Ah, December 23rd—the day we face the final boss of consumerism. If you’ve braved the mall today, you’ve earned a medal of honor. The lines are endless, the parking is a battlefield, and people are buying stuff they didn’t even know existed 24 hours ago. But hey, we get it. The holidays are wild, messy, and magical all at once.  Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a moment of peace amidst the chaos. Cheers to joy, laughter, and all the good stuff that doesn’t come in a box. 

Today’s stories:

• Bryan Johnson is turning himself into a walking science experiment

• A typical homeowner in 2022 had a net worth of $400,000

• Robotaxis may lose wheels, pedals, and mirrors

• Bezos denies $600M Aspen wedding rumors

• Biden clears $4.28B in student loans

• 2025 the "Year of the Crypto IPO”

  and more…

Wall Street played a game of catch-up Friday, cheering cooler inflation data with a modest rally. The Nasdaq strutted in with a 1% gain, while the Dow added 1.2% and the S&P chipped in 1.1%. But let’s not break out the confetti just yet. The week still ended on a sour note, with all three indexes in the red. The Nasdaq took the biggest hit, down 1.8%, while the Dow and S&P both lost around 2%. It’s like celebrating a single sunny day in a rainy week—nice, but not exactly trend-breaking. Meanwhile, traders will get a bit of a breather as U.S. stock and bond markets close early on Christmas Eve and stay shut for Christmas. Maybe some holiday cheer will help wash down those losses.

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2025 Crypto Predictions: Bitcoin, Memecoins, and the "Year of the Crypto IPO"

Coinbase, Bitwise, and a16z have shared their outlook for 2025, and it’s packed with bold calls. Bitcoin is expected to hit a new high above $200,000, while Bitcoin ETFs could attract even more money than they did in 2024. Coinbase might even overtake Charles Schwab as the world’s top brokerage.

They’re calling 2025 the "Year of the Crypto IPO," with a wave of companies going public. The value of tokenized real-world assets is set to pass $50 billion, and institutional adoption of crypto is expected to speed up. DeFi could see a new wave of innovation, and US regulations might finally give crypto a boost instead of holding it back.

And if that’s not enough, tokens created by AI could kick off a new memecoin craze. If these predictions come true, 2025 could be a huge year for crypto.

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Biden clears $4.28B in student loans. President Biden just announced $4.28 billion in student loan relief for 55,000 public service workers—think teachers, nurses, and firefighters. This bumps his total student loan forgiveness to $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans. It’s all thanks to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which rewards 10 years of service with a debt-free happily ever after.

Party City’s party is over. After nearly 40 years of selling balloons, streamers, and plastic tablecloths, Party City is officially shutting down. CEO Barry Litwin called the collapse “necessary” despite the company’s “very best efforts.” Employees will lose benefits immediately and face termination by February 28. The closures, the company claims, are “in the best interest” of the business. The party is officially over.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell throws shade at Bitcoin. Fed Chair Jerome Powell just sent the crypto world spiraling. At a press conference, he casually mentioned that the Fed isn’t allowed to own Bitcoin and has no plans to change that. “That’s for Congress to deal with,” he said, essentially shrugging off the idea. For good measure, he also projected only two rate cuts in 2025—cue investor panic. As a result, Bitcoin, which hit $108,000 last week, crashed to $95,000. Ethereum dropped nearly 11%, Dogecoin tanked up to 20%, and the whole crypto market looked like a clearance rack at a department store. In just 24 hours, $1.2 billion in crypto trades were wiped out.

Record $600B floods into global bond funds in 2024. A record $600 billion poured into global bond funds this year, blowing past the $500 billion record from 2021. Slowing inflation and hopes for easier money policies had investors piling in, chasing those “elevated” yields like they were the last deal of the season.

Homeowners vs. renters: the 40x wealth gap. According to the Aspen Institute, the typical homeowner in 2022 had a net worth of $400,000, while the median renter sat at just $10,400. That’s a 40x difference. For those trying to buy their first home, the struggle is real. Rising home prices and sky-high mortgage rates have slammed the door shut for many. The median existing-home sales price hit $407,200 in October, marking the 16th straight month of year-over-year price increases.

The Largest Aircraft to Ever Be Made

Radia, a Boulder-based company, is building WindRunner, the largest and heaviest plane ever made. Designed to carry massive wind turbines to remote locations, it’s set to break aviation records and revolutionize cargo transport. Led by MIT-trained CEO Mark Lundstrom, Radia is focused on boosting wind energy, which could power up to 41% of global energy by 2050. WindRunner isn’t just big—it’s a game-changer for renewable energy.

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Oura scores $200M, now worth $5.2B. Smart ring maker Oura just raised $200 million, bringing its value to $5.2 billion. Backed by Fidelity and Dexcom, the company plans to expand its products, invest in AI and science, and maybe buy a few new toys along the way. Not bad for a little ring that tracks your sleep.

Robotaxis may lose wheels, pedals, and mirrors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is clearing the way for robotaxis without steering wheels, pedals, or mirrors. Its new proposal aims to help companies like Zoox and Tesla ditch manual controls entirely—provided they play nice and share safety data. Zoox claims it doesn’t need approval because it has “self-certified” its toaster-shaped taxis, while Tesla is already hyping a wheel-free robotaxi for 2025. The future of driving might just be no driving at all—let’s just hope these things know where the brakes are.

Instagram’s AI tool promises to transform your videos. Instagram is rolling out an AI tool next year that can change your videos with a simple text prompt. Powered by Meta’s Movie Gen AI, it can swap outfits, change backgrounds, or even turn you into a puppet—because why not? Instagram head Adam Mosseri teased the tool by adding a gold chain to his look and swapping entire scenes. Video editing just got lazy—and way more fun.

2025 Prediction: A Surge of Self-Serve CTV Buyers

Roku predicts that 2025 will be a breakthrough year for self-serve CTV advertising. Roku Ads Manager makes it easy to integrate CTV into your 2025 marketing mix. Easily segment your target audience, optimize campaigns in real-time, and drive conversions with interactive ad formats and shoppable ads with a Shopify integration. Roku Ads Manager makes CTV advertising accessible and impactful for businesses of any size.

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Bryan Johnson: The Millionaire Who Wants to Live Forever

Tech millionaire Bryan Johnson is spending a fortune to beat aging, turning himself into a walking science experiment. In a new Netflix documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, director Chris Smith dives into Johnson’s over-the-top quest to outlive everyone else. 

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Bezos denies $600M Aspen wedding rumors. Jeff Bezos says “nope” to reports of a $600 million wedding with fiancée Lauren Sanchez next weekend. The Daily Mail claimed the bash would include a sushi blowout and a 160-acre ranch venue, but Bezos took to X to shut it down: “This whole thing is completely false.” Even billionaire buddy Bill Ackman chimed in, saying, “Unless you’re buying guests houses, this doesn’t add up.” So, no need to dry-clean those tuxes—yet.

20 stunning Christmas trees around the world. From the iconic Rockefeller Center tree to the towering wonder in Gubbio, Italy, and a $5.5 million stunner, these spectacular Christmas trees are making spirits bright around the world.

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TikTok of the day: watch here