February 8, 2021

Whenever the stock market rises by more than 1.5% over the first five trading sessions of January, it’s higher for the full year more than 90% of the time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6% over the first five sessions of January and the S&P 500 gained 1.8%. MarketWatch, January 15, 2021

So far, 82% of companies have reported a positive earnings surprise for the fourth quarter of 2020. If that rate holds, it will mark the second-highest percentage of EPS surprises since FactSet began tracking the metric in 2008. FactSet, January 29, 2021

If you think that the promise of free trading is too good to be true on the Robinhood app, you are probably right. Founded in 2012, Robinhood makes money, in part, by sending customer orders to high-frequency traders in exchange for cash. It’s a controversial but legal practice in the brokerage industry called payment for order flow. When you buy or sell shares on Robinhood, the app is likely executing your trade at a slightly worse price than another broker would. The Wall Street Journal, November 9, 2018

“If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer- you’re the product.” Tom Johnson

On February 5, 1637, “Tulipmania” hit its peak in the Netherlands, with the price of the rare Witte Croonen tulip bulb reaching 1,345 guilders per half-pound, up 2,506% in 33 days. Over the next five years, the bulbs lost an annual average of 76% of their value, until they fetched only 37.5 guilders in 1641. Investopedia, February 5, 2021

Keith Gill, the Reddit user who helped inspire the GameStop short squeeze mania, says he lost $13 million on Tuesday, but says he is still holding on. CNBC, February 2, 2021

“Good judgment comes from wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” Dr. Kerr White