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Prof. Dr. Udo Amend (MBA)
Expert on blockchain, Bitcoin and gold as a store of value
Prof. Dr. Udo Amend is one of the leading experts in the field of blockchain technology, Bitcoin and gold. His profound education in electrical engineering, economics and finance gives him a unique perspective on the digital transformation of the financial markets. After graduating as an electrical engineer, he deepened his knowledge at Harvard University, where he studied the global mechanisms of economic and monetary systems. Through his international experience as Marketing Manager Europe at Molex Inc. he developed a deep understanding of global markets, financial structures and decentralized currencies.
With the founding of his family office in 1994, he specialized in the management and protection of capital through crisis-proof investments. His in-depth knowledge of the world financial markets, the global macroeconomy, Bitcoin as a digital store of value and gold as an inflation-proof investment helped him to develop modern strategies that enable financial independence. Since 2024, he has been a board member of Finhol AG in Switzerland, where he designs innovative investment solutions for private individuals and companies.
He sees Bitcoin as digital gold, which represents an alternative to state-controlled currencies due to its limited quantity and decentralized structure. At the same time, he emphasizes the historical stability of physical gold, which has proven itself as a store of value over thousands of years. In his book “Bitcoin & Gold – The Road to Freedom”, he explains the synergy between the two forms of investment and shows how investors can protect their capital from economic uncertainties.
As a professor and recognized expert, Prof. Dr. Amend conveys his knowledge in an understandable way without sacrificing depth or scientific precision. His ability to explain complex economic, technological and financial issues concisely makes him a sought-after speaker, consultant and author. He combines practical analysis with academic rigor to provide students, investors and decision-makers with a clear understanding of the future of blockchain technology, Bitcoin and gold as a stable store of value. His commitment to academic teaching and his ability to make innovative financial concepts understandable make him a meaningful addition to our faculty.
Personal / telephone consultation
Advisory price per minute based on Amend Finance Portfolio Performance YTD (year to date)
- 23. February 2025
- 16.12 / minute
Global Markets Sunday News
After new absolute records, the stock markets finally took a break this week, caught up in fears of a trade war and uncertainty about the situation in Ukraine.
The major indices interrupted their upward trend, but the momentum observed since the beginning of the year continues. Some important dates this weekend and next week could cause volatility.
Tops of the week
European defense sector: Industry players Saab, Rheinmetall, Leonardo, Thales, MTU Aero, Indra Sistemas, Dassault Aviation, BAE Systems gained on discussions about increased defense spending in European countries.
FTAI Aviation +13.84%: The company said on Thursday that it had completed its review of allegations made by short seller Muddy Waters last month and dismissed the claims of misleading financial reporting as unfounded.
ThyssenKrupp +28.52%: The German conglomerate’s shares rose after a report from Bank of America that discussed a possible spin-off of certain group businesses, particularly the Marine Systems segment. This could indicate significant upside potential.
STMicroelectronics +14.66%: Jefferies has raised its recommendation from Hold to Buy. According to the research house, STMicroelectronics is likely to have survived the worst. They are betting that sales will recover from the second quarter thanks to inventory adjustments in the industrial and automotive sectors.
Alibaba +15.25%: The Chinese tech company continues to ride the AI wave. Alibaba has published very good quarterly figures. Investors were particularly pleased with the 13% sales growth in the cloud business.
Airbnb +9.51%: The fourth quarter results exceeded expectations. Thanks to robust international demand, bookings rose by 12% year-on-year.
Garmin +5.69%: The navigation system manufacturer has presented annual figures that exceeded Wall Street analysts’ expectations. The outdoor and automotive segments were particularly dynamic.
Standard Chartered +5.34%: The British bank appears to want to continue its outstanding performance of recent weeks. Profits rose by 17%. The bank has launched a share buyback program worth USD 1.5 billion.
Schneider Electric +4.4%: The provider of energy management solutions has once again exceeded expectations in the past quarter. The Systems division, which is benefiting from the upswing in AI, recorded strong growth, thereby increasing the group’s profitability.
Flops of the week
TFI International -26.14%: The Canadian logistics company is struggling with weak business figures – in particular sales that were below expectations – and the relocation of its headquarters to the USA.
EPAM Systems -21.52%: The software developer wants to invest money to retain highly qualified employees and accelerate investments in advanced Gen-AI platforms and tools. As a result of the planned expenditure, the company is likely to miss estimates for the first quarter of 2025.
Neste -14.54%: The business figures published by Neste did not satisfy the markets. The markets reacted twice after analysts at Inderes downgraded their recommendation from accumulate to reduce.
Capgemini -11.47%: After weak financial year figures, Capgemini has presented a conservative forecast for 2025. Investors were anything but enthusiastic.
Philips -10.03%: The Dutch medical device and technology provider reported a decline in profits for 2024 and a bleak outlook for its China business. The country ranks fourth in terms of Philips’ sales.
