💰 5 Fact Friday: Can $5M Gold Cards Solve U.S. Debt?

STOCKS
1. When 78% Growth Isn’t Good Enough 🤯 

Nvidia just delivered another monster quarter—smashing earnings expectations. The AI bellwether grew revenue by 78% year-over-year and issued bullish guidance that should have sent shares soaring.

On paper, that’s a recipe for a stock surge. Instead, shares faceplanted 8.5%, taking AI and chip stocks down with them.

So, what happened?

1. The “Beat and Raise” Wasn’t Enough

Nvidia beat expectations with $39.3B in revenue and raised its Q1 sales projection to $43B. But when you’ve been the market’s MVP for two years straight, “great” isn’t enough—apparently, investors wanted a miracle.

2. Margin Concerns

Nvidia projects Q1 gross margins will be 71%, down from 73% last quarter and below the 72.1% analysts expected. The culprit? Ramp-up costs for its next-gen Blackwell chips and expedite fees to meet sky-high demand.

3. The AI Trade Takes A Beat

AI stocks were on a relentless tear, but concerns about excessive AI spending and a slowing economy have cooled enthusiasm. Investors have been trimming richly priced AI names for weeks, and Thursday’s selloff highlighted that trend.

Despite the dip, Nvidia’s AI dominance isn’t in doubt. Demand for Blackwell chips is off the charts, adding $11B in Q4 sales. Analysts expect supply—not demand—constraints to remain the main challenge ahead.

The bigger takeaway? The AI rally isn’t over—it’s just evolving.

A market that punishes anything short of perfection may seem harsh, but it’s also a sign that investors are keeping their heads, not chasing a bubble.

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POLITICS
2. America’s $5M Fast Pass 🚀

Forget winning the visa lottery—Trump wants to sell Gold Cards to the ultra-rich.

For $5 million, non-U.S. citizens (and maybe even corporate sponsors) could buy U.S. residency, with a potential path to citizenship. The idea? Use the cash to pay down the national debt.

Sounds clever, but the math has some… issues.

A $36 Trillion Problem

Trump floated selling 10 million Gold Cards, which would raise $50 trillion—enough to wipe out the debt and then some. But there’s just one problem:

• Only ~3 million people worldwide have $10 million+, and just ~80,000 have $50 million+

• Half of them are already U.S. citizens—so they wouldn’t need a visa

• That leaves anywhere from 40,000 to 1.5 million potential buyers

Let’s be generous and say 100,000 people take the deal. That’s $500 billion raised—just 1.5% of the total debt, but 27% of last year’s deficit. Not a cure-all, but not chump change either.

Joining The ‘Golden Visa’ Club

America already sells green cards through the EB-5 program (just at a much lower price). More than 100 other countries do the same:

• St. Lucia: $240,000

• Canada: $260,000

• Portugal: $520,000

• Malta: $625,000

But at $5 million a pop, would the ultra-rich actually bite?

Henley & Partners, which advises governments on citizenship programs, believes so. The firm’s managing partner noted, “We do think that there will be significant demand in this program.”

Time will tell how much revenue it brings in, but one thing’s certain: if the Gold Card launches, U.S. citizenship is about to become a very expensive privilege.

REAL ESTATE
3. Spring Thaw Could Heat Up Home Sales 🌡️

Mortgage rates have been sliding for six straight weeks, dipping to 6.76% on a 30-year loan—the lowest since December. That should be good news for homebuyers, right? Well… not so fast.

Despite the rate relief, the housing market is still frozen solid.

In January, existing home sales fell 4.9%—the biggest drop in over a year. New home sales? Down 10.5%. And yet, home prices are still rising, up nearly 4% year-over-year.

So what gives?

1. Supply Is Still Tight

We simply aren’t building enough homes. New construction remains at 1950s levels, even though the U.S. population has doubled since then. That imbalance is keeping prices high and inventory low.

2. Real Estate Data Lags

Housing data moves at a glacial pace. January’s sales reports just came out, so we won’t know if today’s lower mortgage rates are helping until at least March or April.

So far? Buyers haven’t rushed back. Mortgage applications remain flat, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

3. Winter Woes

Some economists believe bad weather put a deep freeze on sales. January was the coldest in 25 years, which likely kept buyers indoors rather than out shopping for houses.

If that’s true, a spring thaw in sales could be on the way. Major homebuilders remain optimistic, betting that warmer weather and lower rates will jump-start demand.

For those still on the fence, this month might actually be a sneaky-good time to buy—with lower rates, less competition, and motivated sellers looking to make a move.

ECONOMY
4. The ‘Made In America’ Revival 🏭

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that you can never have too much toilet paper—and that America’s supply chains are painfully fragile.

For decades, companies shipped production overseas to cut costs, but tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty are making “Made in America” look a lot more appealing. Now, some of the biggest names in business are taking action.

Eli Lilly is investing $27 billion in four new U.S. manufacturing plants—its first major domestic expansion in 40 years.

Apple just committed $500 billion to U.S. projects, including AI server production in Houston.

Even global brands like Samsung, LG, and Michelin are exploring U.S. expansion to dodge tariffs and capitalize on lower energy costs.

Why Now?

It’s not just about tax breaks and trade wars—automation is changing the equation. Robotics and AI are reducing labor costs, making it financially viable to reshore production without sacrificing profits.

By manufacturing closer to home, businesses cut transit costs, avoid tariffs, and reduce supply chain risks—all while staying competitive on price.

Who Stands To Benefit?

More U.S. factories should mean more demand for:

1. Construction Materials – Steel, concrete, and factory equipment will be in high demand. (E.g. Vulcan Materials $VMC, Nucor $NUE, AECOM $ACM)

2. Energy – Increased industrial activity means more power consumption. (E.g. ExxonMobil $XOM, NextEra Energy $NEE, Duke Energy $DUK)

3. Robotics & Automation – More U.S. factories = more automation to control costs. (E.g. Rockwell Automation $ROK, Fanuc $FANUY)

4. Logistics & Supply Chain – More products moving within the U.S. means a boom for trucking, rail, and warehousing. (E.g. Knight-Swift Transportation $KNX, Prologis $PLD, Union Pacific $UNP, XPO Logistics $XPO)

Will It Stick This Time?

Both Trump and Biden have pushed reshoring—Biden used cash incentives, Trump is using tariffs—but the goal is the same: bring manufacturing back. The real question is whether companies will follow through or just play along to appease Washington.

If this becomes a genuine manufacturing revival, the biggest winners won’t just be the companies making the products—it’ll be the industries building, powering, and moving them.

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STOCKS
5. Guess That Stock 🕵️‍♂️

This stock is known for wild innovation, nonstop controversy, and a valuation that defies gravity. Now, it’s coming back to Earth—can you guess the name?

1. This automaker surged past a $1T market cap after Trump’s reelection but has since slid over 40% from its December highs.

2. Despite the selloff, the company is still valued 10x higher than Ford and GM combined and trades at 138x earnings.

3. European deliveries plummeted 45% year-over-year in January—though that’s only about 8,000 cars. A sharp drop, but not quite a crisis... yet.

4. Once seen as the undisputed EV leader, it now faces rising competition from Chinese EVs and price wars across the industry.

5. Investors are also uneasy about its CEO’s increasing political involvement—his role in Washington is drawing more headlines than the company’s latest vehicle lineup.

Got a guess? Tap here to reveal the answer → 

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