Jeff Lombardi

The 8th trillion-dollar company: Blue Whale Growth Fund adds Broadcom to its Top 10 holdings on structural tailwinds in May 2024. Cristian Angeloni

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Many financial planners wrongly downplay investments. Yes, investment funds are more commoditized than they were 10 years ago, but that just means that these portfolio building blocks are cheaper. You still need to be an expert architect at putting them together. As planners, our job is to help clients manage tradeoffs. You can't disentangle what people are trying to accomplish (financial planning) with how they're going to have a high probability of funding it (portfolios).

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Raising Assets: THE critical objective for new & smaller VC, PE & HF managers. Most struggle and fail despite "performance"+ an exceptional track record. WHY? = MARKETING.   There are thousands of venture, private equity and hedge funds in active fundraising + investors are risk-averse, highly skeptical, stringently selective and uniquely demanding.   New and smaller managers must be completely prepared for marketing in a hyper-competitive, crowded and complex fundraising climate.    Success raising assets depends on the marketing process.   However, "81% of smaller managers do not have a marketing process".   The requirements of marketing are misunderstood and under-estimated by almost all new and smaller managers.   1. The marketing process for "sub-institutional" managers is completely different than for larger, "more-seasoned" "institutional" funds.   2. “Pitching”, “Posting”, “Parties (conferences)” & "Performance" don’t raise assets for new and smaller managers.   3. There's a lot of BS, scams and wrong information about raising assets for new and smaller managers.   Since 2011, Johnson & Company has specialized in marketing for new and smaller managers with AUM less than $50 million.   “MARKETING ALPHA BRIEFINGS”: A “1-on-1 intensive process” for managers with AUM considerably less than $50 million to implement the structured, disciplined and focused “manager-specific marketing process" that drives consistent “step-by-step” “high-impact” "investor-centric/prospect-specific” engagement with experienced assisted execution, expert guidance and the personal instruction that raises assets efficiently, economically & expediently.   Key Briefing Process Components:   ✅ 12 weeks 1-on-1 Marketing/Fundraising Sessions. ✅ 7 day/week "On-Call" Marketing/Fundraising Guidance. ✅ "Step-By-Step" Assisted Marketing/Fundraising Execution.   On-Site "Briefing Topics":   1. The “6-Steps” of the Allocation Pathway. 2. DON'T "PITCH"="PRESENT!" = Know the CLIMATE.Understand CONTEXT. 3. Prospect Engagement: "INVESTOR-CENTRIC" + "PROSPECT-SPECIFIC". 4. Building The "Pipeline": What's YOUR Profile? 5. Avoiding the "Field of Dreams": "If YOU build it; THEY won't come!" 6. 3rd Party Marketing: Placement Agents - The mystery for smaller managers. 7. 4Q Profiling: Organically build relationships to raise assets. 8. Databases and Platforms: "Post & Hope"!? 9. ODD-Ready! Your Operational Blueprint. 10. Collateral/Content/Conversations: One size doesn't fit all! 11. EQ>IQ: Connect to Build Trusted Relationships & Actionable Conviction. 12. CON'D?! "CON"ferences stop wasting your time and $$$! 13. De-CAPitated!: Working with prime broker cap intro. 14. Consultants & Gatekeepers: Allies? Advocates? Adversaries? 15. Family Offices: Getting The Trusted Introduction. 16. Seeding, Incubators & First-Loss Capital: Real? Hype?! 17. LIGHTS! CAMERA! ASSETS?!: Using social media. 18. NO FREE LUNCH: Take $$ to raise assets.   FOR DETAILS: https://lnkd.in/gRetGVzA