Carrefour -9.84%: The French retail chain has lost investors’ trust. Even with big promises, the 2024 results and the outlook for 2025 were difficult for the markets to digest.
Walmart -8.9%: Despite the robust business figures, the US retailer expects an extremely weak year from an investor’s perspective. Even the increase in the annual dividend could not disguise the fact that the company’s outlook is too conservative.
Glencore -9.78%: The financial year results of the mining group based in Zug, Switzerland, were disappointing. M&A prospects and a planned comprehensive share buyback program did not help Glencore get into the green either.
Commodities
Energy: Oil prices gained ground this week and recovered in a completely uncertain environment in which various forces are influencing supply. On the one hand, the Europeans are toughening their tone towards Russia and targeting its shadow fleet. On the other hand, the USA is considering lifting sanctions against Moscow. Negotiations between the major producing countries, in particular the USA, Russia and Saudi Arabia, are also being closely followed by market participants. The talks, which mainly focus on the Ukraine conflict, are also likely to have an impact on the oil sector and influence trading strategies and future production volumes. While the USA is trying to lower energy prices, OPEC+ and influential member states such as Saudi Arabia and Russia want to anchor prices at higher levels. OPEC+ could also influence supply by possibly postponing its planned increase in oil production in April. On the other hand, oil deliveries could resume via a key pipeline between the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq and Turkey. A tricky situation for Iraq, which has to comply with the quotas of the expanded oil cartel. Geopolitical tensions are not abating. Ukraine has once again attacked oil infrastructure on Russian territory. The North Sea Brent variety rose in price to USD 76.10, while its US counterpart WTI is trading at around USD 72.10.
Metals: Aluminum reached its highest level in a month at USD 2,727 per ton in London (spot price) after the European Union agreed to gradually ban imports of Russian primary aluminum as part of a new sanctions package. Copper also rose to USD 9,563. Gold rose for the eighth week in a row. In view of the geopolitical uncertainties, this was not least due to demand for the precious metal as a safe haven. Gold is currently trading at USD 2,932 and is approaching the psychological threshold of USD 3,000.
Agricultural products: The price of corn in Chicago rose to its highest level in 18 months and rose to around 512 cents (contract expiring in May 2025) due to the forecast decline in supply. The price of wheat also rose and reached 610 cents, supported by the winter weather in the USA and Russia.
Macroeconomics
Market sentiment: Nothing new under the sun, but… At the end of a week that was generally quite quiet in terms of economic indicators – with the exception of leading indicators, which fell unexpectedly sharply – bond yields moved within a narrow range. The yield on 10-year US Treasuries fluctuated between 4.40/38% and 4.65%, while German Bunds remained above 2.32%. The steepness of the US curve continues to increase, which benefits financials. The spread between the US and Germany is stable at around 200 basis points. So far, nothing new under the sun: investors continue to wait and see whether the Trump administration and DOGE can actually drastically reduce US debt and thus prevent a bond crisis.
The purchasing managers’ indices for February showed a decline in the services sector in Europe, but also – even more surprisingly – in the United States.
Cryptocurrencies
After declining for three consecutive weeks, Bitcoin (BTC) gained 3% this week and flirted with the $100,000 mark again. The cryptocurrency has been trading in this range for two months after a spectacular run of over 50% between the election of Trump and the end of the year. Things are not looking so rosy for Bitcoin spot ETFs, however. Total assets of the products traded in the US fell by more than $500 million this week. As for other cryptocurrencies, Solana (SOL) continued its downward slide. In the space of a month, the crypto asset lost almost 30%, falling from $252 to $178. This is mainly due to the decline in memecoins on Solana, which has been the blockchain of choice for these highly speculative assets since the collapse of cryptocurrencies $TRUMP and most recently $LIBRA. On a positive note, Ether (ETH) has gained more than 5% and is once again approaching the $3,000 threshold. Despite this increase, the digital currency has fallen by a total of 23% since December 1st.
Outlook
Nvidia and inflation in the spotlight. Just like four years ago, the markets are having to face the hyperactivity of Donald Trump. His statements are often polarizing, sometimes brutal and always cause unrest. The reactions on the financial markets are relatively moderate, because Trump’s method no longer surprises them as much as it did during his first term in office. But investors remain nervous. The next important dates are the general election in Germany on Sunday and the inflation figures next Friday, more specifically the February figures for France and Germany and the US core inflation in January. There are also a few quarterly figures due next week. Nvidia will certainly be in the spotlight with the publication of results on Wednesday evening.
Bitcoin | Gold
The path to freedom
Dr. Udo Amend, a renowned expert in the fields of cryptography and finance, has been working intensively on these topics for decades. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he sheds light on the fascinating connections between Bitcoin and gold in his book “Bitcoin | Gold – The Path to Freedom”.
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