Trump Media & Technology Group, the owner of struggling social media platform Truth Social, is began its long-delayed journey as a public company at Tuesday’s opening bell under the ticker symbol “DJT.”

The stock surged about 56% at the open, to $78, and trading was briefly halted for volatility. Trump Media shares have since stabilized at around $70, marking a 40% increase from Monday’s close.

Wall Street is assigning Trump Media an eye-popping valuation of around $13 billion — a price tag that experts warn is untethered to reality.

The skyrocketing share price comes despite the fact that Trump Media is burning through cash; piling up losses; and its main product, Truth Social, is losing users.

“This is a very unusual situation. The stock is pretty much divorced from fundamentals,” said Jay Ritter, a finance professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, who has been studying initial public offerings (IPOs) for over 40 years.

  • @ikidd
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    5010 months ago

    Follow the money. I guarantee this is Russian financing being done at a remove.

      • @Aolley
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        2710 months ago

        The CCP is also very interested in all this

            • @[email protected]
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              fedilink
              310 months ago

              I wish this were the case.

              It’s crazy scary how coordinated that community gets to get their fix, which is why one takedown often leads to more.

              • Ann Archy
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                310 months ago

                It’s crazy how far any community goes to get “its” fix.

                Neurologically speaking, our brains’ reward-punishment module is too damn directly exploitable.

            • Ann Archy
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              edit-2
              10 months ago

              I have some bad news for your peace of mind…

        • @UnderpantsWeevil
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          110 months ago

          It’s standard Beijing policy not to intercede when Americans are shooting themselves in the feet

      • Ann Archy
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        10 months ago

        The Saudis, the Israelis, and the Chinesis all have old “trade” agreements with the US.

        One other country has joined the club, only they snuck in the back door to burn the whole thing down.

        None of the others’ intent is to overthrow US democracy, because they depend on it for not living like Tuskan Raiders in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

    • Ann Archy
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      310 months ago

      I am shocked hearing people say that out loud even. Isn’t that extremely, painfully, provably obvious to everyone? No. It is not. It is a matter of “both sides” debate, apparently.

      “Hi, I sell snake oil. It cures cancer!”
      “Oooh, I LOVE not having cancer! I’ll buy 1. No, wait, 1000!”

    • @UnderpantsWeevil
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      110 months ago

      guarantee this is Russian financing

      Fair more likely it’s Saudi or Israeli money, given how Russians have been cut off from the SWIFT banking system through sanctions.

    • @aidan
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      -210 months ago

      Russian financing how? They can’t access banks, I doubt they’re wasting precious foreign currency on this.

      • Rob T Firefly
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        10 months ago

        Just because they’re not allowed to access banks doesn’t mean they can’t.

        Lots of people, organizations, and even governments do all sorts of crimes even though they’re really not supposed to. Conceptually speaking, money laundering is a fairly simple crime to do and, like so many crimes, it becomes easier to get away with the more powerful you are.

        • @HeyThisIsntTheYMCA
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          310 months ago

          If you’re creative and determined you can reframe a lot of basic interactions as crimes.

          • Ann Archy
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            210 months ago

            And if you’re gullible it’s easy to reframe them as part of the “nothing is happening in the world and geopolitics are not a thing” conspiracy theory.

            • @HeyThisIsntTheYMCA
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              310 months ago

              Ah shit I forgot what thread I was on and was just “the cops will lock you up for pissing sideways” rambling.

              • Ann Archy
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                10 months ago

                Yeah, us communists are all the same, just repetitive propagandistic slogans and dumb soundbites led by an uncharismatic moron telling us what to do.

                Go build a wall, or bridge or whatever.

                Edit: Wait, wait, you weren’t being sarcastic? If so my bad.

        • @aidan
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          -210 months ago

          Every dollar you launder still has a risk of being caught, like I said, they have more pressing things to spend foreign currency on.

            • @aidan
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              110 months ago

              His bond was reduced, he doesn’t need the money that desperately that they’d own him

              • @[email protected]
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                310 months ago

                Since there isn’t enough info out there for either of us to be wholly right, I will have to agree to disagree.

                Cheers mate.

                • @aidan
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                  210 months ago

                  True fair enough

          • @guacupado
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            310 months ago

            What? Their money has literally impeded us continuing to give aid to Ukraine. Their investments are paying insane dividends.

            • @aidan
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              110 months ago

              Their money has literally impeded us continuing to give aid to Ukraine.

              Is there solid evidence of that?

                • @aidan
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                  110 months ago

                  Thanks for sharing the info

      • @Omgpwnies
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        1310 months ago

        They can still trade in rubles with other countries that are willing to trade with them. It’s not inconceivable that they can ‘launder’ a trade via, say India:

        1. Russia buys a few billion-ruble toothbrushes from India

        2. India invests the equivalent in USD with $DJT (minus a cut)

        3. India uses those rubles to trade at market value for goods with other countries that also trade in rubles

        Replace India and Saudi Arabia with any 2 countries on this list: https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/bangladesh-among-over-30-countries-approved-trade-rouble-russian-embassy-705798

        • @aidan
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          110 months ago

          Cluing in many people into conspiracies like that would require makes them much harder to keep secret

      • Ann Archy
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        310 months ago

        I doubt they’re wasting precious foreign currency on this.

        Their EXISTENCE hinges on winning the US election right now.

        It’s literally ALL they are “wasting precious currency” on.

        • @aidan
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          110 months ago

          Their EXISTENCE hinges on winning the US election right now.

          What does this mean?