Finance Knuggets

Nov 26, 2025

  1. Email 1: Early Nvidia Enthusiast’s AI Stock Picks
  2. Tony Wang from T. Rowe Price, who was an early Nvidia investor back in 2017-18, remains bullish on Nvidia and other big tech AI plays despite recent stock pullbacks.
  3. He focuses on identifying companies in the 20-30% segment of their S-curve growth, which he believes yields the highest returns.
  4. Besides Nvidia, Wang highlights Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Alphabet’s Google, KLA (semiconductor tools), Cisco (networking), Celestica (design/manufacturing for AI data centers), and Shopify as top AI-related investment opportunities.
  5. Despite current market volatility and challenges to Nvidia’s AI chip dominance, Wang recommends long-term investors “lean in” to tech names, as overall AI capital expenditure is rising.

  6. Email 2: SaaS CFO Newsletter Highlights

  7. Ben from TheSaaSCFO.com is hosting live training on forecasting subscription, usage, and services revenue, valuable for SaaS businesses planning for 2026.
  8. The 7th Annual Tech Stack Survey is underway to understand current back office technology in SaaS companies; participants get access to SaaS metrics templates and discounts on training courses.
  9. Recent report insights: 73% of finance professionals report business growth exceeding capacity, nearly half use AI in some finance functions, but 23% cite data quality as a major automation obstacle.
  10. Sponsored content highlights end-to-end data reporting in Power BI and fundraising advice for SaaS startups.
  11. Upcoming events include trainings on revenue forecasting, tech stack optimization, and SaaS scaling workshops.

  12. Email 3: Axios Pro Rata – Oil Fire Sales & VC Deals

  13. Lukoil, Russia’s second largest oil company, is selling its international assets ahead of U.S. sanctions effective Dec 13, but deals face uncertainty due to regulatory and geopolitical constraints.
  14. Carlyle is interested in the entire package but has not begun full diligence; there is ambiguity on what U.S. authorities will approve.
  15. Other potential buyers include Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Adnoc; asset values expected to be discounted due to sanction risks.
  16. Notable M&A and fundraising activity: Sinclair’s offer to buy remaining stake in E.W. Scripps; several VC deals in diverse sectors like biotech, financial services automation, AI startups, and fintech.
  17. Recent personnel moves include Tim Alden joining Barclays as global head of aerospace investment banking and other executive shifts.
  18. John Backus, influential D.C. venture capitalist, passed away.

  19. Email 4: Money Stuff – Crypto, Prediction Markets, and AI

  20. Discussion of crypto treasury companies that hold significant crypto assets but are publicly traded on stock markets; MSCI has proposed excluding these “digital asset treasury companies” from stock indexes due to concerns they resemble investment funds more than operating companies.
  21. The exclusion could lead to substantial selling pressure on companies like Michael Saylor’s Strategy Inc., affecting valuations.
  22. Exploration of contagion risk from crypto market crashes into broader financial markets through leverage, stablecoin runs, crypto-bank exposures, and retail investor behavior.
  23. Prediction markets and legal sports gambling are growing, potentially affecting credit risk among subprime lenders due to behavioral risks in consumers.
  24. Analysis of hedging real-world economic risks via prediction markets is met with skepticism, with the real financial impact likely limited.
  25. SolarWinds settled an SEC securities fraud suit related to poor password security after a hacking incident.
  26. Napster (now a metaverse company) faces scandals over unfulfilled funding promises.
  27. Elon Musk’s xAI Grok chatbot is programmed to “praise Elon Musk at all times,” highlighting AI alignment issues.
  28. Various brief notes on financial market developments, recent news, and political figures, including James Fishback’s run for Governor of Florida.

Stay Well!

summy
summy