STOR Institute | Finance Made Simple

At what price will you be entering a $SPCX position? I’ll go first, $135.

JUST IN: President Trump says U.S. will "probably" strike Iran again tonight.

The stock market right now

Brent Oil contracts surge over $80/barrel after U.S. launches "a series of powerful strikes against Iran"

Lost $200K in the market. Told my wife it was $400K. Now I have a $200K mental safety net. Risk management is key.

The trade is simple: If there is a gold rush going on, bet on the guy who is selling the picks and shovels. The chipmakers (and anybody connected to semiconductors) are the guys making the tools necessary, to be able to develop AI models. Those semiconductor companies get to make all their money upfront, while the big hyperscalers developing AI models, spend billions, and take all the risk, in the hopes that they can make AI profits many years down the line.

Why Japan is in the most dangerous economic position right now. 1. 10 year and 20 year bond yields just hit 30 year highs. Every business and the government itself now pays more to borrow. 2. Debt is at 206% of GDP, the highest in the developed world. As yields rise, the interest bill rises with it automatically. 3. Working age population has fallen by 14% since 1995. Birth rate is one of the lowest on earth. The tax base is shrinking every year while elderly costs keep rising. 4. The yen is at 40 year lows. The BOJ is raising rates to defend it. But higher rates make servicing 206% debt more expensive. There is no good option here. 5. GDP growth is 0.6% for 2026. There is almost no buffer to absorb any shock. 6. Inflation is now above 2% after 30 years of deflation. This is forcing aggressive rate hikes, which feeds directly back into the bond yield and debt problem. 7. Japan imports 87% of its energy. 93.5% of its crude oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz. When the Strait was effectively closed in February 2026, oil surged past $110. Nomura estimates crude at that level wipes out 0.6% of GDP, almost the entire year's growth. Every problem feeds into the next. There is no clean exit.