#13 - Tesla Meditations

Happy 4th of July weekend! This week we break down Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, building costs, and tech deliveries.

Big 3 Market Topics

• Tech Companies want Nuclear Power 

  • According to Energy.Gov nuclear power makes up about 20% of the electricity generated in America.

  • Due to outlook growth for AI driven computing power the grid could see many potential problems if power sourcing is not addressed. Making nuclear a potential growth market for the foreseeable future. (Top 5 largest uranium companies)

  • Republican candidate Donald Trump on the All-In Podcast talked about the US needing to 2-3x its power capabilities in the near future. He suggested building smaller plants vs. larger ones to cut costs on construction and get them contributing to the grid faster.

• US New Home Sales Slump

  • There were 481,000 new homes on the market at the end of May, the highest level since January 2008.

  • The Federal Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that single-family home prices increased 6.3% on a year-on-year basis in April.

  • Lumber futures shed 3% last week to end at $452.50 per thousand board feet, down 27% since mid-March.

• Tesla Stock Gains 25% After Delivery Reports

  • Tesla is scheduled to post its second-quarter financial results on July 23 and is expected to unveil its design for a robotaxi next month.

  • Tesla’s total deliveries hit 443,956 vehicles in the second quarter.

  • As EV resale values continue to struggle there will be a larger supply of inventory entering the market.

Freedom Fund Update

• 7/5/24 - Friday Freedom Fund Purchase:

  • 5 shares of Apple Hospitality REIT $APLE

    • In the past couple of weeks the company confirmed the acquisition of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Madison Downtown for $79.5M. 

    • Apple Hospitality hotel portfolio includes 224 hotels with 30,066 guest rooms throughout 37 states and D.C.

    • On June 18th the company declared a monthly distribution of $0.08 per share. Payable on July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 28, 2024. Currently $APLE represents an annual yield of approximately 6.6% in the form of monthly dividends.

  • 2 shares of Shopify $SHOP

    • Since the Q1 earnings sell off in late may $SHOP has been up over 10% in the past month.

    • No news update this week on $SHOP just adding to my position at these levels while I can. $SHOP now makes up 7% of the Freedom Fund.

Freedom Fund Background: I created the Freedom Fund as a public brokerage account back in October of 2022 to share that anyone with a social security # and a bank account can begin their investing journey by investing a couple hundred dollars a week. Every week and month I post on X (@GrahamInvesting) public updates about the purchases, exits, dividends, and growth of the fund if you want to follow in real time. The biggest obstacle people have to investing is just getting started so I decided to start a new account at $0 to start from nothing with you.

Mindset: Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

The past couple of weeks I read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius which is a series of passages that the Roman Emperor & stoic philosopher wrote from 161-180 AD. The book is a collection of his private thoughts, reflections, and philosophical musings, written primarily during his military campaigns. His writings cover topics such as dealing with change, virtue, inner peace, rational thinking, and mindfulness. Below were some of the key topics covered in Meditations and how I comprehended them:

• The importance of remembering the influence of others on your life to and reflecting on the lessons learned from them regardless they were good or bad.

• Focus on what you can control and accept what you can’t. Train your mind to remain calm and rational in the face of challenge and change.

• Align your thoughts, actions, and emotions with the fundamental principles of the world.

• Focus on creating inner peace by making your actions match with your principles & values in life. Constantly seek self-improvement and strive to do the right thing when no one is watching.

• Understand obstacles in life can be opportunities. Be resilient.

• Perception shapes your experience of reality. Practice seeing things from different views.

• Respond to criticism with calmness and try to be understanding. But do not be swayed by others' opinions or actions.

• Accept that everything in the universe is connected in one way or another.

• Accept that some things are beyond your control and need to be accepted as they are.

• Stay in the present moment and try to make the best of each day, hour, minute. Do not fixate on the past or the future.

In the book Meditations passages are broken out into 12 books in no specific order which makes it a great reference to always come back and read a passage through your life when needed. One of the largest themes of Stoic philosophy is by practicing self-control daily and not to let destructive thoughts or actions overcome you.

The purpose of Graham’s Gazette and my social account @GrahamInvesting is to help others get started and stay consistent on their own personal, professional, and financial journey. I appreciate the time you take in reading & interacting with me and look forward to growing together.

Thanks for investing your time reading this.

-Graham (@GrahamInvesting)

Disclaimer: Graham’s Gazette provides information and resources related to investing, financial topics, and personal growth for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content presented is not intended to be construed as financial advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any financial decisions. Graham’s Gazette and its creators do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided nor do they guarantee any specific results from such use of information.