Wall Street Joins the Degen Party with a New ETF

Wall Street is stepping into the world of "degen" culture with a fresh investment product. VanEck, a well-known investment management firm, is rebranding its Gaming ETF to the VanEck Degen Economy ETF. This new fund, set to launch in April 2026, will track companies that thrive on digital trading, gig work, and online gambling. The Degen Economy ETF will include public companies that make at least 50% of their revenue from sectors like digital finance, gig economy platforms, and online betting. Think of it as a mix of Robinhood, Uber, DoorDash, and DraftKings all in one investment. Jeffrey Park from Morningstar Research Services noted that this is the first fund to include "Degen" in its name. The "degen" trend has been growing since the pandemic. But is it smart to invest in this trend now? On one hand, younger generations are all about mobile finance, gig work, and digital betting. These sectors are growing fast. On the other hand, these industries can be volatile. They often go through boom and bust cycles and rely on disposable income, which can be hit hard during economic downturns. Despite the risks, the investment thesis is straightforward. If your friend or family member spends a lot of time gambling online and ordering food delivery, chances are they will keep doing so. So, investing in this trend might make sense for the near term. In other news, crypto majors took a hit after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third time. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major cryptocurrencies saw declines. Meanwhile, memecoins like DOGE, Shiba, and PEPE also dropped in value. Meteora announced a $10 million buyback of its MET token, while Fogo revealed a $1 billion valuation in its ICO. In the world of NFTs, various projects continue to make headlines with new developments and partnerships.