AMT Top 10

AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Meditations for the 16th of June

Memorandum of Misunderstanding, the SPCX Rocket, the Knicks and Brazil as Jazz Plays in the Background

10. Legacy: Sonny Rollins passed away on the 25th of May at the age of 95. Rollins was a master jazz musician and saxophonist who will be listened to forever. His sound, cadence and imaginative ability to create while playing with bands, and often lead via his unique style make him an everlasting legend. If you haven’t listened to Sonny Rollins start out with his song St. Thomas via Saxophone Colossus.

AMT Top 10 Miscellaneous Meditations for the 16th of June, 2026

9. Surreal: The New York Knicks won their first NBA Championship in 53 years. Some Brazilian football fans returning to their hotels after their team’s 1-1 draw versus Morocco in their Group Stage World Cup match in New Jersey had to walk through throngs of Knick fans celebrating on the streets of Manhattan in bizarre looking circumstances as they worried about their national team. Walt Frazier and Pele both wore Puma and met in the 70’s.

8. Strategy: Michael Saylor continues to claim the wet and cold Bitcoin wind blowing back in investors’ faces is a refreshing mist that will invigorate the HODL crowd eventually. In the meantime MSTR is near $131.00 and BTC/USD around $66,300.00. Saylor sees Bitcoin above 1 million eventually and beyond, while some others see headwinds and more losses developing.

7. Bleeding Money: Political mismanagement shadows Chicago which appears ready to lose the Bears football team via a new stadium across state lines in Hammond, Indiana, this as team officials and ill-equipped Illinois leaders argue about property taxes and other business considerations (and maybe kickbacks). NYC is hurting for funds too, this as important companies make plans to place their corporate headquarters and employees elsewhere and avoid Mayor Mamdani’s nonsense. Apollo Global Management is the latest to decide to venture forth into Texas and make its New York presence less important. 

6. Commodities: Gold is near $4,330.00 this morning, Silver around $70.00 and WTI Crude Oil close to $78.00 via futures pricing.

5. Nasdaq 100: The index finished 3.06% higher yesterday and at a value of 30,543.92 per last night’s close. The Nasdaq 100 has been delivering a wild ride for speculators and investors. The index saw all-time highs in early June when it went above the 30,700.00 level. The S&P 500 concluded Monday’s trading at 7,554.28 and up by 1.65%, the index’s high was also in early June when it went above 7,600.00. For all the talk of doom and gloom over the past week and a half with fears about a sustained run downwards in the U.S indices, they are showing upwards momentum for now. 

4. BoJ: The USD/JPY remains within sight of the 160.000+ mark consistently. While other major currencies have gained a bit the past few days against the USD, the Japanese Yen remains sticky near its highs as the Bank of Japan is likely watching speculators wager on the higher realm. FX traders need to remember that the BoJ may act when it feels it has enough clarity regarding the Iran saga and inflation concerns. In other words, a warning shot may come soon threatening an intervention. Buyers beware.

3. SpaceX: Is it a bird or a plane? No, its a 2.1 trillion market cap valuation via a rocket like IPO on the Nasdaq 100. While some may want to bet against Elon Musk early, those type of decisions have proven costly mistakes for some short sellers in the past when dealing with Musk and Tesla. Some may argue for value of $115.00 and less per each SPCX share, but it might prove unwise to step in front of the upward trend for the moment. Case in point, Tesla is near $411.00 per share and causing chagrin within certain crowds as they point to weakening sales, but only see the company do better in value. Oh, and SpaceX ended Monday’s trading at $192.50.

2. Fed: Kevin Warsh leads the FOMC Committee as the Chairman for the first time as the Federal Funds Rate decision awaits this Wednesday. Some think the Fed will increase the interest rate by 0.25%, AMT does not based on the opinion Chairman Warsh likely wants to start off his job on friendly terms with the White House and Treasury, while also counting (hoping) on cheaper energy prices.

1. MoU: The Iran conflict awaits a signed agreement. The terms of the Memorandum of Understanding are being whispered, but transparency has not been delivered and won’t be until Friday supposedly when the U.S and Iran attend a ceremony in Switzerland. While financial institutions and global markets are ready to turn the page and engage in optimistic outlooks, it remains to be seen if negotiations will lead to tangible results as multiple questions and concerns linger. In the meantime a sizeable part of Iran’s population still lives under tyranny. Who won? Did President Trump make a quiet deal with China to guarantee oil flows from the Strait of Hormuz and receive something in return during his visit to Beijing from the 13th to the 15th of May? There appears to be room for plenty of misunderstanding.

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AMT Top 10

AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Insights on the 18th of May, 2026

Valuations and Drinking, Bad Storms and Politics Amidst the Resilient Nature of People

10. Resilience: The Western Cape of South Africa endured strong storm conditions last week. One of the hardest hit areas was the Cape Winelands District, but electricity and water have been widely restored. And a collective of people have proven working together can produce solid results when needed. 

9. Spencer Who: The Los Angeles mayor race is growing intriguing. A reality star turned social influencer threatens to become an influenza for his opponents. This as Spencer Pratt’s campaign gets noticed for its entertaining social media videos. This has caused many folks to ask what has happened to the state of politics and meaningful policy. But if NYC can elect a socialist, why can’t L.A elect an influencer and make some people feel sick?

AMT Top 10 Miscellaneous Insights for the 18th of May, 2026

8. Two Trillion: SpaceX early investors have agreed to allow a five for one stock split, meaning the company (and Elon Musk) are now aiming for a potential doubling of its worth when its IPO is initiated – on Nasdaq – in the second week of June. Some very serious accountants will be kept busy trying to show how SpaceX will produce enough revenue over the next twenty years in order to make a 2 trillion USD valuation palpable to future investors.

7. Drunk: Brown-Forman Corporation will begin its trading near $26.28 on the NYSE today. The company is the majority owner of Jack Daniels and other alcohol related enterprises. The value of Brown-Forman Inc. in June of 2021 was around 80.00 per share. The sobering phase of the public – particularly among young drinkers – to avoid bars and clubs, and instead stay on their mobile phones has hurt share values in many alcohol related companies. There are also concerns that too many drink companies now exists. Before Brown-Forman becomes the life of the party again, it appears some competition will have to go dry.

6. Deals: Prime Minister Modi visited Abu Dhabi a few days ago, and one of the results was an agreement to purchase and store energy reserves on a large scale in the United Arab Emirates. Modi also confirmed India’s strong connection to the UAE politically. While always trying to maintain a non-aligned stature, India appears to be moving closer to an increasingly important alliance with the UAE – which has also aligned with Israel strategically. The potential of these three nations acting together will ruffle feathers in a few noteworthy Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

5. Populists: President Trump’s tendency to say outlandish things and then suddenly turn around and show a willingness to negotiate terms has always been part of his art of the deal composite. However, saying what people want to hear and then turning on a dime and not delivering is also a symptom of populism. Trump isn’t the only politician suffering from this flaw. What do politicians really think, and how differently would they act if a they didn’t need votes for themselves or backers to remain in power?

4. Wall Street: After attaining apex highs early last week, the three major indices have taken a step backwards. Near-term concerns are effecting outlook as financial institutions balance risk averse tactics to long-term belief that sunnier days will prevail. While the Dow 30 didn’t set a record last week, the ability of the index to climb above 50,000 was noticeable. Equity markets appear tentative as this week begins and folks seemingly wait for more thunder and its potential effects.

3. Emirates: The UAE was attacked by drones yet again yesterday, this time at the Barakah nuclear facility. The hit has been downplayed, but highlights that military conflict with Iran remains very possible across the region. It is doubtful conversations are being conducted with polite undertones behind closed doors. The U.S, Israel and other nations are watching Iran – and Iran is watching them. The price of WTI Crude Oil remains a key barometer regarding the markets and concerns about the war igniting in full once more. Prices of oil remain sustained above $101.00 per barrel in the futures markets. The UAE might not want to be a focal point, but it isn’t backing down either.

2. Hawkish: The U.S Federal Reserve may have to actually consider raising interest rates before they can realistically discuss the notion of cutting borrowing costs, particularly if energy prices remain elevated and spark a sustained inflation threat over the mid-term. The USD started to show renewed strength the past few trading sessions in Forex, this as financial institutions compare their near-term anxiousness to growing concerns about mid-term ramifications regarding higher fuel costs.

1. Ego vs. Hubris: The U.S and China summit held largely in Beijing this past Thursday and Friday matched competing politicians and ideologies. In one corner U.S President Trump spoke with a rather inflated sense of himself while he detailed policy objectives and his perspectives. In the other corner Xi Jinping, the President of China, might have displayed some hubris as he warned the U.S about the Thucydides Trap. Xi expressed his belief that China is the emerging super power and that the U.S is a declining nation. However, China’s economy is known to be suffering because of a myriad of complex reasons, and could face more headwinds if energy prices and supplies remain hard-pressed.

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AMT Top 10

AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Early May Reflections

May Day Parades and Wishing on Santa Claus

10. NBA Playoffs: Basketball has now entered its serious season, one in which rest days are no longer done in order to gain better draft day lottery odds, nor appease star players who feel the need to take a day off. There have been a couple of upsets already during these playoffs with Houston, Denver and Boston all of whom were favored to win their first round competitions going down in flames. Semi-conference championship contests will begin tonight. Basketball fans are now getting the NBA product they want.

9. May Day: Parades and protests were seen throughout the United States this past Friday. The once treated contemptuous flag of communists was held aloft and portrayed as a viable ideology at many demonstrations. Protestors marched and chanted their displeasure about free enterprise. A lack of historical knowledge about the massacres ignited by Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Pol Pot while paying homage to iconic Che Guevara images was evident. However, their longing for a Santa Claus like figure to come bearing free gifts did not appear. 

AMT Top 10 Miscellaneous Early May Reflections on the 4th of May 2026

8. $80,000.00: Bitcoin has been traversing higher and continues to flirt with the eighty thousand USD realm in its sights. Strategy (MSTR) finished last week above the $177.00 ratio. Are the new higher avenues a sign momentum will continue to endure for these two highly flammable speculative wagers, or will profit taking douse them again when suspicious caution reemerges?

7. NYC: Mayor Mamdani has made it known the city is not going to be able to meet his budget requirements and has postponed the publication of New York City expenditures until the second week of May. Mamdani has called on the State of New York to change is financial arrangements with NYC in order to facilitate his wishes. In the meantime, the Mayor has decided to pick a battle with hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, the primary owner of Citadel, which if unresolved is likely to cost NYC vital jobs and income. Charm and ignorance are likely to get Mayor Zohran Mamdani only so far.

6. Warning: USD/JPY is traversing near 156.900 as if this writing. Last week the USD/JPY was over the 160.000 ratio and sustaining values. But official murmurs from the Bank of Japan proclaiming readiness to intervene sent the Forex pair tumbling. Japanese Yen speculators betting against the BoJ should remain alert and understand that quick profits and escaping before an actual intervention strikes is a very dangerous game to play. The USD/JPY is the domain of large players and financial institutions. Yields on Japanese bonds have escalated, which is a sign that belief in Japanese fiscal policy remains lukewarm, but participating in the USD/JPY via wagers needs to be done with extreme care.

5. Hormuz Strait: WTI Crude Oil values continues to effect behavioral sentiment amongst investors and speculators. The price for spot Crude Oil is above $106.00, while futures are challenging the $100.00 realm. Inflation concerns are turning from whispers into fact. Airlines are being impacted, and logistics for large companies like Unilever are becoming higher costs for global consumers.

4. Reality Shock: Escalating electricity costs for the giant data centers that Artificial Intelligence infrastructure needs are starting to not only be realized, but causing investors to understand genuine profits for the mega-sized ambitions of many companies may prove fleeting. Hyper-scaling companies seeking to build bigger electrical capacity include Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon Web Services and Equinix and it will not be easy. Potential and real electricity shortages are causing some nations, states and cities to plead for help due to too much demand on their overwhelmed power grids.

3. Voting: Jerome Powell has decided that he will remain as one of the seven Federal Reserve Governors, which allows him to vote fully on interest rate (FOMC) policy. Powell’s action is highly irregular and one that certainly doesn’t please the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has expressed his exasperation regarding Powell’s non-departure from the FOMC. Powell will step down as the Chairman of the Fed on the 15th of May, but his position as Governor doesn’t end until the close of January 2028. Because the Fed is an independent entity in theory, President Trump and those aligned with Trump’s economic outlooks will have to deal with Powell who will clearly not bend to White House desires. 

2. Apex Peaks: The official start to the Middle East conflict – this time – began on the 28th of February. Since deciding the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 were vastly oversold in late March, a parade upwards bearing gifts has developed and both indices attained record heights this past week. The Dow Jones 30 is still below its all-time levels produced in the second week of February when it scorched above the 50,000 level, but the granddaddy of U.S indices also did remarkably well in April. 

1. Exit West: The decision to officially leave OPEC by the United Arab Emirates is a clear sign that the Iranian war has turned into a philosophical realism regarding existential outlook. The UAE’s has aligned itself with the West and has said no to radicalization. The United Arab Emirates desire to become a Singapore like model in the Middle East that practices free enterprise and provides a worldwide hub for commerce is clear. Many people are not connecting the dots regarding the UAE’s choice, a realignment of the Middle East is underway and it will have a profound economic effect globally.

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AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Bits of Clarity for the 19th of April 2026

In a World Filled with Bread and Circuses, Now a Dose of Transparency

10: The Risk Reward Show: Sommer and Petrucci will return to the airwaves this coming week, via sources like Spotify and YouTube, with their podcast starting after a long break (absence).

9. Hardball: Major League Baseball is back and the sport continues to attract more fans and growing attention with its quicker games, a new computerized strike zone, and maybe even more dislike of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yes, Shohei Ohtani remains a dominant and positive force in the baseball world.

AMT Top 10 for the 19th of April 2026

8. Populism: Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic continue to display a wide display of nonsensical rhetoric and bold asinine actions equating into empty spectacles. An example from the Left is Zohran Mamdani the mayor of New York City with his socialist platform, which is certain to fail and equate into more people and companies leaving NYC for less expensive and friendlier tax environments. And from the Right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who talks a tough game but consistently falls short of backing up her words when she senses she could lose control of her power base. The putrid smell of trying to please voters with rotting bread and circuses prevails.

7. Speculation: Gold finished Friday’s trading near $4,837.50, Silver around 80.78. Bitcoin is close to $75,570.00. 

6. AI: While the Artificial Intelligence hangover has been widely discussed for a handful of months, health continues to be seen via Nvidia which closed above $201.00 going into this weekend, and Anthropic PBC which appears to be aiming for an IPO in late 2026 or early 2027. At this moment Anthropic has an estimated valuation of 800+ billion USD. If Nasdaq is able to secure a listing with Anthropic it will immediately factor into the Nasdaq 100. Are some investors betting on upside now which they believe will be seen when Nasdaq reorganizes its index?

5. Optimism: India, South Africa, Brazil and other emerging markets have experienced Forex volatility like all nations the past month and half due to the Iranian war. However, in the past two weeks the Indian Rupee, South African Rand and Brazilian Real have performed better as global markets have calmed. The ZAR and BRL have actually outperformed major currencies over the past handful of months showcasing existing optimism within financial institutions dealing with these currencies.

4. Money for Something: Lefarge, a French company specializing in concrete, was found guilty this past week of paying ISIS (Daesh) and other terrorists groups money in the years from 2012 into 2014, this in order to maintain their business operations in Syria. While Lafarge claims they paid the money to keep their operating staff safe, a French court ruled Lafarge was buying not only safe passage to allow employees to work, but also paying for physical resources needed from quarries that were controlled by the terrorists. Critics of Lafarge point towards the company’s massive infrastructure investments leading up to 2012 and a decision to seek profits no matter the costs of dubious morality. Some Lafarge former senior executives involved have been sentenced to prison including Bruno Lafont and Christian Herrault. Lafarge and Holcim (a Swiss conglomerate) merged officially in July of 2015.

3. WTI Prices: The value of the world’s most famous Crude Oil went into the weekend near $83.30 via futures markets. The commodity is certain to open with volatility early on Monday, this as folks weigh in via their existing behavioral sentiment which will range from speculative perceptions to insights they hold to be true (but that could prove false). WTI Crude Oil challenged 79.00 USD momentarily on Friday, before sparking upwards as cautious attitudes likely ignited doubts about what would happen this weekend in the Middle East regarding potential developments. Wagering on WTI in the coming days for day traders may be akin to spins of the roulette wheel.

2. Apex Heights: The winning streak and surge upwards for the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500 and Dow 30 via gains have caught some investors by surprise and standing on the sidelines. Some large financial institutions may find they have to explain why they did not participate in the rally which has unfolded since late March. The S&P 500 has gone up around 9.5% during this time.

1. Straight Talk: The Hormuz and whether or not the strait is open for oil tankers will remain a catalyst for all global assets until clarity is gained. In the meantime a whirlwind of noise and threats from President Trump, the U.S White House and Iran will remain a menace for all traders – small and large. Is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed?

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AMT Top Ten Miscellaneous Morsels for the 12th of April 2026

Optimistic Hopes Appear Ready to Fade into the Distance

10. B-ball: The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship concluded early last week with a rather resounding outcome for the University of Michigan who won their 2nd Men’s trophy, the first one coming in 1989. Michigan dismantled the Arizona Wildcats and then handled the Connecticut Huskies. The NBA playoffs will start this coming week. The Oklahoma Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs are getting a lot of attention, and the Denver Nuggets might have something to offer.

9. Trump: A week of optimism now leads towards threats of additional noise. Peace talks held in Pakistan appear to have failed this weekend, and now another countdown has begun as the Iranian conflict appears ready to escalate. The U.S White House and President Trump will certainly make more noise in the coming days.

AMT Top 10 for the 12th of April 2026

8. Logistics Advertising: Kit Kat and Nutella have been rewarded with massive exposure. The Kit Kat truck heist of 12 tons of product (reportedly said to be in a special F1 designed candy bar theme) made headlines. Kit Kat’s owner, Nestle, was obviously content with the free publicity and proof of demand. And a jar of Nutella floated across the Artemis 2 spacecraft unexpectedly this week, gaining international attention and sparking smiles from fans of the Italian chocolate hazelnut spread.

7. Creator: Yet another candidate accused of being Satoshi Nakamoto has been produced. Blockstream’s CEO Adam Back has been named by the N.Y Times as a potential creator. In the meantime, the real question is whether anyone but Iran (as they run their illicit shadow economy), Michael Saylor of MSTR and a few big whales consisting of institutions and hedge funds are really paying any attention to BTC anymore. The BTC/USD price as of this morning is around $71,600.00. Bitcoin was traversing near $126,000.00 in the first week of October 2025.

6. Greenback: USD/JPY 159.240, EUR/USD 1.17225, USD/ZAR 16.38540, USD/INR 93.0480. USD centric strength may prove solid this coming week and other currencies may suffer a bit.

5. Sideways Shimmer: Gold finished the week near $4.745.00, roughly $100.00 above its starting point last Monday. U.S 10-Y Treasury yields went into this weekend around 4.34%. Shifting outlooks this coming week will likely ignite turbulence in both assets.

4. Blind Eyes: More than a handful of U.S politicians have been featured as big winners regarding their stock trading abilities. Their gains far exceed the winning percentages of the overall returns made by indexes (as a benchmark). Little has been done to stop what many view as insider trading. There are many forms of political corruption around the world. However, a variety of places and people, including Americans seem to accept this potential misconduct. The ‘Stop Insider Trading Act’ has been brought forth in the House of Representatives and Senate, but the legislation may simply meet a slow death and disappear.

