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The Future of Tech Stocks: Evaluating Nvidia, Alphabet and Tesla

Julian Koski, co-founder and CIO of New Age Alpha, joins Remy Blaire to discuss the recent pullback in major stock averages following hotter-than-expected core CPI figures, while the S&P 500 continues to reach new record highs, largely driven by advancements in AI.

Julian emphasizes that despite the behavioral reactions in the market, it’s not yet time to panic. He highlights that the core CPI figures, while slightly higher than expected, do not indicate a fundamental shift in earnings. They also explore the implications of rising oil prices and their potential impact on consumers.

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the AI sector, particularly Nvidia, which Julian believes is undervalued based on its historical growth rates. They also touch on Alphabet, where he notes a low probability of failure in delivering growth, contrasting this with concerns about Tesla, which he feels is trading on vague storytelling rather than solid fundamentals.

Julian shares his approach to valuing stocks, likening it to how insurance companies assess risk, and discusses the importance of focusing on known information rather than market noise. They also examine the volatility across various asset classes in 2026 and how he assesses risk using four key measures, including Fed decisions and leading economic indicators.

As they look ahead, Julian expresses a bullish outlook on the U.S. economy, while acknowledging the unique challenges faced by European and emerging markets. He stresses the importance of evaluating individual companies rather than making blanket statements about entire economies.

Rebuilding America’s Semiconductor and Battery Supply Chain: Insights from Forge Nano’s Dr. Paul Lichty

Dr. Paul Lichty, co-founder and CEO of Forge Nano, joins Remy Blaire to discuss U.S. domestic supply chain security for advanced semiconductors and batteries, especially in light of the 2028 legislative mandate prohibiting the Pentagon from using foreign-made battery cells.

Dr. Lichty discusses how their innovative atom-by-atom manufacturing process can significantly enhance the performance of products like batteries and semiconductors, which are essential for national security and defense. He emphasizes that rebuilding U.S. manufacturing is a complex, long-term endeavor that requires a comprehensive approach to developing the entire supply chain.

They also explore Forge Nano’s plans to expand into data centers and quantum computing, highlighting the importance of advanced manufacturing technologies in re-onshoring production. Dr. Lichty simplifies the technology by likening it to building with Legos, where precise control at the atomic level allows for customization and improvement of products.

Additionally, they touch on the implications of the 2028 mandate for national security and the challenges of becoming a trusted supplier to the Department of War. Dr. Lichty shares insights on the $100 million grant from the Department of Energy, which has been instrumental in accelerating their manufacturing timeline and business strategy.

As Forge Nano prepares to go public, Dr. Lichty expresses excitement about the opportunity to convey the importance of their work to a broader audience and the potential for significant growth in the coming years.

Strategy stock, Circle earnings, Ripple Neuberger, DRW digital assets

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Crypto markets continue to see major institutional momentum as Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, hit a new yearly high with shares closing at $195. The company remains heavily committed to its Bitcoin accumulation strategy, recently purchasing an additional 535 Bitcoin worth roughly $43 million, even as it signals potential asset sales to help manage financial obligations. Analysts remain bullish on the company’s outlook, with benchmark firms raising price targets as rising Bitcoin prices and improved Bitcoin yield metrics continue to strengthen investor confidence around the stock.

Meanwhile, Circle is drawing significant attention following strong earnings and growing interest in stablecoin infrastructure tied to its Arc blockchain ecosystem. The company recently raised $222 million in a token pre-sale connected to the Arc blockchain, giving the network a fully diluted valuation of approximately $3 billion. The funding round attracted major institutional players including Andreessen Horowitz, BlackRock, Apollo funds, and Intercontinental Exchange, highlighting the increasing appetite from traditional finance firms looking to gain exposure to blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

Ripple is also expanding its institutional footprint through its prime brokerage division after securing $200 million in fresh financing from Neuberger Berman. The capital will be used to increase margin availability for clients trading both traditional and digital assets, using digital asset holdings as collateral. At the same time, Canton Network, a blockchain platform designed for privacy-focused financial transactions, is reportedly raising around $300 million at a valuation near $2 billion, with Andreessen Horowitz Crypto leading the round. The growing wave of funding across crypto infrastructure, stablecoins, and institutional blockchain platforms signals continued confidence from major financial firms as digital assets become increasingly integrated into mainstream finance.

Markets Hit New Highs as AI Boom and Strong Jobs Data Fuel Investor Optimism

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Markets continue pushing to fresh all-time highs as investors navigate a mix of geopolitical tensions, AI-driven capital spending, and evolving economic data. Speaking to J.D. Durkin, Michael Monaghan, portfolio manager and founder 100 ETF, said the market is currently being shaped by three major forces: instability in the Middle East, the massive AI infrastructure spending cycle, and ongoing concerns surrounding the labor market. Despite early weakness in trading, buyers quickly stepped back into the market, driven largely by optimism surrounding strong jobs data and continued momentum in artificial intelligence investment. According to Monaghan, fears around geopolitical risks and employment concerns have recently eased, allowing investors to refocus on the long-term growth story tied to AI and technology infrastructure.

