A 325% Stock Surge Greets a Tiny Company's Strategy to Buy Solana
Suvashree Ghosh sizes up the risks inherent in the latest efforts to turn public companies into crypto piggybanks.
Michael Saylor-led Strategy's Bitcoin-accumulation plan is finding more and more fans. Companies are imitating this simple looking, cash churning model by raising funds to buy crypto tokens at a time when volatile digital assets are outrunning stocks.
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GM to invest US$4 billion to increase US output
General Motors (GM) announced it plans to invest around US$ 4 billion in the next two years to strengthen its US vehicle production operations, in response to the recent import tariff hikes by the Trump-led US government. This new investment plan, which will result in the transfer of some production from Mexico, is in addition to the recently-announced US$ 888 million investment in the company's Tonawanda engine plant in New York State. GM confirmed it plans to increase its annual production capacity in the US to over two million battery-powered and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The plants that will benefit from the new investment include: Orion, Michigan, which will begin production of a ICE full-size SUVs and light duty pickup trucks in early 2027. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant will become the dedicated assembly location for the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ, and GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV. Fairfax, Kansas City, will produce ICE-powered Chevrolet Equinox from mid-2027 in response to strong demand for the recently redesigned model. The plant is also scheduled to produce the new Chevrolet Bolt EV by the end of 2025, with additional 'affordable' EV models set to follow later on. Spring Hill, Tennessee: GM plans to add the ICE-powered Chevrolet Blazer to the plant's line-up from 2027, to be produced alongside the Cadillac Lyriq and Visiq EVs and the Cadillac XT5. GM's CEO, Mary Barra, said in a statement: 'We believe the future of transportation will be driven by American innovation and manufacturing expertise. Today's announcement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to build vehicles in the US and to support American jobs. We're focused on giving customers choice and offering a broad range of vehicles they love.' The company pointed out that it currently has around fifty vehicle and parts manufacturing plants in 19 US states, including eleven vehicle assembly plants, employing a COMBINED one million people directly and indirectly, including at parts suppliers and dealers. GM's capital spending guidance remained unchanged at between US$ 10 billion and US$ 11 billion for 2025, rising slightly to between US$ 10 billion and US$ 12 billion in 2026 and 2027 to 'reflect increased investment in the US, the prioritization of key programs, and efficiency offsets.' "GM to invest US$4 billion to increase US output" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
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About 78 percent of Americans say they're uncomfortable investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Here's why
Despite all the hype around cryptocurrency, the vast majority of Americans say they're uncomfortable investing in it, according to Bankrate's 2025 Long-Term Investment Survey. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans (78 percent) say they're not comfortable putting their investment dollars in crypto. So, what might be making Americans uncomfortable with cryptocurrency? And what are some other investments that have proven track records of attractive, long-term returns? Let's take a look. Bankrate's Long-Term Investment Survey indicated clearly that Americans largely feel uncomfortable investing in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and only a relatively small proportion were comfortable with them. Here's how the survey's results break down: Very comfortable — 5 percent Somewhat comfortable — 15 percent Not too comfortable — 28 percent Not at all comfortable — 49 percent Had not heard of it — 2 percent The 2025 results were similar to those of the same survey in 2022, when Bankrate last conducted it. In 2022, 21 percent of Americans were 'very' or 'somewhat' comfortable, compared to 75 percent who were either 'not too comfortable' or 'not at all comfortable.' Younger generations tend to be more comfortable with cryptocurrency. In the 2025 survey, about 28 percent of Gen Z said they were 'very comfortable' or 'somewhat comfortable' with it, compared to 30 percent of millennials, 21 percent of Gen X and 6 percent of boomers. While the Bankrate survey didn't ask respondents to say specifically why they were uncomfortable with investing in cryptocurrency, it did offer at least one clue. That is, the survey asked Americans why they didn't pick stocks as their top investment, and the top reason was their notable volatility. Volatility — the stomach-churning up and down of an investment — makes investing difficult for many traders. While stocks are well-known for their volatility, cryptocurrency has it in spades. 'Lacking traditional fundamentals such as cash flow, the movement in cryptocurrency prices are largely sentiment-driven,' says Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate chief financial analyst. 