3. Inflation: U.S interest rates via the Federal Reserve will be held in check at a minimum over the next few months. The higher costs of energy will certainly seep into prices for transportation, manufacturing and agriculture. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell may be quite content to leave his position May the 15th. The next Fed FOMC interest rate decision is due on the 29th of April.

2. Strait of Hormuz: WTI Crude Oil closed above $90.00 going into this weekend. When futures markets open early on Monday, the price of the commodity is likely to rise via increased anxiousness which will build into the mindsets of large players today because of the failure of peace talks in Pakistan. The price of Crude Oil remained high last week, only moving to a low of around $85.00 this past Tuesday, showing cautious attitudes remained. Prices above $100.00 will likely become a new target quickly for some who bet. Will an early spike upwards this week then start a counter reversal lower, or will a climb become sustained?

1.  Risk Off: The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 will get plenty of attention this coming week as behavioral sentiment remains fragile. Having skirted near its 200-days moving average lows in recent weeks, the indices have gained handsomely since the 31st of March. Will the upwards momentum come to an abrupt end this week, or have financial institutions been able to digest their nervousness and will they show a capability of remaining buyers?

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AMT Top Ten Thoughts and Trepidations for the 22nd of March, 2026

The Return of AMT's Top 10 Illustrious 'Weekly' Salvos

First we must congratulate those who were willing to climb out from under their rocks (and bomb shelters) to offer musings. But let’s not digress….. to the AMT Top Ten List we go.

AMT Top Ten for the 22nd of March 2026

10. March Madness: The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is underway. Some of the more hated schools remain catalysts. Our pick, the University of Arizona Wildcats. 

9. Bitcoin: Traversing above 68,000.00 USD currently almost feels like an accomplishment considering BTC/USD was near 63,000.00 in early February and again in early March. But do not blink your eyes. BTW, MSTR (the much loathed MicroStrategy by some AMT folks) went into this weekend below $136.00 per share.

8. South Africa: The USD/ZAR finished Friday near 16.96800 depending on bids and asks. On the 29th of January the currency pair was close to 15.65000. The South African Rand has done well over the long-term, but it is correlating to the broad Forex market concerns. Day traders should not take things personally, and accept that risk adverse moves – particularly as a major war rages is part of speculation. Near-term viewpoints can differ with long-term prospects. 

7. Not Glimmering: Gold at the start of the Iranian war was around $5,260.00, it has fallen to a mark of $4,491.00 this weekend. Showing gold’s speculative momentum beforehand hand, outmatched current values. Where next?

6. Silver: Above 120.00 USD briefly towards the end of January, the commodity is below 68.00. Wild betting has caused a drop of more than 42%. Too much exuberance.

5. Risks: U.S 10-Year Treasury Yields were below 3.95% on the 27th of February, via Friday’s close rates are above 4.38%. Can you spell f.e.a.r?

4. Safe Haven: The U.S Dollar Index which had been showing solid downside is near 99.500, on the 27th of February it was around 97.850 – a rather legitimate rise. 100.000 may be a target by some large players.

3. Shrieking Hyperbole: WTI Crude Oil prices are certainly getting plenty of attention. However, voices expressing concern about WTI touching higher values starts to sound like an auction in order to get attention for the circus barkers. WTI remains near 100.00 USD and this mark is a barometer. The price is high and it can go higher, but expressed fear about $140.00 and $200.00 should be treated with disdain in the near-term.

2. Iran War: The conflict in the Middle East cannot be downplayed, but it can become fearmongering by Cassandras’. The U.A.E is still open for business and other nations in the Middle East are functioning. Yes, there is noise and the situation can grow more dangerous. But the potential of freedom for the people of Iran is a solid goal, though some may find this naive until it is proven. Can it become fact?

1. Coming Attractions: U.S stock markets are rightfully nervous. Friday’s close for the S&P 500 has brought it into terrain that challenges its 200 day moving average. The combination of weak technical attitudes and behavioral sentiment is a dangerous mix. Risk management may not be enough for day traders to survive current conditions, sitting on the sideline instead of betting on equity indices intraday may be more efficient and less lethal.

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