I started trading about 23 years ago. I was 21, just getting my feet wet as stocks were coming out of a bear market and starting a new run.
Gold was doing the same.
Crypto didn’t exist yet. Not even a thought.
Back then, stocks had just moved from fractions to decimals. ETFs were barely a thing. There were a few hundred, at most. Today there are more ETFs than stocks.
That’s how fast this business moves.
Markets evolve. If you don’t evolve with them, you get left behind.
I got my first bitcoin in 2013. It wasn’t easy. Every cycle since then, getting exposure meant jumping through more hoops, dealing with more complexity, taking on more friction than most people were comfortable with.
Until now.
For the first time, you don’t need to go out of your way to participate in crypto. You don’t need a new platform, a new process, or a new set of rules.
You can do it the same way you’ve always done it.
And that changes everything.
Defi for TradFi
What really drove this home for me was what we did this week.
We bought two stocks that didn’t even exist a few years ago. Not last cycle. Not five years ago. These are brand-new vehicles.
And they give us direct exposure to the crypto themes we’re betting on.
No wallets. No token swaps. No figuring out which exchange may or may not work this week.
We just logged into a regular brokerage account and bought liquid common stock. Same way you’d buy Apple (AAPL). Same way you’d buy Dell (DELL).
That’s the shift.
Everyone at TrendLabs can participate the exact same way. Doesn’t matter if you’re brand new or you’ve been doing this for decades.
It’s the same process. Everybody has the same access. And we all have the same opportunity.
One click and you’re in.
That’s when it hit me. This isn’t some fringe corner of the market anymore.
This is the market.
A New Age in Investing
I’m not trying to be dramatic. I just want you to see what’s right in front of you.
This is how it always starts. Something new shows up, most people resist it, and then one day it’s just normal.
Markets don’t ask for permission to evolve. They just do.
Right now, we’re seeing crypto work its way into traditional markets the same way ETFs did years ago. At first it feels niche. Then it spreads. Then it’s everywhere.
So ask yourself a simple question.
Do you really think there will be fewer crypto-related stocks and ETFs in the future?
Of course not.
There will be more. A lot more.
We already own a Bitcoin ETF in the model portfolio for The Primary Trend. Now we own individual stocks tied to other crypto assets. And this week, we added another one in The Divergence model portfolio.
Different vehicles. Same theme.
That’s the direction this is going.
Which is why I’m writing this to you now. Not after the fact. Not once it’s obvious to everyone else.
Because this isn’t slowing down. It’s just getting started.
And what comes next is what matters most.
It’s the Humans, Stupid
Here’s what matters.
Markets change. They always have.
New rules. New products. New ways to trade and invest. From the creation of the SEC to options and futures to decimal pricing to the ETF boom and now this.
The tools and the vehicles evolve.
We don’t.
Human behavior hasn’t changed. It won’t change. Fear, greed, skepticism, excitement. Same emotions, different cycle.
And that’s the edge.
Because while the structure of the market keeps moving forward, most people are still reacting the same way they always have. Slow to accept it. Slow to adapt. And still busy fighting the last war.
You can do that if you want. There are plenty of ways to invest that have nothing to do with any of this.
And that’s fine.
But we’re not here for that.
We’re here to identify where the puck is going and put ourselves in position before everyone else figures it out.
We added two more this week.
And we’re not done.
Stay ahead of it or get left behind.
That’s up to you.
Stay sharp,
JC Parets, CMT
Founder, TrendLabs