Sunday Sparks Issue 5: $GME drama and better things

Gooooood evening and Happy Sunday!

It's the last day of January and we aren't facing any shortage of crazy things happening in the world. You're probably hoping that everyone would shut up about the GameStop thing already. However, the entire story is too popcorn-worthy to not talk about. Besides, if there's any sort of drama in the world, I'm there like:

So for the 968956758489078937th time on the internet, this issue will (briefly) talk about it.

r/WallStreetBets take on Hedge Fund Melvin Capital

My journey with the events that ensued this week started with this tweet. Since then, I've been doom-scrolling on Twitter and frying my dopamine receptors.

The tweetstorm explains everything—from u/DeepFuckingValue, short options, short squeezes, to angry hedge funds—that you need to know about the GameStop thing in a very simple way.

Selecting Stocks Based on Feel

How does u/DeepFuckingValue actually invest? He explains in this video that he does it "by feel" with the help of an Uno deck. This reminds me of another study done a while ago about how portfolios picked by monkeys did better than those picked by top hedge funds.

Like the subjects watching their king strolling the streets wearing no clothes and pretending everything is fine, we've spent years pretending that our financial system isn't a complete joke.

He was facing life in prison. Now, he’s the CEO of the ‘Instagram for the Incarcerated.’

While all this is happening, we forget that there are other, actually substantive issues in the world. America still has the cruelest criminal justice system and the highest incarceration rate in the world. One entrepreneur, Marcus Bullock, is working on changing a small, yet important part of that.

The communications system in prisons is intentionally outdated and expensive. This exacerbates the psychological toll prisoners endure, cutting out all connection to their families and friends. Bullock combats this by delivering messages on postcards, cutting down expenses that the families of prisoners bear significantly. His story, as well as his business, are extremely inspiring.

Endnote

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If you have any thoughts about this issue, I would love to hear them! Reply to this email or find me on Twitter!

Lastly, I want to leave with a question—How was your January? Have you been trying to stay away from the barrage of news heading our way every day? If so, how?

Until we meet again,

Priyanka