%, just shy of the firm’s 8% March‑quarter forecast. The boost...
Alphabet: From Search to AI to "AGI"
The author revisits his deep‑dive model on Alphabet, highlighting the company’s transition from a search‑centric giant to an AI and emerging AGI powerhouse. After selling the stock in 2023 over post‑ChatGPT search concerns, he re‑entered in early 2025 and now...
TMTB: Buyside Bogeys for the Week (DOCN, WDAY, CRM, SNOW, NVDA, INTU, CRWV, DELL)
The TMT Breakout newsletter flagged a slate of tech stocks as buyside "bogeys" for the week, highlighting DOCN, WDAY, CRM, SNOW, NVDA, INTU, CRWV and DELL. Nvidia’s earnings season remains the focal point, with its laterals shifting sharply and setting...
U.S. and Brazil Soybean Competitiveness: Farm-Level Costs and Returns
A recent Purdue Ag Economy Barometer survey shows 80% of U.S. soybean growers are concerned about Brazil’s growing export advantage. Farm‑level data from 2020‑2024 reveal Brazilian soybean operations in Mato Grosso have lower total costs per ton than Iowa farms, despite...
How Stocks Could Go From Selling Off To Melting Up
Stocks have been caught in a steep sell‑off driven by lingering tariff uncertainty and heightened investor anxiety. Analysts argue that once the psychological weight of “pure tariff chaos” eases, the market could shift from decline to rapid appreciation. Potential catalysts...
The Druzhba Pipeline: Europe’s Soviet-Era Oil Artery in the Crossfire of War and Sanctions
On 27 January 2026 a Russian Shahed drone struck Ukraine’s Brody pumping station, shutting the Druzhba pipeline’s southern branch that supplies Russian Urals crude to Hungary and Slovakia. The outage, now in its 27th day, has cut 60‑70 % of feedstock for MOL...
The Coffee Reset: From Scarcity to Comfort
The episode breaks down the recent slide in ICE Coffee C futures, highlighting how a projected record Brazilian harvest of 66.2 million bags is driving bearish sentiment despite near‑term export tightness. Vietnam’s robusta surge and rebuilding inventories in both arabica...
Stanley Martin Homes to Acquire United Homes Group for $221 Million
Stanley Martin Homes announced a merger agreement to acquire United Homes Group for $221 million. United Homes shareholders will be paid $1.18 per share in cash, a 50.42% discount to the stock’s last close. The transaction is slated to close in...
How Washington and Moscow Drove the EU’s Indo-Pacific Pivot
The European Union is accelerating its engagement with the Indo‑Pacific, highlighted by high‑level visits to India and new free‑trade agreements with Indonesia and a pending deal with India. This pivot reflects two structural shifts: a push for strategic autonomy away...
Retail NNN Lease in Lake Charles, LA — 7 Brew Secures 1.11 Acres for 15 Years
M Square Commercial closed a 15‑year triple‑net lease for 7 Brew’s 510‑square‑foot drive‑thru coffee concept at 4735 Nelson Road, Lake Charles. The lease, effective August 11 2025, positions the brand on a high‑visibility corridor with 24,562 vehicles per day and direct access...
Veris Residential to Be Acquired by Affinius Capital and Vista Hill Partners in a $3.4 Billion Deal
Veris Residential announced a $3.4 billion cash acquisition by a consortium led by Affinius Capital and Vista Hill Partners. Shareholders will receive $19 per share, a 13.3% premium, while common partnership units are paid the same amount. The deal, priced at...
TMTB Morning Wrap
OpenAI disclosed it now targets roughly $600 billion in compute spend through 2030, a revision from the earlier $1.4 trillion infrastructure commitment that blended CAPEX and OPEX. The company’s push for additional AI‑compute power is hampered by the stalled Stargate joint venture...
Australians Are Stuck in a Low Income Growth Trap
The OECD’s latest cross‑country data for Q3 2025 shows Australia posting the smallest rise in real per‑capita household disposable income among major English‑speaking economies over the past ten years. While other nations such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada...
