Syz the moment

Source: Lance Roberts The Daily Shot

EveryWatch’s comprehensive “H1 2026 - Secondary Market Report” uses real sales data with over 795,000 watches actually sold in the 1H of 2026 by 650 dealers and 472 auction house worldwide. It is not guesswork, or estimates, or forecasts used by some shonky “analysts” and “consultants.” 1H 2026 (January-June 2026) (USD): • Secondary-market sales value surged +37% to $10.5B • Top 3 brands generated 65% of market share (FY25: 57%), and Top 10 83% (FY25: 75%) • Rolex easily remained the market’s king → Generating $4.3B in sales, a surge of +44% on last year → This represents 41% market share, significantly up on 2025’s 34%, with over 227,000 watches sold → That is 3x is nearest rival! Source: Danny Younis

The U.S. remains heavily dependent on China for critical rare-earth materials, with roughly 70% of rare-earth imports coming from China. And Beijing has increasingly demonstrated its willingness to restrict exports of strategic minerals. The vulnerability goes far beyond fighter jets. Rare earths and related critical minerals are essential for missiles, radar systems, drones, satellites, precision-guided weapons, submarines and advanced electronics. If inventories are already tight, a prolonged disruption in Chinese supply could become a serious bottleneck for U.S. defense production. That creates a striking strategic paradox: America's military-industrial base still depends, in part, on supply chains dominated by its biggest geopolitical rival. China doesn't necessarily need to fire a shot to exert pressure. Sometimes the most powerful weapon is controlling what your opponent needs to keep fighting. Sun Tzu would understand the strategy. Source: Lukas Ekwueme

We have a war in the Middle East, a volatile oil price, a new Fed Chair and mid-term elections ahead. And yet the VIX, a measure of implied volatility in the S&P 500, has fallen to the lowest level since January. Even implied bond-market volatility is nearly 30% below the 5-yr average. So why are markets so resilient? - AI concerns are easing: Strong Big Tech earnings, accelerating cloud growth and expanding backlogs are increasing confidence that AI investment can generate attractive returns. Markets are becoming more selective, rewarding companies with clear monetization. - Earnings are booming and broadening: Q2 S&P 500 earnings growth is tracking around 48%, versus 24% expected initially. Strength is increasingly spreading beyond mega-cap technology. - The economy remains resilient: Manufacturing has accelerated to its strongest level in more than four years, supported by improving demand, production and industrial activity. - Macro risks are fading: Lower oil prices reduce inflation concerns, while a cooling labor market and slower wage growth have lowered expectations for further Fed tightening. - Record highs are not necessarily a warning: Historically, new highs have often been followed by strong medium- and long-term returns. Source: Liz Abramowicz, Bloomberg

Source: Stockwits

Source: Jon Erlichman

Source: Barchart

A new study found that daily stock trading is highly correlated with demoralization in young men, with 64% of men aged 18-29 who trade stocks daily reporting feelings of failure (via Family Studies, a pro-marriage think tank) via @SimoneFoxman Source: Eric Balchunas @EricBalchunas Bloomberg