Growth & Gains

Flat week although it started horrible, then pulled back across the week, how was your week team. Let’s see those screenshots 🤗

Have a beautiful bank holiday weekend 🥳, I’m at the Lake District with the family, stunning part of the world 🌍

End of week update

News

Last week I wrote about enough, the comment section was vibrant and friendly, full of people sharing their numbers and debating politely about mine. However, for some, the same underlying worry kept cropping up.

*If you stop working, don’t you think you’ll lose the thing that gave your life shape? Don’t you worry that your mind will go soft? Doesn’t a job give you purpose?*

And it’s this thought that I want to talk about a little today, because whilst I believe there is some truth in it, it's not as simple as the argument makes it sound. 

I’m acutely aware I’m starting heavy here, but bear with me…after surviving the concentration camps, Viktor Frankl spent the rest of his career trying to understand why some people held together in conditions that broke almost everyone. In his seminal piece “Man’s Search For Meaning” he returns often to a line he borrowed from Nietzsche:

*“A person that has a why to live can bear almost any how.”*

I appreciate he was not talking about jobs here, but I can’t escape the feeling that he’d have found it frankly absurd that today we feel purpose has to arrive with an employers logo stamped on it.

Let’s be clear. I am not arguing that a job is worthless and that people who work jobs full time and never wish to retire are deluded, it’s more complex than that. A job can present a number of benefits beyond money, it can hand you genuine friendships, challenge, structure and for some, a reason to get up in the morning - and that matters enormously. My point however is more narrow, it’s that we have somehow bundled these genuinely good things together and labelled it purpose. And because the place we get these from most regularly is a job, job = purpose.

Reinforcing this belief is the fact that losing work can genuinely hurt. I spent a period unemployed previously and I remember its flavour. Days blurring, social withdrawal, creeping anxiety about your worth. I’m not here to pretend that doesn’t exist, but these issues are compounded by something else. A dwindling (or worse) supply of money. When you consider our brains two major functions are to simplify things for us and protect us from negative effects, it’s no surprise we connect the lack of job to the problems directly and seek to avoid it - whilst teaching others to avoid it too.

But, and here’s where I push back about early retirement and purpose. As an investor, one that’s already done the sums, that second layer compounding effect of money issues, should be solved. You’re no longer choosing between structure and survival, you’re choosing between structure and freedom. 

That's an entirely different decision and should be made from a different emotional place. Which made me wonder how complicated purpose actually has to be and then, just a few days later, I got my answer on a bench in the sunshine

*Puppets*

On Thursday last week I took Livvy to the seaside. One of the best things about living near the East coast is there’s no shortage of seaside towns to visit, each with their own charm, nice beaches and abundance of ice cream. Whilst walking along the front we were flagged down by an older lady sat knitting on a bench, she had a bag full of little knitted animal hand puppets. She asked Livvy if she wanted one - of course she said YES! - And giddily picked a little mouse from the bag, placed it on her hand and it stayed there almost all day - I quite literally had to prise it from her when sticking her in the bath.

I thanked her and asked her how much they were. “Free” she replied, that her husband had passed a couple of years ago and knitting helps her keep busy and active, but most importantly seeing how happy it makes small children *gives her purpose*. I slipped her some money for the wool, she wouldn’t take it for the puppet, but I asked her to take the money so she could continue to make puppets for the next child that wanders past.

On the drive home I thought a lot about that interaction. There was no employer or salary, just wool, some knitting needles and a bench in the sunshine. A decision made to keep hands and mind occupied in order to make someone else’s day better. If drawing purpose from situations is so simple, how much of the confusion around purpose comes from well intended social pressure telling us to look and act a certain way. So I looked for where this pressure originates, and the answer was older than you might expect.

*Why We Got Here*

There’s a reasonable, historical case for treating work as a source of purpose and I think it's wrong to pretend otherwise. For a long stretch of modern history, getting and keeping a job forced people into society and ground down the more antisocial edges of human character. You simply couldn’t afford to be too difficult or erratic because you needed your boss, colleagues and community to tolerate and trust you. In this sense work helped societies shape people into something workable.

The mechanism we relied on to do this has weakened, but not because work has changed much. in the 1890s Emile Durkheim wrote about anomie, a word that essentially describes the state that sets in when a community's well held beliefs start to dissolve. It leaves people without a clear sense of how to behave or what any of it is for. Of course Durkheim was talking about creeping industrialisation, but the description still fits quite neatly today. The mechanism weakened because we spend huge amounts of our time in spaces that we are both nameless and largely traceless and where none of the old social consequences apply, that parts which people filed down to fit into society are creeping back out and in some cases taking over. It’s another reason why I think purpose has become so tangled up with employment. The other shaping mechanisms have faded, work is the last one standing and we’re asking it to do more than it was built for.

*Where Else It Actually Lives*

Purpose however is not scarce and it shows up everywhere. In team sports and the people you see every week because of them. In the vegetable patch that needs tending whether you’re up for it or not. In books, teaching and coaching, in volunteering and in raising children. Getting fit rather than putting it off. In looking after that partner or parent that once looked after you. None of this comes with a payslip, all of it is sitting there the whole time, underused because work soaks up a lot of the time.

So if you’re retiring early and are worried about losing the purpose that work gave you, the answer is not to white knuckle it. Start slowly, drop a day and see how you feel. Drop another once you’ve started filling that spare day with things you genuinely enjoy doing. Don’t sit on your arse and watch television because that’s the sort of retirement you should be scared of. Take whatever you currently love and dig further into it then you did before. If you love sport, go play more sport. Play with people other than Barry and Dave who you’ve been playing with since a kid. If it's gardening get out there and do it, don’t just think about it. If it's cooking or baking, take a course, practice, become genuinely good at it rather than competent. Whatever you choose to do, throw yourself into it and commit.

Purpose was never just in the job, it was in you all along. The job just kept you too busy to notice.

Have a good weekend.

- Bob

Purpose

Gold

God is great on the 1

I had a freaking great week, my analysis on the daily/ weekly charts hit super well. 
I traded Gold, Silver, Crude Oil and cashed out every position 2 hours ago with a weekly profit of 3500€. Out of trades feels so good! 

I work 40h shifts with disabled children and teenagers and I just made more then my monthly salary in a week.
Thankful for god and all nice people! 

Enjoy your weekend guys and only love, this forum is to discuss and not hate.❤️🐦‍🔥

If the dream (which we all want to achieve) I buy a little house with this view!

Thankfull and humble

Nvidia

Nvidia earnings released 🔥🔥

Datavault AI

Investing and letting your emotions get the better of you can be an absolute killer, if you are here getting depressed with the price then you shouldnt be investing in this company, we knew the risks and those that didn’t certainly do now.

You either suck it up or move on simple.

Its no good looking at the price action everyday, it will drive you insane, entice you into rash decisions, emotion can be a killer.

We have until feb i believe which is a while away. Stay strong people

Emotions

Marvell Technology

Marvell needs to release Avengers Doomsday as quick as possible thats the only hope for the stock to pump up now lmao !

Only saviour🫡

Lovely and unexpected green week for me! Despite all the external noise, it was a slow and steady rise the whole time. No bumps or sudden jolts.
Haven't invested much, just threw some of the spare cash in along with a reinvested dividend.

✅️*How did my portfolio do?*✅️

Amount invested: *£11.16*
Rate of return: *+1.3%*
Unrealised return: *+1.59%*
UK divvies pie return: *-0.1%*
US divvies pie return: *+0.4%*
Divvies made this week: *£5.05*
Best performer: $MSFT *+6.17%*
Worst performer: $RBRK *-7.13%*

🔸️Considering economic data, threats to Iran, FED speeches, sticky inflation and potential rate hikes, I am very happy with my portfolio's performance. Let's see what the monthly report on Tuesday will look like once August ends but overall it's been great. Roll on week 36!🔸️

*How did you all do?*
*The one with the highest weekly returns wins the MNS weekly cup.*
*Previous winner was Tradin with a solid +10.9% rise!*💥👏🏆

*Have a lovely weekend everyone*☀️

Week 35 of 2026 performance

*Yesterday's overview* 📉📈👀
- 🇺🇸 - US stocks climbed on Thursday after earnings from Nvidia ($NVDA), Salesforce ($CRM), and CrowdStrike ($CRWD) lifted the tech trade and investors awaited the Fed's Jackson Hole gathering.

