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- š° 5 Fact Friday: How To Profit From Volatility
š° 5 Fact Friday: How To Profit From Volatility
Markets are officially in their jittery era. Between Trumpās new tariffs, Chinaās retaliation, and a looming earnings season full of āwe didnāt see this comingā guidance, volatility is back on the menu. Enter one of the cleanest ways to play chaos: the long straddle.
Hey Money Maniacs,
Markets are closed today for Good Friday, and letās be honest, theyāve earned the time off.
Retail sales just posted their biggest monthly gain in two years. Gold cracked $3,300 for the first time (and is now considered Wall Streetās most crowded trade). And Zuckerbergās ācan we not do this?ā settlement offer didnāt stop the FTC from dragging Meta to trial.
Plus, OpenAI is making a move into social media, Ackman is betting on Hertz, andādeep breathāwe finally have an edition not centered on tariffs.
Letās dive in!
OUR PARTNER: RYSE
Apple's New Smart Display Confirms What This Startup Knew All Along
Apple has entered the smart home race with its new Smart Display, firing a $158B signal that connected homes are the future.
When Apple moves in, it doesnāt just join the market ā it transforms it.
One company has been quietly preparing for this moment.
Their smart shade technology already works across every major platform, perfectly positioned to capture the wave of new consumers Apple will bring.
While others scramble to catch up, this startup is already shifting production from China to its new facility in the Philippines ā built for speed and ready to meet surging demand as Appleās marketing machine drives mass adoption.
With 200% year-over-year growth and distribution in over 120 Best Buy locations, this company isnāt just ready for Appleās push ā theyāre set to thrive from it.
Shares in this tech company are open at just $1.90.
Appleās move is accelerating the entire sector. Donāt miss this window.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. Email may contain forward-looking statements. See US Offering for details. Informational purposes only.
STOCKS
1. Meta Heads To Court š§āāļø
Mark Zuckerberg has spent years trying to avoid this momentācutting deals, cozying up to Trump, and offering half a billion dollars to make the problem disappear.
But this week, the FTCās blockbuster antitrust trial against Meta finally kicked off. And if regulators get their way, it could force the company to break up and divest Instagram and WhatsApp.
The FTCās core claim? $META ( ā¼ 0.69% ) didnāt out-innovate its rivalsāit bought them. Theyāre calling it a ābuy-or-buryā strategy designed to crush competition before it could grow.
Metaās response: āWeāre not a monopoly. Have you heard of TikTok, YouTube, X, Snapchat, or LinkedIn?ā
Before the trial, Zuck tried to settle.
The FTC wanted $30 billion and a consent decree (aka: no admission of guilt, but a legally binding promise to stop doing monopoly stuff). Meta pushed back, arguing it shouldnāt owe more than it paidā$20 billion totalāfor two deals the agency approved over a decade ago.
So the social media giant countered with a $450 million offer, which former FTC Chair Lina Khan called ādelusional.ā
With a swift ānoā from the FTC and no help from Trump, who Zuckerberg reportedly expected to intervene, the case moved forward.
Although the judge isnāt expected to rule for months, the real debate boils down to this: Can Meta be a monopoly when attention is this fragmented? š
Is Meta a monopoly? |
PERSONAL FINANCE
2. The Retirement Risk No One Talks About ā ļø
When youāre accumulating, market dips are just bumps in the roadāand chances to scoop up cheap shares. But when youāre retired and withdrawing money? A crash becomes a pothole that can dent your whole plan.
This trap is called Sequence of Returns Risk, and itās one of the sneakiest threats to your nest egg.
The danger isnāt just what your returns areāitās when you get them. A bad year or two at the start of retirement can slash your long-term potential way more than if the same losses hit a decade later.
The chart below shows just how brutal the timing can be.
Two identical portfolios. Same withdrawals. Same average returns. But one ends up $400K lighter, just because the losses came early. Thatās why the first five years of retirement are often called the ādanger zone.ā
Why the $400K difference?
Because when youāre withdrawing during a downturn, you have to sell more shares at lower prices to generate the same amount of cash. Plus, that leaves fewer assets to rebound when the market recovers. Itās a double whammy.
Three Ways to Outmaneuver Sequence Risk
šŖ Follow a Glide Path: Gradually shift your portfolio from stocks to bonds as you approach and enter retirement. Less exposure = less volatility. A simple rule of thumb: 110 minus your age = % in stocks. The rest can be held in bonds.
šµ Maintain an Emergency Fund: Keep 1ā2 years of expenses in cash or short-term bonds so youāre not forced to sell stocks during a crash.
š« Donāt Panic SellāCool Your Spending: Unless something fundamental has changed, avoid selling growth assets in a downturn. Rely on your cash cushion, defer big purchases, trim the extras, and give your portfolio time to recover.
Bottom Line: You canāt control the marketās timing, but you can control your asset mix and spending. Thatās how you turn a crash into a detour, not a disaster.