'As sentiment shifts wildly, so, too, do crypto prices.' For example, during its lifetime of around 16 years, Bitcoin has lost 60 percent of its value or more in three different calendar years. This level of volatility scares investors, forcing them out of investments — after they've lost money — as the price of crypto yo-yos. It's also important to understand that cryptocurrency (in most cases) is not backed by the assets or cash flow of an underlying business, unlike traditional investments. The price of most cryptocurrencies is based solely on the sentiment of traders and whether they expect a crypto coin to rise or fall in value. If demand for a coin disappears, the coin can become literally worthless. So the only thing that keeps the price of a crypto rising is by drawing more money to it — that is, by hyping it and trying to generate more excitement. For example, many crypto analysts simply issue larger and larger price targets for popular coins such as Bitcoin, helping to keep up excitement that the crypto can rise in the future and drawing more investment dollars to it today. In this light, it's quite reasonable that Americans are uncomfortable investing in cryptocurrency. Many Americans — perhaps especially the young, who are most comfortable with crypto — may lack the knowledge and expertise to see the danger of investing in an asset based on nothing and without adequate regulation that requires minimum standards for raising money for one. While cryptocurrency has been around for a number of years, many people still don't know what it is or why some of the most popular cryptocurrencies seem to go up (and down). Whereas Bitcoin has seen its price go up many, many times, thousands of other cryptocurrencies have gone nowhere or have been outright frauds and blown up entirely, costing investors billions. The crypto market is effectively unregulated, meaning anyone can create a cryptocurrency and investors have few protections. Again, literally anyone can create a cryptocurrency and raise money, and more than 20,000 cryptocurrencies are traded on exchanges, according to many estimates, though some estimates put the number of existing cryptocurrencies in the millions. Cryptocurrency has also infamously been used by many criminals, allowing them to more easily commit crimes such as extortion and money laundering. The semi-anonymity of cryptocurrency and the finality of it — once you've sent the cryptocurrency, it's gone forever — make it easy for criminals to use crypto to transact their business. Americans have a number of proven alternative investments that have a strong record of returns, and, importantly, they are backed by assets, unlike most cryptocurrencies. Get started: Match with an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 stock index, has delivered about 10 percent annual returns over time, making it one of the best long-term investments. In fact, in Bankrate's 2025 Long-Term Investment Survey, Americans picked the stock market as their top long-term investment for money that they don't need for a decade or more. 'With crypto, any return on investment is solely dependent on the price increasing from what you paid for it,' says McBride. 'But stocks represent ownership in real businesses and cash flow can be reinvested in the company, used to make acquisitions, or returned to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks.' Stocks are fractional ownership of a company, and the stock's performance is driven over time by the performance of that business. Anyone can own a piece of successful companies such as Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL) — and your long-term returns reflect their business success. Plus, if you need to generate income, you can invest in dividend stocks and enjoy the cash flow. 'Studies have shown that over long investment horizons, dividends comprised approximately 40 percent of an investor's total return,' says McBride. 'Not only does this allow you to make money in a flat market, but reinvesting those dividends is a further compounder of wealth.' Real estate is another popular investment, and it's regularly among Americans' most preferred investments, coming in second in Bankrate's survey. Real estate, whether it's a primary residence or an investment property, has delivered attractive returns over time, particularly to those who can hold on for decades and avoid the substantial transaction costs and taxes. Real estate can be a great way to generate income, too, offering you cash each month. An investment in real estate is backed by the property, unlike an investment in cryptocurrency. Bonds are a relatively safe type of asset that is also backed by the assets and cash flow of a business or government, unlike cryptocurrency. With bonds, you make an investment, earn interest during the life of the bond and then receive the bond's face value when it matures. Bonds are an attractive place if you need to generate income, for example, for retirees. While bonds aren't much known for appreciating in value, they're a proven long-term investment. Investment funds — whether they're mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — offer attractive long-term returns. These funds own stakes in stocks and bonds, and the funds' total return reflects the performance of their investments. Some of the best ETFs buy high-growth stocks and let them compound your wealth for years, and all you need to do is hold on. 'Individual investors have been well-served by regular contributions to broad-based, low-cost index funds that are held over many years with all distributions reinvested,' says McBride. Investment funds also own dozens, sometimes hundreds, of investments, reducing the risk of a single investment as well as lowering the volatility of the fund. These funds are backed by their investments, which are supported by the assets and cash flow of real underlying companies. 'Use this as your blueprint,' says McBride. 'You get instant diversification from the first dollar you invest, rock-bottom investment expenses, low or no minimum investment, and regular automatic contributions and reinvestment of all distributions enable you to build your position effortlessly over time.' Most Americans remain uncomfortable investing in cryptocurrency, and the risks of investing in it remain outrageously high, including the fact that it's not backed by anything at all. In contrast, Americans have a number of other investments with strong track records of proven returns. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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An Investor Who Took Out $150,000 In Loans To Buy Bitcoin Gives A Three-Year Update. But Everyone Just Wants To Know—How'd He Get 0% Loans?