It Can Be Easier to Fall Victim to Fraud on Mobile than Desktop
Phishing emails that look authentic on a desktop become far harder to spot on mobile devices, increasing the chance of credential theft. The author received a Vanguard‑style phishing message where the sender’s email address was hidden and the link text...
FRPT: Thinking Long Term To Beat Wall Street
Freshpet reported Q4 2025 earnings, with shares slipping nearly 4% as Wall Street focuses on slowing sales growth. The company highlighted an expanding pet‑parent market, now 36 million households, and its 4% share of the $38 billion dog‑food sector. Core “MVP” customers—2.4 million...
Comment Letter on Nasdaq’s Proposed Additional Initial Listing Criteria for Companies Primarily Operating in China
The Council of Institutional Investors (CII) submitted a comment letter backing Nasdaq’s proposed rule that adds initial listing criteria for Chinese micro‑cap companies, including a $25 million minimum proceeds requirement. CII applauds the effort to curb abnormal trading in the smallest...
The Global Week Ahead
The Mexican army killed CJNG boss "El Mencho" near Puerto Vallarta, triggering fierce gun battles and an unprecedented U.S. military task‑force partnership. President Trump announced a new 15% tariff regime under Section 122, but it can only stay in effect for...
The FIRE Movement Is So Back Thanks To AI Disruption
The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, born from the 2008‑2009 crisis, surged during COVID‑19 and then waned as remote work became mainstream. In 2024‑2025 large firms began re‑imposing in‑office mandates while pouring billions into AI, prompting massive productivity gains...
4 Trade Ideas for Merck: Bonus Idea
Merck (MRK) is consolidating under resistance around $123 within a six‑month uptrend, with bullish RSI, positive MACD and low 1.2% short interest. The stock offers a 2.78% dividend yield and will trade ex‑dividend on March 16, while earnings are slated for...
Armenia’s Not Getting Off the Struggle Bus Just Yet
Armenia’s aging Soviet‑era nuclear reactor leaves the country on the brink of an energy crisis, and Moscow’s dwindling support after the Ukraine war has removed its traditional security backstop. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance recently signed a nuclear cooperation deal...
How Is This Possible?
The episode dissects Tripadvisor’s shocking Q4 FY25 results, which sent the stock tumbling below $10—a historic low—following a 2025 merger that eliminated a controlling shareholder. Host examines activist investor Jeff Smith’s aggressive push for strategic change, highlighted by his pointed...
India Exchanges BRICS Ties for Lead Role in the American AI Cage
India is rapidly pivoting from its BRICS stance toward deeper integration with the West, highlighted by a landmark EU free‑trade agreement and its entry into the US‑led Pax Silica AI alliance. The India‑Middle‑East‑Europe Corridor (IMEC) is being repurposed from a logistics...
Gold Daily Call for February 23rd, 2026
In the February 23, 2026 Gold Daily Call, Florian Grummes analyzes the current gold market, noting a sideways consolidation phase with higher lows and higher highs suggesting a potential breakout toward the $5,350 level. He highlights the bullish momentum in...
The Investor’s Second Self
Vishal’s new book *The Long Game* is now available for pre‑order, featuring reflections from thirty investors who have survived multiple market cycles. It introduces the concept of the “second self,” the emotional persona that emerges during market downturns and can...
Changing Narratives on China-MENA
A wave of think‑tank discussions in early 2025 highlighted a shift in how experts view China’s role in the Middle East. After a period of heightened activity—dubbed “peak China‑MENA” between Xi’s 2022 Saudi visit and the October 2023 Hamas attack—analysts now...
Commodity Market Movers Report - Portfolio Update 22.02.2026
In this episode the hosts review their recent commodity trades, highlighting a 50% profit take on a short cocoa position after hitting the first target and the closure of a long heating oil trade following two strong rally days driven...