Bitcoin Pulls Back, Other Musk Investments | Bloomberg Technology

Bitcoin and Tech Rally

• Bitcoin's price surged close to $90,000 before pulling back, with the cryptocurrency experiencing a slight pullback from its phenomenal rally, down by 0.1% (1m2s).
• The recent rally in tech companies and crypto has been significant, with Bitcoin's market capitalization exceeding $3 trillion and the cryptocurrency experiencing a more than 100% jump so far this year (1m37s).
• The $90,000 level is one to watch, with some in the crypto community expressing awe at the stunning rise, which has seen Bitcoin's price increase by almost $20,000 since before the election (1m45s).
• Stocks are taking a breather, with Tesla's 40% surge being a notable example, and some investors are questioning whether the rally has gone too far (42s).

Regulatory Landscape and Investments

• The new administration's impact on the industry is still to be seen, with the SEC chair's behavior and potential new laws on stablecoins being closely watched (2m32s).
• The promise of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and the mining promise are also being closely monitored, with some companies, such as Marathon, making significant investments in the space (2m58s).
• Some individuals, such as Mike Novogratz, have made significant gains from the recent rally, with their wealth tied to crypto, and others, such as the CEO of Binance, have retained their stakes in cryptocurrency exchanges (3m26s).
• The variety of assets held by these individuals and companies, including Solana, Dogecoin, and others, are also contributing to their wealth (4m12s).

Market Outlook and Investment Strategies

• The managing partner at a tech firm focusing on investments, who is also a former Federal Reserve employee, will be sharing their expertise on the market and the Fed's current stance (4m44s).
• The expert believes that the next two years will be good for investments, with an easing cycle in monetary policy globally, leading to increased capital availability (5m2s).
• The easing cycle will continue, even with tariffs, and once the ship starts pivoting, it doesn't stop overnight, with the rate expected to be around 2.5% to 3% which is still easier than today's 5% (5m36s).
• The administration and Congress will work together to put a lot of stimulus into the economy, with both monetary and fiscal policies working at once, which is expected to benefit the real economy, growing at 2% to 3% (5m51s).
• The current rally in the market is an early reflection of the expected growth and is not expected to pause, with the tech market, particularly AI winners, leading the charge (6m4s).
• AI is the latest wave in innovation and is expected to drive real GDP forward, with new categories, products, businesses, and investments emerging in the next two to five years (6m52s).
• The impact of AI on daily life may not be immediately visible, but investors need to be patient and take a step back to check on the progress of businesses and portfolio companies every six to nine months (7m46s).
• Entrepreneurs are coming out of incumbents every day, building new businesses, and it takes two to five years to build an enduring business, so investors should not be impatient (8m4s).
• Elon Musk's companies, such as SpaceX, are worth investing in, as he is considered one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time, and it's not wise to bet against him before he has had his prime (8m49s).
• The investment strategy is to take a long view, with a focus on asset management and a capital base that is long-term focused, holding stocks for the next 10 to 15 years and betting on what is coming forward down the pipeline (9m5s).
• The investment approach is to be long on AI, tech, and the American economy, rather than betting against companies like OpenAI, and it's not possible to short an economy in the long term (9m42s).
• As a long-term investor, it's essential to hold a long view and be invested in companies for five to 15 years, as short-term market fluctuations are normal, and innovation and the human spirit will ultimately drive growth (9m44s).
• The US is currently the category leader in the AI race, with other countries, including China, far behind, but competition is beneficial as it drives innovation and hard work (10m17s).
• The AI boom is expected to significantly impact tech earnings and growth, with the potential for substantial returns over the next 10 years (10m39s).

Shopify's Growth and Expansion

• Shopify's president, Harley Finkelstein, reported a successful quarter with 26% revenue growth to $2.2 billion and an extended free cash margin, with more merchants coming to Shopify across various verticals, geographies, and sizes (12m19s).
• Shopify is gaining momentum with enterprise clients, with 16 new launches, including Haines, Off-White, and Victoria's Secret, demonstrating the company's ability to handle large businesses selling globally (12m47s).
• Europe is a shining example of Shopify's growth, with remarkable increases in Germany, France, and other countries, and international merchants growing by 38% (13m19s).
• Shopify's focus on product development has shifted to building a go-to-market engine for the enterprise, which is starting to show results, with a strong emphasis on marketing and sales (14m18s).
• The company's marketing strategy is focused on combining good execution with great marketing, with a budget of around $300 million per quarter (14m13s).
• Shopify's expansion is growing, with a focus on enterprise, international, and wholesale markets, which started due to existing merchants asking for help in selling wholesale on the B2B side, resulting in over 130% growth in five consecutive quarters (15m12s).
• The company is creating a unified single retail operating system, allowing large and small brands to sell across every surface area, with offline B2B sales up 27% year-on-year (16m13s).
• Shopify's president, Harley, stated that the company's job is to arm merchants with everything they need to be successful, regardless of the outcome, and they will continue to do so amidst potential tariffs (16m49s).

