Happy New Year! Let’s make this our best year yet.
Venezuela’s President Maduro chose the perfect travel fit.
The stock market has been crushing it.
Lobster heist?
Markets
PAST WEEK | YEAR-SO-FAR | |
|---|---|---|
Nasdaq | -1.7% | -0.1% |
S&P500 | -1.2% | +0.2% |
MSCI Emerging Markets | +3.0% | +2.8% |
Bitcoin* | +4.3% | +6.2% |
Ethereum* | +6.2% | +7.2% |
Stock of the week: | +20.3% | +7.9% |
Crypto of the week: | +66.3% | +303.9% |
*Source: CoinGecko.com As of 10:52PM January 4, 2026
World news
Top news stories of the past week
1) Maduro’s one-way flight: In a major military operation early Saturday, U.S. forces launched a series of airstrikes on Venezuela, resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The strike, which involved over 150 aircraft and elite Delta Force units, targeted military facilities. Following the raid, President Trump announced that Maduro was being transported to New York to face federal drug-trafficking charges and stated that the United States would run Venezuela during the transition.
Dictator travel tip: layers.
2) The Oracle retires: At 95 years old and after 70 years of investing professionally, Warren Buffett (AKA the Oracle of Omaha) is retiring. If you invested $10,000 with Buffett in 1956, today you would have $2.9 billion - sheesh. He didn’t do too bad either, with a net worth today of around $150 billion.
3) Wall Street’s Hat Trick: Despite a year of dramatic ups and downs, the U.S. stock market closed out 2025 on a historic high, with the S&P 500 securing its third consecutive year of double-digit gains. The index ended the year up more than 16%, overcoming significant hurdles including a massive 19% spring sell-off triggered by tariff announcements and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This performance was fueled by a late-year rally in tech and AI and optimism surrounding potential Federal Reserve rate cuts, leaving Wall Street strategists cautiously optimistic for 2026.
Are 10 screens really necessary?
Top WEIRD stories of the past week
1) The FBI is investigating the theft of a $400,000 shipment of live lobsters that was hijacked by an organized cargo theft ring while en route from Massachusetts to Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota. Breaking the claw, breaking the claw.
2) Archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered a one-of-a-kind fifth-century "patolli" board game made of elaborate mosaic tiles, revealing that gaming was a significant part of ancient Maya life. A reminder that pre-internet humans were forced to spend hundreds of hours gluing broken pottery to the floor just to have something to do on a Tuesday.
3) Hundreds of Victorian-era shoes have mysteriously washed up on Ogmore beach in South Wales, prompting local interest and speculation about their origin. Nothing creepy about that at all!
Chart
You like charts? Graphs? Ya you do
Oil prices have fallen by 16% over the past year. With the ousting of Maduro and the US now potentially having access to Venezula’s 300 billion barrels of oil reserves, will the price keep dropping?
Personal Finance
Financial Booster
Setting big crazy goals is good, yes. BUT you need to be more specific.
If boosting your finances in 2026 is a goal of yours, consider these concrete steps:
Fight "Affordability Creep": Every quarter, pick one category (like subscriptions or groceries) and ruthlessly cut or cap costs by 10%.
Hack the Rate Cuts: When the Fed cuts rates in 2026, keep your variable debt payments fixed. Let the lower rate accelerate your payoff timeline rather than lowering your monthly bill.
Upgrade Your Safety Net: Stop using credit cards for emergencies. Build a "liquidity ladder": Cash buffer first, High-Yield Savings second, and a low-rate line of credit as a last resort.
Front-load the New Limits: The IRS just raised the bar ($24,500 for 401ks, $7,500 for IRAs). Adjust your payroll deferrals today so you hit the max by December without the scramble.
Build Income Resiliency: Anxiety is high; a side income is the cure. Pick one monetization experiment for for the first half of the year, but route 100% of the proceeds to debt or investing, never lifestyle.
Doing just one of these will build momentum.
Music
Banger of the week
Most important thing
Meme? Nah. Art.
