At home in Southern Germany, the passionate stock exchange expert has been accompanying the capital markets for about twenty years. With a soft spot for smaller companies, he is constantly on the lookout for exciting investment stories. That it depends thereby less on large names, but on the future potential and whether the market also recognizes these perspectives, was one of its first learnings at the stock exchange.
On these pages, Nico examines current events at listed companies and takes a closer look at companies that are traded under the radar of the market, in addition to well-known securities.
In order to be able to take advantage of speculative opportunities on the stock exchange, Nico not only focuses on a balanced asset allocation of defensive and opportunity-oriented securities, but also on an intact risk management. "In addition to position size and entry in several tranches, investors should also develop a sense of timing and get to know a stock better before investing," says the columnist.
Commented by Nico Popp
Commented by Nico Popp on May 15th, 2026 | 09:05 CEST
Tailwinds from the US and EU: How Zefiro Methane Is Becoming a Problem-Solver for ExxonMobil and BASF
Anyone aiming to protect the climate must control and prevent harmful emissions. While decarbonization has focused for years almost exclusively on carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane is increasingly coming into the spotlight. Over a 20-year period, this gas's global warming potential is around 80 times higher than that of CO₂. In the US, millions of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells pose a major problem as they continue to emit methane, often decades after production has ceased. This is where Zefiro Methane's business model comes in, which could now take on a completely new long-term dimension due to stricter EU regulations. The key terms here are LNG imports and sustainability across supply chains. We shed light on Zefiro Methane's unique situation and outline the potential opportunity in the stock.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 14th, 2026 | 07:50 CEST
Checkmate for Cancer: What Eli Lilly and Bayer Can Learn from Vidac Pharma
Modern medicine is on the cusp of groundbreaking innovations in which the regulation of cellular energy metabolism, known as metabolic correction, is becoming a decisive strategy. While traditional cancer research has relied primarily on the destruction of cells using toxic agents for decades, researchers now recognize that the key to success may lie in the precise control of enzymatic processes. In light of this, value creation is shifting away from the conventional "sledgehammer approach" toward correcting cellular dysregulation. We highlight three exciting companies and focus in particular on metabolism pioneer Vidac Pharma.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 14th, 2026 | 07:40 CEST
Sonora's Silver Eldorado: Why Geology Matters – Silver Viper, Pan American Silver, and Vizsla Silver
Without control over high-grade deposits, there can be no long-term profitability—this is especially true for the silver sector, even within the promising Mexican Silver Belt. While many market participants are thrown off by short-term price fluctuations and are either euphoric or disheartened, experienced players focus on geology and grades as decisive factors. In the current market environment, the focus is shifting away from speculative projects and toward advanced properties that offer the potential for future production. As the world's leading silver producer, Mexico is at the center of this trend, with the state of Sonora in particular standing out for its geology. We examine three companies operating at different stages of the silver value chain.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 13th, 2026 | 07:05 CEST
What the quarterly results show: Almonty becomes the tungsten backbone of the West – support from Bank of America and Lockheed Martin
Without control over critical minerals, there can be no security or economic resilience. This simple equation captures the current situation facing the US. Tungsten, the metal with the highest melting point of all elements and a density comparable to that of gold, is at the center of this development. Long considered a niche metal, tungsten has become a strategic bottleneck due to geopolitical tensions and the large-scale expansion of defence capabilities. In many industrial, defence, and high-tech applications, this unique heavy metal is indispensable. This week, Almonty released its first quarterly results since the start of production at its large Sangdong mine in South Korea. The new figures indicate that the company's transformation into a profitable producer of global significance has been completed. Almonty is now positioned for further expansion.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 12th, 2026 | 09:10 CEST
Biotech and the Efficiency Revolution: Why the Final Mile Matters Most for Novartis, BioNTech, and BioNxt
While biotech investors long believed that only the discovery of an entirely new molecule could pave the way for a billion-dollar exit, the current market reality paints a far more nuanced picture. Savvy investors and industry analysts are increasingly recognizing that the true bottleneck in modern medicine is no longer the discovery of active ingredients alone. Instead, the strategic focus is shifting toward bioavailability, targeted drug delivery, and improved patient compliance. This transformation is being accelerated by the looming patent cliff, which threatens the pharmaceutical industry with combined annual peak revenues of several hundred billion US dollars by 2030. We take a closer look at the market and highlight emerging opportunities.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 12th, 2026 | 07:15 CEST
