#92 Alpha Score 92.9

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence
@EricBalchunas · tracked since Jan 2026
92
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Alpha Score 92.9
Calls
17
Win Rate
76.5%
return
+9.5%
Calls 17 2353 Posts tracked · 9.7/day
Calls
7d 0
30d 1
90d 5
Best Calls
DRAM Long +55.4%
IGV Long +30.6%
EWY Long +27.1%
Worst Calls
GLD Long -16.1%
IBIT Long -13.9%
SOXX Long -4.8%
Most Mentioned
BTC ×5
SPY ×3
EWY ×2
Recent Calls
SGOV Long 3 weeks ago
XLK Long 1 month ago
SOXX Long 1 month ago
Win Rate 76% Long 17 Short 0
Win Rate
7d 53%
30d 56%
90d 75%
Average Return +9.5% Long Return +9.5% Short Return -
Average Return
7d +0.4%
30d +3.5%
90d +9.4%
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Result
Result
Sort
Theme Stance
Ticker
Side
Mentions
First Call
Call Price
P&L
Thesis
Theme
Source
Long
Jan 23
$50.78
-13.9%
Buy IBIT as a Bitcoin proxy; $6B+ in net inflows during a 24% drawdown signals structurally sticky, conviction-driven demand — a historically bullish indicator of durable long-term accumulation rather than hot-money chasing.
Buy IBIT as a Bitcoin proxy; $6B+ in net inflows during a 24% drawdown signals structurally sticky, conviction-driven demand — a historically bullish indicator of durable long-term accumulation rather than hot-money chasing.
Thematic ETFs
Long
May 08
$676.00
+3.6%
S&P 500 wins from AI adaptation
The S&P 500 is the ultimate winner from AI disruption because incumbent companies will adapt and incorporate AI, just as old-economy companies successfully adapted to e-commerce. Market-cap-weighted indexing captures these adaptations, making broad U.S. equity exposure the best way to benefit.
Equity Indexes
Long
Apr 13
$137.49
+27.1%
Buy EWY as an underrated AI exposure vehicle; South Korean semiconductor/tech companies provide indirect AI infrastructure upside that the market has not fully priced relative to direct US AI plays.
Buy EWY as an underrated AI exposure vehicle; South Korean semiconductor/tech companies provide indirect AI infrastructure upside that the market has not fully priced relative to direct US AI plays.
Equity Indexes
Long
Feb 05
$14.96
+21.7%
Institutional issuers (like BlackRock) continue to build products on Ethereum, and it captures the "serious big fish business" despite competition from faster chains. While Layer 2 narratives are complex, Ethereum remains the "legitimate second" to Bitcoin. It is effectively the "Blue Chip" tech stock of the crypto world, distinct from Bitcoin's "digital gold" narrative. Long Ethereum ETFs as the winner of the institutional smart contract wars. Technological obsolescence if Solana or other chains successfully flip Ethereum on transaction volume and developer activity.
Institutional issuers (like BlackRock) continue to build products on Ethereum, and it captures the "serious big fish business" despite competition from faster chains. While Layer 2 narratives are complex, Ethereum remains the "legitimate second" to Bitcoin. It is effectively the "Blue Chip" tech stock of the crypto world, distinct from Bitcoin's "digital gold" narrative. Long Ethereum ETFs as the winner of the institutional smart contract wars. Technological obsolescence if Solana or other chains successfully flip Ethereum on transaction volume and developer activity.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Feb 05
$473.24
-16.1%
GLD (Gold ETF) is 22 years old and once suffered a 40% drawdown over 6 months, yet recovered to hit all-time highs and attract $30B in inflows. History suggests that "store of value" assets endure severe drawdowns as part of their lifecycle. If Bitcoin is "Teenager Gold," Gold is the mature blueprint. It remains the primary zero-correlation asset for portfolio diversification. Long GLD as the proven, lower-volatility hedge that Bitcoin is aspiring to become. Rising real rates or a "risk-on" environment where zero-yield assets are dumped for equities.