- Nvidia stock rose 8%. Okta ($OKTA) shares soared 28%, while Salesforce stock rose 22% in its best day since August 2020.

- Workday ($WDAY) beat Wall Street estimates for second quarter revenue on Thursday, as more enterprises signed up for its AI-powered finance and human resources software.
The company posted total revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of $2.64 billion.

- Rubrik ($RBRK) reported fiscal second quarter financial results that handily beat estimates while October quarter sales guidance topped views. But Rubrik stock fell amid a big run-up in 2026 and high expectations.
The data storage and security software firm reported earnings after the market close on Thursday. Rubrik reported earnings of 20 cents per share on an adjusted basis, swinging to a profit from a 3-cent loss a year earlier. Revenue jumped 38% to $427.3 million

- Bond yields have stabilised after spiking last week as investors continue to weigh Treasury's intervention in the bond market and the likelihood that the Fed would hold rates steady. On the economic front, data on jobless claims ticked down to 203,000 in a positive sign for the labour market.

- The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) advanced 0.2%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) gained 0.7%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose 1.5%, building on Wednesday's gains.
The 10-year yield rose 0.008 percentage point to 4.671%.

- 🇬🇧 - The FTSE 100 fell more than 0.5%, extending its decline for a second consecutive session as weakness across banking, healthcare and commodity related stocks weighed on the index.

- 🇪🇺 - European stocks closed sharply lower on Thursday amid sharp pressure from banks and industrial giants. The Euro STOXX 50 fell 0.75% and the STOXX Europe 600 fell 0.7%. Banks sank sharply, paring gains from the week as concerns of more restrictive financial conditions retook the market's forefront.

- 🇯🇵🇨🇳 -  The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.2% while the broader Topix Index rose 0.15%, with Japanese shares lacking clear direction amid mixed performances across major technology stocks.
The Shanghai Composite climbed 1.13%, while the Shenzhen Component added 1.50%, as expectations for fresh policy support strengthened following the latest industrial profits data.

- 🌏🌎🌍 - The MSCI World index went up by 0.43%.

*USA today* 🇺🇸
- With the AI bellwether's report in the rearview mirror, the focus now turns to the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole Symposium, where central bank officials will debate the path of interest rate policy. Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh is expected to deliver a speech today, though his message is anyone's guess.

*UK today* 🇬🇧
- Stocks in London are set to open slightly higher today, ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's eagerly-anticipated Jackson Hole speech, while stocks in Asia and New York climbed overnight as Nvidia boosted sentiment.

*Europe today* 🇪🇺
- Major European stock market indexes traded mostly higher in the premarket hours today, as investors brace for a fresh batch of economic data. France will release its latest GDP figures for the second quarter of fiscal 2026, as well as its August inflation report. Spain will release its August inflation figures, while Germany is to post its unemployment rate report for the same month.

*Asia today* 🇨🇳🇯🇵🇮🇳
- Major stock market indexes in the Asia-Pacific region traded mixed today after Japan posted declines in inflation and unemployment. Meanwhile, United States Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio opened a debate on severing tariffs on South Korea.

- Unemployment in Japan declined in July according to new data from the latest labour force survey.
The Statistics Bureau of Japan said the jobless rate fell to 2.4% in July from 2.5% in June.

*Some of this week's most anticipated earnings* 📊👀 
USA 🇺🇸
*Today* - Chagee ($CHA)

UK 🇬🇧
*Today* - Beowulf Mining ($BEM)

*Some of this week's most anticipated ex div dates* 💰📥👀
USA 🇺🇸
*Today* - NextEra Energy ($NEE), T Mobile US ($TMUS), eBay ($EBAY), Molson Coors ($TAP), Perrigo Company ($PRGO)

UK 🇬🇧
*Today* - no events

*Commodities today* 🪨⛏️🔋⛽️
- *Gold* fell to 4,573.82 USD/t.oz, down 0.58% from the previous day. Over the past month, gold's price has risen 12.49%, and is up 32.60% compared to the same time last year.

