![Theta Talk](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/anchor-generated-image-bank/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
Theta Talk
By Strat Becker
Be a part of the audience on Wednesdays at 7pm EDT at: www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![Currently playing episode](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
Theta TalkAug 30, 2021
![016. Interview With the CEO of Verde Agritech](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
016. Interview With the CEO of Verde Agritech
This episode is part of the Due Your Diligence newsletter service. Subscribe for free here! https://dueyourdiligence.substack.com/subscribe
A first for Due Your Diligence, we have an interview with the CEO of a publicly-traded company to share with you! The questions in this interview were crafted as if I was an analyst/potential investor for the business, but the tone of the conversation was interactive and informational since the goal of the interview was to inform an audience about a market/industry they may not know much about. I hope you enjoy learning about the potash market, I know I did!
P.S. - If you have a Company executive that may be open to a similar conversation, please send an email to realstratbeckeryt@gmail.com - I love learning about companies and enjoy being able to share these conversations.
Guest/Company BioCristiano Veloso is the CEO of Verde Agritech (TSX: NPK / OTC: AMHPF - USD $371 million) is an agricultural technology company based in Brazil. The company is seeking to supply Brazil’s domestic potash supply, which has historically sourced about 90% of its potash from abroad. The company seeks to differentiate the product it’s providing by having its fertilizer not salinate the soil it is used on, thus avoiding degradation of the soil quality over time.
![015. Can the Spending Spree in Vegas Last?](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
015. Can the Spending Spree in Vegas Last?
Firstly, I want to say thank you for the insane level of support for our charity event on Friday. We’re currently sitting at over $10,000 raised for humanitarian and refugee relief in Ukraine and border regions where people have fled to. The link to donate is still open so please consider doing so here!
https://streamlabscharity.com/@stratbecker/stocks-for-goodYou don’t have to use this link if you have a more direct cause you want to support, but anything that helps make a difference in the lives of people facing life-changing impacts right now matters.
With organizing the event, I didn’t have enough time to complete research to make what I felt was a proper publication, and I don’t want to send out incomplete work. In its place is a podcast recording sharing my thoughts on Golden Entertainment that I have to date as well as a few other topics. We’ll be back with a piece on Build-A-Bear Workshop’s earnings and updating my priors next week. Thank you again and all the best.
![014. Facebook IS a Value Trap](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
014. Facebook IS a Value Trap
Read the full newsletter about Facebook here! https://thetathoughts.substack.com/p/everyone-on-wall-street-is-wrong
Subscribe to the Theta Thoughts newsletter for free stock research every week! https://thetathoughts.substack.com/subscribe
On this week's show, Strat talks about the horrendous data from Facebook/Meta's earnings report, and why the company may be a value trap. From declining engagement, shrinking DAUs on their flagship app, a collapsing upcycling strategy, and more, there's plenty to fear with the business in his opinion.
![013. The Changing Story of Build-A-Bear Workshop](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
013. The Changing Story of Build-A-Bear Workshop
This is an audio recording of my newsletter, Theta Thoughts. You can find the original post by clicking here and subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly analysis in your inbox by clicking here.
On this week's show, we discuss a deep dive into Build-A-Bear Workshop and go over my thoughts on why the street's view of the company being a mall-based retailer unlikely to face future success is a major misconception.
![012. The Internship Application](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
012. The Internship Application
On this week's show, we finally meet again after weeks of illness and work. Together, we discuss the internship application process. More specifically, the things I learned along the way when applying for full-time summer internships within the financial services industry. It's not something easy to prepare for but having some key knowledge ahead of time can make a big difference. We also briefly touch on my research project into Build-a-Bear Workshop, which you can read more on with one of the links below.
Be a part of the live audience on Wednesdays at 7pm ET - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
Get 5% off when signing up for Unusual Whales! - https://unusualwhales.com/referral#strat
Build-a-Bear Research Project - https://thetatalk.wordpress.com/2021/11/29/building-a-research-project/
![011. How to Make a Stock Pitch (ft. The Daily Peel Author)](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
011. How to Make a Stock Pitch (ft. The Daily Peel Author)
On this week's show, we bring a guest onto Theta Talk for the first time. One of my closest friends, he writes "The Daily Peel" newsletter for Wall Street Oasis, which goes to the inboxes of over 80,000 people every weekday. Together, we discuss our experiences making stock pitches for both peers and professionals, and what lessons we think people making stock pitches should pay attention to. There are also memes, as there rightfully should be.
