☕️ Don’t kid yourself when it comes to Palantir

Howdy! 👋 

How predictable. 

The markets are still on track for monthly gains but have gone red as a shutdown looms in the early going. 

Lawmakers have until midnight tonight to strike a deal and avoid a government shutdown, but odds aren’t good. US Veep JD Vance said yesterday in no uncertain terms that the U.S. is “headed to a shutdown.” 

Prediction markets agree.  

Polymarket now puts the odds at 73%, Kalshi at 71%, and some traders are betting the probability is as high as 86%. 

Here’s what you really want to think about. 

Profit potential never shuts down even if Washington does. 

Always remember this Keithism or bit of FitzWitz if you prefer. 

Chaos creates opportunity, which means the more of the former there is the more of the latter you have! 

Here’s my playbook. 

1 – Hertz and Amazon just stuck it to car dealers 

Hertz just teamed up with Amazon to sell cars directly to consumers. (Read) 

Shares of Hertz jumped on the news — and for good reason. The rental company resells a couple hundred thousand cars a year in the U.S. alone, worth billions. This deal puts every one of those vehicles in front of Amazon’s massive audience. 

That’s a problem for traditional dealers.  

Many folks don’t realize it or have never thought about it, but rental fleets like Hertz already buy cars in bulk at discounts. Now the company can undercut dealerships even further — and do it at scale by pairing with Amazon. 

Amazon has been trying to crack the car business for decades.  

As much as I think Amazon can’t get out of its own way lately, this is a brilliant move. It still pales in comparison to Tesla’s model but that’s a story for another time. 

In this case Hertz provides the wheels while Amazon the consumer reach, software and financing. Dealers, meanwhile, are left with the worst of both worlds: higher competition and less pricing power. 

Long HTZ which just also completed a $425M offering to “transform” itself? 

LEAPs could also work nicely. 

Hmmm. 🤔 

2 – JPM for the win! 

News is out this morning that JPM Chase intends to be the world’s first fully AI-powered megabank. (Read) 

The vision is audacious: every employee with an AI assistant, every back-office process automated, and every client interaction handled by an AI concierge. 

Chief data analytics officer Derek Waldron says the firm is being “fundamentally rewired” for the AI era. Their in-house platform — LLM Suite — taps OpenAI and Anthropic, refreshing every eight weeks as it ingests more of JPMorgan’s massive data pile. 

Waldron showed CNBC how the system whipped up a credible Nvidia pitch deck in 30 seconds flat. That used to take junior bankers hours. Now, roughly 250,000 employees are in on it, with the next stage being agentic AI — bots that can handle complex, multistep tasks across trading, banking, and risk management. 

If Team Dimon succeeds, this means more revenue, better margins and even greater profits. 

Keith’s Investing Tip: Buy the best, ignore the rest. 

What’s “best?”  

I get that question a lot and I share my thinking with the One Bar Ahead® Family regularly along with our latest research, specific stock buy/sell recommendations, a structured portfolio, education and more. Investors tell me it’s changed their lives. I’ll be here if you need me. 

3 – When pepperoni meets Lidar 

Back in the day Domino’s used to have a “30 minutes or it’s free” guarantee. And I’ll be the first to admit that, like many uni students in our day, we put that to the test. Rain, sleet, snow… it didn’t matter. More often than not, Domino’s got the job done. 

My how times have changed. 

DoorDash just unveiled “Dot,” a delivery robot that can zip through streets and sidewalks at 20 miles per hour, carrying up to 30 pounds of food—think six pizza boxes in one run. (Read) 

Dot is already being tested in Phoenix, complete with eight cameras, three lidar sensors, and even a smart scale that checks for missing items. The company says complaints have dropped by as much as 30% during trials. 

Hooyah! 

In all seriousness, this is about cost and efficiency. Robots don’t ask for tips, bathroom breaks, or 401(k)s.  

Delivery margins stink. 

DoorDash knows it, Uber and Lyft know it, and Amazon’s been onto it for years.  

Whoever cracks autonomous delivery at scale wins big as do the smart investors who own the companies that’ll make that a reality. 

Time to buy?  

Heck yeah, which is why the One Bar Ahead® Family is already tracking two top contenders. 

That’s neither here nor there, though. 

My point is that I hope you’ve got this covered, too or are at least thinking similarly because it’s too important an investing opportunity to ignore, imho. 

4 – Don’t kid yourself when it comes to Palantir 

Team Karp took Palantir public just 5 years ago today. 

Since then, the stock has returned 1,787.53% over those 5 years. The SPY, a popular S&P 500 ETF, by comparison, has turned in 113.76% over that same time frame.  

The naysayers have been all but banished to the back 40 and the valuation crowd… well, you know how that’s gone. It’s too expensive, they said at $10, $20, $40 a share and so on. 🤦‍ 

Scores of investors are wondering if it’s too late to buy. 

Not imho. 

In fact, the game is just getting started. 

History shows – in case you’re wondering – that there are 10-15 “Palantirs” out there at any given moment in various stages of maturity. So, contrary to what a lot of folks think, there’s plenty of opportunity. 

Keith’s Investing Tip: Companies like Palantir come along once in a blue moon so it’s important that you find ‘em early and latch on for the ride. And get over the fact that you might “lose” money along the way because that’s true for any stock even the so-called “safe” choices – that really aren’t safe like Wall Street would have you, btw. Instead, ask yourself what happens if a stock you want to buy does take off like Palantir has. Play to win… or you won’t. 

People swear up, down and sideways that they won’t make the same mistake and miss the next Amazon, the next Nvidia or even the next Palantir. Yet, in the same breath that’s exactly what they do. Every stock is risky but playing to win is how you actually win. 💯 

BTW, if you’re wondering what Palantir really does, you’re not alone. It’s not the proverbial bogey man like any number of folks believe. Here’s a quick and dirty explanation I gave on FBN in August. (Watch) 

5 - Shutdown? 

Dear Congress, 

Playing chicken at the expense of the very people you serve is reckless, irresponsible and childish. 

Get your asteroids back in Washington. Lock the doors and don’t come out until you have a deal. 

Meanwhile and for every day you don’t… no pay, no perks, no pension. 

Stop the grandstanding. 

It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on; the American people deserve better! 

Bottom Line 

Many people long for the past, but the real beauty is inherent in what’s to come, especially when it comes to the financial markets. 

There are trillions of dollars on the move. 

Make sure you and your money are too! 

As always, let’s MAKE it a great day. 

You got this – I promise! 

Keith 😀