Nuclear Power for AI: How Amazon, Paladin Energy, and Standard Uranium Are Fueling the New Uranium Supercycle
The world is changing at an ever-faster pace. While the first phase of decarbonization was primarily driven by renewable energy from wind and solar power, the unprecedented rise of AI models has exposed a weakness in this strategy - the lack of carbon-free baseload power. For this reason, alliances are now forming between the tech giants of Silicon Valley and the resource pioneers of Canada's Athabasca Basin. The goal: to secure the future of digital infrastructure. The global energy landscape is thus at a turning point where purely ideological debate is giving way to harsh economic reality. While the years following the Paris Agreement were marked by ambitious goals, the current decade is defined by industrial sovereignty and profitability. We highlight opportunities.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 11th, 2026 | 07:00 CEST
Hydrogen Transformation: Why dynaCERT Is Becoming Indispensable as a Bridge for Industry – Background on NEL and Caterpillar
The energy crisis is driving change. While experts from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and McKinsey make it clear that the 1.5-degree target is now virtually unattainable, a transformation process has also been set in motion across industry and logistics amid high energy prices. The ongoing tensions in the energy markets, exacerbated by geopolitical instability in key regions such as the Strait of Hormuz, have transformed hydrogen from a future-oriented topic into an economic imperative. In sectors considered difficult to transform, including heavy industry, the maritime sector, and heavy mining, there are few viable alternatives to energy sources such as hydrogen. By 2030, green hydrogen is expected to achieve cost parity with fossil fuels in many areas, provided the infrastructure is finally scaled up. But this is precisely where the problem lies: while the world waits for tomorrow's major infrastructure solutions, industry needs efficient bridge technologies today to remain competitive. One company is already on the market and is currently enjoying more popularity than ever.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 11th, 2026 | 06:35 CEST
The Defence Revolution: Why Volatus Aerospace Could Become a Partner for AeroVironment and TKMS
The global security architecture is currently undergoing a transformation whose significance is comparable to the introduction of gunpowder. The war in Ukraine and the escalations in the Middle East have shaken a fundamental dogma of warfare: the assumption that technological superiority is secured through costly individual systems. We are entering an era in which the "logic of terror" must be reimagined. While a Tomahawk cruise missile costs up to USD 2.5 million, drones perform the same tasks at a fraction of the cost—often with greater flexibility and less risk to human personnel. This development marks the transition from cumbersome hardware such as tanks and cruise missiles to smart drones and software-defined defence solutions. We introduce industry representatives and place a special focus on the defence platform provider Volatus Aerospace.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 8th, 2026 | 07:10 CEST
The Future of the Steel Industry: What Strategic Resources Can Do for ArcelorMittal, Salzgitter, and Others
The steel industry has been under significant pressure to transform for years, particularly in Europe. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the war in Iran is now causing yet another shock. As a result, the decarbonization of the industry is no longer just a green vision but an economic necessity. While the transition to hydrogen requires billions in investment, competition for the strategic raw materials needed for this is intensifying at the same time. Steel producers are struggling with retrofitting their existing facilities and volatile margins, while problem solvers like Strategic Resources are increasingly coming into focus. The company offers intermediate products for the steel industry that make the sector's transformation possible in the first place. The key figures are promising, yet this potential has not yet gained traction in the market. Reason enough to shed light on the situation and highlight opportunities.
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Commented by Nico Popp on May 7th, 2026 | 08:35 CEST
Is this where the all-in-one worry-free mine is taking shape? What the industry needs now, who benefits – Power Metallic Mines, BMW, Lundin Mining
Investing in the early stages of mineral exploration is a risky endeavour—especially when betting on low-grade deposits in politically unstable regions. Savvy investors avoid these unpredictable risks and instead focus on strategically high-grade deposits in first-class jurisdictions like Canada. When a project can simultaneously demonstrate significant grades of copper, platinum group metals (PGMs), and nickel, this is of existential importance to the industry, especially today. In the wake of the global energy transition and the rapid rise of new key technologies, the search for reliable supply chains has gained momentum. While demand for battery metals and other industrial raw materials is skyrocketing, traditional mining regions are under increasing pressure from geopolitical conflicts. In this market environment, the wheat is being separated from the chaff: Only those who can combine first-class geology with absolute geopolitical security will prevail in the coming commodities supercycle. We present three exciting companies.
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