#*amc: soaring high

[taegularities]

right, sorry for not mentioning things earlier 😅 so a fluff drabble for soaring high with tae, oc and jae? a day out! where jae misses oc and tries to call her with tae's phone or something lmaoo

anonymous said: bae i rlly need a drabble to see what souring high!tae is like when they’re finally alone 😮‍💨😮‍💨❤️ u could literally do anything that u want !!

fic: soaring high pairing: dilf!taehyung x reader warnings: a cute son, a cute dad, a cute relationship between said son and oc; tae loves to watch them play. he really is into oc, he just doesn’t say it smh. super sweet dilf!tae <3, explicit sexual content: fingering implied, he bends her over, rough sex, unprotected sex (wrap it), manhandling, multiple rounds of sex implied, he’s so hungry and a beast, dom!tae, degradation; a whole lotta fluff too <3 wc: 1.5k (damn??) a/n: i thought i could merge those two requests into one !! hope that's okay and that u guys like it 🥰 if u’d like to indulge in the fluff parts only, u can totally stop reading after they drop off jae at his friend’s place. and do lmk what u think! <333 also totally unedited again, i apologise 😭 

ask my character! (no more drabble requests, please!) <3

––

The sun shines onto the park pleasantly, the sky an azure blue and busy voices sounding all around. Children are busy exploring every corner of the place; one has been chasing a squirrel for over twenty minutes, Taehyung is sure.

Except his own spawn.

Immersed in the wonders of technology, he taps around Taehyung’s phone; most of the apps don’t interest him much, too adult-y, and too colourless.

His eyes dart between various symbols, not quite sure what to settle on. He sighs, somehow focused on both exploring and rambling. Taehyung has been nodding and humming for half an hour, listening to his son’s stories about kindergarten and teasing girls.

And when the narration ends, Taehyung waits for a moment. Reckons the tale is over, that his son has vented his chest off once and for all – but when he glances over to him, looking down at his wiggling legs and content smile, he realises why silence has descended upon them.

“What... wait, what are you doing?”

The phone rings. And then, your voice chimes through. Jae knows the functions enough to apparently not just recognise the picture Taehyung set for you on his phone, but to put a call on loudspeaker, too.

“Where are you?” Jae yells, and you make a sound that indicates you’re taken aback.

Then, a giggle sounds through the phone, and you fall back into your toddler voice as you ask, “Heyyyy, Jae, how are we doing? I’m at home.”

“Can you come to the park?”

Taehyung watches with furrowed eyebrows, close to snatching the phone from his son before he sees the delight in his boy’s eyes.

“Which park, baby?” you ask, still laughing.

“Uhm... near my kindergarten.”

“Right now?”

“Please?”

“You don’t have to,” Taehyung’s voice interrupts, and Jae looks at him as though he’s noticing just now that his father is right next to him, watching him.

There’s a small pause, a chiming of keys, a hum; then, you say, “It’s okay. I’m not doing anything today anyway.”

Because who are you to deny any request the little man might have? You can’t remember ever saying no – Taehyung says you spoil him too much. You call it “making his kid love me”.

And as he wished, you find yourself in the park around twenty-five minutes later; Jae’s eyes light up – genuinely delighted. Stars in his eyes that resemble the ones in his father’s gaze.

Previously busy with digging holes in the sandbox, he gasps; runs towards you with his little yet fast feet, clinging onto you as if he didn’t see you just last weekend.

Taehyung never says much when Jae and you play around. He enjoys the scene, enjoys the way you whisper secrets into each other’s ears; or how you let him win every game of rock, paper, scissors.

How he chuckles and falls back onto the couch when you crack a stupid joke or tell him a story from work.

“I forgot the shovel,” he tells you loudly, looking at you wide wide, shocked eyes. “We can’t make a sandcastle!”

“Oh no!” you exclaim; both your gazes drift to Taehyung’s, seeking help.

“Daddy, can I go and get it?”

But his beloved father kills both your hopes with one shake of his head, wiggling a finger as he says, “You’re invited at Chae’s. Maybe she has a shovel and you can play in her garden.”

“But–”

Jae looks between you and his dad, pleading and innocent.

“You can’t let a friend wait, Jae,” Taehyung scolds, standing from the bench. The beige slacks are smooth, hugging his waist where he tucked his white shirt in. The shape of his body is so alluring – the curves, edges and bulges leave nothing to imagination.

As always.

And your insides keep buzzing. Keep twirling as you look at him. Watch him talk to Jae, smiling softly, talking to him, reprimanding him. Telling him that he’d pick him up around eight, and that he needs to behave if he wants to eat his favourite pasta dish tonight.

Before you know it, you’re left alone with the man who asked for your number after a flight months ago. The man who rearranged your insides, anything but shy, a demon and lovely father at once.

But now that you look at him, his eyes are tender. Sweet and soft, housing care for not just his son and his relationship to you, but for you as a person, too.

Taehyung’s two-story-flat isn’t too far from little Chae’s house, so you decide to walk the small distance to his place.

Being alone with Taehyung never really comes with awkwardness. It has become your own personal source of comfort; one you cherish. One you think back to when the moments are over.

“What were you doing all day?” he asks, thumbs in the pockets of his pants.

“Was just rewatching my favourite show. I’m glad you guys called.”

“Well... Jae called.”

“Yeah, technically,” you say, smiling, your steps slow and relaxed.”

“Gilmore Girls, was it?” Taehyung then guesses, squinting one eye shut in concentration.

“You remember my favourite show? That’s flattering.”

“I uh,” he starts, swallowing, “I remember your favourite dessert, too. And your favourite drink. If you want, we could...”

You wait, looking at him in anticipation; he looks sweet when he’s shy. Utterly different from when he batters your body. He licks his plush lips, and you wait some more before you ask, “Yeah?”

“If you want, we could go to my place, and... eat some dessert?”

You laugh.

You know what that means.

First he eats his favourite dessert – pretty much swallows it whole. Then he lets you eat yours.

And then, he finally opens his fridge and takes out the actual delicacy.

“You know my dearest pastime,” you tell him, and he laughs.

“Jae was missing you.”

“Although we met last week?”

“Mmmh, honestly, he can’t ever stop talking about you anyway.”

And Taehyung enjoys it. Loves to hear your name, basks in the pictures of you that his son calls forth.

“And,” he hesitates, licking his lips again, “I talk about you a lot, too.”

You almost halt in your steps; your heart falls down deep and lands in front of his feet. It does the same whenever he mumbles things like these �� you might never get used to it.

“What is it that you talk about?” you ask.

“Just... I ask him what he thinks of you. Then I tell him what I think of you.”

“And what you think of me is...”

“Is for me to know and for you to find out.”

“Unfair.”

You hit his shoulder playfully right when you arrive in front of his entrance door. One hand of his holds his keys – but the other grabs your softly violent wrist, tugging your body close before he whispers, “Gonna treat you fairly to make it all good... ‘kay?”

Here he is. The beast you know.

The beast you still haven’t grown used to. The beast who pulls you inside his apartment, pushes you against the door. Growls against your skin, holding your arms over your head.

Mumbling curses against your flesh, eyes closed, groaning and lost.

He licks a trail along your neck. Tugs at your panties, shifting up your dress.

Taehyung’s slender fingers explore your shivering body, digging deep where you want him most.

“Pretty little cum dumpster,” he murmurs in between his actions; words so sore, actions so raw. “Prettiest woman in this neighbourhood.”

“Just this neighbourhood, huh?” you moan, laughing, eliciting a chuckle out of him as well.

“Just scared to use the word universe, ‘cause... you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

You want to remark something, but words die in your throat once he bends you over his desk, pushing away his books and stationery. 

His cock is throbbing, hard, slick with his own spit when he enters you caringly. A hand rests on the small of your back, the other holding your wrists under your shoulder blades.

He caresses your skin, pumps into you harshly, harder, a deep baritone assuring, “You’re the fucking best pussy I’ve ever fucked. God, I wanna... wanna–”

“Wha– what?”

“I don’t want you to be able to walk for fucking days, baby.”

He says that every time. And he keeps the promise every time.

His hand comes down to clutch the flesh of your ass tightly, slapping against it, pushing it up; and then, he repeats. Until your bottom feels bruised, aching and tingling.

Just how you like it best – he knows.

And when his thumb circles your clit, feeling your cunt clench around his veiny, thick cock, he lets go the moment you do. Synchronised, crazed, loud.

“Fuck, fuck, yeah, I–”

“Taehyung, I can’t feel... my limbs.”

Of course you can’t. His grip cuts off the bloodstream in your arms, and your legs jiggle like pudding, close to giving out.

But his arms are strong and steady. Keep you afloat, his body pressed against yours. 

He keeps you close, panting against your ears, ready for another round after your beloved dessert.

He wonders, “What do you think how many rounds we can go before I need to pick up Jae again?”

Cheeks pressed against the cold desk, you smile, readying your body for an evening of exhaustion and pleasure. Digging your nails into your palm, you wet your dry lips, open your eyes and say, “Let’s find out.”

