Thoughts, Questions -- September 21, 2025

Locator: 49179ARCHIVES.

September 22, 2025. Rambling:

• I've never seen so much news; it's impossible to keep up; every day I wake up eager to see what's new;
• this is the most transformative president in my adult lifetime -- perhaps since Ronald Reagan

September 21, 2025. Rambling: 

• the year the music died: at least for the next four years, EVs are dead; 
• anything else is "spring hopes eternal"
• the final straw: Buffett gets out! 
• I would never bet against Jensen Huang, but for investors, with regard to Intel, there are so many other bets just as good; 
• if one has to think that much about an investment in this economy, it's time to pass;
• I'm inappropriately exuberant about Apple, but what Apple Silicon is doing is simply amazing
• ditto: Tim Cook's American Manufacturing Company
• no one mentions it, but the biggest moat right now: trillion-dollar-market caps
• why does everyone seem to be fighting the Fed? 
• where is Vanderbilt ranked this week? Finally, it breaks through #20; now ranked #18 after beating Georgia State (unranked, not to be confused with #5 Georgia), 70 - 21; 

From September 19, 2025:

Data points this past week that really caught my attention: 

• the strong performance of US equity markets in August / September, considering these two months are historically tough months for mom-and-pop retail investors; 
• Apple's global laptop sales in the 2Q25; 
• the staggering production in the Permian relative to the rest of the nation; 
• what appears to be an incredible Apple iPhone 17 launch; 
• the continued misreading of the Intel story; 
• the strength of the AI/fourth/sixth industrial revolution; 
•  the Fed is cutting despite a strong market; 
• despite all the trash talk from the White House, JPow is looking pretty good; 
• most important: he is independent of the White House and he's very, very trustworthy and credible.

PEG -- September 21, 2025

Locator: 49178PEG.

Link here. 

Apple's M4 Chip -- September 21, 2025

Locator: 49177APPLE.

Yes, it's evolutionary. But it's hard not to call it revolutionary. If I understand it correctly this is what Nvidia is trying to do with CUDA and now with Intel's x86 which won't be ready until 2027 or 2028.

Apple Silicon wiki here. 

Apple M4: Apple's top laptop chip:

NASCAR Fireworks -- Ty Gibbs DF In New Hampshire; Spun Out By Teammate Denny Hamlin -- Hamlin Had Had Enough -- Stage 2 --September 21, 2025

Locator: 49176NASCAR.

Coach Gibbs and grandson Ty Gibbs.

It will be interesting to see who's left standing. My hunch: Grandfather won't tolerate anyone who can't control his temper -- especially when his grandson is in the crosshairs! 

Ratings next week? To infinity and beyond.

The good news: Grandfathers take a lot of stuff in stride. They've seen a lot. I should know. LOL.  

Link here. 

 

During the NASCAR Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, things unravelled between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in a huge blowup.

While Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin (who are both in the playoffs) were trying to fight their way forward, teammate Ty Gibbs stood in their way.

After a spirited battle, Gibbs actually made contact with Bell and radioed to the team that he "won't take anymore crap from my teammate."

Hamlin was directly behind them, and he seemed shocked by what was happening. "Does Ty know we are going for a championship. What the f***?"

The battle wasn't over, as Hamlin then had a shot at the driver of the No. 54 Toyota. He was extremely aggressive and pushed him up the track, but Gibbs refused to back down. Moments later, he had enough and spun Gibbs into the outside wall.

Hamlin did not hold back his feelings on the radio. "Are they afraid to talk to him? That's what I feel like. They're just scared of him."

Gibbs' reaction to the entire incident was simple: "Game on." He later returned to the track following repairs, but nearly crashed again as he hit the wall at the exit of Turn 2. He later faced questions outside of the infield care center, but he decided not to engage and only talked about looking forward to next week.

Winner? 

Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford led 116 of the race’s 301 laps including the final 39 laps ... Blaney’s victory cashes the popular 2023 series champion’s ticket into the Round of 8 in pursuit of his second NASCAR Cup Series title. Important both Sunday and likely further in the playoffs as the season’s three-race winner can expect fierce competition from his Penske teammate, three-time and reigning series champ Joey Logano as the playoffs intensify.

JGR’s veteran driver Denny Hamlin, who ran top-10 most of the day, and was involved in an incident with his teammate Ty Gibbs mid-race, dropped from the championship lead coming into New Hampshire to now fifth place in the points with a 12th-place run. 

The season’s five-race winner had no comment, however, about the contact with Gibbs that put the young third-year driver into the wall and out of the race while they both raced among the top-10. 

Blaney’s victory — the 16th of his career — automatically moves him into the next round of the playoffs. Byron is now second in the standings, 47 points above the cutoff line. Larson is 41 points up and Bell is 29 points to the good.

Why I Love To Blog -- That Ariya Story Update? I First Posted About The Ariya In 2022 Along With Buggigieg -- September 21, 2025

Locator: 49175EVS.

This just shows how long it takes for EV manufacturers to ramp up and how a new administration can completely disrupt plans. And then when Trump is out of office, it's very possible, EVs will be back in vogue.  

From July 23, 2022, link here:

 

And, The WSJ  -- "The Upside-Down Logic of Electric SUVs."  

From the other day, September 20, 2025, link here: