February 2025 Portfolio Update
Quote, Portfolio, Complimentary Monthly Commentary - CMC, Books ... $$$ Topics: Portfolios Discussions, LTMH, and The Microcap Conference.
Quote for this month:
“Where there's a will, there's a way” - George Herbert
*Portfolio*
*I am NOT a financial advisor. I’m sharing my investing journey. Not investment advice. Do your own research.*
Portfolio (Basic):
Holding since:
2020 - LKQ 0.00%↑ - 03
2021 - SFM 0.00%↑ - 03 | OPFI 0.00%↑ - 05 | VMD 0.00%↑ - 05 | SPOT 0.00%↑ - 11
2022 - MITK 0.00%↑ - 01 | WBD 0.00%↑ - 04 | $EVVTY - 09 | $NTDOY - 12
2023 - PYPL 0.00%↑ - 01 | TCS 0.00%↑ - 01 | BSM 0.00%↑ - 05 | BUR 0.00%↑ - 09
2024 - (First ???) - 01 | BKTI 0.00%↑ - 04 | BOC 0.00%↑ - 09 |
2025 - IAC 0.00%↑ - 01 |
Complimentary Monthly Commentary - CMC
I decided to change “Quick Complimentary Portfolio Update” to “Complimentary Monthly Commentary”
If I have anything that I want to share in public about my holdings I will do so here.
Also here I will share (if there is any) thoughts on whatever is that I want to share about that is related to me, investing, philosophy, etc. kind of like a little space of my own to filter out thoughts if there are any to do so in public..
Or maybe just share something interesting like this link below:
Horizon Kinetics Q4 2024 Portfolio Update - January 30, 2025
It’s a quarterly commentary from Steven Bregman at Horizon Kinetcs, its about an hour and half long and its free and you can listen to it or watch whenever you have time, I found it interesting and a refreshing compared to some other PMs out there
Lastly after some “back and forth”(in my head) I have decided to make subscription to my Substack $55 dollars both monthly and yearly. I know I had this questions/concern raised not too long ago but this blog from origin was not about “making money” but sharing my investing journey and although I do spend A LOT OF TIME on this on monthly basis its not about money. There a lot of blogs out there who charge much more (or less) then me and provide debatable value and that’s okay.
Back to the roots! The point of paid substack is to get a bit more of me (YZ) on personal level and a bit more extra transparency an details on portfolio which I realized some like and some don’t care about and that’s okay. Transparency and consistency has been here for free from day 1 (or about four years now) and I need to remember that this is my little niche corner of the Substack that although everyone is invited to, not everyone cares about it.
So, no other changes everything else the same (I’m actually looking for a way to do more deep dives, but time is limited so no promises… if you have any ideas I’m open to suggestions) but the price will be $55 (a year) or less than $5 dollars a month … and if that’s a bit too much just DM me and we can figure something out.
“Where there's a will, there's a way” - George Herbert
For those who have became paid subscribers before this announcement I will give a year complimentary to even out.
I try my best to be as fair as I can in life (in general) to others and myself and some times what I do … it does not really make sense to others, and I have to be just be okay with that, because it makes sense to me.
Books
I realized that my descriptions of the books that I read may not always give them full credit as when I read these books and when I write about them, I only share one or two things that really stand out to me. So I have decided to also include a quick short description from Goodreads (no affiliations) so that way you get my thoughts but also more generic description to get a better feel for the books and in so hopefully adding them to your “to-read-list”.
This time around I finished two audiobook:
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier
YZ:
This was very interesting to listen to as someone who used LOVE & play video games a lot and now as an investor and a business owner to learn what it took to get some of the titles to the market is incredible and just shows that real world is a lot more complicated and uncertain then what we think AFTER the product gets delivered… at one point there WAS a possibility of whatever that is not being what it is (if that makes sense)…
Goodreads:
Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous.
Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart.
Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring by Gregory Makoff
YZ:
Talk about uncertainty and perseverance… 15 years … Default was a REALLY REALLY GOOD book to listen to as someone who is (currently) investing in Burford and YPF case.
Now…just because Elliott (and other HFs) where victorious at the end it does not mean that this is 100% what will happen with Burford cases, lets not kid ourselves … real life is not a movie, we do not have full script ready …
But, Default did give me a much better understanding of how litigation against sovereign state could play out and what you can and can not expect - sort of … This book gave me a better “comfort” in Burford’s secrecy and limited or indirect answers to questions regarding on going litigations… things seems a lot less shady now … less shady, but not less uncertain…
Goodreads:
The dramatic inside story of the most important case in the history of sovereign debt law
Unlike individuals or corporations that become insolvent, nations do not have access to bankruptcy protection from their creditors. When a country defaults on its debt, the international financial system is ill equipped to manage the crisis. Decisions by key individuals ― from national leaders to those at the International Monetary Fund, from holdout creditors to judges ― determine the fate of an entire national economy. A prime example is Argentina's 2001 default on $100 billion in bonds, which stands out for its messy outcomes and outsized impact on sovereign debt markets, sovereign debt law, and IMF policy.
Default is the riveting story of Argentina's sovereign debt drama, which reveals the obscure inner workings of sovereign debt restructuring. This detailed case study describes the intense fight over the role of the IMF in Argentina's 2005 debt restructuring and the ensuing bitter decade of litigation with holdout creditors, demonstrating that outcomes for sovereign debt are determined by a complex interplay between financial markets, governments, the IMF, the press, and the courts.
This cautionary tale lays bare the institutional, political, and legal pressures that come into play when a country cannot repay its debts. It offers a deeper understanding of how global financial capitalism functions for those who work in or study debt markets, international finance, international relations, and international law.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Don’t forget to ❤️ this post. It helps a lot!
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