He was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author.
Isaac Newton: A brilliant scientist, a terrible investor
How Issac Newton lost $4 million due to the first stock market bubble in history and insider trading
/THREAD/
He was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author.
However, his most prominent failure was losing an entire fortune in the first stock market bubble in history, the South Sea Company in 1720.
Before 1720 most of his investments were in safe and reliable securities, various government bonds that delivered a regular stream of income, and shares in a few of the larger companies on the exchange, including South Sea Co.
Government bondholders were given the option to exchange their securities into South Sea Co. shares.
However, the potential for dividend increases and sizable capital gains was created when Parliament gave the company a monopoly on trade with Spain’s colonies in South America.
It required all companies that sold stock to the public to hold a royal charter aiming to control rampant speculation.
A well-bribed Parliament and ruling ministry accepted the idea in February, and the deal became official in April.
Over the next eight years, he picked up more shares, using his savings and the proceeds from selling his shares in other companies.
In 1720, he converted his government bonds and annuities into the stock.
At this point, Newton unloaded most of his shares for a profit of more than £20,000 equal to 200 years of his former annual salary as a professor at the University of Cambridge.
This was amplified by the hundreds of newspapers in London posting glowing articles from esteemed authors, along with rumors about South American commodities that would be imported back to Europe.
The stock was also made easier to buy through installment plans with 10% downpayments.
With England in a euphoric mood, watching from the sidelines was hard to do.
By mid-June, Newton could no longer stand the thought of the money he’d “lost” by selling too soon and began to buy back in.
By mid-August, he was paying £700 to £1,000 a share, more than double the price he’d sold in April.
In the summer, news broke that insiders were selling.
The stock began to tumble and within a few weeks, plunged back to the £200 level.
So ended the infamous South Sea Bubble.
Newton’s losses were catastrophic, likely £20,000, the equivalent of $4 million today.
1720 was sometimes referred to as the “Bubble Year”
He allegedly forbade everyone from uttering the words "South Sea" in his presence.
/END/
👇👇👇
https://t.co/ggB2vFv9Ha
Isaac Newton: A brilliant scientist, a terrible investor
— Kostas Kosmidis \U0001f468\u200d\U0001f4bc \U0001f4c8 \U0001f4b8 (@itsKostasWithK) January 10, 2021
How Issac Newton lost $4 million due to the first stock market bubble in history and insider trading
/THREAD/ pic.twitter.com/uCU0zDVyw9
More from Kostas Kosmidis 👨💼 📈 💸
The Mother of All Squeezes
How Volkswagen went from being on the brink of bankruptcy to the most valuable company in the world in two days
/THREAD/
1/ At the peak of the 2008 financial crisis, Volkswagen was considered a very likely candidate for bankruptcy.
Heavily indebted and already financially struggling before 2008, with car sales expected to plummet due to the ongoing global crisis.
2/ With GM and Chrysler filing for bankruptcy in 2009, shorting the VW stock would seem a safe bet.
If you are not familiar with stock shorts and short squeezes check my thread
3/ On October 26, 2008, Porsche announced it had increased its stake at VW from 30% to 74%.
This was a surprise to many who were led to believe that Porsche wasn't planning a takeover of VW, based on the company's announcements.
4/ Before the announcement, the short interest was approximately 13% of the outstanding shares, a number considered relatively low.
Porsche had a 30% stake, the Lower Saxony government fund held 20% of the shares, and another 5% was held by index funds.
How Volkswagen went from being on the brink of bankruptcy to the most valuable company in the world in two days
/THREAD/
1/ At the peak of the 2008 financial crisis, Volkswagen was considered a very likely candidate for bankruptcy.
Heavily indebted and already financially struggling before 2008, with car sales expected to plummet due to the ongoing global crisis.
2/ With GM and Chrysler filing for bankruptcy in 2009, shorting the VW stock would seem a safe bet.
If you are not familiar with stock shorts and short squeezes check my thread
Shorts, Squeezes, and Betting Against Stocks
— Kostas on FIRE \U0001f525 (@itsKostasOnFIRE) January 27, 2021
What is short selling, how is it used and why is it risky?
/THREAD/ pic.twitter.com/PyDd208hFe
3/ On October 26, 2008, Porsche announced it had increased its stake at VW from 30% to 74%.
This was a surprise to many who were led to believe that Porsche wasn't planning a takeover of VW, based on the company's announcements.
4/ Before the announcement, the short interest was approximately 13% of the outstanding shares, a number considered relatively low.
Porsche had a 30% stake, the Lower Saxony government fund held 20% of the shares, and another 5% was held by index funds.
If you want to become financially independent and don't know where to start, here is a thread that will help you get started
/THREAD/
1. Review your expenses and make a budget
It will help you see where you overspend, make a plan to save, pay down debt and start
2. Set your investing and retirement goals
How much do you need to support yourself in retirement and when do you want to
3. The earlier you start investing, the better.
Here's why and how time and compounding can become your
4. Invest in an index fund
It's easy, safe, cheap, and the best choice for a beginner in investing, with not much time for
/THREAD/
1. Review your expenses and make a budget
It will help you see where you overspend, make a plan to save, pay down debt and start
Budgeting, the 50-30-20 rule, and the envelope method
— Kostas \U0001f468\u200d\U0001f4bc \U0001f4c8 \U0001f4b8 (@itsKostasWithK) January 6, 2021
Your first step towards financial independence
/THREAD/ pic.twitter.com/Tmuc3Itca5
2. Set your investing and retirement goals
How much do you need to support yourself in retirement and when do you want to
The most important number for your retirement: The 4% rule
— Kostas \U0001f468\u200d\U0001f4bc \U0001f4c8 \U0001f4b8 (@itsKostasWithK) January 7, 2021
What Is the Four Percent Rule?
