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NEWS
Finding Value At All-Time Highs

Source: Tenor.com

President’s Day weekend crypto shenanigans couldn’t derail the stock market bulls’ optimism, as several major U.S. indexes closed at new all-time highs today. As investors look for value, turnaround stories are beginning to take hold, and Bill Ackman announces a Warren-Buffett-like strategy he hopes will unlock growth. 👀 

Today’s issue covers the latest turnaround bets, Bill Ackman’s big plans, an explanation of the Libra crypto scandal, and more from a busy Tuesday. 📰

Here’s the S&P 500 heatmap. 8 of 11 sectors closed green, with energy (+1.37%) leading and communication services (-0.47%) lagging.

Source: Finviz.com

And here are the closing prices: 

STOCKS
Turnaround Stories Take Hold & Bill Ackman’s Latest Bet 🧐 

Intel has caught fire over the last two weeks, rising over 40% as investors rethink its position in a semiconductor space that’s more critical than ever. With the Trump Administration focused on revitalizing U.S. manufacturing, other industry players are taking notice.

Over the weekend, news dropped that Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor are looking to buy certain pieces of Intel to diversify and strengthen their businesses. And as we know, attention from one suitor often attracts several others, causing the stock to pop 16% today…with retail looking for further gains. 🐂 

Meanwhile, another beaten-down brand name also caught a bid today. Nike climbed 6% after announcing a partnership with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS. The new brand, NikeSKIMS, will offer training apparel, footwear, and accessories geared toward women. 👟 

With valuations rising and many stocks already experiencing major runs, investors continue to look for opportunities in names that have not participated in the bull run and could be poised for a rebound. Think of Disney, 3M, Starbucks, etc., which have experienced turnaround runs over the last 12-18 months. 🤔 

Plus, famed investor Bill Ackman is looking to create a Warren-Buffett-like holding company after his closed-end mutual fund structure failed to gain traction. In a tweet, he outlined his grand plan, which involves purchasing Howard Hughes Holdings and will share more via a live presentation tomorrow on X.

Let’s hope he has better luck than the previous investors who were dubbed the “next Warren Buffett” because most of them did not live up to the hype. 🙃 

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CRYPTO
President’s Day Weekend Madness 🏛️

If you’re into crypto, you know the regular craziness that occurs, especially on days when traditional markets are closed. This weekend’s fiasco was centered around Argentina’s president and a memecoin he dubbed a “private initiative” designed to aid the economy. Our Litepaper writer, Jon Morgan, breaks down what happened…

A Solana-based memecoin, $LIBRA, stole the spotlight during the holiday weekend, shooting to a $4.5 billion market cap before cratering 90% within hours. 

Argentine President Javier Milei hyped the Solana-based memecoin as a “private initiative” to aid the economy, only to face lawsuits and impeachment talks. 🔥

Quick Highlights

• LIBRA’s Sudden Rise: Initially soared on Milei’s endorsement.

• Total Collapse: Lost 90% of its value just as fast.

• $87.4M In Mystery Profits: A lucky few appear to have snagged the bag.

• “Libragate” Lawsuits: Investigators are calling it a potential rug pull.

Now, the blame game has shifted from Milei to Hayden Davis (aka KelsierVentures), the name at the center of multiple insider trading allegations.

Hayden Davis A.K.A. KelsierVentures 🎭

He pops up in every memecoin fiasco like the friend who always promises to pay but somehow never does.

• Victim or Perp?: He calls himself a scapegoat, but interviews suggest otherwise.

• Insider Trading Accusations: Preloading tokens, rigging launches, and front-running unsuspecting retail.

• Liquidity Power Plays: Controlling liquidity pools to manipulate prices.

• $100 Million Limbo: He reportedly has it, but no one’s sure where it’ll end up.

Despite claiming to be on the side of justice, Davis keeps surfacing in the biggest Solana-based insider scandals. 😬

Memecoin Con Job Exceeding $200M+ 🥷

SolanaFloor’s deep dive points to a bigger scam involving Davis and other industry bigwigs.

• Defi Tuna Co-Founder’s Revelations: Vlad unknowingly provided liquidity for shady deals.

