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- The Cynic: November 21
The Cynic: November 21
The Cynic
November 21, 2025
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BUSINESS
This Week’s Business News
Trump’s $175B ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield Faces Delays
REUTERS
Only in Washington can you get $25 billion approved and still not know what to build. Trump’s Golden Dome missile shield is behind schedule thanks to the shutdown and a still-murky plan for the first chunk of funding.
The whole project is stuck in planning purgatory. The Pentagon only got an implementation outline in mid-November and needs contracts out the door by year-end to avoid even more slippage.
Contractors are basically being told to invest now and hope later. Companies are pouring money into interceptor prototypes while quietly worrying a future administration might pull the plug.
Eli Lilly Becomes First Trillion-Dollar Drugmaker
REUTERS | Jeenah Moon
Wall Street has discovered its new religion: weight loss. Eli Lilly just hit a $1 trillion valuation thanks to massive demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound.
The numbers look more like tech than pharma. Over half of Lilly’s quarterly revenue now comes from its obesity and diabetes drugs, and the stock has exploded since Zepbound launched.
Investors are treating the company like an honorary Big Tech member. With huge demand, a next-gen pill coming, and millions of potential patients, the market thinks this boom is just getting started.
RTX Lands $1.25B Iron Dome Missile Deal
REUTERS | Hemanshi Kamani
Missile makers are basically having their best year ever. RTX’s Raytheon-Rafael joint venture secured a $1.25 billion contract to supply Israel with Iron Dome components and Tamir missiles.
The deal includes new U.S.-based production. A fresh facility in Arkansas will produce missiles for both Iron Dome and the SkyHunter system.
Defense demand is boosting RTX’s overall outlook. Rising geopolitical tensions have turned its missile division into the star of the earnings show.
Before we jump into today’s Real Estate chaos:
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REAL ESTATE
This Week’s Real Estate News
Self-Storage Becomes the Most Drama-Powered Asset Class
AFP | Getty Images
Self-storage just got labeled “almost recession-proof,” which investors hear as “buy immediately.” Demand stays steady because people always move, downsize, divorce, or hoard.
The sector quietly beat the big players. Over 15 years, storage outperformed industrial, retail, office, and multifamily in income growth.
It’s the business model built on human chaos. Low costs, high margins, and tenants who forget they’re paying make it one of real estate’s safest (and strangest) bets.
Existing-Home Sales Rise Slightly, Supply Gets Tighter
Courtesy of Zuri Gardens
Housing finally budged — but only by an inch. Existing-home sales rose 1.2% in October to 4.1 million, the fastest pace since February.
The boost came with a catch: still no inventory. Supply fell again, and prices remain near record levels, making affordability as bad as ever.
This isn’t a recovery; it’s a wiggle. Analysts say the real rebound depends on rates dropping and homeowners finally giving up their 3% mortgages.
FHFA Watchdog Removed as Fannie Mae Cuts Ethics Staff
REUTERS
Great news: if you fire the oversight team, there’s no oversight to report. FHFA’s acting inspector general was pushed out just as Fannie Mae laid off more than 60 staff — including much of its ethics and investigations unit.
Officials say it’s normal restructuring. But insiders note several investigators had just been reviewing politically sensitive fraud referral processes.
All as Fannie inches toward a possible 2025 IPO. Critics worry the timing leaves fewer guardrails right before the mortgage giant reenters public markets.
“This is way funnier than CNN.”
FUN
Riddle Me This
I never buy a house, yet I sell them all the time.
When I’m low, lines form; when I’m high, “maybe next time.”
I price tomorrow with numbers you pay today.
What am I?
Reply to this email with the answer for a chance to win a surprise
ADVICE
This Week’s Business Advice
“Hire a really expensive marketer. It’s almost always worth it.”
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