DAMN THIS WAS........ longer than expected holy. please do let me know what u think !! <333

[market-news-24]

During the recent meme stock rally, some lesser-known stocks managed to outperform GameStop, gaining even more traction among retail investors. These stocks experienced a surge in price that surpassed the infamous GameStop saga, further fueling the ongoing Market frenzy. Investors are closely watching these underdog stocks as they continue to defy expectations and shake up traditional Market dynamics. Click to Claim Latest Airdrop for FREE Claim in 15 seconds Scroll Down to End of This Post const downloadBtn = document.getElementById('download-btn'); const timerBtn = document.getElementById('timer-btn'); const downloadLinkBtn = document.getElementById('download-link-btn'); downloadBtn.addEventListener('click', () => downloadBtn.style.display = 'none'; timerBtn.style.display = 'block'; let timeLeft = 15; const timerInterval = setInterval(() => if (timeLeft === 0) clearInterval(timerInterval); timerBtn.style.display = 'none'; downloadLinkBtn.style.display = 'inline-block'; // Add your download functionality here console.log('Download started!'); else timerBtn.textContent = `Claim in $timeLeft seconds`; timeLeft--; , 1000); ); Win Up To 93% Of Your Trades With The World's #1 Most Profitable Trading Indicators [ad_1] GameStop (GME) and AMC weren't the only stocks caught up in this week's meme craze. While shares of the short-lived rally's flag bearers continued to unravel Friday, smaller meme-related equities ended the week with higher gains. For example, EV-related startup Faraday Future (FFIE) soared as much as 122% Friday before crashing into red territory. The stock still gained more than 2,000% over the past five days. Over the past 24 hours, Faraday Future was the third-most-mentioned stock on Reddit's WallStreetBets forum behind the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and Nvidia (NVDA), according to web data company Thinknum. Retail trader and YouTuber Matt Kohrs told Yahoo Finance, "Similar to 2021 [during the meme rally], people seem to be targeting equities with high short interest," noting Faraday Future's short interest sits at roughly 92% of the float. Other heavily shorted stocks that were volatile during the session include Crown ElectroKinetics (CRKN). The Oregon-based smart glass micro-cap company gained more than 325% over the past five days. Greenwave Technology Solutions (GWAV) was up more than 280% for the week. The small, Virginia-based metal recycling company added to prior session gains as shares of GameStop and AMC were unraveling. MicroCloud Hologram (HOLO), a solar play, was up as much as 8% Friday while GameStop and AMC were falling to cap off a volatile week. The micro-cap rose about 21% over the past five days. This week's meme action started on Monday following the re-emergence of Keith Gill, also known as "Roaring Kitty," whose bull case on GameStop ignited the meme stock rally back in 2021. Analysts anticipated this week's action would be short-lived. "The meme stock trades tend to only occur at extremes in sentiment," Peter Atwater, president of Financial Insyghts and adjunct professor William & Mary, told Yahoo Finance earlier this week. "This is yet another mood indicator that the markets are reaching a point where we should expect some sort of a meaningful pullback," he added. On Friday, GameStop fell almost 20% after the company filed to sell 45 million new shares of common stock and revealed preliminary sales fell last quarter from the same period last year. GameStop shares ended the week with a 27% gain. AMC is up more than 50% over the past five days. Ines Ferre is a senior business reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @ines_ferre. Win Up To 93% Of Your Trades With The World's #1 Most Profitable Trading Indicators [ad_2] 1. What stocks performed better than GameStop in the meme rally? Some stocks that ripped even higher than GameStop in the meme rally were AMC Entertainment, Blackberry, and Nokia.

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[arakere]

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[arpov-blog-blog]

..."Trump Media's market valuation, just over $8 billion, is still stunning for a social media fledgling with an unproven business model that has struggled to attract users and advertisers, burned through cash and racked up losses.

“The valuation of the company should be several hundred million, not the billions it is currently valued at,” University of Florida professor Jay Ritter said.

Thursday’s slide into the red could be just the beginning, market observers say. Ritter predicts the vanity stock ticker DJT will bottom out around $2 a share – or worse.

Thursday’s slide into the red could be just the beginning, market observers say. Ritter predicts the vanity stock ticker DJT will bottom out around $2 a share – or worse.

Trump Media’s trading has mimicked meme stocks like GameStop and AMC Entertainment, which rose to improbable heights in 2021 after individual investors organized on social media platform Reddit to drive up the stock price. Those investors aimed to strike back against hedge funds that had bet against the company and shorted the stock.

“It has all the ingredients to be a volatile stock,” said Jonathan Brogaard, a finance professor at the University of Utah who has researched meme stocks.

What’s tricky is predicting when a meme stock will collapse, said Derek Horstmeyer, a finance professor at George Mason University in Virginia, who specializes in corporate finance. The only hard-and-fast rule? “Eventually, it does," Horstmeyer said."

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[yaso711]

US stocks

U.S. retail concept stocks soared, a warning signal for the end of the U.S. stock bull market?

Retail investors in the U.S. stock market, who had missed the boom in technology stocks and artificial intelligence, chose relatively "cheap" retail concept stocks, which helped push retail concept stocks soaring sharply in the past few weeks. Analysts worry that this is a warning sign for the overall rally in U.S. stocks.

The latest "retail investor concept stocks" that have been hyped include Tupperware Brands Corporation, a plastic fresh-keeping container company. The company has warned in recent months that it could go bankrupt, but that hasn't stopped U.S. retail investors from piling into the stock, sending its shares up 768% in the past two weeks.

Retail investors have bought $15 million worth of Tupperware shares since July 21, when the company had a market capitalization of $40 million, according to Vanda Research, a nearly six-fold increase since then. , reaching $239 million.

IC Markets

But the problem is that the company has warned since April that it has serious doubts about going as a going concern and has hired financial advisers to explore options. In March of this year, the company discovered that it had major internal control deficiencies, forcing it to reassess its performance outlook. On June 30, the company reached a waiver agreement with some creditors, but still forecasts illiquidity and will not be able to make interest payments on debt due in July.

There is no one alone. Shares of electric vehicle startup Nikola Corp. have rallied nearly 50% over the past three sessions. The stock has rebounded 476% from its previous bottom in the past two months, according to Vanda Research. During this period, Nikolai was mentioned a lot on social platforms such as Twitter and Stocktwits.com. Michael ORourke, chief market strategist at Jones Trading, said: "Nikola has been one of the main choices for retail investors to squeeze short, because the stock has been favored by short sellers, which has attracted a large number of retail investors to speculatively squeeze. no-op."

The most recent rally began in June, when the stock plunged below $1 on a notice of rising delisting risks from Nasdaq Inc. But since then, the stock has gone straight up, gaining 44% year-to-date. Marco Iachini, an analyst at Vanda Research, said: "In the past two months, every time Nikola has made a major move, it will be accompanied by substantial buying by retail investors."

Raw Trading Ltd

Other soaring retail concept stocks include theater operator AMC and troubled used-car retailer Carvana. Last week, net retail money flowing into Carvana reached its highest level in more than a year, while retail money flowing into AMC also reached its highest level in 11 months, according to Vanda Research. Shares of Carvana have risen about 850% so far this year.

The sharp surge of these individual stocks can be described as the epitome of the trend of retail concept stocks in the past few weeks. The Roundhill Meme ETF, an ETF built by investment firm Roundhill Investments that tracks retail concept stocks, hit a one-year high last week and is up 60% so far this year, dwarfing the roughly 18% gain of the benchmark S&P 500 over the same period, but still not as much as The NYSE FANG+ Index, which tracks large technology stocks, is up 77% so far this year. Carvana is the largest weightage of RoundhillMemeETF, accounting for nearly 5%.

According to data from Vanda Research, in July, US retail investors injected an average of US$1.27 billion into the US stock market every day, approaching the previous record of US$1.5 billion per day set in March.

Some analysts have sensed risks in the overall trend of US stocks from the recent surge in concept stocks of retail investors. Thomas Hayes, a fund manager at investment firm Great Hill Capital, said: "The animal spirits of retail investors have returned again, but this time the situation is more complicated than previous times. Behind this surge in retail concept stocks is that when the S&P index as a whole rose about At 18%, U.S. retail investors who were still hesitant to enter the market before generally carried out panic buying and chasing gains out of fear of missing the market.”

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[taegularities]

hiiiiii i need to! (you sent me here) hi, can i get a drabble for soaring high?? the only request i have is that they're in the same room together. post coital? pre? during? i don't care... i just need them.

thank you!

luv u

<3 harrow

hehe anything for you, my love !! @sugalaritae AHH ALSO, writing this made me so nostalgic for them. and he's so sexy. so thank you !! <3 –– can be read as a stand-alone!

–––

floating

pairing: Taehyung x reader fic: soaring high wc: 1.2k (oh wow) warnings: smut – rough sex, some degradation, dirty talk, finger sucking, dom!tae, big dick!tae, biting, praising... usual stuff, squirting, fingering, cum eating i guess, unprotected sex, they're actually so cute too, aftercare, feelings? maybe. and. yeah.

–––

Taehyung gave you one single rule, and to his pleasure, you keep breaking it.

As the curve of his cock penetrates your dripping walls with the familiar force for the umpteenth time, you nearly yell his name into the room. The hand pushing you face-down on his couch vanishes, the hammering of his hips growing more merciless than before.

It’s as though he wants you to scream, so he can punish you accordingly.

The large palm settles over your mouth, pressing into your face as he leans in and whispers, “Shh… I told you Jae’s sleeping… and what I’ll do… should he wake up because of you.”

Yes.

