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Recent Updates:I added to the paid subscriber spreadsheet to track positions across all my portfolios that are “overextended” or are “oversold.” Here are some of those stocks:

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Returns this week were brought to you by…

…AI money actually getting spent, weight-loss drug land-grabs, and a will-they/won’t-they Fed. Early in the week, big tech rode fresh AI headlines (Micron’s record outlook; Nvidia teaming closer with OpenAI; Apple iPhone 17 demand buzz).

Mid-week, rate-cut odds wobbled after firm economic prints; by Friday, the tape steadied but finished a touch lower: S&P 500 −0.3% WTD, Dow −0.2%, Nasdaq −0.7%. Under the hood, breadth was mixed—energy caught a bid on firmer crude while mega-caps took turns giving back gains.

Interestingly enough, if you take a look at the odds in Polymarket, it seems like the 25bps October rate cut is still in full force, with an 81% chance (down 5% from earlier in the week). The closest competitor is “no change” with odds under 20%…

Remember, the market right now is so inefficient with all of the new “dumb money,” and these downturn swings are currently nothing-burgers (thanks NYUGrad for my new favorite terminology when talking about the news).

The big moves (and why they matter)

* Pfizer is trying to champion the weight-loss arms raceWhat happened: Pfizer is reportedly close to buying Metsera for ~$7.3B (cash + milestones).Why it matters: GLP-1/obesity drugs are the fastest-growing profit pool in pharma. Pfizer exited its prior obesity pill; this would buy back a seat at the table and future revenue optionality.

* Micron blowing up: “tight chips, tight prices”What happened: Guided record Q1 FY26 revenue (~$12.5B) on AI-hungry DRAM/HBM demand.Why it matters: When memory gets tight, pricing power returns. That’s good for margins across the memory complex and a clean read-through to AI server build-outs.

* Samsung memory green-lit for NvidiaWhat happened: Nvidia approved Samsung’s advanced HBM parts.Why it matters: A second high-volume supplier alongside SK Hynix eases AI bottlenecks—and can cap runaway component prices. More HBM = more accelerators shipped.

* Nvidia is buying speed, not just chipsWhat happened: >$900M to hire Enfabrica’s team and license its networking tech that stitches 100k+ GPUs into one logical system.Why it matters: AI performance isn’t only about GPUs; it’s about feeding them fast. Better networking = more usable compute per dollar.

* Oracle/TikTok chatter, Nvidia–OpenAI cozinessWhat happened: Headlines put Oracle back in the TikTok mix; Nvidia rallied on tighter OpenAI ties.Why it matters: Real, named workloads (social, cloud AI) mean actual invoices—less demo, more dollars.

* Alibaba picking up the speed: “if AI capex is a race, spend faster”What happened: CEO Eddie Wu flagged AI infrastructure spend above the prior $50B plan.Why it matters: Confirms a global AI build-out isn’t just a U.S. phenomenon. Also, a tailwind for chip, memory, and power/infrastructure names selling into China.

* Berkshire exits BYDWhat happened: After 17 years, Berkshire fully sold its BYD stake.Why it matters: Doesn’t doom EVs; it says “we made our money.” For BYD, it removes a perceived overhang but also a long-time vote of confidence.

* Accenture & TD SYNNEX → enterprise AI is moving from talk to invoicesWhat happened: Both printed strong bookings/revenue; Accenture cited $80B+ annual bookings with gen-AI in the mix; TD SYNNEX raised outlook.Why it matters: Corporations are signing Statements of Work (translation: paying) to deploy data platforms, GPUs, and AI apps. That’s real spending, not show-and-tell.

* Boeing wins with a huge Turkish Airlines orderWhat happened: 225 jets (mix of 787s, 737-8/10 with options).Why it matters: Long-cycle industrial demand is alive. Large wide-body orders help Boeing’s cash recovery story even as certification work continues.

* PayPal sells BNPL IOUsWhat happened: Offloading ~$7B of “buy now, pay later” receivables to Blue Owl.Why it matters: Lightens the balance sheet, keeps the customer front end. Think “more fee business, less loan book risk.”

* Eli Lilly coming at the world with a two-prong swingWhat happened: EU okayed Kisunla (Alzheimer’s); Lilly is also pouring billions into U.S. manufacturing for its obesity pipeline.Why it matters: One near-term revenue line plus scaled capacity for the category investors care about most (metabolic).

Rates, oil, gold, crypto — what these prices are telling you

* 10-Year Treasury ~4.12% → 4.18% (up slightly)That’s a highish real/nominal yield by post-2008 standards. Translation: the discount rate on future profits is still firm. Great stories still work, but cash-flow timing matters and “expensive” gets a closer look.

* Oil ~$62–65 (West Texas)That’s cheap vs. the 2022–23 cycle and below many OPEC “comfort” levels. Translation: markets see adequate supply + cooler demand. Lower oil helps margins for transports/chemicals and tempers headline inflation—but it’s a headwind to energy EPS unless volumes or buybacks offset.

* Gold ~$3,760–3,800 (elevated)That’s historically high. Translation: investors are paying up for insurance—against rate/path uncertainty, geopolitics, or just “AI-era” volatility. High gold often rhymes with sticky real-rate anxiety or big-picture hedging.

* Bitcoin ~$109k–115k (drifted lower on the week)Risk barometer took a breather. Translation: in weeks when rate-cut odds soften and megacap froth is questioned, crypto enthusiasm cools first.

Insider Trade Updates

Now, something that I will happily tell you more about is insider trades. I have been tracking insider trades in detail for months personally, and I finally decided to keep track of them in our paid subscriber sheet as well.

Insiders don’t always get it right… But they do get the best seats in the house. Here are this week’s trades that made us raise an eyebrow. As a side note, I try to stay away from insiders buying up their penny stock company. While these can still be great signals, the risk-to-reward ratio isn’t one I find favorable.

We keep track of all of these trades on our Google sheet, and then insider returns are quite astounding… (I have been removing quite a few of the penny stocks/ super risky investments to make the returns more normalized.

Buy-the-Dip Tracker

* ARVN — Arvinas, Inc.Director bought 30,000 @ $7.57 after a 68.74% one-year slide. Early stage drug programs + battered chart; look for a reclaim of $8.

* NEXT — NextDecade CorporationDirector bought 100,000 @ $6.86 after a 30.66% one-month drop. This makes 5 insider buys in 30 days — classic “find the floor” behavior. A daily close back above $7 keeps the squeeze thesis alive.

* BDSX — Biodesix, Inc.Director bought 142,045 @ $7.04 after a 74.59% one-year drawdown; 3rd insider buy in 30 days. Treat $7 as your pivot.

* NXXT — NextNRG Inc. (one-time exception)CEO & Executive Chairman bought 1,000,000 @ $1.67 after a 45.25% three-month selloff. High-beta/speculative.

Whales & Standout Size ($1M+)

* NTSK — Netskope, Inc.Director bought 2,000,000 @ $19.00 ($38.0M). When someone drops a small island’s GDP at a round number, traders tend to circle that level.

* VUZI — Vuzix Corporation10% Owner bought 230,242 @ $21.72 ($5.0M), tied to a purchase agreement. Watch $21–$22 as the battleground; sustained holds above there invite momentum money.

* WBI — WaterBridge Infrastructure LLCDirector bought 300,000 @ $20.00 ($6.0M) and another 75,000 @ $20.00 ($1.5M). Multiple prints at a clean $20 often act like duct tape for price.

* ASA — ASA Gold & Precious Metals10% Owner added 25,870 @ $41.07 ($1.06M). Another week, another add — slow, steady accumulation while gold names oscillate.

Cluster & Repeat Buying (Signal Upgrade)

* NEXT — five insider buys in a month around $7 after a sharp dump. Translation: insiders are trying to nail the floorboards back down.

* BDSX — three buys in 30 days while price defends $7.

* ASA — ongoing weekly adds; the glacier keeps inching forward.

