Meta-Money

    1. NFT - Does anyone know what an NFT is yet? Well, that question does not seem to be important as the NFT space continues to explode in size and value. In 2021 NFT trading volume surged to $23 billion via an active 116000 wallets on platforms such as Opensea.io, superrare, and rarible. In 2021 popular culture established NFT’s as the next big art and entertainment venture for all influencers, content creators, and artists of all industries including fashion. We can only hope that people are soon able to define NFT’s in a more tangible way and thus spark ancillary surges in complementary industries.

    2. CRYPTO - It is impossible to talk about NFT’s without talking about cryptocurrencies and in 2021 Bitcoin surged to $69000. That was after El Salvador made it the country's primary currency in September. Throughout 2021 Bitcoin surpassed 1 Trillion in market value more than once and currently sits 61% higher than it did a year ago. The ProShares futures-based bitcoin ETF made its market debut on the New York Stock Exchange in October. Futures are contracts that speculate on the future price of the digital asset, rather than the current or "spot price" of the cryptocurrency itself. As a result, the prices of the ETF and bitcoin don't necessarily match.


Stock Market

    1. MEME STOCKS - Meme stocks were one of the biggest boom-and-bust segments of the market throughout 2021. Meme stocks are a product of the rise of social media and online message boards. In 2021, groups of online investors focused their attention on stocks with large short positions. By piling into these stocks and driving the share prices higher, these groups of investors can trigger a short squeeze. This can create extraordinary stock price movements, as epitomized by AMC Entertainment and GameStop.

    2. PANDEMIC PLAYS - So-called "stay-at-home" and "reopening plays'' were in vogue as vaccine distribution spread and case counts fell. The long-term outcome of the coronavirus pandemic is yet to be determined, meaning that either group could rise or fall in favor depending on the latest COVID-19 news. Stocks of companies like streaming services, food delivery businesses and video conference providers enjoyed major gains during the early days of the pandemic.

    3. HOUSING - The typical price of a single-family home in 2021 was up over $50,000 from the prior year in 78% of surveyed markets. Record-low mortgage rates, the rise in remote workers and a glut of stimulus money were all contributors to the booming housing market of 2021. Stock market investors played the boom via home improvement stocks like Lowe's and Home Depot, up 55% and 53%, respectively.