You remember what he said.

A shudder takes over your body, and you dig your fingers into the material of his couch further. When he continues his journey, your eyes roll back in their sockets, your moans muffled and your body burning from his utterly merciless thrusts.

It’s safe to say that Taehyung has become comfortable with you since he first met you on a plane weeks ago. You didn’t think you’d ever see him again; much less, that you’d find yourself kneeling on his carpet, your knees bruising, because he was too impatient to even get you on his sofa.

The fling crowning you a member of the mile high club has long advanced to a silent affair – and here you are now, bent over his furniture, a drop of sweat trailing down your face as you let him wreck you inside out.

“Pretty little slut for me, aren’t you?” he whispers, snapping his hips against yours nearly aggressively.

With whatever strength you’ve left, you nod, tears blurring your vision before you squint and let them escape slowly, one by one. Taehyung watches your dark make-up taint your cheek, black tears colouring his nimble, long fingers that still press into your face.

He loosens his grip around your cheeks, pushing your torso into the couch further as his fingers sneak their way to your aching clit and draw torturously slow circles around it. You attempt to press your legs together, but his thighs split you apart, his cock spearing your poor battered pussy.

The sensation is too much; too mind-numbing. You want to scream, want to call his name, let him pin your arms behind your back and fuck you dumb and stupid all night. But forced to keep the silence in his house, you remain as quiet as you can, losing your mind when he presses his chest against your back and states, “This must be my favourite pussy ever. I fucking swear.”

His praises never fail to fog your mind enough for you to forget your name; but despite the haziness, you still part your lips, somehow managing to utter, “‘M gonna come… more, please–”

“More, baby?”

“Please, Tae, I can’t stay qui– god, god, fuck.”

“One day,” he begins, massaging your clit harder, watching you come undone, “Jae will be… with Jimin and… I’ll make sure you can’t walk after I’m done with you, shit.”

You can barely imagine a behaviour more demonic than this, but you can’t deny that the idea lights your nerves on fire immediately. His effect on you might never falter; and if you told him, he’d never let you crawl out of his bed ever again.

Biting your lower lip, you let go finally, soaking his cock in a generous amount of your juices; you can’t see him, but you’re certain the sight must be driving him insane.

Taehyung lets out a breathy chuckle, fucking you through your orgasm, pushing your high back into your cunt as he feels your walls clench and pulsate around him. The upper half of your body sinks into the couch some more, your knees nearly buckling before he grips your hips tight.

It takes mere seconds until his movements stutter, too, and he bites into your shoulder hard, immediately trying to soothe the sting to suppress your whimper. And when he spills inside you eventually, lewd curses fall from his mouth, his body falling lazily onto yours as you hear him whisper, “Fuck… really don’t wanna fill any other cunt anymore. Princess takes me so well every single time, doesn’t she?

“You’re a demon.”

“Sorry,” he apologises, clear mock and ingenuity in his words, “I’ll be more gentle next time.”

“No, you won’t be.” Your fingers shift on the couch, tapping blindly until you reach his hands and place your palm on his wrist. “And I don’t want you to be.”

“Thought so.”

Taehyung pulls out of you without a warning, and the emptiness he leaves you with feels unfamiliar, cold. You don’t realise how wound he’s fucked you until he slides two fingers inside your cunt, toying with your nerves before he brings his digits to your mouth and says, “You’ll keep the rest inside for now, yeah?”

You nod, obliging to his silent request to open your mouth as you lick his fingers clean of your mixed orgasms. Patting your ass, he declares once more, “good girl,” before pulling you to your feet carefully.

With your eyes drooping and your body aching, you let him guide you to god knows where, your brain and limbs so exhausted that you don’t notice where you are until you hear the sudden, pleasant sound of running water. Your eyelids flutter open fully when he places his hands on your cheeks, lips touching yours for a moment before he asks, “All good, baby?”

“Mmmhm,” you mumble, chasing his mouth some more, hands wandering to his bare chest.

“Are you still with me?”

“Yeah. Yeah, ‘m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” Taehyung’s deep, reassuring voice whispers, taking your hand in his before he steps into the bathtub with you. He settles behind you, arms wrapping around your body as he kisses your hair and adds, “We’ll go to bed soon, okay? You deserve some rest.”

“Thank you… you monster.”

“Hey now,” Taehyung says, his laugh vibrating against your back as he grabs a shampoo bottle, “don’t act like you don’t like it.”

You move your head sideways, staring at his sharp features and flawless profile as you admit, “I love it. You’re insane, but so fucking hot.”

“Says you, gorgeous lady.”

He massages the shampoo into your hair and washes it off, cleaning your body carefully and gently; his touch builds a stark contrast to what he did to you in his living room. Soothing, comforting, fond.

As he plants occasional kisses on your shoulder and neck, you nearly fall into a slumber. He wipes your face clean, getting rid of any remnants of your smudged make-up before he informs you, “All done. Let’s get you to bed now, yeah?”

You yawn as he helps you get dressed, your fingers combing through your wet hair before you walk to his bedroom, your hand holding his and pulling him forward from behind you quietly. Taehyung doesn’t know what it is about you that draws him in every single time. What it is that makes him want to come back to you every day.

But when you cuddle into him in bed, pulling the blanket to your chin, he doesn’t bother figuring out what you ignite in him. Instead, he wishes you a good night, rubbing smooth circles on your back before he hugs you close and falls asleep with a smile plastered on his face.

[market-news-24]

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[mostlysignssomeportents]

$100m deli made $35k in 2019/20

If there's one thing we've learned during the lockdown, where the stock market soared even as economic activity (making and buying stuff) cratered, it's that the finance economy is totally decoupled from the real economy.

Seen in that light, the Gamestop and other meme-stock/stonks bull runs were just more of the same: the movements of the market's fickle, questing line are based on random chance and manipulation, like the movement of the ball on a roulette wheel.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/28/payment-for-order-flow/#wallstreetbets

It's a casino.

It's a rigged casino.

It's a rigged casino whose existence depends on money-laundering, fraud and other crime.

Which is the only explanation for Your Hometown Deli, a sandwich shop in New Jersey that went public in 2019 and has a current market cap of $100m.

Your Hometown Deli has grossed a total of $35,000 over the past two years. Its only full-time employees are its officers and directors. At least some of its shareholders are in Macau.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/theres-a-single-new-jersey-deli-doing-35000-in-sales-valued-at-100-million-in-the-stock-market.html

Its president is a local high-school principal and wrestling coach with no apparent food prep or retail experience. His shares are worth over $20m and he appears to be part owner of the company that leases a genuinely ugly building to the deli.

The company's VP is a local high-school math teacher. She and her boss are the company's only full-time employees and draw no salary for their work. Neither does the company's chair, who owns or is involved with mulitple Chinese and Hong Kong finance/private equity firms.

Prior to that, the chair was directing companies in New Zealand, during its period as a notorious money-launderer, heavily implicated in the Panama Papers.

All of this came to light because hedge fund manager David Einhorn raised it in a letter to his shareholders as a cautionary tale about the risks to retail investors. But whatever is going on with this $100m convenience store, it has nothing to do with retail investment.

Its shares barely trade at all. It appears that mysterious people, possibly in China and Macau and Hong Kong, decided to park $100m in a convenience store and got a couple local high-school teachers in on the bit.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/theres-a-single-new-jersey-deli-doing-35000-in-sales-valued-at-100-million-in-the-stock-market.html

This business with $35,000 in revenue over two years had $600k in expenses in 2020 and $154k in 2019. It also made $2.2m through the sale of its stock.

That's not a story about Redditors pushing the price of Gamestop and AMC through the roof - it's far more sinister-seeming

I have no idea what's going on with this sandwich shop, but I will be awfully surprised if the primary reason for all this financialization has anything at all to do with sandwiches.

[queensdivas]

Peonies Chapter 8

It has been a while since I've posted about Grigor or The Great. Y'all I have been busy with finals and another fic on archive that has been my favorite thing to write. If you've ever watched The Terror from AMC then you'll enjoy this.

But I haven't forgot about one of my favorite fics. Never.

Other than that! Here we go after weeks of not writing.

Previous Chapter

Masterlist

The idea of falling asleep after today just sounds nauseating. Seeing the horrors in front of me then coming back to my apartment for Peter wanting to kill me. Then for Grigor to storm off due to the fact that he thought I would lay with my own cousin by marriage. Yes I’m well aware that’s still a common practice amongst the Monarchs of the world but not in my book!

Turning my head to watch the flames slowly begin to die down before my eyes. The room was beginning to spiral into that infamous Russian cold. I didn’t feel like throwing another log on since part of me thinks I deserve to be in the wintry world that I have chosen to live in.

This plan for making Catherine the ruler of all Russia is becoming stale. What have we done that’s been achievable anyhow! Go to the front to feed a bunch of soldiers! You saw what happened when I alone tried to help Peter! Catherine influenced a new Patriarch yet the women of the court still find Catherine to be an annoyance. There has been absolutely no effort or somewhat change Catherine has done to make things more in her favor. God she is a child thrown into a world that she has no idea what she's doing. Although I should be guiding...but...

What good am I doing here! I feel as if I’m just now a fuck toy for Grigor to feel a womens touch since his wife is with the Emporer on a daily basis! Throwing the blanket off me to march over to the nearest vase and chuck it across the room!