Interesting Trade Ideas & Berkshire Buys

I have four things for everyone this week… some will get more in-depth write-ups later this upcoming week. There is no better time than the present to introduce some new ideas.

The four companies that look very interesting to me are NTSK, NXXT, NEXT, and KVUE.

NTSK — NetskopeThis is a company that I have discussed before, and I want to put it on everyone’s watchlist again. The company is expected to grow revenue at a 27% CAGR through 2027 (which could potentially value the company at $48 a share — a nearly 100% return over the next 2-3 years). My only reason for not investing? The company turns a total profit of ZERO. Well, technically less than zero, but you get the point.

I want the company to prove itself a bit before I go throwing money at it.

NXXT — NextNRG and NEXT — NextDecade Corp These companies both operate in the world of energy generation. NXXT in the world of solar and battery storage and NEXT in the world of liquid natural gas. Both companies have seen some pretty wild action in the world of insider buying, as highlighted above. NEXT is down over 30% over the past month, down 20% over the past 3 months, and analysts put the price of the company at $10 — a 42% upside from current levels. Now, all of the insiders are buying? Seems like there might be a bit of trade here.

The story is more of the same with NXXT — the company is down 43% YTD, but has been on the climb (up 14% from lows this month). Insiders have been silent since the stock went public in February, then suddenly, insiders show up with $1 million?

Both of these companies are RISKY — neither has substantial revenues, let alone “profit” or lack thereof; however, they both have the potential to ride the current wave of investments hitting “energy” companies.

KVUE — Kenvue

Kenvue has been in the news recently due to claims about Tylenol causing autism in children when taken by pregnant women. Again, in line with the dumb money thesis, we are seeing an overreaction in the stock selloff.

The stock is down 21% over the past 3 months on the Tylenol claims. Yikes…

Tylenol makes up about 10% of the company’s revenue, so maybe the 20% drop is warranted when you consider the potential lawsuits and loss of revenue. I can guarantee you that the revenue Tylenol generates isn’t 100% driven by pregnant women, so maybe Kenue loses 3% of their revenue? Maybe 5%? Regardless, the 20% selloff is overdone in my humble opinion — but the revenue loss isn’t the only reason why I think the selloff is overdone…

The same claims happened in 2023, and guess what the outcome was? As Judge Cote said, “…experts failed to establish credible links between Tylenol and conditions such as autism.”

Legal precedent is already there to absolve Kenvue of the current claims.

So what would my play be? Well, paying subscribers will find out this week… I would join now to find out….

As always, I am on the lookout for my next “Berkshire Buy” stock. These companies fit Buffett’s criteria for investing, and are analyzed from that exact viewpoint. Not all of these companies make it into my personal portfolios. Currently, I own OXY and NSSC in my Flagship Fund.

Here are the Berkshire Buy stocks and their returns:

Portfolio Performance

Tracking portfolio performance is going to look somewhat different for everyone. Not everyone will buy at the same time, not everyone will DCAs the same amount, etc. So, performance will vary moderately between investors.

The returns shown are screenshots from Autopilot (the place where you can copy my trades). These represent the average return of all investors who copy my portfolios. That means the returns in the Autopilot app won’t always match 1:1 with your returns, but show The Simple Side shareholder average.

Oh, and I think you might REALLY like these averages — remember, these portoflios have only been on the platform for about 2 months…

We have over $800K in AUM and based on the returns below, that means we have made investors over $100K in returns!

Free subscribers get direct access to all of these portfolios & real-time updates by joining paid here. Or you can directly copy trade by going here: Autopilot.

* Behind the paywall…

* Portfolio Holdings & Updates

* Portfolio Strategies, Updates & New Bets

* Our Weekly Picks

* Mergers & Acquisitions Picks

* Top Stock Picks

Portfolio Holdings & Updates

I am currently working with the Autopilot team to get an API hooked up to the Google sheet to show everyone 1:1 what is happening on Autopilot. This will help to keep the changes between the sheets and Autopilot to a minimum.

I have noticed that the sheet and Autopilot don’t always align 1:1, and I am working to fix this.