- *Silver* fell to 68.84 USD/t.oz, down 0.60% from the previous day. Over the past month, silver's price has risen 19.49%, and is up 73.36% compared to the same time last year.

- *Copper* rose to 6.59 USD/Lbs, up 0.02% from the previous day. Over the past month, copper's price has risen 4.98%, and is up 46.01% compared to the same time last year.

- *Crude oil* fell to 83.08 USD/Bbl, down 0.54% from the previous day. Over the past month, crude oil's price has fallen 1.64%, but it is still 29.79% higher than a year ago.

- *US natural gas* rose to 2.92 USD/MMBtu, up 0.28% from the previous day. Over the past month, Natural gas's price has risen 7.35%, but it is still 2.50% lower than a year ago.

- *Uranium* fell to 90.40 USD/Lbs on, down 0.22% from the previous day. Over the past month, Uranium's price has risen 4.57%, and is up 20.45% compared to the same time last year.

- *Spodumene*, the mineral resource of lithium, based on Chinese spot prices, is  up by 0.23% to a price of $2,205 today, $5 higher than yesterday.

*Forex today* 💱💵💴
- The *GBP/USD* pair steadies around 1.3590 during the early European session today. Traders pared expectations for ‌an interest rate hike by the Bank of England this year and shifted their attention to the annual symposium on monetary policy at Jackson Hole in the US later on Friday. 

- The *EUR/USD* pair trades near 1.1640 in the early European session, on track for a 0.3% weekly decline after having rallied about 2.5% over the previous four weeks.

*Crypto today* 🪙🔗
- *Bitcoin* is now trading at $79,800 per coin at the time of writing, about $1,000 higher than this time yesterday.

*Good morning and happy Friday!*
*The week so far has been decent, with some good economic data and strong earnings reports, especially from Salesforce, Crowdstrike and Nvidia. Even Trump's threats to Iran, his tariffs on Canada and his order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America have slowed us down.*
*Hopefully tonight's FED speech doesn't sink us so we can close the last week of August in the green.*
*Just a reminder that the UK market will remain closed this Monday 31st August due to a bank holiday.*
*Have a great day and weekend everyone.* 😎☀️

Top news of the morning ☕️☀️

Sivers Semiconductors

Guys a 2.6 a good entry point?

You can downvote me, but that’s simply reality.

If I let emotions take over, I’d say this should already be around $300. But when MRVL was at $240 yesterday, I said I expected $210–190 after seeing earnings and sold @240.

The earnings were good, but not exceptional enough for a sector where expectations and valuations are already extremely high.

CBRS is a good example: despite better guidance, the stock fell from ~$260 to ~$180 in just one week.

Kioxia is another example of how even strong AI-related results can struggle when expectations are already extremely high.

On the other hand, NBIS beat estimates and the stock rallied over 20% after earnings — showing what the market is rewarding right now: a clear beat plus strong forward guidance.

In this sector, companies often need a +10%+ beat and strong guidance to justify these valuations.

Im very bullish long term — just realistic about short-term expectations and volatility.

Expectations note

Rocket Lab

It can always be worse. Holding 

I FOMO’d into space / drones in June, having fun the past few months 😂😂

Hope this makes your day better

Dividends

Honestly this app is awful for help, you try to ask a question and just get such toxic responses rather than trying to educate the other person

Toxic community

So now the market has settled, who has survived?

How we survived?

Future FinTech

T3 Defense

Here is a realistic look at how next week could play out for T3 Defense Inc. (NASDAQ: DFNS), currently trading around $11.99 USD following a volatile period.

**The Bull Catalysts & Setup:**

* We have a fresh commercial software licensing deal for its *Majestic.ai* platform (via Tiltan), with individual contracts estimated at $1.5M to $4.0M annually.
* Adding to that, the stock carries a strong 'Buy' rating and target coverage from Noble Financial.
* Due to its extremely low share float, crossing back above the **$20.00** mark is entirely possible if volume kicks in. Once it breaks through the immediate resistances at **$14.20** and **$17.00**, the momentum could easily clear a path straight toward the $30–$31 max target range previously outlined by analytical coverage.

