Oracle’s past mania during the dot-com bubble looks eerily similar to today’s AI-fueled rally. The hype cycle may be repeating itself.

Back in 1999, Oracle’s stock rocketed on bold claims about breaking Microsoft and teaming up with Cisco for the “future of the internet.” The stock soared, then crashed when reality hit. Fast forward to 2025: Oracle is again making headlines—building AI superclusters with AMD, partnering with OpenAI, and posting its biggest gains since the dot-com era. But here’s the thing: based on almost all market valuation metrics, today’s market looks way overextended. Valuations are stretched, optimism is extreme, and investors seem to be ignoring risk. Not good.

Opendoor stock has been left for dead—until new management stepped in. Could this be the comeback nobody saw coming?

Opendoor ($OPEN) has been one of the market’s biggest surprises in 2025. After trading flat for months and bleeding confidence, the stock exploded 1,600% since June following the arrival of a new CEO. The compensation package is structured to align with shareholder outcomes—if $OPEN stays flat, the payout is symbolic, but if the stock 3x’s, management cashes in big. That creates serious incentive to drive a turnaround. While the housing market remains uncertain, the story here is about execution. When leadership changes, sometimes so does the trajectory of a company. And right now, Wall Street is betting on a revival.

Everyone talks about AWS, but Amazon’s North American retail arm is quietly becoming a massive cash engine. The margin math is eye-opening.

Amazon’s North American business pulled in $404B last year. While investors often focus on cloud profits, retail margins are now climbing steadily—from just 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2024. That shift matters: every 1% improvement in margin adds roughly $4B in profit. With operating leverage kicking in and logistics efficiency improving, Amazon’s core business is finally showing the profitability skeptics long doubted.

Forget economists—search data is flashing recession. People are Googling desperate financial solutions at levels we haven’t seen in decades.

These aren’t abstract indicators—they’re real signals of financial stress spreading across households. While official data often lags, search activity shows what people are feeling in real time. When large numbers of Americans start scrambling for quick cash, it suggests cracks are forming beneath the surface. History shows these spikes tend to precede broader downturns, making them a valuable indicator.

Ever wonder how investors figure out if a stock is cheap—or insanely overpriced? These seven valuation frameworks are the backbone.

Each method tells a different story, and investors often blend several to get a fair estimate. At 268Capital we prefer the discounted cash flow method. The key is understanding that price and value aren’t the same—and that using frameworks keeps emotions out of the decision.