I’ve been digging into the SpaceX IPO situation lately, and I’ve got to tell you — the level of corruption in how these investment products are being marketed is absolutely wild.
You’ve probably seen it too. Every financial media outlet is suddenly pushing SpaceX plays. Fox Business, CNBC — they’re all bringing on fund managers talking about their ETFs and SPVs that will get you a piece of the action.
But here’s what they’re not telling you…
These media appearances are paid promotions designed to generate assets under management. And the people behind these products — like Destiny Tech100 (DXYZ) and the rest — are exactly the kind of greasy salespeople who show up whenever retail interest spikes.
The Fee Trap Nobody’s Talking About
Most of these so‑called “opportunities” are nothing more than SPVs (special purpose vehicles) charging 30-40% in fees, or ETFs using NAV manipulation games to justify their existence.
It’s a mess. If you aren’t careful, you’re going to end up stuck in some ETF just like the Destiny setup — where the NAV numbers never seem to add up and the structure feels engineered to squeeze investors instead of giving them exposure.
It’s corrupt from top to bottom. I can’t tell you what to do, but I’m staying away.
I looked at one example recently — ARC Venture Fund (ARCVX) charges 3.5% fees. And that’s before you realize it’s only available to accredited investors with minimum balances, which shuts out nearly everyone while pretending to be a gateway to SpaceX.
The marketing behind these products is designed to make you think you’re getting early access — when in reality, you’re just paying for layers of fees while holding a basket of junk that barely touches SpaceX.
The Only Pure Play That Actually Moves
After digging through all the noise, one thing became clear: EchoStar (SATS) is my favorite play with genuine SpaceX exposure.
And when you look at real market behavior, SATS moves pretty closely with changes in SpaceX valuation. That’s exactly what you want: straightforward correlation without the fee layers and gimmicks.
If you’re an accredited investor or a qualified purchaser with $5 million liquid, you can try your hand at SPVs. But for everyone else, SATS stands alone as the best, most direct way to participate without being dragged into a fee trap.
This stock, like any other, has its own issues and this is just my opinion, of course, so do your own due diligence.
Just don’t fall for the media parade designed to funnel you into products that exist solely to enrich their operators. When you see these managers making the rounds pushing their SpaceX “plays,” remember…
They’re not giving you access — they’re selling you a story while they collect fees.
Order Flow:
This is for informational and educational purposes only. These are not official alerts issued by Lance, but rather some interesting orders picked by the team at Lance Ippolito Trading.
When you look at these plays, always take the market maker move into consideration.
You can be right on the direction but still lose money if the stock doesn’t move enough. That’s where the market maker move comes in clutch.
With puts, they’re often downside hedges in case a stock tanks, especially around earnings. The further out of the money they are, the more likely they are to be hedges.
Also be sure and check when the company’s earnings date is because many of the plays we post here are centered around earnings!
If a stock is really expensive, consider a spread to lower the cost.
And finally, always remember the golden rule when it comes to buying calls: Buy dips, sell rips — and don’t chase!
If a stock’s moved a ton already today, maybe wait for a pullback.
There is inherent risk in trading. Trade at your own risk.
Note: If no date is listed after the month, it’s the monthly expiration (third Friday).
The team at Lance Ippolito Trading