/THREAD/ pic.twitter.com/8n1R1UZI5c
3. The earlier you start investing, the better.
Here's why and how time and compounding can become your
The Miracle of Compound Interest and the Rule of 72
— Kostas \U0001f468\u200d\U0001f4bc \U0001f4c8 \U0001f4b8 (@itsKostasWithK) January 2, 2021
//THREAD// pic.twitter.com/AOqd3kL6cn
4. Invest in an index fund
It's easy, safe, cheap, and the best choice for a beginner in investing, with not much time for
Jack Bogle, the Father of Indexing
— Kostas \U0001f468\u200d\U0001f4bc \U0001f4c8 \U0001f4b8 (@itsKostasWithK) January 8, 2021
How John "Jack" Bogle's creation impacted investors more than Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Warren Buffett combined
/THREAD/ pic.twitter.com/4wPi8x3cXn
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I hate when I learn something new (to me) & stunning about the Jeff Epstein network (h/t MoodyKnowsNada.)
Where to begin?
So our new Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's stepfather, Samuel Pisar, was "longtime lawyer and confidant of...Robert Maxwell," Ghislaine Maxwell's Dad.
"Pisar was one of the last people to speak to Maxwell, by phone, probably an hour before the chairman of Mirror Group Newspapers fell off his luxury yacht the Lady Ghislaine on 5 November, 1991." https://t.co/DAEgchNyTP
OK, so that's just a coincidence. Moving on, Anthony Blinken "attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York City"...wait, what? https://t.co/DnE6AvHmJg
Dalton School...Dalton School...rings a
Oh that's right.
The dad of the U.S. Attorney General under both George W. Bush & Donald Trump, William Barr, was headmaster of the Dalton School.
Donald Barr was also quite a
I'm not going to even mention that Blinken's stepdad Sam Pisar's name was in Epstein's "black book."
Lots of names in that book. I mean, for example, Cuomo, Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen - all in that book, and their reputations are spotless.
Where to begin?
So our new Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's stepfather, Samuel Pisar, was "longtime lawyer and confidant of...Robert Maxwell," Ghislaine Maxwell's Dad.
"Pisar was one of the last people to speak to Maxwell, by phone, probably an hour before the chairman of Mirror Group Newspapers fell off his luxury yacht the Lady Ghislaine on 5 November, 1991." https://t.co/DAEgchNyTP
OK, so that's just a coincidence. Moving on, Anthony Blinken "attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York City"...wait, what? https://t.co/DnE6AvHmJg
Dalton School...Dalton School...rings a
Oh that's right.
The dad of the U.S. Attorney General under both George W. Bush & Donald Trump, William Barr, was headmaster of the Dalton School.
Donald Barr was also quite a
Donald Barr had a way with words. pic.twitter.com/JdRBwXPhJn
— Rudy Havenstein, listening to Nas all day. (@RudyHavenstein) September 17, 2020
I'm not going to even mention that Blinken's stepdad Sam Pisar's name was in Epstein's "black book."
Lots of names in that book. I mean, for example, Cuomo, Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen - all in that book, and their reputations are spotless.
Recently, the @CNIL issued a decision regarding the GDPR compliance of an unknown French adtech company named "Vectaury". It may seem like small fry, but the decision has potential wide-ranging impacts for Google, the IAB framework, and today's adtech. It's thread time! 👇
It's all in French, but if you're up for it you can read:
• Their blog post (lacks the most interesting details): https://t.co/PHkDcOT1hy
• Their high-level legal decision: https://t.co/hwpiEvjodt
• The full notification: https://t.co/QQB7rfynha
I've read it so you needn't!
Vectaury was collecting geolocation data in order to create profiles (eg. people who often go to this or that type of shop) so as to power ad targeting. They operate through embedded SDKs and ad bidding, making them invisible to users.
The @CNIL notes that profiling based off of geolocation presents particular risks since it reveals people's movements and habits. As risky, the processing requires consent — this will be the heart of their assessment.
Interesting point: they justify the decision in part because of how many people COULD be targeted in this way (rather than how many have — though they note that too). Because it's on a phone, and many have phones, it is considered large-scale processing no matter what.
It's all in French, but if you're up for it you can read:
• Their blog post (lacks the most interesting details): https://t.co/PHkDcOT1hy
• Their high-level legal decision: https://t.co/hwpiEvjodt
• The full notification: https://t.co/QQB7rfynha
I've read it so you needn't!
Vectaury was collecting geolocation data in order to create profiles (eg. people who often go to this or that type of shop) so as to power ad targeting. They operate through embedded SDKs and ad bidding, making them invisible to users.
The @CNIL notes that profiling based off of geolocation presents particular risks since it reveals people's movements and habits. As risky, the processing requires consent — this will be the heart of their assessment.
Interesting point: they justify the decision in part because of how many people COULD be targeted in this way (rather than how many have — though they note that too). Because it's on a phone, and many have phones, it is considered large-scale processing no matter what.