OUR PARTNER: MODE MOBILE
This tech company grew 32,481%..
No, it's not Nvidia. It's Mode Mobile, 2023ās fastest-growing software company according to Deloitte.
Nasdaq ticker $MODE securedāinvest at $0.30/share before their share price changes on 5/1.
*An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.
*The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research.
OPTIONS
3. How To Profit From Volatility š£
Markets are officially in their jittery era. Between Trumpās new tariffs, Chinaās retaliation, and a looming earnings season full of āwe didnāt see this comingā guidance, volatility is back on the menu.
Enter one of the cleanest ways to play chaos: the long straddle.
Hereās how it works:
You buy a call option and a put option on the same stock, at the same strike price, with the same expiration. This strategy isnāt about guessing the directionāitās about betting on a big move in either direction.
Example: Letās say stock XYZ is trading at $100.
You buy a $100 call for $3 and a $100 put for $3. Thatās $600 total in premiums (since each contract controls 100 shares).
If the stock rockets to $115 or crashes to $85, one of your options becomes worth $1,500 ($15 move x 100 shares) and the other expires worthless. After subtracting the $600 investment, thatās a $900 profit.
But if the stock flatlines at $100? Youāre out the full $600.
In other words, your breakeven is a 6% moveāeither $94 on the downside or $106 on the upside.
This strategy works best when you believe the market is underpricing volatility. That could be ahead of earnings reports, major Fed decisions, or macro shocks like tariffs or inflation printsāany moment where markets might jump, but you donāt know which way.
š§ Pro Tips:
Look for under-the-radar setups. Tesla and GameStop are likely priceyāfind stocks with big potential moves without sky-high premiums.
Choose short expirations (1ā2 months) to keep premiums low.
Pick at-the-money strikes (near the current stock price).
Have a clear exit plan. Sell after the big moveādonāt wait for expiration.
ā ļø Risks:
Position sizing matters. Keep each trade to a small portion of your portfolio (1ā2%). This is a high-risk, high-reward setup.
Time decay is real. Options lose value as expiration nears, especially if the stock doesnāt move.
Premiums can get pricey. High implied volatility inflates costs, so try to enter before the volatility is broadly anticipated.
Bottom Line: If you expect fireworks but donāt know which direction theyāll fly, this is your strategy. Just donāt forget: volatility can vanish as fast as it appears.
TAX
4. Too Rich For A Roth? Use The Backdoor š
If you make too much money to contribute to a Roth IRA directly (over $161K single or $240K married in 2025), thereās still a legal way in the backdoor.
Itās called the Backdoor Roth IRAāa tax strategy for high earners who want all the Roth perks without getting blocked by income limits.
Hereās how it works:
1. Contribute up to $7,000 (or $8,000 if 50+) to a nondeductible Traditional IRA.
2. Convert those funds into a Roth IRAāideally ASAP, before they earn much interest.
3. Once converted, the money grows tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement (after age 59½ and a 5-year holding period).
Note: If your conversion includes any pre-tax dollars (like old deductible IRA contributions), youāll owe taxes on that portion due to the pro-rata rule. One workaround? Roll those pre-tax funds into a 401(k) before doing the backdoor.
Who should consider this?
This move is tailor-made for high earnersāthink doctors, lawyers, tech execsāwho are phased out of Roth eligibility. Benefits include:
šø Tax-Free Growth: Once inside the Roth, your money compounds tax-free for life.
š§¾ Tax Diversification: Having both pre- and post-tax accounts gives you flexibility to manage your tax bill in retirement.
ā³ No RMDs: Unlike Traditional IRAs, Roths donāt force withdrawals at 73āideal for long-term planners and legacy builders.
Bottom Line: If youāre locked out of direct Roth contributions but still want in on tax-free retirement growth, the backdoor Roth could be your golden ticket.
STOCKS
5. Guess That Stock šµļøāāļø
It started as a favorite among gamers. Now, it's the undisputed heavyweight in AI infrastructure.
Can you name the stock?
1. Its GPUs rule the AI data center market, generating over $100B in revenue. Demand for its new Blackwell chips? Already over 3 million units.
2. But trade tensions are hitting hard. The company expects a $5.5B hit this quarter after U.S. export controls blocked sales of its H20 chips to China.
3. In response, itās going big on U.S. soilāpartnering with Foxconn and Wistron to invest $500B in domestic AI infrastructure.
4. The stock hit a $3.7T peak in January but has since fallen 30% and now trades at ~24x forward earnings.
5. The company is also expanding into self-driving tech, with GM and Hyundai tapping its AI-powered Drive platform for their next-gen vehicles.
Got a guess? Tap here to reveal the answer ā
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DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets. All opinions expressed are those of the author and are subject to change without notice. Please do your own research or consult with a licensed professional before making any investment decisions.
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