GLD (Gold ETF) is 22 years old and once suffered a 40% drawdown over 6 months, yet recovered to hit all-time highs and attract $30B in inflows. History suggests that "store of value" assets endure severe drawdowns as part of their lifecycle. If Bitcoin is "Teenager Gold," Gold is the mature blueprint. It remains the primary zero-correlation asset for portfolio diversification. Long GLD as the proven, lower-volatility hedge that Bitcoin is aspiring to become. Rising real rates or a "risk-on" environment where zero-yield assets are dumped for equities.
Commodities
Long
Aug 10
$100.50
-0.1%
SGOV provides safe 3.8% yield over bonds
Holding cash-like instruments such as SGOV, which gives exposure to T-bills with a 3.8% yield and essentially no risk, is currently more attractive than active fixed income. Until those yields decline, there is little reason to shift out of this stable cash position, especially since broad bond ETFs like the Agg have failed to provide downside protection during stock downturns.
Bonds & Rates
Long
Jul 20
$524.12
-4.8%
Tech ETF dip buying signals rebound.
Record $20 billion inflows into tech ETFs in July, heavy dip buying in semiconductors (SOXX) and South Korea (EWY) despite recent selloff, indicating traders expect a rebound.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Jul 20
$175.72
+4.5%
Tech ETF dip buying signals rebound.
Record $20 billion inflows into tech ETFs in July, heavy dip buying in semiconductors (SOXX) and South Korea (EWY) despite recent selloff, indicating traders expect a rebound.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Jul 13
$39.65
+5.1%
Cybersecurity benefits from AI adoption
Cybersecurity is a downstream AI play, as more AI leads to more cyber incidents and a greater need for protection, benefiting the market-cap-weighted BUG ETF which has no alerts and is up 70% in a couple months.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Jul 13
$88.10
+1.8%
Trump account default ETF will boom
SPYM is the default ETF chosen for Trump accounts, with Bloomberg Intelligence estimating it could bring in 28 million new investors and $12 billion in new flows in the first year, driving significant growth.
Equity Indexes
Long
Jun 01
$72.91
+13.2%
HYPE ETFs are the hot new crypto trade.
HYPE ETFs are the hot new story in crypto, with strong and increasing trading volume, compelling tokenomics (token holders benefit from fee buybacks), and a clear narrative. The product has shown rare post-launch acceleration and is a much-needed positive catalyst for the broader crypto market.
Crypto Assets
Long
May 08
$55.94
+15.9%
Avoid USO, use XLE for oil
USO (oil futures ETF) suffers from significant roll costs that can reach 30% annually, making it a poor vehicle for oil exposure. Instead, use XLE (energy sector equities), which avoids futures roll issues and provides a more direct equity-based play on oil prices, especially through refiners.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Apr 16
$35.23
+55.4%
Buy DRAM ETF as the only vehicle providing meaningful exposure to all three dominant memory chip makers (controlling 95% of market), two of which are foreign with no ADR, while AI data center buildout drives an estimated 75% CAGR in memory demand.
Buy DRAM ETF as the only vehicle providing meaningful exposure to all three dominant memory chip makers (controlling 95% of market), two of which are foreign with no ADR, while AI data center buildout drives an estimated 75% CAGR in memory demand.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Apr 10
$20.69
+7.5%
Buy MSBT; speaker argues distribution advantage ensures commercial success regardless of the day-vs-night Bitcoin return debate, making it a durable ETF product.
Buy MSBT; speaker argues distribution advantage ensures commercial success regardless of the day-vs-night Bitcoin return debate, making it a durable ETF product.
Thematic ETFs
Long
Feb 27
$80.98
+30.6%
Buy IGV as oversold after 30% decline; internal analyst scoring shows IGV holdings score well on both AI vulnerability and AI potential, suggesting the selloff misprices the basket's ability to adapt — analogous to XRT being oversold during the Death of the Mall trade.
Buy IGV as oversold after 30% decline; internal analyst scoring shows IGV holdings score well on both AI vulnerability and AI potential, suggesting the selloff misprices the basket's ability to adapt — analogous to XRT being oversold during the Death of the Mall trade.
Thematic ETFs
Showing 15 of 17 calls · sorted by mentions

Eric Balchunas has 17 trade ideas tracked on Buzzberg across 17 tickers since January 2026. Win rate 76% across 17 evaluated calls, average return +9.5%. Ranked #92 on the Buzzberg Alpha leaderboard. Most covered: BTC, SPY, EWY.