A screech left my body as I cleared everything off the vanity onto the floor. I could feel the blood rushing through me for this anger to spiral out of control! This stupid country! Grabbing a book to throw it against the wall!

THIS STUPID COUNTRY!

HOW CAN ONE FUCKING BELONG TO THIS COURT!

HOW CAN ONE SINGLE HUMAN BE SUCH AN ABSOLUTE MORON! AND YES THAT HUMAN IS ME!

WHY DOESN’T HE TRUST ME!

I’M NOT HIS WIFE!

THIS STUPID GOD DAMN COUNTRY!

IT’S MAKING ME QUESTION EVERY SINGLE THREAD OF INSANITY I HAVE BECAUSE THE MAN I’M BEGINNING TO FALL FOR HAS MAJOR TRUST ISSUES! CAN’T HE SEE THAT I AM A ONE MAN ONE WOMEN SORT OF WOMAN!

YES I’M A WHORE TO A MAR….

Huh...would you look at that Chiara? All because he lit a fire under your own ass because everyone else around you stays clear of it.

I…..

I feel nothing….

Maybe the cold will make me feel something in this empty body. Grabbing the handles of the window to pull them out. They smacked against the walls for the wind to soar through my room. It flew through my hair for the first few seconds for it to stop. The cold swaddled me up but I didn’t move from the window.

I do not deserve the things I have been given in life. For I am a cold hearted bitch with almost no remorse in my actions. I could possibly kill a hundred people and proclaim it to be for the greater good. No sense of remorse or sadness.

How could Grigor want to love someone as vile as me..I am cold..evil. Someone like me doesn’t deserve the warm embrace of what love is. This lust is beginning to form into the most dangerous tool one can have in their life. For it can bring life and destroy it in a matter of seconds.

I miss his touch..the way his fingers would glide across my arm as we snuggled together on the bed. The way he kissed my forehead after a long time of making love. Him showing me his drawings and I know he’s drawing me in my sleep! It hurts to feel this sort of way! I don’t want to feel anything! This feeling is almost heart wrenching and...beautiful.

My breathing began to choke till the only warmth that was on my body was the singular tear that had escaped my eye. I’m not a crier. Though we Italians embrace our emotions and turn it into something beautiful, I think this tear is a sense of relief. If I didn’t feel anything. I wouldn’t be whimpering in front of an open window.

A gentle beat from the door echoed through my room as I didn’t even move. If Peter was sending his soldiers to kill me I get the feeling there would be no knock. Please let it be Grigor. I need to feel his touch and tell him the truth. Not all of it but at least enough that I don’t spoil my plans for Catherine.

I closed the window to hurry over to the fire and toss a log in. If it’s Grigor then he probably would prefer something a little warmer. Please him please. Grabbing my robe to put it on as I opened the door. My eyes expanded from the confusion of who was standing before me in my bed robes.

“Elizabeth?” Well if she was coming to kill me I imagine my room has some sort of secret entrance and would’ve done it in my sleep.

“I hope I didn't disturb you. I think we need to have a little chat.”

“We do?” Dear God if Peter opened his mouth about what he started and what I finished I’m going to go kill him myself!

“Yes. May I come in?” Taking a step back for the door to open. She was in her bed clothes as she noticed the mess I had made in my room.

“The work of Peter no less?” I kept my mouth shut for once waiting for her to say something more. She’s going to defend Peter as much as she can. Probably for his own father who I imagine she secretly loved. From my understanding Peter the Great was also quite promiscuous just like his mother. A family of harlots.

“I heard from Peter what happened here early today. I highly doubt that you called him a bastard since he can be quite over dramatic.” So she’s aware that he’s a sniffling bastard whose inability to rule is quite prominent.

“Not talking much tonight are you? Usually you have a comment to say if I were in here talking about Peter.”

“For once Elizabeth. I could truly give a shit about Peter and his antics. I’m not here to please him and make him happy. I’m here for Catherine and making her more comfortable with her new station.” Try not to think that we might kill her own Nephew in a good amount of time. If not by Catherine then by the military.

“You’re not angry that he was in here and wanted to kill you?” She sat down in front of the fire in the love seat for me to stand before here.

“Your nephew. My cousin by marriage is a harmless little bug in my life Elizabeth. His actions were not even worth a single drop of sweat from my brow.”

“Did the stabbing of a major General not scare you? As an outsider I thought it would have scared you horribly.”

“Not scared. More gasping which then leads to utter annoyance. I am more than capable of handling Peter when he’s in a state of anger trying to kill me. What do you even want because I would like some sort of rest.”

“Be more gentle when it comes..

“Just because his mother was a horrid woman does not excuse his actions Elizabeth! That’s saying Zeus should be considered a kind man even though he raped Leda because of his own mental state. Peter thinks of him as Zeus when in reality he is worse than Hades himself! Life is horrid Elizabeth and constantly blaming his issues on his mother is disgusting and you standing here trying to defend him holds you accountable for his actions.”

“What an interesting comparison. You are a very bright woman and that wicked tongue is able to strike anyone down.”

“I can strike down anyone with tongue and steel.” Taking in a sharp breath to walk over to a full bottle of sweet red wine.

“Would you like a glass?” Asking for her to nod. Popping off the court to grab two glasses then bringing two glasses over for us. Sitting down across from here to begin pouring her a glass. She motioned for me to stop for me to pour myself some as well.

“I apologise dear Aunt Elizabeth. I sometimes forget to catch my tongue before it falls out of my head.” We both took a long drink to the point when we were done I had to pour a little more between us.

“It’s quite alright. I’m just grateful you didn’t kill my beloved Nephew before it was too late.” Before I could answer the doors bursted open.

“Excuse me mam?” Turning to see a serf was standing by the door of my world. Did something happen to Fernanda?

“Zasha? What is it?” Elizabeth stood up from my chair to approach her.

“It’s the Emperor. He’s fallen gravely ill.” Well. That is going to solve our problems much faster than I thought it was going to happen. She wrapped herself around her robe as we began walking out of my bedroom.

“Why are you coming? I thought you despised him” She asked for me to nod but was still walking.

“We’re family by marriage. He is now my cousin whether I like it or not.” Turning the corner to see that Orlo, George...and Grigor were waiting outside the room. Splendid. I imagine his wife was ready to lay in bed yet stumbled into that mess.

“From what I’ve seen and heard it sounds bad. A lot of vomit and blood.” Orlo told us to stand next to Orlo. One of the priests that was in the room came out with the black mask on his face to then take it off before us.

“You may not enter the room. For it might be contagious till the doctor tells you differently. For he’s running a high fever, a lot of vomiting, and has been seeing strange visions. The Archbishop is there with him now. He’ll tell you more once he comes out.” Is...Is that vomit on his mask? Or...dear god. He walked past us heading down the hall towards the apartments.

“How is he?” Catherine came in with a very well detailed look of uneasiness.

“Very ill.” Elizabeth told Catherine for my eyes to drift over to Grigor. He was holding onto George but staring directly at me. Stupid man. Stupid man!

“Can we go in?” Catherine asked Orlo but I’m assuming not.

“Well everyones being kept out here.”

“In fear of contagion.” Finally looking at Grigor again for us to lock eyes for a brief instant till I turned to Catherine.

“He’s been vomiting continuously throughout the night, and he runs a high fever, and he has fits of wild delirium.”

“The Doctor and Archbishop are with him.” I told her to place my hands on her shoulder to give some comfort to this poor wife and my cousin. The door opened for a child to come out with a bowl filled with blood and vomit. Not to mention his entire body was covered head to toe in Peters upchuck...and from the smell..the back door was also used as well.

“Excuse me.” Oh the smell! Covering my nose for Grigor and I to look at one another again. He doesn’t look concerned. Is that a smile?

We all leaned into the doorway to see what was happening in there since we could only hear the sound of Peter vomiting and coughing more and more. I did the sign of the cross to hold onto my cross necklace. I don’t pray for Peter. But I pray for the Doctor inside the room that he stays safe from whatever disease has fallen upon Peter. Peter could go to hell for all I care, but I have to keep up appearances.

The Archbishop popped in the doorway for us to straighten our backs. He came out of his bedroom to close the door behind him. Grigor inched a little closer to me to the point I could sense the warmth radiating off him.

“How is he?” Grigor asked for the Archbishop to stare directly at us.

“Extremely ill. The fear is that it may be Cholera.”

“Cholera?” That’s a rough sickness. Even I wouldn’t wish that sort of death on my enemy.

“Which I suspect he will have caught from a possessed, nocturnal animal. Probably a badger.” If I ever get sick in this country I would rather just endure the ride home and die in a carriage. These doctors are not touching me with a ten foot pole!

“Where would he have come across a possessed badger?” Catherine asked thankfully. That sounds absolutely unrealistic and not how you even got Cholera. Not that I don’t know how you get Cholera but I imagine it’s not from a possessed badger.

“If it is Cholera, he will die, will he not?” Holding her a little tighter as a cue to sound a lot more concerned. You have to make it believable that you’re distraught that he might die!

“It’s a strong possibility that we must face.” Looking at Orlo who kept the same straight face he usually has.

“Oh my little man.” THE POOR BABY! I WILL WEEP WITH A BOTTLE OF WINE AND GLORIOUS MUSIC!