Be a part of the live audience on Wednesdays at 7pm ET - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![010. Bitcoin is Back](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
010. Bitcoin is Back
On this week's show, we discuss the resurgence in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and why the run that's happening now is different than what we've seen in the past. We also talk above the continuing growth in the relevance of NFTs, as well as some concerning signs coming from macroeconomic data and earnings trends.
Be a part of the live audience on Wednesdays at 7pm ET - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![09. The CEI Scam](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
09. The CEI Scam
On this week's show, we discuss how influencers on social media like Zach Morris deceived their followers into buying into what appears to be a shell company at ridiculous valuations so that the influencers themselves could get a better exit on their pump. One of the most blatant discord pump and dumps you'll ever see, CEI (Camber Energy), became undone in hours earlier this week after a short report revealed the dirty laundry of the company, including the fact that it is set to be delisted next month because it hasn't even filed its 10-K from 2020 or any 10-Q forms since the third quarter of 2020! That didn't matter to the pumpers though, who tricked people that trusted them into losing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to secure their own bags.
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![08. Contagion From Evergrande](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
08. Contagion From Evergrande
On this week's show, we discuss the contagion that is spreading from Evergrande and the solvency crisis that seems to be immediately looming from it. The financial situation of the company has rapidly deteriorated in the past week, with rumors of employees being held hostage on WeChat and the company being unable to make an interest payment due around the time of this episode's upload unless new news comes out. Fallout is now happening far beyond just Evergrande, with the property development sector in China crumbling, Asian markets taking heavy losses, commodities and companies related to construction facing sharp falls, and international concern beginning to rise. Nobody knows what the end outcome will be, but this is a situation that needs to be watched.
Be a part of the live audience - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![07. Evergrande is Bankrupt](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
07. Evergrande is Bankrupt
Listen to an updated episode here --> https://open.spotify.com/episode/5didyrCrEHSbWUhWrol4mV?si=rLcdY93ATcKgHp3hlarJWw&dl_branch=1
On this week's show, we discuss the more recent developments concerning Evergrande, China's largest property developer which appears to be functionally insolvent. The story has gained much more public attention since we first discussed it six weeks ago, and there's much more to the story, including the potential ramifications for China and the global economy if the company goes under and contagion spreads. Any outcome is uncertain and unknowable at this time, but if the market doesn't like one thing, it's uncertainty.
Be a part of the live audience - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![06. What I Learned as a Hedge Fund Intern](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
06. What I Learned as a Hedge Fund Intern
On this week's show, we discuss the key takeaways from my experience as a hedge fund intern over the summer, the pros and cons to the gamification of the stock market, and why China's economy may be the biggest macro risk to the United States at this point in time.
Donate to Crisis Text Line to give people in crisis a resource to use when they need it most - https://tiltify.com/@stratbecker/stocks-for-good
Be a part of the live audience on Sundays at 6pm EDT - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![05. OnlyGone](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
05. OnlyGone
On this week's show, we discuss why Discord may become the top dog in the social media space, NFT rocks selling for over $400,000, and why OnlyFans recent business moves make them all but OnlyGone.
Be a part of the live audience on Sundays at 6pm EDT - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
Read the full show notes - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OnGJkWKYZhMmn6GHMrx-YF34068H2mZAdNIHoiZop5Q/edit?usp=sharing
![04. Impostor Syndrome](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
04. Impostor Syndrome
In this episode of Theta Talk, Strat shares his experience interviewing executives at companies and the impostor syndrome that can come with it when you're beginning a career in equity research.
Be a part of Theta Talk's audience when it's recorded live on Sundays at 6pm EDT - https://www.twitch.tv/stratbecker
![03. Pet Rocks are NFTs](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
03. Pet Rocks are NFTs
In this episode of Theta Talk, Strat talks live with his audience about the gamma squeeze on Robinhood's stock and why some people knew it would happen ahead of time. He then shares his new discovery, and disbelief, and some of the NFT trends that have arisen in the past weeks.
![01. Prices Might not Come Down](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_episode400/16934252/16934252-1627491963926-4c490d4fde9be.jpg)
01. Prices Might not Come Down
In the first episode of Theta Talk, Strat talks live with viewers about the current inflation situation. We all discuss whether the current inflationary trends for consumers are transitory, and why prices might not come back down just because inflation decreases.
![02. Is Evergrande The Black Swan?](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo400/16934252/16934252-1627491576410-2cc2469fb51de.jpg)
02. Is Evergrande The Black Swan?
On This episode of Theta Talk, Strat talks with his live audience about the Chinese stock selloff, and why he thinks there is more to it than just the ongoing regulatory crackdown.
Watch the updated episode here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lPMAxinmw95iRXathVrd5?si=bTO3Xu2OQu6eZDjRc9PKnA&dl_branch=1