Hello, cheers, and ciao! This week was a moderately wild one. Markets weren’t that crazy, but big events across politics, crypto, and shoes (sorta)!

Also, apparently Parmesan goes bad?

Let’s hit it.

Markets

Source: CoinGecko.com As of 2:05PM June 30th

World news

Top news stories of the past week

1) Solana ETF up next: Two U.S. asset managers, VanEck and 21Shares, filed applications for Solana ETFs, which are unlikely to be approved under the current administration but could have a better chance if Trump wins the 2024 election. The applications are bullish for the crypto industry. Moon boys everywhere are pleased.

2) Nike down BAD: Nike's stock plummeted 20% on Friday, its worst single-day drop ever, after the company forecasted a surprise mid-single-digit percentage fall in fiscal 2025 revenue and a 10% sales decline in the current quarter. The steep decline wiped out $28.41 billion from Nike's market value, reflecting investor concerns about the company's struggles with market share losses to upstart brands (Hoka), weak sales in China, and inconsistent consumer trends globally. Some advice: bring back these shoes and you’re all good.

3) Trump vs. Biden - ROUND 1: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in their first 2024 presidential debate. The debate, which took place without a live audience and featured muted microphones for non-speaking candidates, left many key policy questions unanswered. Highlights? Biden said Trump has the morals of an alleycat and Trump boosted about his golf game.

Top WEIRD stories of the past week

1) Tokyo University researchers have created a robot with a living skin face that can smile, bringing us one step closer to robots that look eerily human-like. WARNING: cannot be unseen.

2) Apparently you can’t keep Parmesan forever? News to me. Someone got Reddit mad at them for using the same piece of Parm for 10 years. 

3) Remember those monoliths that were appearing in random places a few years ago? They’re back! One was just removed outside Vegas.

Chart

You like charts? Graphs? Ya you do

Nike five-year stock chart. Not looking good! Down 58% from peak.

Investment idea

What are we investing in?

Collectibles: Pokemon cards to Porsches

Check out the Pokemon cards you bought when you were a kid, they might be worth a lot! Collectible goods are pretty wide ranging. They could be a rare car, like this Porsche, or even toys, like some of these Pokemon cards.

Collectibles offer several potential benefits as an investment. They can provide portfolio diversification, as their values often move independently of traditional financial markets. 

Some collectibles have shown massive returns over time. For example, some Star Wars collectibles that sold for a few dollars decades ago are now worth tens of thousands. 

Collectibles can serve as a hedge against inflation and currency movements. But they also come with risks, including illiquidity, potential for fraud, and subjective valuations.

Prices can be volatile! Check out the value of this Rolex index over the past five-years:

So how do you invest in collectibles? Well you can buy them directly, but that’s a pain usually.

Alternatively, you can now invest in shares of collectible good through platforms like:

1) Collectable: trading cards and memorabilia
2) Rally: books, cards, comics, and even cars!
3) Vino Vest: invest in booze! Rare wines and whiskey

History

On this day…

…in 1997, after 156 years of British rule, Hong Kong was formally returned to Chinese sovereignty in a handover ceremony, with the deployment of Chinese troops as a symbol of China's reassertion of control. China pledged to grant Hong Kong a "high degree of autonomy" under the "one country, two systems" framework for 50 years.

Music

Banger of the week

Most important thing

Meme? Nah. Art.