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On June 3rd, a technical issue at the NYSE affected the prices of some stocks, causing several U.S. stocks to show abnormal prices. Among them, Berkshire Hathaway A-class shares under Warren Buffett were incorrectly shown to have dropped by 99%. Since June 3rd (until a temporary halt due to abnormal volatility), the trading volume of these shares has been less than 4,000. Additionally, shares of the Bank of Montreal, Barrick Gold, and others fell by more than 98% and remained static. Currently, trading in B-class shares is normal, with the decline narrowing from approximately 1.18% to 0.80%. Barrick Gold and Nuscale Power also experienced dramatic drops. The NYSE stated that it is investigating the technical issue, and several stocks have been halted due to significant volatility. Sam Van, the founder and CEO of SRO Partners, told Sina Finance that the technical issue might be related to the U.S. changing the settlement time to T+1. "T+1 increases the efficiency of market settlement. As the market tries to transition from T+2 to T+1, settlement will be easier for highly liquid companies. However, for low liquidity stocks, there might be unforeseen challenges. If the market runs too fast and efficiently, will there be another market flash crash?" Sam Van suggested that for the various parties involved in the financial market, institutions must staff mission-critical overnight operations (e.g., trade reconciliations, currency conversions, payment processing) to handle time-zone friction. Smaller regional banks, agency broker-dealers, and niche firms should enhance their capabilities before the transition date. Additionally, the rush to complete pre-settlement on a compressed timescale may increase operational risks, potentially leading to settlement failures. Sam previously worked at the NYSE for over a decade, primarily facilitating the initial public offerings of Asian companies listed on the NYSE. In the past two decades, Sam has successfully listed more than seventy companies on the NYSE and Nasdaq. These companies have a combined market value of $7 billion and operate across various regions, including Asia, Europe, and the United States. https://lnkd.in/eBE5UaQz

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📈 New Venture in Crypto: Neoclassic Capital Targets Derivatives and RWA Tokenization 🚀🌐 Exciting news from the crypto world! Michael Bucella and Steve Lee, both industry veterans formerly with Goldman Sachs and BlockTower Capital, have launched Neoclassic Capital in Miami. This new digital asset investment firm focuses on the burgeoning fields of crypto derivatives and the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), branching into sectors like entertainment, gaming, and social media. Highlights of Neoclassic Capital: 1️⃣ Innovative Investment Focus: Neoclassic Capital aims to capitalize on the rapidly growing market for crypto derivatives and the tokenization of physical assets, providing new opportunities in digital finance. 2️⃣ Strategic Backing: The venture has secured investments from high-profile figures including Jeff Vinik, owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon, showcasing strong market confidence. 3️⃣ Crypto Derivatives Rise: As reported by Forbes, crypto derivatives are increasingly popular, offering an alternative to traditional spot trading and adding depth to the crypto investment landscape. Market Impact and Future Prospects: The launch of Neoclassic Capital comes at a crucial time when the crypto market is witnessing a slight resurgence in venture capital interest, despite the challenges posed by the recent crypto winter. With a focus on innovative crypto marketplaces, Neoclassic Capital is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of cryptocurrency investments. Why It Matters: Crypto derivatives are becoming essential tools for investors seeking to hedge positions and capitalize on market movements without holding the underlying assets. The initiative by Neoclassic Capital to also focus on RWA tokenization reflects a broader trend towards merging traditional financial practices with modern blockchain technology, potentially transforming how assets are managed and traded globally. 💬 What impact do you think the rise of crypto derivatives and RWA tokenization will have on the global financial ecosystem? How will ventures like Neoclassic Capital influence the market dynamics? 🔄 Feel free to share your thoughts and let's discuss the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency investments! 🔗 For more details on Neoclassic Capital and its strategic direction, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eHJjQKEV #CryptoDerivatives #RWATokenization #Blockchain #NeoclassicCapital #CryptoInvestments #DigitalAssets #Fintech

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Investors lose $221 million in U.S. bank failure.    Yesterday, Friday April 25th, 2024, shares of Republic First Bancorp fell 60%.  The market capitalization was less than $1 million. It had started the year with a market-cap of $221 million. It was already a “problem institution” at that time. Yesterday, U.S. regulators seized Republic First Bancorp.   Insured Depositors will not lose any money thanks to the FDIC insurance of $250’000 per depositor.   They estimated the failure will cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) around $667 million. The bank and its depositors will be taken over by another bank, called Fulton Bank. The total assets of Republic were around $6 billion so it’s costing the FDIC around 10% of the bank’s assets.   How safe is your FDIC insured Deposit? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created in 1933 to assure Americans that insured deposits in insured banks are safe.  Since FDIC insurance began in 1934, no depositor has lost a single penny of insured funds due to bank failure.   To meet its guarantees to investors the FDIC holds a Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF).  As of December 31st, 2023, the DIF held $121.8 billion. Republic’s failure will make but a small dent in the DIF.   The total amount of insured deposits across all banks amounted to $10.62 trillion on December 31st 2023. The DIF is thus big enough to cover 1.15% of these deposits.   How many more banks are at risk?     On December 31st, 2023, there were 52 Institutions described by the FDIC as “Problem Institutions”. Collectively they held assets of $66 billion.    In conclusion, with total assets of $121.8 billion, that’s not a problem for the FDIC unless things get a lot worse.

