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- Samza Round-Up - 12/15/2022
Samza Round-Up - 12/15/2022
Sam Zanto
December 14, 2022
Samza Round-Up - 12/15/2022
This Week's Round-Up
What a week. Slightly different feel on this newsletter, as the week was heavy on the economic news side of things given the inflation report, Fed meeting, and Bitcoin movement. Hopefully there is still some value in here for you! Would love your feedback if you found something especially interesting, or if some things were totally useless for you. Have a good rest of the week!
AP-NORC Poll: Americans say holiday gifts harder to afford
57% of US adults say that it's been harder to pay for the gifts they want to give their loved ones this year. To illustrate the increase in this figure, the percentage was 40% last year.
Despite the "lower" inflation numbers in November, the prices for most gifts are up dramatically compared to past years. The takeaway for you: one of the best ways to help people during this season is to help them budget and find price-conscious options for Holiday gifts and travel over the coming years. Of course, the principle of saving people money will be in demand all year long, but offering this value over the Christmas season is especially valuable. If you're reading this, my guess is you know a thing or two on saving money and stretching your dollar. Why not show your family and friends how to do the same this Christmas?
Bitcoin Prices Rally To 1-Month High After Inflation Report Helps Soothe Fed Concerns
In a positive turn of events, inflation numbers for November came in lower than expected on Tuesday. Because of this, it is less likely that the Fed continues to tighten monetary policy at the pace they have been in 2022. By the time you read this, the Fed will have already made their announcement on the newest rate hike, but the current betting markets have a 50 bps increase as the most likely outcome.
In related news, BTC has increased to a high for the month, seemingly correlated to this inflation news. I couldn't help but chuckle thinking about 12 months ago, when I was told by every crypto bro that BTC was an inflation-hedge (big yikes on that take looking back). If that were true, this news would be bad news for the crpto market, not something that is being cheered as bullish for bitcoin and others.
One underreported reason for the increase in BTC and other crypto: the arrest of Sam Bankman-Fried. I believe that bringing SBF to justice is something that had to happen in order to prevent the collapse of the crypto market in the coming years. The thesis: consumers already view the crypto market as a sort of "Wild West," lacking regulation and legitimacy. If SBF was allowed to get away with his crimes, this perception only continues to be propagated. If you believe in the long-term value of cryptocurrencies, the arrest of Sam was an absolutely must.
AVID BASEBALL FAN HITS HOME RUN WITH SUBSCRIPTION BOX
I found this motivating. I was listening to a podcast with a beekeeper on it, and how she made content and money while doing what she loved ("being elbow deep in bees"), and then came across this story of a baseball fan (not even a professional athlete or coach) who decided to make a baseball subscription box of baseball gear.
Takeaways: there is demand in any industry or niche. You probably don't want to just go out and sell just anything in a "saturated" market, but I guarantee you can carve out a special corner just for yourself, like these two stories illustrate. Find the things you love and know a lot about, do some research on opportunities in the market, develop an offer, and get out there and sell it.
Idea of the Week - Relax
I'm prone to overworking myself (shocker, I know). One of my New Year's goals is to build more down time into my daily and weekly schedule. I'd encourage you to do the same, especially over the Holidays. Find some extra time to spend with your loved ones. Take those extra 10 minutes to enjoy that coffee. Be productive, but set aside specific times to work on your projects, and stick to budgeting your time. If you're grinding to the point of not enjoying your life, you aren't doing it right.
Podcast of the Week - Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
5-6 hour podcasts might not be for everyone, but I enjoy them as a weekly treat. Dan is one of the most gifted orators I've listened to on a podcast, and his well-researched narration of some of the most interesting and consequential historical events (i.e. Roman conquest, development of the U.S. nuclear program) is extremely entertaining and enlightening. If you like history, mesmerizing voices, and honest narration, this is the pod for you.
This week's content is sponsored by Kickflips. Kickflips is your one-stop-shop for all things reselling; get access to hot leads, flipping guides, drop dates/times for sneakers, consoles, tickets, etc., and much more. All this for just $30 a month. I made my subscription cost back in profit within 5 minutes of joining the channel, and you can too. Check out Kickflips here.