“The Doctor is working hard on cures. It may be something else.”

“Has he said anything? Is he talking?” Why would he be concerned if he’s talking? Grigor might as well give a shit if he truly dies or not.

“He speaks intermittently. Much of it is deranged. Said he was a wolf, and wanted to eat Swedish children for breakfast. And there was some talk of what he’d like to do to Chiara and with various ladies of the court. I’ll spare you the details.” My body ran cold for Catherine to turn and face me. The blood in my body felt as if it dried up as I wanted to vomit. Looking at Grigor as I felt so disgusted with myself.

“Before more bouts of diarrhea and vomiting.” The Archbishop went back in for Grigor to take in a deep breath.

“I will go in to see him.” Say what?

“Do not risk your life.” Elizabeth told him as he stopped in the doorway.

“I want to be there for my friend.” Bullshit! He could give an absolute shit about Peter at this point!

“I had no idea your husband was so brave, Georgina.”

“Oh yes famously so.”

“In more ways than one.” Adding into the conversation for George to turn and face me.

“Just being honest.” An angry snake she is when I add my own little comments. Settle down hypocrites.

Orlo, Catherine, and I huddled into our own group to see the expression of Catherines face change from the fake grieving widow to an excited future ruler. Must admit this is a little exciting for me as well.

“If this is Cholera, he could be dead within the day.” Orlo told us as Catherine was beginning to smile slightly but trying to control herself.

“Right. That means..”

“Yes. Yes it will be yours. You will rule Russia.” By God it’s going to actually happen.

“After all our planning..it just..”

“Falls right into your lap.” Orlo finished as the doors opened back up. The ArchBishop came out of the room to take off his mask. Remember when I said that this planning became stale? I stand corrected and I was completely wrong. This just made everything better.

“In light of this terrible situation, a meeting is being called to deal with the possible transition of power.”

“To me.” Easy Catherine. That’s a little too exciting for someone who's losing their husband.

“Indeed. It seems so. You are the next...should the worst happen.” Seems like the worst is about to happen right before them. If it’s going this quickly then I might be going home soon! Finally an end to this horrid nightmare and cesspool!

“Prepare with prayer, and the senate will be called.”

“I look forward to it.” Damn it Catherine!

“Not him dying. That is bad. And sad. And we hope for the best and a speedy recovery.” If I could slap my own face I would without making this seem like we’re excited that Peter is dying.

“God will be with us. He always is.” The Archbishop left the hall for Catherine and Orlo to talk amongst themselves. I need to talk to Grigor. I can’t stand being apart from him at nights for it is his warmth I believe that is keeping me sane. I don’t think I can tell him that I think I’m starting to love him but atleast telling him I need him is a good start.

*Grigors P.O.V.*

DIE! DIE YOU HORRIBLE HUMAN! YOU THINK YOU CAN SLEEP WITH MY OWN LOVE BECAUSE YOU’RE THE EMPEROR! DIE DIE DIE! I WILL KILL YOU AND WILL LIVE PEACEFULLY IN MY OWN LIFE!

Removing the pillow to see that he was still breathing! Bastard! Slamming the pillow back onto him to push down even further in hopes that I might finish the job! Just die! How hard is it to kill someone who's already dying! Talking about Chiara as if she’s just a common peasant!

“What are you doing!?” George yelled as I continued to push down harder and harder.

“What is right and you know it George! I have to do something!”

“Fuck!” George pulled me back as we stopped to see Peter was still breathing. Dragging me from his bed towards the middle of his room.

“I was given the choice to be a man or a child! I’ve decided to become a man for the sake of my sanity!”

“You poisoned him?”

“Arsenic. From the wall in his borscht!” Feeling the cold slap from George as she was in full rage of my actions.

“What happens to us when he’s dead? Think what Peter provides for us!”

“You...you..”

“You’re a stupid fool Grigor!” She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Our situation is complex. Yet also simple! We have a safe life with Peter! Luxury, security, a place in court. Who’s he gonna be replaced by? Catherine!? We’re nothing to her! What happens to us then? Not to mention Chiara is making it much more difficult to handle this situation. No thanks to you!”

“So you may have a lover but I may not!” I love Chiara and this marriage is non-existent!

“Grigor?” Peter called for me as I turned to see him barely awake and moving. Say something George! You hypocritical bitch say something!

“We’re here.” George, like a mother goose, flew to Peter's aid. Well. It’s very clear now on where my life stands now. George has made her bed and it is time for me to make my own with a Duchess who isn’t afraid to get the job done when it needs to be done.

Letting go of the pillow to march out of the room and slamming the doors shut. Taking in a few deep breaths to calm myself before scampering off to Chiara. Chiara? Where is she? Perhaps in her chambers!

It was like seeing a light at the end of the tunnel heading to her apartment! The outline of the room was glowing before my eyes. Chiara..my love. The only woman in this world that can make my knees buckle to bow at her feet. That fire is intoxicating to the point that I might die of happiness.

Slamming the door open to see Chiara was in front of the flames looking directly into them. Her head slowly turned to face me with a somber look. A bottle of wine sitting next to her looked thoroughly used. Oh my precious flame. Closing the door to sit down next to her as she went back into looking into the fire.

“I placed my blade against his neck threatening to take his life away. Why didn’t I slice it open? Tell me why I didn’t Grigor?” She asked for me to place my hand on her cheek.

“What happened before I came in?”

“He was mad that I helped Velementov at the front for strategy. He drew a sword on me and I fought back. I won and threatened him that if he were to ever draw his sword on me that I would win. I...I should’ve sliced his throat open and strung him up as if he was game to place on my wall.” I feel like I should tell her that I’m the one that poisoned him. That he is dying in his own bed because the world would be better without him! She was literally going to kill him before I even came into the room!

“Chiara. I’m the one who caused him to become ill. I poisoned him in the borscht while he was eating dinner.” Her expression was the same as before till it clicked in her mind. Her entire face went from a beautiful red to a ghostly white in a matter of seconds.

“Holy shit..” She whispered to turn her attention to the fire. Is she going to tell Catherine? Not that Catherine might care much but what if she does? Would she tell the court? No...no what have I done!

“I would ask why but that..oh my god.” Turning her head to face me as I gulped.

“If it helps, I did it for you. For us..for everyone in the court that his idiocy will go away.” Her lips were slightly open with her breathing beginning to rise.

That lovely color began returning to her cheek as she climbed on top of me and wrapped herself around me. Those entrancing lips striked against mine as my hands traveled up her back to pull her shirt. She stopped to place her index finger on my lips.

“For you committing such a horrendous act. Allow me.” Removing her finger to place a kiss on my lips, to my cheek, then right underneath my jaw line. I could see the stars from how well she was working those luscious lips. Her hand gripped my cock to start playing it through my pants. God her touch. It’s almost too delicious to even allow. My eyes rolled back for me to lay down on the rug for her kisses to start moving down my body.

