Valentine's Special: EI Weekend 3503
Yesteryear’s historical romantic tradition is today’s billion dollar bonanza, Happy St Valentine’s Day!
This week we passed another minor milestone on the Exchange Invest journey, crossing the 3500 issue barrier. For 13 years we have been the daily benchmark of the bourse business. Our Monday-Friday subscriber content has a unique track record of accurate, pithy insight and frankly without it, you just cannot be credible as a professional in the exchange / market infrastructure business.
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Exchange Invest was founded by former exchange CEO and author of the first bestselling book of fintech (“Capital Market Revolution!” FT 1999) Patrick Young. Monday through Friday our daily paid subscriber email discusses the business of bourses of all kinds across the world.
On this day in 2009, in Rome G-7 finance ministers strongly rejected protectionism, pledging to work together to support growth and employment and to strengthen the banking system so the world can overcome its worst financial crisis in 50 years.
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While avoiding the man with a bouquet of roses and dodging a host of folk offering chocolates, we discerned some numbers on just how big St Valentine’s day is for the economy.
In 2025, US Valentine’s Day spending hit $27.5B, setting a national record - which of course shows us clearly that POTUS 47 has been “yuge’ for romance. Or at least that’s how he would see it, no doubt.
Meanwhile, I was shocked to learn that 36% of French folk participated in St Valentine’s day (so much for the ‘innately romantic French’ strapline) but those who indulged spent on average €154 per person, which is $183 in more commonly used currency.
Incidentally, the oldest printed Valentine’s card dates back to 1797, industrial revolution Britain and is exhibited at York Castle Museum. Decorated with Cupid and flowers, there is verse around the borders which reads:
“Since on this ever Happy day, All Nature’s full of Love and Play Yet harmless still if my design, ‘Tis but to be your Valentine.”
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“From Sim to Reality Profiting from Floor Skills”
Guest: Gary Norden
February 17th, 2026
1200 EST, 1700 UK, 1800 CET
“Former LIFFE floor trader Gary Norden has over 35 years experience as a trader across investment banks and his own book as well as managing hedge fund assets. Gary is the creator of the Norden Method, a unique style of futures day trading and Author of “An End to the Bull” and “Technical Analysis Exposed."
IN BIGWORLD
A key Chinese export hub Yiwu, home to a vast array of products particularly ‘trinkets’ has weathered the Trump tariff storm particularly well. According to the South China Morning Post, “The city’s imports and exports surpassed 700 billion yuan (US$99 billion) in the first 10 months of 2025 — a year-on-year increase of 25.2 per cent and more than the total recorded for the whole of last year, according to local customs data.”
BITCARNAGE
Gemini CutBacks
Shocking news as Gemini withdraws from several jurisdictions - and this comes barely a year or two after the Winkelvii was hector-lectur-ing the then US administration (a loose term, this was the dark days of Bidenian incompetence-void) that Europe was the future. Of course Bitcarnage / EI was swift to disabuse you, dear reader, of how nonsensical this was.
If you enjoyed this excerpt you may be interested to know that you can read Bitcarnage every day in Exchange Invest.
Alternatively, if you want to follow Bitcarnage — the daily update on happenings in the world of crypto and digital assets, then you can find Bitcarnage as a standalone on Substack.
PLY: Market Movers On Fintech TV
Catch me on Market Movers On Fintech TV every Monday at 0920 AM for the latest insights in finance, technology, impact investing, and market trends. Fintech TV is on the web (Fintech.TV), in a multitude of airports across the USA and other channels.
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ICE Bond Clear,
Nasdaq Wins OSE,
ICE Excels,
CQG Sells,
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OF INTEREST
As always, a review of interesting reading to provoke thoughts and consideration… Not sure we agree with much of it….but it’s thought-provoking!
PLY: As a footnote, I will add I left the ladies to compile this weekend edition and thus, we begin with that most romantic of notions, fraud and in particular pig butchering scams:
IOSCO Announces Pre-Valentine’s Day Campaign Focused On Combatting Relationship Investments Scams
IOSCO
CFTC Targets Relationship Investment Scams With National And International Initiatives This Valentine’s Week
CFTC
DOJ Seizes $15 Billion In Bitcoin From Massive ‘Pig Butchering’ Scam Based In Cambodia
CNBC
Chinese Tycoon Tied To $11b ‘Pig Butchering’ Bitcoin Scam Taken Into Custody
NY Post
Fugitive Crypto Scam Kingpin Gets 20 Years For $73 Million ‘Pig Butchering’ Scam
Bit Defender
The Industrialization Of Romance Scams
Politico
The History Of Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards
Accent Printing Solutions News
“Valentine’s Day greetings began in France in the 1400’s when February 14th was designated as the feast day of romantic love. The earliest surviving card was from frenchman Charles the Duke of Orleans. Imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415 he wrote the following to his wife:
“Je suis desja d’amour tanné Ma tres doulce Valentinée.” Which translates to: “I am already sick of love, my very gentle Valentine”.
Despite the relative decline in post the US mail anticipates a billion Valentine’s cards to be mailed each year.
Valentine’s Day History
Britannica
“The holiday likely stems from Rome’s Lupercalia festival in mid-February, a fertility rite involving sacrifices and random pairings to welcome spring. Around 270 AD, a priest named Valentine defied Emperor Claudius II by secretly marrying couples, leading to his execution on February 14; he became a martyr symbolizing love.”
A Brief History Of Valentine’s Day — And How It Became Romantic
Country Living
“In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia and established St. Valentine’s Day, initially as a religious observance without romance. It honored multiple saints named Valentine, but romantic ties emerged later.”
5 Countries Where Valentine’s Day Is Not Celebrated
Vanguard
PLY: Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Iran & Pakistan are the outliers apparently — albeit I wouldn’t put big money that there are a lot of cards being sent in the likes of North Korea or Iraq to name but two more jurisdictions?
FINANCE BOOK OF THE WEEK
“The Love Stock Exchange: The Global Market Of The Heart” by Kalland Quinn reimagines love as a marketplace of values. Here, the stocks that matter aren’t dollars or crypto but Family, Compassion, Truth, Romance, and even Divorces. They rise and fall as society invests, or fails to invest, in the currencies of the heart.
Get the book here.
*Paid link, as an Amazon Associate, Exchange Invest earns from qualifying purchases.
Suggestions welcome if you would like to nominate a book for us to cover!
Our next Book of the week will be unveiled Saturday in the EI Weekend Edition.
& don’t forget if you want all the news on the bourse business sent daily to your Inbox subscribe to Exchange Invest — via Exchange Invest.com — it’s only $499 per annum to join “The Exchange of Information.
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“The Roaring 20’s?”
Guests: Ann Berg & Dan Davis
February 10th, 2026
1200 EST, 1700 UK, 1800 CET
The IPO-VID panel has lots to discuss for its first outing of 2026 from macro mayhem to commodity excitement and major league shifts in the US regulatory environment…& more! Join Ann Berg and Dan Davis to discuss what’s happening from prediction markets through the outlook for peace and prosperity…
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PLY sat down with Paul Humphrey, CEO of BMLL, to unpack the company’s recent milestones and developments. With over 30 years in banking, brokerage, exchanges, and market data, Paul shares a seasoned perspective on where BMLL is heading next and what it means for markets.
Catch up now and stay ahead in the world of markets!
LAST WORD
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