• Melania Token Rug Pull: Allegedly netted $200M–$300M for Davis & crew.

• Enron Token Launch: Witnesses saw multiple insiders front-running in real time.

Everyone feigns shock, but the money trail points to one of Solana’s and crypto’s largest “rugpull and run” operations yet.

You can read the full story in today’s Litepaper. 📰 

STOCKS
Other Noteworthy Pops & Drops 📋️ 

Venture Global ($VG +6%): Announced commercial operations at its Calcasieu Pass LNG facility will begin on April 15, ending a three-year commissioning phase. The company raised $1.75 billion in its IPO, becoming the most valuable U.S. LNG firm.

BHP ($BHP +1%): Reported a 23% drop in first-half profit to $5.1 billion, the lowest since 2020, while revenue fell to $25.2 billion from $27.2 billion. The company slashed its dividend to $0.50 per share, the lowest since 2017, citing weak Chinese demand and legal settlements.

Robinhood ($HOOD -7%): Wolfe Research downgraded the stock to ‘Peer Perform,’ stating that its previous bull case had already played out. Q4 revenue more than doubled to $1.01 billion, fueled by a 487% jump in crypto revenue.

TotalEnergies ($TTE +1%): Signed an agreement with Eni, Egypt, and Cyprus to export natural gas from Cyprus through Egypt’s Zohr facilities and liquefy it for European markets. TotalEnergies expects 3% hydrocarbon output growth in 2025, driven by Gulf of Mexico and Brazil production.

Bank of America ($BAC -1%) & Citigroup ($C): Berkshire Hathaway trimmed its holdings in both banks, cutting its BAC stake to 680.2 million shares worth $29.90 billion and Citi holdings to 14.6 million shares valued at $1.03 billion. Despite the reductions, both banks topped Q4 earnings expectations.

Hyatt Hotels ($H +2%): Rebounded after its Q4 EPS of $0.42 missed estimates of $0.76, though revenue met expectations at $1.6 billion. Barclays lowered its price target to $151 from $162, citing concerns about slower net rooms growth.

Diamondback Energy ($FANG -0.15%): Announced a $4.08 billion cash-and-stock deal to acquire subsidiaries of Double Eagle IV Midco, securing 40,000 net acres in the Midland Basin. The company committed to selling $1.5 billion in non-core assets to reduce net debt to $10 billion.

EARNINGS
BIDU Booms, IQ Slumps 🛢️ 

Baidu’s ($BIDU) Q4 revenue dipped 2% YoY to $4.68 billion, as AI Cloud growth of 26% offset online marketing weakness. Despite a 27% drop in operating income, net income doubled YoY, driven by cost controls and an improved business mix.

Stocktwits user sentiment remains bullish, with message volume sitting at the same high value (88) as yesterday and well above the low (26) rating from last week. 🐂 

Source: Stocktwits

iQIYI ($IQ) reported a 14% revenue decline in Q4 2024, with net losses of $25.9 million as weaker content releases hit membership and advertising revenue. While costs were managed effectively, foreign exchange losses and lower margins kept profitability out of reach.

IQ closed the day lower by -9.25%, but StockTwits sentiment remains bullish, and message volume is at a six-month high. 🤔 

Source: Stocktwits

WHAT’S ON DECK
Tomorrow’s Top Things 📋

Economic data: MBA 30-Year Rate (7:00 am ET), Building Permits/Housing Starts (8:30 am ET) January FOMC Minutes (2:00 pm ET). 📊

Pre-Market Earnings: Fiverr ($FVVR), Wix ($WIX), Etsy ($ETSY), SolarEdge ($SEDG), Cinemark Holdings ($CNK), ProPetro ($PUMP), and MFA Financial ($MFA). 🛏️

After-Hour Earnings: Carvana ($CVNA), Bausch Health ($BHC), Vale ($VALE), Innovative Industrial Properties ($IIPR), Toast ($TOST). 🎧

P.S. You can listen to all of these earnings calls and more straight from the Stocktwits app or website. You’ll find them on the calendar page and individual symbol pages once they’re set to begin! We’ll see you there. 👍

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🚄 Musk’s move to take on Social Security tests the ‘third rail of American politics’

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