**The Risks to Watch:**

* We can't ignore the heavy downside pressure: active short-seller attacks from firms like *Fugazi Research* alleging financial instability, alongside a tight working capital deficit.

**The Game Plan:**

* Keep an eye on any preliminary 8-K filings or updates addressing balance-sheet health ahead of the early October compliance checkpoints. If the narrative shifts and volume floods back in to punch through those resistance levels, the squeeze toward $20+ is on. Let's see how next week unfolds. NFA.

Next-Week DFNS Scenario & Breakdown

Greencoat UK Wind

The stocks been on quite the recovery over the past few months which makes this one even sweeter! 
Let’s see those dividends in the comments 😀👍

Happy Payment Day❗️

Sandisk

This market

Kioxia Holdings

When Kioxia was around $40 in mid-August, many investors were buying more and chasing the price because they feared missing the next move.

Now, roughly two weeks later, around $30, some of those same investors are saying “the NAND cycle is over” and “Kioxia will never recover.”

When the stock rises, people become increasingly confident: “I should have bought more,” “$50 is coming,” “this is just the beginning.” But when it falls, the narrative quickly flips: “It’s over,” “I knew it was a bad investment,” “it will never go back up.”

What fundamentally changed in two weeks?

NVIDIA continues to signal strong AI infrastructure demand, while Kioxia and SanDisk announced around $31B in planned NAND investments, supporting the long-term storage demand thesis.

August is also traditionally a lower-liquidity month, and the final week can amplify price movements when trading volumes are thin.

Same company. Different price. Completely different emotions.

Investors are emotional

Back to 1000%

Nike

Buying the dip on Nike like

Official Top News

Tesla

Memes

Penny Stocks

Day-trading

Rolls-Royce

Vanguard S&P 500

I bought into the bitcoin sceen when I started off on my investment journey last year. But I realised that your just buying into a stock that as no fundamentals, no moat, no  guaranteed place in our o investment world as of to date. 
If and when the institutions  trully embrace and switch to crypto currency, I will be be on-board..

I suspect your buying emotionally with no real entry criteria.  There is no magic formula unfortunatly.   Without talking about the risk of bitcoin I would look to top up when your below average and just hope it will continue to be a viable payment method and investment option in the future, but dont risk more than your willing to lose!    If your reading stories and trying to cash in, you already missed the spike or jump in price.

It’s currently ranging on lower timeframe but it’s just the start of its new month and 3 month. I wish you well 🌱 BTC News for you

Why does this always happen to me 😂

I’m not an expert at all with reading Bitcoin, anyone have any useful insights for where it’s going and why it moves in the way it does?

I hold 2% portfolio value in Bitcoin. 

Thanks

Dave buys Bitcoin, Bitcoin drops

Keeps me in control with easy access and a fantastic choice for building wealth 

Great app 

Easy to set up an account online.
Daily updates on interest earned.
Good rate for an ISA 

Easy to set up an account online.


Intuitive app, easy for beginner and more advanced

Intuitive app

So easy to use and navigate. Can put £1 a time in, doesn't have to be £1000's in one go.

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great for savings, easy to use paying or payout 
good interest rate
very stable android app too

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Easy to use and good guidance and explanations of your options.

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Savings

Excellent service, kept up to date daily. 

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I love the interest updates.  Everything is transparent

I love the interest updates

Very nice

The app is very easy to use. I get updates every day on how much interest I have accrued. The interest rate I am receiving is excellent. 

Great experience.

Easy to manage your funds, and a real steady growth of your wealth. 

Easy to manage your funds

Easy to use, watching my interest grow daily

Easy to use

Good app, good rate, easy to set up and transfer in and out 

Good app

Best platform after trying many of them.

I’d recommend it above all the others, easy, very intuitive, no fees and extremely transparent.

Best platform after trying many of…

Easy to use, great features. Few graph customisation but clearly shows rates, whats gained and overall very informative & simple. Great for everyone