I love her...I hope that she knows that I would kill an army for her without regret...

~~~

@mirkwoodshewolf @bonafiderocketqueen @johndeaconshands

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels @amethyst-serenade @radio-ha-ha@i-have-a-wonky-eye-too @deck-heart @actuallyanita @the-baby-bookworm @ewanmcgregors​ @panagiasikelia​

[lady-divine-writes]

Kurtbastian one-shot “Right Where We Belong” (Rated NC17)

Summary: After they return to the states, Kurt and Sebastian go on a tour of America, hitting all the touristy sites Sebastian remembers visiting with his mother during his childhood. They hit the Grand Canyon, where Kurt discovers that even though he may not be the 'camping' type, he's definitely the 'sex in a tent' type. (1566 words)

Part of the Deliver Me series

Read on AO3.

Kurt didn’t necessarily abhor the outdoors, but he and nature didn’t always see eye to eye. A walk in the park or a Sunday jaunt through a road-side farmer’s market were fine outings for him. On the rare occasion, he’d agree to a hike … if they were headed to a five-star restaurant on the top of a hill, provided that hill was located in a vineyard. The outdoors outdoors, where animals and insects lived and did their business, was a horse of a different color entirely. No roughin’ it for Kurt Hummel, no camping, and definitely no sleeping in a tent.

But sex outdoors … that, he discovered, was something he enjoyed doing.

He loved every second of it, even if, in this instance, it came hand and hand with camping … in a tent.

They had set up the tent together … sort of. Sebastian had the expertise of a practiced survival specialist while Kurt stepped in a hole that turned out to be a den, tripped twice over the same log, then tied his right hand to a guide pole. After that, he decided to sit the rest of the tent construction out, nursing his wounded pride. While Kurt wallowed in his ineptitude, Sebastian managed to snap a beautiful photograph of him, backlit by the setting sun, arms wrapped around one leg as he gazed out over the canyon.

For Sebastian, capturing that moment was more than worth the manual labor that preceded and followed it.

Sebastian inflated their mattress, then rolled out their sleeping bags. He extended a hand to Kurt, raising his eyebrows suggestively, soft but hungry green eyes beckoning, asking Kurt wordlessly to make love to him.

In a tent.

At first, Kurt was not that receptive.

Moments after getting settled, the quiet of night falling around them, the music of crickets filling the air, the two men came to the same conclusion at the exact same time.

They needed one another.

Sebastian had become expert at peeling Kurt out of his jeans, and Kurt swooned at the speed in which Sebastian managed to have him completely undressed and straddling his hips. For Kurt’s part, he swiftly rolled a condom onto Sebastian’s cock while Sebastian watched. Gone was the shy violet he had been, fingers trembling over performing such an intimate act, especially with Sebastian’s gaze following him so closely.

No.

Kurt relished the feeling of Sebastian’s eyes focused on his hands as the condom covered his length and Kurt coated him liberally with lube. Meanwhile, Sebastian absorbed the beauty of Kurt poised over his erection and sinking slowly down, his body accommodating, muscles twitching as he moved, eyes squeezed shut as he became accustomed to the stretch.

The feeling of being so perfectly full.

Riding Sebastian gave Kurt an enormous sense of power. His gorgeous Sebastian laid out beneath him, gazing up at him, eyes shining, blown with lust but overwhelmed with love. This was a view no one else got but Kurt.

And he intended on holding onto that view with white-knuckled fists.

“Tell me,” Kurt panted, moving sinuously up and down, “why we didn’t do this earlier?”

Sebastian moaned when Kurt leaned over him, swallowing his gasps as he captured Sebastian’s mouth.

“If I remember … Oh, God, Kurt!... if I remember correctly, you said … absolutely … and in hmmph! … in no uncertain terms … no tents … no dirt … no creepy crawlies … no nature …”

“Well …” Kurt arched his back when Sebastian grabbed his hips, holding him still while he pounded up into him “… I was wrong! I was so so so so wrong!”

Sweat beaded along Kurt’s shoulders, in stark contrast to the bitter cold around them, steadily heating up with every hitched breath, every moan. Sebastian loved watching Kurt this way - so free, so abandoned, allowing himself this single moment of obliviousness to the goings on in the world around them. They became one when they were together like this, like vines tangled forming a single entity, seeking out the sun.

Sebastian held onto Kurt’s hips relentlessly, not allowing him to move or squirm away. Once Kurt realized there was no hope of taking back control, he surrendered to Sebastian thrusting up into him, hands scrabbling over Sebastian’s chest, his abs, looking for anywhere to hold.

Sebastian knew Kurt - knew him intellectually, knew him intimately. He had invested more time on Kurt than he had on anyone – learning how to touch him, how to hold him, where to kiss him, when to move slow and sensually, when to go fast and hard.

Now was definitely a time for fast and hard, for fingernails biting into his milky flesh, for eyes locked on Kurt’s face as Kurt’s cheeks flushed and his eyes grew wide.

Time for that one thing that always tipped Kurt over the edge.

“Oh my, God, gorgeous. I love you ...”

It wasn’t lip service. Sebastian meant it. Every time, he meant it. And the more he said it, the truer it became.

Sebastian reached a shaking hand to grasp Kurt’s neglected cock but Kurt didn’t need it. The sound of Sebastian’s voice alone was more than enough to overwhelm him, fire him from within and send heat shooting through his veins. Kurt came, shuddering in Sebastian’s grip, mumbling and gasping, hands threading through his own hair, pulling gently. But Sebastian - focused so hard on Kurt’s pleasure - wasn’t quite there, wasn’t quite ready.

Until he saw Kurt fall apart above him - the tightening of his abs, the straining of his thighs, his voice going thready … then non-existent. After that erotic display, there was no hope of Sebastian prolonging his own orgasm any longer. He felt himself dissolving into Kurt’s body, filling up the condom, longing for a day when barriers between them would no longer be necessary.

Sebastian felt high inside Kurt’s body, addicted, though his own personal experimentation stopped at two failed attempts at smoking weed and more alcohol than he was proud of. But this feeling of ecstasy, this soaring-through-the-sky-while-losing-all-your-breath spin that he felt in his head right now, had to be close, because all that registered was a vague feeling that he might pass out. But he didn’t mind. In fact, he wanted more of it. He wanted to get high off of Kurt, even if it destroyed him.

Kurt, however, looked strangely sullen, eyes downcast, cheeks wet with errant tears.

Sebastian reached for Kurt, who slid off his cock carefully and into his lover’s arms. “What’s wrong, gorgeous?”

“Nothing. Nothing should be wrong. It’s just … sometimes I get so afraid that this …” Kurt gestured between the two of them “… isn’t real. It’s all a dream, and I’m going to wake up, and everything will have gone back to the start. I’ll be … I’ll be with him and …”

“Shhh.” Sebastian threaded his fingers into Kurt’s hair, scratching lightly at his scalp with blunt nails. “You don’t have to explain. I’m sorry.” He hummed softly, trying to bring Kurt back from those memories of hurt and entrapment in the arms of the man who treated him so cruelly.

“It seems so much like a fairy tale sometimes,” Kurt continued. “Being with you. And all fairy tales eventually end.”

“Yeah, but don’t they usually end in happily ever after?”

Kurt lifted his head, watching Sebastian’s eyes return from wide and lust blown to the soothing soft green color he adored.

“How can you be so sure?” Kurt asked. “My fairy tale with Blaine didn’t.”

“Well, from what I hear, that was less a fairy tale and more an angsty CW drama. Besides, I know the end to this story.”

“But how do you know?” Kurt pressed, his voice thick with anxiety, uncertain about the future. Most people were in the same boat, but Kurt - he’d been living a life he’d designed meticulously after high school, and it seemed to be heading that way without a hitch. But then, out of nowhere, it got flipped upside down.

As a consequence, he didn’t trust his own instincts anymore.

Kurt didn’t believe in God. He’d told Sebastian it seemed too cruel to imagine an all powerful being controlling everything who would choose to allow the kind of things that had happened to him happen and why? Because he broke some rule about sharing his peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he was four? Because he chose to watch AMC Theater every Sunday morning instead of getting dressed up and going to church?

Because he was gay?

But the truth was, even if there weren’t an almighty creator guiding people’s steps, and even with all of his logic and planning, that didn’t mean his life couldn’t be randomly derailed by a speeding train.

He needed security.

“I just do,” Sebastian said. “Don’t ask how,” he added when Kurt started to argue. “Top secret. It’s classified. But between then and now, there are so many chapters for us to write.”

“Us?” Kurt repeated, but it came out like a question whether he meant it to or not.

“Of course ‘us’, gorgeous.” Sebastian kissed Kurt’s forehead, covering him in the sleeping bag and sighing when Kurt laid his head over his chest, right above his heart. “We are the end of the story, my love. We belong together.”

[latinbossboy9]

Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

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Tag: Social networks

Ninth Circuit Panel Rejects Claim that Twitter Misled Investors

Posted by Neal A. Potischman, Edmund Polubinski, and Micayla Hardisty, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, on 

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Cybersecurity, Disclosure, Privacy, Securities enforcement, Securities fraud, Securities litigation, Social networks, Twitter, U.S. federal courts

More from: David Toscano, Edmund Polubinski, Micayla Hardisty, Neal Potischman, Davis Polk

Neal A. Potischman and Edmund Polubinski are partners and Micayla Hardisty is an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. This post is based on a Davis Polk memorandum by Mr. Potischman, Mr. Polubinski, Ms. Hardisty, and David B. Toscano.

The Ninth Circuit last week issued a decision confirming that companies working through product-specific issues do not need to provide investors with “real-time updates” about every aspect of the work. A panel of three judges wrote, “While society may have become accustomed to being instantly in the loop about the latest news . . . , our securities laws do not impose a similar requirement.”

On March 23, 2022, in Weston Family Partnership v. Twitter, Inc., et al., a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a complaint against Twitter and certain of its executives alleging securities fraud under §§ 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rule 10b-5.

In a passage that is sure to be cited by defendants in the future in cases alleging selective disclosure of information, the panel ruled that “[s]ecurities laws . . . do not require real-time business updates or complete disclosure of all material information whenever a company speaks on a particular topic. To the contrary, a company can speak selectively about its business so long as its statements do not paint a misleading picture.” (Op. at 5.)

The case arose from public statements that Twitter made about a product it offers to advertisers. Twitter has historically gathered user data and then shared that data with advertisers so that they may tailor ads to different users. In 2017, Twitter began allowing users to opt out of this data sharing.

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GameStop and the Reemergence of the Retail Investor

Posted by Jill E. Fisch (University of Pennsylvania), on 

Friday, April 8, 2022

Behavioral finance, Consumer protection, Financial technology, Innovation, Investor protection, Retail investors, Securities regulation, Social media, Social networks

More from: Jill Fisch

Jill E. Fisch is the Saul A. Fox Distinguished Professor of Business Law and co-Director of the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. This post is based on her recent paper, forthcoming in the Boston University Law Review.