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Three years ago, one Reddit user made a high-risk decision: they borrowed $150,000 using a mix of personal loans and 0% APR credit card balance transfers to buy Bitcoin. As of June 4, they say that investment is paying off in a big way. The investor says they now own 4.75 Bitcoin, purchased at an average price of $35,000. With Bitcoin trading at around $105,000 at the time of the update, their holdings are worth roughly $498,750. After accounting for the $15,000 in interest paid and the original $150,000 in loans, they're sitting on an unrealized gain of over $330,000. Don't Miss: — no wallets, just price speculation and free paper trading to practice different strategies. Grow your IRA or 401(k) with Crypto – . 'I have no plans to sell any of it. Just buy and hold. Retire early,' they wrote. The remaining debt, now at about $40,000, comes from credit card balance transfers that carry 0% interest for the next six to 12 months. They admitted to recently taking out another $25,000 balance transfer to buy an additional 0.25 BTC when the price crossed $100,000, despite previously promising not to borrow more. 'I was down to just $20,000 remaining balance, but I simply couldn't resist.' When asked why they didn't just use earned income to slowly invest, the investor explained, 'If I only did that, then I would not have been able to buy nearly as much Bitcoin as I did at the lowest prices.' They describe their approach as a 'reverse dollar-cost averaging.' Instead of buying a little over time, they borrowed a lump sum when BTC was trading between $16,000 and $35,000, then repaid it in monthly installments. To critics who say borrowing to invest is reckless, they responded, 'Taking out loans to buy assets is fine, so long as you can afford to responsibly service the debt. Just don't take out loans to buy liabilities.' They argue that inflationary U.S. fiscal policy will continue to devalue the dollar. Their thesis: borrow in USD and buy an appreciating asset like Bitcoin. 'The strategy is basically a speculative attack on the U.S. dollar,' they said. Trending: New to crypto? on Coinbase. That was the number one question in the comment section. 'Credit Card Balance Transfer Offers. I get them all the time in the mail or with my current credit cards. You have to have a good credit score though,' they wrote. Balance transfer credit cards let users move existing debt from one card to another, often with an introductory 0% interest rate for a limited time, typically 12 to 18 months. Some issuers even allow the transferred funds to be deposited directly into a bank account, turning it interest-free loan for a set period. The original poster also clarified that it wasn't about transferring balances from one card to another in the traditional sense. 'You don't have to transfer a balance. They deposit it directly into your bank account.' As for fees, they acknowledged a 3% upfront transaction fee on those balance transfers. Their income isn't unusually high either. They claim to take home around $65,000 a year, but maintain an 800+ credit score, which is how they secured access to so much credit. Reactions were split. Some called the move genius, gutsy, or inspiring. Others labeled it reckless or 'degenerate gambling.' One commenter wrote, 'I did this with shitcoins and lost $175K. Good luck!' while another added, 'It's not gambling if you have a plan and discipline.' The original poster seems unfazed by either side. 'Bitcoin is the exit strategy,' they said. Read Next: A must-have for all crypto enthusiasts: . Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — This article An Investor Who Took Out $150,000 In Loans To Buy Bitcoin Gives A Three-Year Update. But Everyone Just Wants To Know—How'd He Get 0% Loans? originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