E-commerce Trends and Market Analysis

• China's e-commerce platforms showed robust growth during the country's biggest annual online shopping gala, Singles' Day, but with selective disclosures, leaving investors concerned about getting an incomplete picture (17m1s).
• The Singles' Day data disclosed by e-commerce platforms, such as a 20% increase in shoppers and a 50% increase in premium shoppers on Alibaba platforms, should be taken with a pinch of salt due to the elongation of the discount period and weak macroeconomic conditions in China (17m43s).
• The significance of Singles' Day may be losing importance, with the event running for almost a month and other shopping events throughout the year, potentially leading to shopper fatigue (18m29s).

Market Fluctuations and Investor Sentiment

• Snap shares are under pressure, down more than 4%, due to reports that Trump is expected to try to halt a TikTok ban affecting some social media companies (19m7s).
• Tesla shares are also being discussed, with the stock giving away some of its gains (19m42s).
• Bitcoin has pulled back after running up more than 40% since Trump's election, with its market cap exceeding $1 trillion again (19m46s).
• The retail community has been buying up speculative assets like Dogecoin, with some investors hoping to profit from Donald Trump's re-election (20m8s).
• There has been incredible euphoria in the retail trader space, with record trader options and high retail activity, particularly in assets that offer leverage, such as the 3x Tesla ETP (20m19s).
• The Destiny 100 fund has seen incredible gains, with some of its assets up over 280%, but has also experienced volatility, with trading halted at times (20m50s).
• The Closed India Fund, which has exposure to SpaceX, is down 25%, sparking concerns among investors due to its volatility (21m22s).
• SpaceX's stock has been highly volatile, with moves of over 1000% on the upside and downside, contributing to the volatility of funds with exposure to the company (21m41s).
• The 3x Tesla ETP, which is currently traded in London, has been a winning formula since the election, but is down on the day (22m31s).

Grab's Performance and Southeast Asian Market

• Ride-hailing and delivery app Grab has boosted its forecast for the year, with CEO Peter Oey citing a 17% increase in revenue as a key driver of growth (24m50s).
• The Nasdaq is down 0.2% after a phenomenal run higher post-election results, with key names like Tesla and Bitcoin pulling back (23m17s).
• Honeywell is up over 3% after an activist investor built a $5 billion plus stake in the company, pushing for a breakup of the industrial giant (23m49s).
• NVIDIA is up, with chip strength being a key factor, while SoftBank is up over a percentage point after reporting its biggest quarterly profit in two years (23m55s).
• The company has seen a strong result in Q3, with more users on the platform than ever before, and growth acceleration in the on-demand business with mobility and deliveries business, driven by new product sets rolled out over the last three quarters (24m57s).
• The financial services business continues to be the fastest-growing segment, with strong demand going into the busiest quarter, the holiday season (25m25s).
• The company posted a $90 million quarter, the 11th consecutive quarter improvement, with net profit alongside free cash flow, and is balancing growth and profitability (25m57s).
• The company is focusing on both capturing strong demand and balancing costs, making sure the operating leverage as a business continues to grow and sustain (26m19s).
• The company has a $500 million buyback program in place, initiated in the first quarter of this year, and is about 40% of the way through, with plans to continue making good momentum in the buyback program (26m59s).
• The company's capital allocation framework prioritizes investing in organic growth, with a high bar for M&A opportunities, and returning excess liquidity to shareholders (27m19s).
• Advertising is a growing component, with the company doing $200 million on an annualized basis, and penetration of advertising continuing to grow as a revenue stream (28m16s).
• The company is bringing more merchants onto the platform for advertising services, seeing it as a win-win situation, and plans to continue doubling down on advertising (28m45s).
• The company is also expanding grocery delivery, which will bring another layer of advertising business (29m5s).
• Southeast Asia has a population of 660 million people, with 50% under the age of 30, and is a smartphone-first nation, presenting opportunities for growth in various sectors (29m42s).
• The region's mobility business has high single-digit penetration, while the deliveries business is in the mid-teens, and 60% of Southeast Asians are underbanked or underserved, indicating a long way to go for growth (30m5s).
• Tourism in Southeast Asia is a critical component of the economy and has seen an increase, benefiting ride-hailing and food delivery services (30m40s).
• The digital economy of Southeast Asia, including mobility and deliveries, is expected to grow at double-digits over the next five years (31m8s).

