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Prof. Dr. Udo Amend
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)
- 14. March 2025
- 24.98 / minute
Global Markets Sunday News
Hangover mood
This week, European financial markets initially welcomed the planned massive investments in defense and infrastructure. The common currency received a significant boost following this news. On Wall Street, however, Donald Trump’s moods are gradually creating an irritated mood, while his erratic actions are increasing uncertainty.
Tops of the week
Defense (Thales, Leonardo, Saab, Rheinmetall), technological sovereignty (Eutelsat…), infrastructure investments (Alstom, ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Strabag…): Against a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions and the announcement of a possible European investment program of €800 billion, the defense sector took off this week, pulling with its dynamism all the stocks that are in any way linked to the armament of the old continent.
Atos +43.75%: The ailing French group published weak annual figures, but is once again attracting investor interest thanks to its attractive positioning in the European digital universe – all the more so as the major investments mentioned above are imminent. A truly exceptional situation that makes speculators rejoice.
Air France-KLM +31.27%: After a solid last quarter of 2024 with a significant increase in sales, the French airline is back on track for success. A good sign, as the company had been on a downward spiral since the Corona crisis.
Allegro Microsystems +24.26%: The semiconductor manufacturer has received a takeover offer from ON Semiconductor of USD 35.10 per share. Allegro rejected the offer, which valued the company at USD 6.9 billion.
Okta +24.26%: The cloud-based access management platform has exceeded market expectations for 2024. Reason enough to raise the outlook for the current fiscal year. So all the lights are green for the company.
Bilfinger +20.83%: The German industrial service provider grew by double digits in 2024 and wants to continue filling its order books in the current year.
DHL Group +14.22%: The German transport and logistics group announced that it would cut 8,000 jobs in order to save more than EUR 1 billion. This reassures investors after the weak figures for 2024.
Moderna +15.02%: According to the US biotech company, its individualized neoantigen therapy, which uses the patient’s own cells to fight cancer, is on track to receive approval by 2027. The treatment is currently being investigated in a Phase III trial.
Flops of the week
Luxury goods sector: Hermès, LVMH, Richemont, Kering, Burberry: European luxury stocks went into a tailspin this week. The feared economic slowdown and the threat of tariffs by the Trump administration are causing problems for the sector.
Venture Global -38.83%: The LNG producer expects additional costs of USD 2 billion as part of a project to increase the export capacity of its plant in Plaquemines, Louisiana. These are mainly due to inflation.
MongoDB -29.83%: Although the database provider published solid figures for the fourth quarter, the outlook remains below expectations. The company is likely to suffer in particular from a lower renewal rate for multi-year contracts.
Marvell -22.85%: The chip manufacturer’s sales forecast disappointed investors. Analysts at JP Morgan attribute this to weaker demand for Ethernet cables and fiber optic cables for data transmission between servers.
Rentokil -14.27%: The business services provider has presented solid figures for the 2024 financial year. However, investors are concerned about the lack of forecast certainty for 2025. Organic sales growth in North America is weak and the company has revised its target for synergies from the acquisition of Terminix downwards.
KKR -4.26%: The private equity firm announced on Monday that it intends to raise fresh capital of USD 1.5 billion by issuing convertible preferred shares. Part of the proceeds from the issue will be used to increase the holdings in the portfolio companies.
Galderma -9.55%: Despite the good results and the return to profitability in 2024, the market reacted negatively to the stagnation in profitability expected for the first half of the year. This is dampened by the still high capital expenditure.
Commodities
Energy: Oil prices remain under pressure. The North Sea Brent crude recently fell below USD 70 per barrel, a three-year low. This decline was triggered by OPEC+’s announcement that it would stick to its planned increase in production by around 140,000 barrels per day from April. The uncertainty about the imposition of tariffs by the US government – particularly against China, Canada and Mexico – is also clouding the outlook for oil demand. And something else about OPEC+: The expanded oil alliance was able to increase production in February, mainly thanks to the contribution from Iraq. At the same time, production in Venezuela is threatened by US sanctions, so US refineries are looking for other sources of crude oil. This is further fuelling the prevailing climate of uncertainty. This combination of increased supply and global economic slowdown continues to dominate the mood on the oil market and keeps prices under pressure.
