Once upon a time, cannabis was part of the counterculture and not a target of venture capitalists. Cheech and Chong, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and High Times represented the extent of its media reach through the 1960s and into the 1980s. Today, Cheech is one of a number of ganjapreneurs, while the Freak Brothers […]
Thematic investing always involves a key decision – stock pick, hold an ETF, or do both. Sometimes, there aren’t enough quality pure-play companies to build an ETF with, like the space theme. Sometimes there are far too many good companies to choose from, as is the case with the cybersecurity theme. And sometimes you have […]
While we’ve written extensively about cannabis stocks over the years, we’ve only briefly dabbled in them. There’s just too much risk, too much hype, too much volatility, and too many other exciting technology themes we’d rather invest in. Experts in the cannabis space advise that one way to reduce regulatory risk is by investing in […]
It’s exceedingly difficult to find insightful research these days, particularly for investment themes that are popular amongst the status quo. For example, everyone has an opinion about cryptocurrencies. If they don’t, someone will be giving them one soon enough. Real insights become diluted by drivel, and the fracas masks the con men coming out of […]
There are certain basic principles they teach you at business school in exchange for that six-figure price tag. The number one goal for any business is to survive. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) generally don’t add value. And economies of scale are what help larger companies steamroll the competition. Shares of large companies generally have lower […]
Old school dealers always reduce customer complaints by weighing large quantities on the heavy side. A pound of weed will come in at 16 ounces with a few eights throw in for good measure (about 1.5% more weight). The guy moving the bag between buyer and seller often can’t resist the temptation to pinch a […]
SPACs are now being issued at such a frantic pace that finding the right company has been substituted with finding any company that’s up for it. In its original form, the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) was meant to be a fund that investors entrusted with a sizable amount of money. The fund’s manager, who […]
Over the past few years, we’ve seen the emergence of companies that build their entire business around newsletters, CB Insights perhaps being the most notable success story. More recently there have been a number of newsletter startups targeting retail investors with a daily “what you need to know,” along with cutesy little office polls where […]
In a recent piece on The Impact of No Brokerage Fees on Retail Investors, we discussed how zero-fee stock trading helps investors adhere to best practices like dollar-cost-averaging. What we didn’t talk about was how zero-fee stock trading apps such as Robinhood would open up a floodgate of newbie investors whose irrationality knows no bounds. […]
The cannabis industry is going through some interesting times. It’s something we touched on in our recent piece on The Paradox of Marijuana Stocks. Sales are supposed to be going through the roof, yet not all companies will be around to take advantage of the “boom” as capital dries up. The end result is a […]