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About 15 years ago, Jim Simons was driving to Boston to give a speech at his alma mater, MIT. He had retired a year before. He was 72 years old. He was, at the time, the most successful hedge fund manager of all time. His wife asked if he was going to mention any guiding principles that made him successful. At first, he thought, “I don’t know that I have any.” Upon reflection, he wrote down five that are both pithy and profound. -Don’t Run with The Pack -Hire the Smartest People -Don’t Give Up Easily -Be Guided by Beauty -Hope For Good Luck! Simons arrived at his list organically after building his business. It doesn’t feel artificial. It’s not derived from some acronym. It reflects what worked for him over the course of a remarkable life. Simons died yesterday at the age of 86. His career consisted of following one passion to the next, ten-year building blocks stacked one on the other. After Simons graduated with his PhD, he worked as a code breaker for the government during the Cold War. He was fired for opposing the Vietnam War. Next, he spent a decade running the math department at Stony Brook University. At about 40, his life took a serious turn. Simmons became so interested in markets and convinced he could build a better system that he quit his prestigious job to trade stocks in an office over a strip mall. DON’T RUN WITH THE PACK Having never worked in the financial industry, he proceeded to hire a group of physicists and astronomers to build something new, a quant trading firm. HIRE THE SMARTEST PEOPLE He spent 10 years building a platform based on data that didn’t work until all of a sudden it did. It became a flywheel that minted money. DON’T GIVE UP EASILY He built the most successful financial firm in history without hiring anyone from Wall Street. He regarded doing something well as a form of art.  BE GUIDED BY BEAUTY The Medallion Fund, launched in 1988, went on to return 66% a year and generate more than $100 billion in trading profits. HOPE FOR GOOD LUCK He was never celebrity famous like Warren Buffet. He didn’t tweet principles like Ray Dalio. He didn’t buy a sports team like Steve Cohen. He was well known for his habit of not wearing socks and chain-smoking cigarettes. Simons’ success lay in combining his mathematical prowess and insights with a passion to build and inspire teams of people. In the MIT speech, he lays out his recipe: “Great people. Great infrastructure. Open environment. Get everyone compensated roughly based on the overall performance… That made a lot of money.” Gregory Zuckerman wrote the definitive book on Simons called The Man Who Solved the Market. Simons didn’t want it written. Later, he said it is “pretty good.” Ironically, it probably did more than anything to cement his reputation as the world’s best performing hedge fund manager.

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Please see attached flash note on our preferred Uranium small cap GUE.asx-Global Uranium and Enrichment We see strong upside in this name especially given its location and its majority investment in enrichment tech- Ubaryon. We think the market isn't valuing this at all. The comparison chart tells it all for Global Uranium and Enrichment $GUE Please reach out for a copy. #uranium  #miningstocks #ASX

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Corbenic Capital raising estimate of US GDP Implicit Price Deflator through Q2 2025 from 2.5% to 2.7%, well above the 2.0% long term trimmed mean inflation rate. A bit surprising perhaps, but on a headline basis we revised the outlook for Personal Consumption Expenditures up by two tenths of one percent, albeit to 1.3%. Inflation in investment and net exports is running low, just below two percent, while Government consumption expenditures and gross investment inflation is skyrocketing at a 3.5% rate for Q2 2024. Perhaps the microscopic inspection of the PCE-PI and the CPI is a waste of time and that the issue lies elsewhere.

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Larry Fink is so good and effective, he reminds me of #CarlIcahn and #GeorgeSoros at the peak of their form and #influence #BlackRock is preparing for a potential U.S. #debtcrisis. They believe that #amidst the crisis, #BTC will attract even more #institutional interest — #Forbes Recently, BlackRock released a report where BTC is considered a unique #diversifier during times of instability across the board Do I believe in this? Absolutely not. #Bitcoin lacks uniqueness, lacks a compelling #narrative and has no value beyond the #belief people place in it (for example, the U.S. #dollar is backed by U.S. #military #power). What's most off-putting is its current #covariance — it has failed to become anything more than a speculative #asset and such assets tend to tumble the fastest in #times of crisis. #BTC #crypto #markets #warning #debt #USA

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