Metals: Copper is benefiting from the grace period granted by the US President to car manufacturers on tariffs on metals, which has given the sector a little breathing space. On the London Metal Exchange, copper rose by 3.5% to USD 9,734 per tonne (spot price). Other metals also benefited from this dynamic. The price of aluminium climbed to USD 2,697 per tonne on the LME, zinc costs USD 2,929 and nickel rose to USD 16,000. The economic environment in China and the expected additional economic stimulus measures also supported this positive trend in metals. The prospect of stimulating the economy in China, which consumes the most metal in the world, is supporting the prices of industrial metals. The devaluation of the US dollar also ensures that commodities traded in dollars (such as metals) are more attractive to buyers who pay in other currencies. The price of gold, meanwhile, rose to USD 2,920 per troy ounce. With the dollar weaker and risk aversion higher, investors’ interest in the precious metal remains strong, even though bond yields are rising.
Agricultural products: Agricultural products are feeling the pressure of tariff barriers and following announcements by the Trump administration. The tariffs are raising concerns about a possible trade war, which is a threat to American agricultural products, and are weighing on grain prices. However, the tariff deferral granted to Mexico and Canada limited the price decline. A bushel of wheat costs 548 cents (contract expiring in May 2025), while corn is trading at 465 cents (contract expiring in May 2025).
Macroeconomics
Market sentiment: Germany has big plans. Inflation in Europe was slightly higher than expected in February. However, this did not stop the European Central Bank (ECB) from cutting interest rates for the sixth time in a row. However, according to the ECB, it is uncertain what will happen next in view of the turbulence in US politics and the expected increase in government spending, especially in Germany. The end of fiscal discipline in Germany marks an important macroeconomic turning point for Europe. The reaction on the markets was clear: the price of German government bonds collapsed and the yield rose accordingly from 2.4% to 2.8% within a week. The euro climbed to 1.0880 USD at the end of the week, benefiting from the new confidence and the weakness of the US currency, which is suffering from Donald Trump’s erratic policies.
The purchasing managers’ indices of the leading economies delivered contradictory signals: optimistic about economic activity, but worrying about price developments in the US. Economic experts remain cautious about the risk of inflation triggered by the Trump administration’s measures, although the US president backtracked on some tariffs. In this climate of uncertainty, the yield on 10-year US government bonds is in the range of 4.25%. The VIX volatility index rose again to 24 to 25 points, a level it had only reached twice in the last 12 months. The markets took the US labor market report for February calmly: the unemployment rate rose slightly and job growth stagnated.
Cryptocurrencies
This week, Donald Trump signed a decree officially enshrining the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve. An election promise that the US president is now keeping. The strategic Bitcoin reserve is to be fed by BTC seized by the judiciary and held as a store of value with no planned sales. The Treasury Department and the Department of Commerce could consider budget-neutral strategies to acquire more BTC without having to resort to taxpayer money. Other cryptocurrencies could also be included in the reserve pool, but only digital assets already held are eligible. Unlike Bitcoin, however, they could also be sold again. No public funds may be used to buy Bitcoins, and the additional purchase of other cryptocurrencies is not permitted. The crypto community had hoped that the US government would massively buy up BTC and other digital currencies, and is now disappointed. As a result, Bitcoin lost over 5% this week. It is now trading below the USD 90,000 threshold again. Ether (ETH) was hit even harder, falling 13% to USD 2,200.
Outlook
Nervousness continues to reign in the stock and bond markets. Wall Street’s message to Donald Trump is clear: we don’t like the way things are going. Europe is now trying to take its fate into its own hands again.
Next week, the US inflation figures for February are eagerly awaited, a week before the next interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve. The reporting season continues with some well-known companies, most notably Oracle and Adobe in the US, Inditex, Generali and BMW in Europe and PDD, Hon Hai Precision and CATL in Asia.
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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