Global Market Trends and Investment Opportunities

• Germany's biggest chip maker forecasts a drop in sales in the first quarter but expects a return to double-digit growth by the fourth quarter of the 2025 fiscal year (31m39s).
• The market is taking a breather after the biggest run-up in the S&P 500 all year, with investors bidding up Trump trade stocks, including Bitcoin, and taking profits (32m18s).
• Long-term investors are bullish that Trump's policies will support sectors like financials, tech names, and Bitcoin, but investor sentiment is favorable, and valuations overall look stretched (32m42s).
• Semiconductors are doing poorly, with the Semiconductor Index lower, except for NVIDIA, which is up over 2% (33m7s).
• Weakness is seen in certain chips and some social media companies, particularly on the back of a Washington Post report that may see a TikTok ban overturned by Trump (33m37s).
• Earnings and fundamentals from businesses, such as Tencent, are expected to be closely watched by investors, especially as they focus on China's macroeconomic picture and the impact of stimulus on companies (33m53s).
• Tencent is outperforming the S&P 500 this year, up about 35%, and analysts expect the company to accelerate growth (34m12s).
• A company is being watched due to its potential for sustained revenue growth, as it is not an e-commerce company and may not be exposed to weaknesses in China like some of its mega-cap Chinese competitors (34m29s).
• Disney is also being watched for a potential announcement later in the week (34m38s).

Writer's Funding and AI Development

• An AI start-up called Writer has major growth plans and is announcing a $200 million funding round to spearhead that growth, valuing the company at $1.9 billion (35m19s).
• The funding will be used to build autonomous AI systems that can plan and execute complex workflows across systems and teams, with a focus on making generative AI valuable in the enterprise (35m38s).
• Writer's CEO mentions that the company is working on pioneering the enterprise generative AI category and has been a customer of Salesforce for a long time (36m17s).
• The CEO also notes that enterprises want complete end-to-end solutions, including LLMs with retrieval, observability, and guardrails in one package, to help them get to value faster (36m30s).
• Writer's competition includes OpenAI, which has been doubling down on its enterprise focus, but Writer's architecture is winning due to its ability to help enterprises get mission-critical use cases to production (37m0s).
• Writer has helped companies like Mars, Uber, and Qualcomm accelerate their businesses with powerful use cases, and has also helped companies cut down on legal compliance reviews and increase revenue on their retail channels (37m19s).
• The company's expansion plans go beyond content generation and marketing, and can benefit any function within a company that can use a knowledge-assistant or knowledge retrieval application (38m1s).
• The funding will be used to build the next generation of LLMs, models trained on data that is a vision, action together, and to build enterprises that are more intelligent, creative, and faster as a result of autonomous AI (38m23s).
• The company plans to attribute the funding to engineering and go-to-market efforts, including hiring AI engineers, full-stack engineers, sales, and customer success people (39m1s).

Social Media and Platform Competition

• Rival social networks to X have seen an influx of new users since the U.S. election night, with some users seeking alternatives to the platform (39m38s).
• Netflix has 70 million viewers watching shows with advertising every month, doubling the total from May, and plans to make advertising a major revenue source to complement prescriptions (40m6s).
• Uala, a startup in Latin America, has received the latest funding, and Donald Trump Jr. will be joining 1789 Capital, a VC firm investing in conservative-leaning companies (40m29s).
• Threads and Blue Sky, social networks similar to X, have seen an influx of new users since the U.S. election night, with Blue Sky adding 700,000 new users in the last week and now having 14.5 million total accounts (41m38s).
• Threads was the number one free app in the U.S. App Store for the first time in a couple of weeks since before the election (41m51s).
• People are using Threads to get a Twitter-like experience, as Meta has not wanted to be a place for political discussion, but Threads is not ideal for breaking news, especially political news (42m20s).
• The European Union's decision to have less personalized ads for Meta may impact the company, and if TikTok is banned in the U.S., Meta could benefit from having a direct clone of the TikTok product with Reels and Instagram (43m20s).

Podcast Availability and Bloomberg Technology

• The podcast is available on various platforms, including the Terminal and online on Apple, Spotify, and iHeart (44m11s).
• The current segment is part of Bloomberg Technology (44m15s).