Issue #26 | July 11, 2026
Comped
The Numbers
But bro, he’s the king of the pirates
⭐Celebrating 🥳 half a year of Comped⭐
–Baseball ekes out a gain
–Basketball 18 week streak continues in a big way
–Football continues offseason speculating
–Soccer bearish volume trend over the last month
–Pokemon 26 consecutive weeks of gains
–One Piece…and there’s the down week
–S&P 500 continued strength for the king of indexes
–Gold mostly flat after a big week last…bottom now in?
–Bitcoin seems to be reversing
We are now 6 months in to Comped! Thanks for being here for something unlike anything else out there. Don’t gatekeep, tell a friend.
Here’s a lookback at what we’ve gone through this past six months:
⚾UP 28% – Slow, steady growth
🏀UP 31.49% – Consistent, accelerating growth (likely from post-covid bloodbath).
🏈UP 17.21% – Very slow, somewhat uninspiring growth.
⚽UP 22.03% – Choppy, speculation-fueled phases of growth (hope you have Haaland).
👾UP 92.76% – Nope, not a typo. And standout gains every week.
🏴☠️UP 50.57% – Seesaw gains and losses on an upward trendline.
📈UP 8.74% – Are stocks still the wealth-generating machine they once were?
💰DOWN 8.05% – 2025 was amazing for gold; 2026 has been anything but.
🪙DOWN 8.05% – Bitcoin losing its pace of adoption, which is critical to its “math”.
The News
-America really must have had a hangover after its 250th birthday to play like that against Belgium.
-Norway v England today will be🧨. Must-see t.v.
-Winner of that game plays the winner of Argentina v Switzerland. France plays Spain on Tuesday for the game of the tourney so far.
-Some big moves have been shaking up the NBA, possibly a reason for all the Basketball Index movement. Lebron out in LA, Giannis to Miami, Kawhi back to his Canadian ex, Ja to Portland, Trae Young to the Browns of the NBA (🧙♂️)
-The All Star break is a great time to pick up some late-season speculative picks for a surprise deep playoff run. For more on that…
The Framework
Let’s talk about timing and speculating in cards.
Deep in the recesses in my brain, past the shores of consciousness is the unshakable idea that profitability in cards is due to more than just being right or wrong.
There are many times that I’ve been right and lost money and wrong and made money.
Without taking it levels deeper it’s enough to make a man grasp for the totem of his sanity.
Once you kick yourself past being right and wrong, you realize that it’s being early or late that truly determines profitability in most cases.
Timing truly is everything. Buying a rare, perfect condition parallel of a rising superstar in a good set can still be a bad decision if you’re at a short-term top of his market and must wait for the next cycle.
Conversely, buying yesterday’s golden boy the market lost patience on can be a pleasant path of profitability.
Don’t let an idea take hold of your brain that’s almost impossible to eradicate…Think first if you’re early or late.
Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.
Inception
Keep Building,
DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. The content reflects the author’s personal opinions and analysis and should not be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any assets. Sports cards and collectibles are speculative investments with significant risk of loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The author may hold positions in assets discussed in this newsletter. Readers should conduct their own research and consult with qualified financial, tax, and legal professionals before making any investment decisions. By reading this newsletter, you acknowledge and accept these terms.