While mega-cap tech companies continue to lead the rally, Monaghan emphasized that strength is spreading across multiple sectors of the economy, not just technology stocks. He noted that investors typically want to see market “generals” like large-cap tech outperform during bull markets, but he also sees encouraging participation from a broader range of industries. Looking ahead, Monaghan said investors are closely watching high-stakes geopolitical developments, including meetings between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, though he stressed the importance of maintaining a long-term perspective rather than overreacting to individual headlines. Instead, his investment approach focuses on analyzing the broader “mosaic” of factors shaping markets, including oil prices, inflation trends, AI spending, and labor market conditions.

How Darling Ingredients Turns Food Waste Into Renewable Fuel and Profits

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Darling Ingredients is positioning itself at the center of the global sustainability and renewable fuels movement as the company continues transforming agricultural waste into high-value products used across food, energy, and health industries. Speaking to J.D Durkin, Executive Vice President and CFO Bob Day discussed the company’s growing momentum following its Investor Day and highlighted why Darling believes now is the right time to showcase its long-term growth strategy. After navigating the COVID era and waiting for key renewable fuel policy developments, the company says it is entering a new phase focused on expansion, innovation, and rising global demand for sustainable solutions.

Darling Ingredients is focused on collecting and repurposing animal byproducts and used cooking oil, materials that would otherwise contribute significant methane emissions if discarded. The company converts these waste streams into proteins for animal feed and pet food, collagen products for human health and nutraceuticals, and fats used to produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. One of the company’s biggest growth engines is Diamond Green Diesel, its joint venture with Valero, which has become one of the largest advanced biofuel producers in the world. According to Day, the venture is strategically positioned to meet growing demand for cleaner fuel alternatives at a time when global energy supply remains constrained.

Beyond renewable fuels, Darling Ingredients is also seeing major opportunities in collagen and personal health products as consumer demand for wellness and sustainable sourcing continues to rise. Day emphasized that global growth is closely tied to increasing animal production across regions like South America and Asia, where demand for poultry and beef continues to expand. He also noted that one of the biggest misconceptions about the industry is how efficiently food waste and byproducts are already being recycled into valuable resources. As investors increasingly focus on sustainability, circular economies, and energy transition themes, Darling Ingredients believes its business model sits at the intersection of environmental responsibility and long-term profitability.

The Future of Tokenized Assets: Exploring the Projected $40 Billion Market with Teddy Pornprinya

Teddy Pornprinya, the co-founder and CBO of Plume Network, joins Remy Blaire at Consensus 2026 in Miami to delve into developments in Real-World Assets (RWAs) finance, particularly the growing trend of tokenization, which is projected to exceed $40 billion by year-end.

Teddy highlights the current “flight to safety” in the Web3 landscape, where many partners are seeking institutional-grade products to mitigate risks associated with recent hacks and exploits in decentralized finance (DeFi). Plume’s main product, Nest, is designed to tokenize institutional-grade assets, allowing users to access stablecoin payouts while investing in these products.

They discuss the importance of compliance in this evolving space. Teddy explains how Plume has integrated compliance features into their platform, ensuring safety for users by screening for illicit finance and enabling asset management capabilities similar to traditional finance.

Convergence at Consensus 2026: Institutional Interest in Blockchain

John Nahas, the Chief Business Officer for Ava Labs, joins Remy Blaire at Consensus 2026 Miami to discuss the institutional interest in blockchain technology and how major firms are now sending full teams to explore its potential. Unlike previous years, where only innovation teams would attend, their is a broader engagement from banks, asset managers, and enterprises eager to leverage blockchain for quicker settlements and enhanced operational efficiencies.

John highlights the evolving regulatory landscape, noting that while clarity is still developing, there is a growing comfort among institutions to explore blockchain solutions. He emphasizes that the focus is shifting towards building products that meet client demands while also enhancing business operations.

As they delve into Ava Labs’ mission, John explains how Avalanche stands out by allowing the creation of custom blockchains tailored to specific business needs, whether public, private, or permissioned. Their goal is to tokenize the world’s assets and support companies in optimizing their workflows and services.

They also touch on the theme of convergence at Consensus 2026, with John expressing optimism about the future of blockchain and its integration with AI. He believes that as the industry matures, a proliferation of blockchains will take place, much like the internet transformed information sharing.

Why Central Banks Are Buying Massive Amounts of Gold as Blockchain Reshapes Finance

Gold is once again at the center of the global financial conversation as investors navigate rising geopolitical tensions, volatile commodity markets, and growing fears surrounding global debt levels. Speaking at Consensus 2026 in Miami, World Gold Council CEO David Tait explained why he believes the real driver behind gold’s massive rally over the past several years is not simply interest rates or monetary policy, but deep concerns about a potential global debt spiral. While oil prices have fluctuated on optimism surrounding a possible U.S.-Iran deal and gold prices recently pulled back from record highs, central banks quietly accumulated an enormous 244 tons of gold during the first quarter alone. According to Tait, that aggressive buying reflects a broader fear among nations and investors that debt burdens worldwide may eventually become unsustainable. Despite appearing at one of the world’s largest crypto conferences, Tait made it clear that gold and digital assets are not necessarily competing forces. Instead, he argued that gold can serve as an important portfolio diversifier alongside cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which he says remain highly correlated to broader risk assets. The World Gold Council is now actively exploring how blockchain technology can modernize the gold market through tokenization and digital infrastructure. Tait explained that while gold-backed digital tokens already exist, adoption has remained limited because investors still worry about transparency, custody, compliance, and whether the physical gold actually exists behind the tokens. To solve this problem, the World Gold Council is working on what Tait describes as “Gold as a Service” a blockchain-powered ecosystem designed to standardize and simplify access to gold while removing many of the operational and regulatory risks that currently exist in the market.

Tait also pushed back against common myths surrounding gold-backed investment products, emphasizing that large gold ETFs like GLD and GLDM are fully backed by physical gold reserves. He believes one of the biggest challenges for the industry moving forward is standardization, ensuring that gold becomes easier to trade, verify, and integrate into modern financial systems. As institutional interest in both blockchain and alternative assets continues to grow, the World Gold Council sees a major opportunity to bridge the gap between traditional stores of value and next-generation digital finance infrastructure. According to Tait, the future of gold may not just be physical bars stored in vaults, but a fully digitized and globally accessible asset class powered by blockchain technology.

Clarity Act Gains Momentum as Coinbase Pushes for U.S. Crypto Leadership

Momentum is building on Capitol Hill as lawmakers move closer to passing the long-awaited Clarity Act, a major piece of crypto market structure legislation aimed at defining how digital assets are regulated in the United States. Speaking from Consensus 2026 in Miami, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said recent bipartisan compromises in the Senate Banking Committee represent a major breakthrough for the crypto industry after weeks of negotiations surrounding stablecoin rewards, DeFi protections, and developer liability. While traditional banking groups continue to push back against parts of the proposal, warning that stablecoin adoption could pull deposits away from banks, Grewal believes the overall direction of the legislation is a strong signal that the United States is finally ready to embrace crypto innovation through clear rules instead of enforcement-driven regulation.

Grewal explained that the Clarity Act is about much more than stablecoins. At its core, the legislation aims to establish a clear legal framework for digital assets by defining which tokens fall under SEC oversight, which belong to the CFTC, and how decentralized finance platforms and developers should be treated under U.S. law. He argued that regulatory uncertainty over the past several years has caused significant talent and innovation to leave the United States for jurisdictions with more supportive crypto policies. According to Grewal, passing market structure legislation would restore confidence among developers, entrepreneurs, and investors while helping America remain globally competitive in blockchain technology and digital finance.

The conversation also highlighted the growing political influence of crypto voters heading into the 2026 midterm election cycle. Grewal noted that more than 52 million Americans have owned digital assets and that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are increasingly aware that crypto policy could impact election outcomes. He also pushed back against the idea that crypto threatens traditional banking, arguing instead that digital assets and traditional finance can coexist in ways that improve financial access, participation, and economic opportunity. With bipartisan momentum continuing to build in Washington, Grewal says the U.S. may finally be approaching a turning point where crypto regulation shifts from uncertainty and lawsuits to a stable framework designed to support long-term innovation.

MoonPay Expands Into AI & Institutional Crypto With Major Acquisitions

MoonPay is making a major push beyond crypto on-ramps and into the future of global financial infrastructure. Caroline Pham, Head of MoonPay Institutional, joined Remy Blaire to discuss the company’s rapid expansion, including two strategic acquisitions aimed at strengthening institutional crypto adoption. MoonPay recently acquired Solana trading infrastructure platform Deflow and Israeli security startup SoDOT, moves designed to help the company own the entire blockchain technology stack from payments to secure wallet infrastructure. Pham says MoonPay’s long-term vision is to become the “operating system for value,” where users can interact with money as seamlessly as they interact with AI chatbots today.

According to Pham, MoonPay’s infrastructure already operates at massive scale, serving over 30 million users across 180 countries while supporting settlements in more than 120 fiat currencies. She believes the future of finance lies in agentic commerce, where AI-powered financial agents can handle tasks like recurring bill payments, budgeting, trading strategies, and even event planning through simple natural language commands. The company’s institutional expansion also reflects growing demand from traditional financial firms seeking blockchain capabilities without spending years building them internally. MoonPay’s “blockchain-in-a-box” approach aims to bridge traditional finance and decentralized finance while maintaining compliance standards like KYC and AML protections.

Pham also shared her perspective on the evolving regulatory landscape, arguing that regulators must modernize financial market rules to allow blockchain technology to function as core financial infrastructure. Drawing on her experience in Washington and traditional finance, she emphasized the need for technology-neutral regulations that support blockchain-powered trading engines, collateral systems, and recordkeeping. On artificial intelligence, Pham said existing financial risk management frameworks can largely handle AI oversight, though she believes stronger guardrails are needed around transparency, disclosures, and market integrity. Looking ahead, she says 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for institutional crypto adoption, with MoonPay focused on building more autonomous and intelligent financial experiences for users worldwide.