Stocktoberfest, Uptober for Crypto, and The Case for Nvidia $10 Trillion Straight From the Nvidia CEO

Happy October.

At Stocktwits we call October Stocktoberfest and last week launched the month with our first ever title sponsor ‘Granite Shares’, who now manage $11 billion for ‘investors with conviction’. More details on the event and sponsors here and here.

It is no secret - especially if you frequent my newsletter - that the retail investor base and their activity is growing in the United States and globally and this year we will dig into this trend and of course the exploding ‘degenerate economy’ which is not just retail phenomenon.

I can’t think of a year in the last 20 where single stock investors have had such incredible opportunities to trounce the averages. I have seen some incredible picks and stories all year on Stocktwits.

The big question is can it continue and how will AI, crypto, robots, new forms of air transportation, Waymo, degeneracy and the prediction markets, and the rest of technology change the world, growth and markets.

My crypto friends call October…UPtober.

So far, Uptober is going strong with Bitcoin crossing $124,000 yesterday as I flew back from my adventure holiday in Italy. We will dig into the why and the case for crypto going forward at this years Stocktoberfest with incredible investors who have made billions for themselves and their investors.

I have been over in Italy for the last two weeks for my yearly cycling adventure, For a taste of our cycling adventures with friends in the Julian (Italian) Alps, here is a two minute clip made by Biko tours, specifically the genius of Tobi who is a drone master.

I can’t believe how much technology, the markets and culture changes here at home versus Italy. It is this contrast that continues to bring me back to Italy.

In Italy, it is eat, cycle, enjoy and slow down. I love that time stands still in Italy or as I say the $VIX is always 4.

The few weeks I disengage from home, gives me the energy to reengage and the context to understand what the Italians say…’Rome was not built in a day’.

Americans would say ‘why not’, raise capital to do so and then sue someone when it takes too long and the Chinese would just build it in a day.

On the long flight home yesterday I watched the full season of ‘House of Guinness’ which was good and the Brad Gerstner interview of Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang - which was fantastic. Every founder, investor and trader should listen…

\What makes Jensen so amazing is his ability to explain this AI explosion in such easy to understand terms for the beginner like me.

To have this knowledge at your fingertips from the person who founded the company and is still running it with passion as the largest company in the world ($4.5 trillion) is a treat.

Pretty much every American that invests owns the stock because it is the largest position in the S&P, the $QQQ ( ▼ 0.42% ) and the $SMH ( ▼ 0.46% ) (I own them all).

My biggest takeaway from AI so far as an entrepreneur and investor is that I CAN PURSUE MORE IDEAS.

I am a cynic and an optimist, so I do wince at how bullish Jensen is. But he has $4.5 trillion, the customers, the team, Trump’s ear and momentum. He lays out the optimistic case for The US and the World in a believable manner.

As he explains, the largest platforms used by billions of people are already built on and with AI - Tik Tok, Instagram Reels, Google Search and YouTube Shorts. Sora, just launched by Open AI is already at the top of the app store

My friend Michael Parekh (who ran Goldman research in the 90’s) and been my co-host on Trends With Friends has been covering this trend correctly since 2023 and will join me on stage for a fireside chat at Stocktoberfest to talk about this trend, the Jensen/Nvidia advantage, and what we should be watching out for - good and bad - as we end 2025 and peer into 2026 and beyond.

I hope you can make it down to Coronado and join us.

Have a great day.