SuffelStocks 35

December 17, 2020 Brandon Suffel

It’s about time SuffelStocks makes its notorious return. There is nothing better than a hapless college student analyzing the stock market with a passion for Political Science. So what’s changed? Without a doubt, the market has taken off since the summer. The DOW Jones Industrial Average reached 30,000 & the EV sector is doing well. I was apart of it all. Although I didn’t post any articles relating to these victories, I was a strong advocate on Stocktwits and Twitter. This time around, I’ll be here for good, and I’m holding myself accountable to this pledge. So let’s take the ride.

Pfizer Vaccine

The vaccine is here finally, and it’s time we let the coronavirus pack its bags and take the first flight out of the United States. That’s not possible. It will stay here forever, for good, but this time around, we have a weapon to fight against it. The Pfizer vaccine was FDA emergency approved on the whims of desperate measures that were necessary. So why is the stock down right now? Is it because there isn’t enough of the vaccine to go around right now? Is it because New York Politicians are killing small businesses even though they’ve promised to be more lenient once the vaccine comes? These are just some of the many questions we deserve to hear answers to;

Since last Friday, when the news broke of FDA approval, and this past Monday, when the first subject received inoculation, Pfizer’s stock has been on a downward trend for bullish investors. How can it be? I’d assume fundamentals are key to optimistic investing, but the stock price won’t do its bloody deed. The bears are in the mix and eager to attack and viciously eat away at any poor news from Pfizer’s vaccine progress.

So far today, Pfizer’s stock has experienced substantial bullish resiliency. As we approached the closing bell, investors in $PFE were eager for more gains from today’s bull run in hopes the trend would fare into the after hours. Tomorrow could be a tough day for Pfizer bulls since the sentiment is down roughly one and a half points.

Although there is still hope for Pfizer investors, Biden plans to take the vaccine soon and in a public manner for the entire social media world to watch and admire in glory. I won’t be watching.

It’s Looking Great for Moderna though

Moderna, another vaccine/weapon to fight against COVID-19, is bound for approval by the FDA no later than tomorrow. You have my word. (It was just FDA approved as we speak) So what’s better than one vaccine? Two, you may assume. (I can’t lie, I’m a tad conflicted when it comes to a choice between the two). The Pfizer vaccine comes in what, two doses? And the Moderna vaccine alters your RNA so that your immune system can assertively assume the COVID-19 cells are nothing but a heap of fruit flies. There is hope.

Pfizer’s stock wasn’t the only one to fall; Moderna also fared the same bearish behavior this past week. The $MRNA share price dropped enough to scare investors into selling and day traders into shorting. Oh, what a ride for these two; it sure has been wicked. Since today’s optimism from imperative FDA approval, $MRNA share prices are up & they are up big until they fell in the after-hours…. what a bummer.

The EV Sector is the ‘New’

The EV sector is the new hip-style for relatively new investors and those trying to make a few extra bucks. Why not hop on the train? After all, the future is protecting our precious environment at all costs. And with the new Biden and Harris administration, there’s a pledge set in stone to protect the environment by eliminating gasoline-hungry vehicles and factories that emit harmful pollution into our atmosphere.

So which are the most popular? Well, I guess I’ll share my secret sauce: $PLUG, $BLNK, $SOLO, $AYRO, $FCEL, and $CLSK have worked very well for me so far.

Each stock is relatively diverse and offers more than just hydrogen-fuel powered forklifts or interchangeable batteries.

Since the summer, almost every one of those stocks above is up more than 50%. How about that.

The Game of Chess to a Dunce

December 17, 2020 Brandon Suffel

After watching Beth Harmon conquer all the simps on The Queens Gambit, I took it upon myself to try out chess. It’s not an easy game. I figured that out rather quickly. I tried playing random opponents on Chess.com; as my rating continued to drop, I felt hopeless. It was all too confusing; the piece movements were extraneous to my game strategy & I blundered more than I had missed wins or even made a solid move.

Is there any way I can improve? Yes, I thought. Practice makes perfect. I didn’t give up. I spent countless hours learning how each piece moves and their best positions to stay active and effective on the board. My hopes and dreams of learning the game of chess as a new player took off. I wanted nothing more than to conquer my friends at the chance we play against each other. I thought I was ready.

Still, my movements were imprecise and lacked any reasoning or lucrative thought. The blunders continued to reign upon any sense of victory at the end game. I couldn’t help but fail to put them in checkmate or even finish them without mercy at endgames, and most of the time, it ended in a draw stalemate. It was a horror show, to say at the least.

Suddenly, an epiphany came to mind. Who can I ask for help, with a warrant to do so? I couldn’t find any personal guidance since no one I know is great at chess. So I took my inquiries to YouTube. There are channels out there that provide good detail to avoid common mistakes for new players. For instance, it’s imperative to put your pieces at constructive positions before your opponent. That is, to advance your Knight pieces to the middle of the chessboard and having your Bishops aimed and ready to fire. Also, make sure not to use your Queen piece too early, as it should play defense in most game scenarios compared to offense unless your opponent commits the most heinous mistake to the game of chess: opening up your first two pawns (playing as white) to F3 and G4.

No more would I let these foolish blunders be a crucial component to my defeats any longer. However, I still couldn’t comprehend and effectively win in the end game scenarios. I usually end up with the most pieces on the board towards the end game and sometimes advance a pawn to the other side of the board to become another Queen or Rook. But yet, as threatening pieces are to my opponent’s position, there I was, still in a grim endgame with no winning end in sight. How can I get there?

The key is to play ruthlessly. Make sure to advance your pieces and trap your opponents before they can trap you. That’s not a simple task. It takes practice and dedication to get better at the game; however, it’s worth it. If you spend at least 30 minutes of your day playing an opponent, a friend, or a computer, you will soon understand why you’re making those constant mistakes. Keep trying and don’t give up, coming from a Chess Dunce.