The GameStop trading frenzy in 2021 marked the reemergence of the retail investor in the securities markets. An unprecedented number of new and largely inexperienced investors opened app-based brokerage accounts and began trading so-called meme stocks issued by companies that included GameStop, AMC and Express. Interest in these stocks, which was fueled by postings on social media, led to high levels of market volatility and charges of market manipulation. The price of GameStop alone soared from less than $4/share to a high of $483/share. During the course of the frenzy, several hedge funds that shorted the meme stocks suffered significant trading losses, at least one retail-oriented brokerage firm faced dramatically increased capital requirements forcing it to limit trading temporarily, regulators demanded information, and Congress held four hearings to determine what happened and whether regulatory reforms were warranted.

My paper, GameStop and the Reemergence of the Retail Investor, forthcoming in the Boston University Law Review, recounts the story behind the GameStop frenzy. It identifies key factors contributing to the reemergence of retail trading, the focus on meme stocks, and the growing power of social media. The GameStop frenzy was distinctive in that it reflected not just stock purchases by a substantial number of retail investors, but the demonstrable impact of those purchases on capital market pricing and volatility. This impact was facilitated by a decline in traditional barriers to capital market participation such as user-friendly brokerage apps, zero-commission trading, and the ability of small investors to purchase fractional shares. An unprecedented use of social media fueled retail engagement in the market even as it has raised questions about the wisdom of investors relying on social media posts to inform their investing decisions. Although the GameStop frenzy may be a product of the times, driven by the confluence of the pandemic lockdown, the liquidity of stimulus checks and the lure of virtual confetti, the reemergence of direct retail investors offers the prospect of a fundamental change in the capital markets. As such, it raises new regulatory questions.

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Social Contagion and the Survival of Diverse Investment Styles

Posted by David Hirshleifer (USC), Andrew W. Lo (MIT Sloan), and Ruixun Zhang (Peking University), on 

Friday, April 1, 2022

Behavioral finance, Institutional Investors, Investor horizons, Market conditions, Peer groups, Social networks

More from: Andrew Lo, David Hirshleifer, Ruixun Zhang

David Hirshleifer is the Robert G. Kirby Chair in Behavioral Finance and Professor of Finance and Business Economics at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business; Andrew W. Lo is the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management; and Ruixun Zhang is Assistant Professor and Boya Young Fellow at Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences, Center for Statistical Science, and Laboratory for Mathematical Economics and Quantitative Finance. This post is based on their recent paper.

There is evidence of social contagion of investment behavior in financial markets that does not derive from rational information processing. Given recent developments in information technology and the growth of social networks, it is important to incorporate the influence of contagion via social interactions when studying economic and financial behavior. To better capture these dynamics, the Efficient Markets Hypothesis can be complemented by the Darwinian perspective of natural selection on investment strategies.

In a recent working paper, we model bias in the transmission of ideas among investors to analyze the evolutionary consequences of competing investment styles. We consider a market in which each investor has a propensity to invest in one of two investment styles. We refer to this propensity as the investor’s investment philosophy. Investors with higher realized returns produce more “offspring” in the next period of the model by transmitting their ideas to other investors via social interaction. Selection results in differential survival of investors’ behavioral traits, i.e., their investment philosophies.

A basic stylized fact about modern financial markets is that numerous competing investment styles coexist. Examples include value versus growth, momentum versus contrarianism, large-cap stocks versus small-cap stocks, diversification versus stock-picking, domestic versus global, technical versus fundamental, and so on. The rapidly evolving hedge fund sector is a good example of an industry with widely varying investment styles. We show that the survival of diversity is a consequence of general principles of evolution in the face of risk.

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The Purpose of a Finance Professor

Posted by Alex Edmans (London Business School), on 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Business school, Information environment, Innovation, Reputation, Risk-taking, Social networks

More from: Alex Edmans

Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. This post is based on his recent paper, forthcoming in Financial Management.

My paper, The Purpose of a Finance Professor (forthcoming in Financial Management), is a write-up of a keynote speech that I gave at the Financial Management Association 2021 Annual Meeting. I decided to give a keynote on an unusual topic because I believe that the academic finance profession has the potential to be uniquely purposeful due to four characteristics—the freedom to take risks and work on what we’re passionate about, the loyalty to our profession rather than just our institution, the collaborative nature of the creation and dissemination of knowledge, and the magnitude of our potential impact. However, what the profession currently values, and its current social norms, are significant barriers to the fulfilment of this potential. The goal of the talk, and the accompanying article, is to highlight the special features of our profession that we often take for granted and ignore, and propose ideas to make it not only more impactful and relevant, but also more collegial and fun.

There are many generic talks on how to have a purposeful career that aim to apply across all professions. I thus focus on the above four dimensions because they are special to the academic finance profession—although some may apply to other academic disciplines beyond finance, and a few even to non-academic professions.

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SPAC IPOs and Sponsor Network Centrality

Posted by Fangzhou Lu (University of Hong Kong), on 

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

IPOs, Mergers & acquisitions, Social networks, SPACs, Special purpose vehicles

More from:

Fangzhou Lu is Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Hong Kong Business School. This post is based on a recent paper authored by Mr. Lu; Chen Lin, Stelux Professor in Finance at the University of Hong Kong Business School; Roni Michaely, Professor of Finance at the University of Hong Kong Business School; and Shihua Qin, Research Postgraduate Student at the University of Hong Kong Business School.

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs)—the shell companies whose sole purpose is to identify a private firm to merge with—have become an increasingly important channel for firms to raise money. In 2020, for instance, in the U.S. alone, 248 SPAC IPOS raised $83.4 billion, much more than that raised by traditional IPOs. However, SPACs are also known for underperforming after the acquisition. Since the identity of the merged firm is not known prior to the IPO, and there is little other advance information, investors must place their trust in SPAC sponsors. And here, our research shows there are discernible factors that can indicate the relative success of a SPAC.

SPAC sponsors are more important than in traditional IPOs because, similar to the role of VC��s general partners, investors give them a “blank check” and rely on them to invest it wisely later. The sponsors are also subject to few checks and balances, and a large part of their compensation is not tied to long-term performance, hence increasing the likelihood of less successful deals. All this means that the credentials, reputation, and quality of SPAC sponsors, which we measure using their network centrality, can be essential to a SPAC IPO’s eventual success. Network centrality measures how connected managers are, the extent to which they can exert influence in a social network, and the ability to obtain information. Finally, high network centrality signals to investors that the sponsors have some recognition of success and are regarded as trustworthy by others. These features make network centrality a good proxy for the reputation, experience, and quality of SPACs sponsors. Our research shows that the strength and extent of sponsors’ network connections in the private equity and venture capital industries is a major predictor of their performance. Sponsors with high network centrality are associated with better IPO fundraising, better acquisition targets, and better long-run stock returns, as well as the significantly higher operational performance of the target firm post-merger.

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Getting Schooled: The Role of Universities in Attracting Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Posted by Natee Amornsiripanitch (Yale), Paul A. Gompers (Harvard Business School), and Kaushik Vasudevan (Yale), on 

Friday, May 28, 2021

Entrepreneurs, Human capital, International governance, Labor markets, Social capital, Social networks, Tech companies, Venture capital firms

More from: George Hu, Kaushik Vasudevan, Natee Amornsiripanitch, Paul Gompers

Natee Amornsiripanitch is a PhD candidate in Financial Economics at Yale School of Management; Paul A. Gompers is Eugene Holman Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School; and Kaushik Vasudevan is a PhD candidate in Financial Economics at Yale School of Management. This post is based on recent paper authored by Mr. Amornsiripanitch, Mr. Gompers, Mr. Vasudevan, and George Hu.

Immigrants play a vital role in innovation activities and entrepreneurship. Given the substantial contribution of immigrants in these areas, a set of natural questions arise: what are the pathways that high-skilled immigrants take to arrive in the United States and how has the importance of these pathways changed over time? What are important institutions that serve as gatekeepers for high-skilled immigrants and does it affect the types of immigrant founders that come to the United States? Do certain parts of the United States benefit disproportionately from high-skilled immigration, and if so, what are some factors that contribute to these benefits? The answers to these questions have important implications for designing immigration policy and regulation which have become increasingly acrimonious topics in public discourse. They also have important implications for firms and universities which recruit talent from abroad and the communities that hope to promote vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems.

In this paper, we seek to address the questions that we raise by leveraging a combination of unique datasets that allows us to identify immigrant entrepreneurs and to more closely study their backgrounds. Particularly, we combine a dataset from Infutor, which enables us to proxy for the immigration status of individuals in the United States, with VentureSource, a workhorse dataset for the study of VC ecosystem, which contains detailed information on the near universe of venture capital-backed startups in the United States. We supplement these data with hand-collected information on the education and fields of study and prior work experience for entrepreneurs in our sample. Combined, these data provide a detailed source of information that we take advantage of to understand the pathways that high-skilled immigrants take towards entrepreneurship.

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All the President’s Friends: Political Access and Firm Value

Posted by Jeffrey R. Brown and Jiekun Huang (University of Illinois), on 

Monday, December 7, 2020

Donald Trump, Firm performance, Management, Social capital, Social networks

More from: Jeffrey Brown, Jiekun Huang

Jeffrey R. Brown is Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor of Business and Dean of the College of Business and Jiekun Huang is an associate professor of finance and Vernon Zimmerman Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business. This post is based on their recent paper, forthcoming in the Journal of Financial Economics.

Access to political decision-makers is a scarce resource because politicians and their aides have limited time and can only interact with a limited set of people. Gaining political access can be of significant value for corporations, particularly because governments play an increasingly prominent role in influencing firms. Governments affect economic activities not only through regulations but also by playing the role of customers, financiers, and partners of firms in the private sector. There is ample anecdotal evidence suggesting that firms benefit from gaining access to powerful politicians. For example, a Wall Street Journal (2015) article claims that Google executives’ frequent visits to the White House were instrumental in the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to drop its antitrust investigation of the company. Gaining and maintaining access to influential policymakers can be an important source of competitive advantage for companies. Yet despite the importance of political access for firms, the allocation of political access across firms and its effects on firm value remains underexplored.

In our paper, All the President’s Friends: Political Access and Firm Value, published in the Journal of Financial Economics, we investigate the characteristics of firms with political access as well as the valuation effects of political access for corporations. Using a data set of White House visitor logs, we identify top corporate executives of S&P 1500 firms that have face-to-face meetings with high-level federal government officials. We examine two fundamental questions associated with political access. First, how prevalent is political access—in the literal form of meetings with influential policymakers—and what are the characteristics of firms with access to politicians? Second, does political access increase firm value, and if so, through what channels?

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Addressing the Challenge of Board Racial Diversity

Posted by Cydney Posner, Cooley LLP, on 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Board composition, Board dynamics, Board leadership, Boards of Directors, Diversity, ESG, Social networks, Surveys

More from: Cydney Posner

Cydney S. Posner is special counsel at Cooley LLP. This post is based on a Cooley memorandum by Ms. Posner. Related research from the Program on Corporate Governance includes Politics and Gender in the Executive Suite by Alma Cohen, Moshe Hazan, and David Weiss (discussed on the Forum here).

After taking up the challenge of increasing board gender diversity, companies are now increasingly facing the challenge of achieving board racial diversity. Recent social unrest over systemic racial injustice has pushed racial inequity into sharp relief, leading many companies to consider actions they could take to implement the needed systemic transformation. Because, as it’s often said, change starts at the top, one approach has been to increase the number of African-Americans represented on boards. This recent paper in the Harvard Business Review asks “Why Do Boards Have So Few Black Directors?” And the “Black Corporate Directors Time Capsule Project,” a survey undertaken by Barry Lawson Williams, a retired director who has served on 14 corporate boards, seeks to “capture the experiences” of 50 seasoned Black directors “for the benefit of the next generation of Black corporate directors.” The survey, which in part addresses the issue of recruitment of Black directors, is also replete with other great observations and advice, too extensive to cover in full here, including advice for aspiring directors.

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Kill Zone

Posted by Sai Krishna Kamepalli, Raghuram Rajan, and Luigi Zingales (University of Chicago), on 

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Acquisitions, Innovation, Mergers & acquisitions, Social media, Social networks, Tech companies

More from: Luigi Zingales, Raghuram Rajan, Sai Krishna Kamepalli

Sai Krishna Kamepalli is a Research Professional; Raghuram Rajan is the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance; and Luigi Zingales is the Robert C. McCormack Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, all at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. This post is based on their recent paper.

There is a growing worry that digital platforms (multi-sided markets that offer digital services to customers, often for free, in exchange for data) might be gaining market power, distorting competition, and slowing innovation. A specific concern is that such platforms might acquire any potential competitors, dissuading others from entering, and thus preventing innovation from serving as the competitive threat that is traditionally believed to keep monopoly incumbents on their toes. In a sense, such platforms create a “Kill Zone” around their areas of activity. Yet, this decline in the raw numbers could be driven by other concurrent factors. Most importantly, the idea that acquisitions discourage new investments is at odds with a standard economic argument; if incumbents pay handsomely to acquire new entrants, why should entry be curtailed? Why would the prospect of an acquisition not be an extra incentive for entrepreneurs to enter the space, in the hope of being acquired at hefty multiples?

In this paper we argue that this standard economic argument relies critically on the value at which firms are acquired being adequate compensation for innovation. This may not hold in the context of acquisitions by digital platforms, because the economics of digital platforms differ significantly from the neoclassical economics of firms taught in standard textbooks.  To show this, we build a simple model of platform competition that contains the key novel ingredients present in this space: First, they are two-sided in that one side faces advertisers while the other side provides customers a service, which is often priced at zero. As a result, there isn’t any price competition on the customer side. Second, there are important network externalities on the customer side of the market. Third, some customers face switching costs.

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Going the Distance

Posted by Ron Harris (Tel Aviv University), on 

Monday, February 24, 2020

Corporate forms, England, Europe, International governance, Legal history, Netherlands, Social networks, UK

More from: Ron Harris

Ron Harris is a Professor of Legal History at the Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel-Aviv University. This post is based on his recent book, Going the Distance (Princeton University Press).

In my recently published book Going the Distance: Eurasian Trade and the Rise of the Business Corporation, 1400–1700 (published by Princeton University Press as part of its The Princeton Economic History of the Western World)  I explains why the business corporation first developed in the context of long-distance Eurasian trade, why around the year 1600, why only in England and the Dutch Republic. I also assert that four of the major attributes of the modern business corporation, joint-stock equity finance, lock-in of investment, transferability of interest and protection from expropriation by rulers, were designed in this formative period. Only two attributes, separate legal personality and collective decision making appeared in the pre- 1600 non-business corporation while limited liability, was formulated in a later period. In order to study the formative period in the history of the business corporation, the 17th century, I expanded my research to earlier centuries and to other regions of Eurasia.

Around the year 1400, long-distance oceanic and overland trade along the Eurasian landmass was still mostly conducted over short trajectories. Porcelain, making its way from China to the Middle East or Europe, changed hands many times in various ports in the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea and its gulfs. Silk and spices were exchanged between merchants in oases along the overland Silk Route. Merchants from several major regions of Eurasia—Chinese, Indian, Persian, Arab—and from a number of ethnic groups, such as Jews and Armenians, were major players in this high-value trade in tropical goods. Europeans were marginal to this commerce.

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[taegularities]

Soaring High!Tae/OC have you two seen each other since? Do you think about each other if not?

SH!Tae: "Things were a little hectic, especially since work piled up after coming back from vacation. And then taking care of Jae... but when everything settled a little, I called her and we went on a museum date together! I absolutely adore everything she has to say."

SH!OC: "He told me he'd been thinking of me a lot, even when he was busy. And I must admit, even I couldn't get these twelve hours out of my head, so I turned into a nervous mess when he called, let me tell you !!"

ask my characters <3

[market-news-24]

GameStop's stock has dropped by a whopping 30% as the meme rally that boosted the company's shares is starting to lose steam. Investors who were caught up in the hype are now seeing their investments plummet. This sudden decline serves as a stark reminder of the volatility of meme stocks and the risks associated with following internet trends in the stock Market. Click to Claim Latest Airdrop for FREE Claim in 15 seconds Scroll Down to End of This Post const downloadBtn = document.getElementById('download-btn'); const timerBtn = document.getElementById('timer-btn'); const downloadLinkBtn = document.getElementById('download-link-btn'); downloadBtn.addEventListener('click', () => downloadBtn.style.display = 'none'; timerBtn.style.display = 'block'; let timeLeft = 15; const timerInterval = setInterval(() => if (timeLeft === 0) clearInterval(timerInterval); timerBtn.style.display = 'none'; downloadLinkBtn.style.display = 'inline-block'; // Add your download functionality here console.log('Download started!'); else timerBtn.textContent = `Claim in $timeLeft seconds`; timeLeft--; , 1000); ); Win Up To 93% Of Your Trades With The World's #1 Most Profitable Trading Indicators [ad_1] GameStop stock (GME) took a hit on Wednesday, dropping by 30% as the meme stock rally began to show signs of waning. This decline followed a two-day surge in which the video game retailer's shares soared by over 180%. Similarly, AMC also saw a decline of up to 27% after a 95% increase in the previous two days. Other heavily shorted stocks that experienced drops on Wednesday included SunPower (SPWR), Beyond Meat (BYND), and the Children's Place (PLCE). The resurgence of Keith Gill, also known as "Roaring Kitty," sparked the recent surge in GameStop shares, reminiscent of the meme stock rally of 2021. Although the recent trading activity echoes the events of early 2021, it has not reached the same magnitude as the previous rally, which saw GameStop stock rise by 1,500% before a sharp decline. However, short interest in GameStop remained high, with nearly 24% of its float being shorted. Despite warnings from Wall Street strategists about the sustainability of the current enthusiasm, the "meme trade" continues to drive short covering and stock volatility. The meme frenzy of 2021 attracted an army of retail traders, but the current Market dynamics appear to be different, with a focus on the clash between the "little guy" and the "big guy." YouTuber Matt Kohrs emphasized the symbolic significance of GameStop in the populist movement against perceived Market injustices. He highlighted the shift in psychology among traders, noting a growing sense of empowerment and defiance against the traditional financial elite. The latest developments in the stock Market and the ongoing saga of meme stocks like GameStop and AMC continue to captivate investors and analysts alike. Stay tuned for further updates on the ever-evolving dynamics of the Market. Win Up To 93% Of Your Trades With The World's #1 Most Profitable Trading Indicators [ad_2] 1. Why did GameStop stock drop by 30%? GameStop's stock dropped due to the fading of the meme rally that boosted its price. 2. Is it a good time to buy GameStop stock now? It depends on your investment strategy and risk tolerance, as the stock Market can be unpredictable. 3. Will GameStop stock bounce back after this drop? It's hard to predict the future of stock prices, but GameStop's stock has been known to experience sharp fluctuations. 4. How did the meme rally affect GameStop's stock price? The meme rally, driven by social media hype and online communities, caused a surge in GameStop's stock price which later dropped significantly. 5. What should investors consider before buying GameStop stock? Investors should consider their financial goals, risk tolerance, and conduct thorough research before investing in any stock, including GameStop.

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