It’s been one helluva 10-day period in financial and global economic history. You’ve probably read a headline like this recently:
“$2.4 Trillion Wiped Out in Stock Market Carnage in one week!” Or maybe this one: “Markets Rally: $4.6 Trillion in Value Created in a Single Day!”
But let’s stop and ask: did $2.4 trillion really just vanish into thin air? Or appear out of nowhere?
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No. That’s not how value works. In fact, that’s not how anything in this universe works.
At ATOMIQ Capital, we operate based on universal laws — unchanging truths that govern all things, including markets and money. And today, we want to shine a light on one of the most important ones:
Value is not created or destroyed. It is transferred.
The direction of that transfer depends on how energy flows—and whether you recognize and work with those flows, or resist them.
This article will make that idea crystal clear — and give you a framework to not just survive but thrive in volatile times. If you want to become a better steward of your time, capital, labor, and life force… read on.
What Is Value, Really?
Value is more than just a number on a screen or a net worth statement. At its core, value is about usefulness, importance, or meaning—whether that’s in dollars, relationships, or satisfaction.
It’s both tangible (like a house or a gold coin) and intangible (like reputation or peace of mind). And just like energy, value can move, shift, rise, fall, and change forms—but it’s never truly gone.
When you zoom out far enough, value is a mirror of energy — because everything of value requires some form of energy to create, maintain, or exchange.
Energy Flows Drive Value Transfers
The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy teaches us that energy is always moving and changing. It can’t be destroyed — only converted or redirected. The Law of Relativity teaches us that nothing has meaning or “value” unless and until it’s compared to something else.
So what happens in markets?
Let’s say the stock market “loses” $2.4 trillion in a crash. What really happened is:
Many people fought against energy flows — ignoring signs of market saturation, inflation, or political shifts.
They wasted their energy (capital, time, emotional focus) by being out of position.
Meanwhile, others who understood the shift — who saw the wave coming — transferred value to themselves by shorting, rotating into safe havens, or holding cash.
In a bull market, the same story plays out in reverse:
People who aligned their resources with the upward flow of energy caught the wave early.
Those who sat in fear or clung to outdated plays missed out on the transfer—and in effect, donated their potential upside to someone else.
Value wasn’t destroyed or magically created. It just changed hands.
Wasted vs. Leveraged Resources
We all have the same 24 hours a day. We all get access to the same news, trends, and tools. But what separates winners from losers in wealth-building is how you use your finite resources:
Capital
Time
Effort
Attention
Labor
Relationships
When you resist energy flows — by clinging to old strategies, panicking, or acting out of fear — you waste these resources.
When you ride the wave — by adapting, observing, and aligning your moves — you leverage them.
This is the real secret to understanding wealth: You don’t need to “outsmart” the market. You need to recognize the energy shift, then surf it.
Signs You’re Fighting the Flow (and Losing Value)
When you’re on the wrong side of the energy transfer, it feels like:
You’re chasing losses or trying to “get even”
You’re stuck in worry, doubt, or confusion
You’re pouring time and money into dying industries or lagging strategies
You ignore warning signs because you’re emotionally attached to an asset or belief in the old system and blind to the emergent one.
That’s not investing. That’s resource destruction—because you're using your time, energy, and capital inefficiently, like a leaky pipe or a misfiring engine.
Signals That You’re in the Flow (and Gaining Value)
When you’re aligned with energy flows, things feel smoother—even in chaos:
You’re playing long games, not chasing quick wins
You adapt your strategy based on new information
You find leverage — small moves that create outsized returns
You are open to collaboration, shared risk, and co-creation
In physics, this is called efficiency. In finance, it’s compound growth. In relationships, it’s trust. In every domain, it’s the same principle: maximum output for minimum waste.
Let’s Translate This to Market Headlines
When they say: “$2.4 Trillion in Value Was Wiped Out This Week”
What actually happened: A massive transfer occurred. Those who were long got burned. Shorts, safe haven assets (like gold or Bitcoin), and smart reallocators absorbed the value.
The people who fought the trend lost resources.
The people who flowed with the trend got the value.
When they say: “$4.28 Trillion in Value Was Created in a Single Day…”
What really happened: Markets transferred more value toward aligned sectors, themes, or assets.
The value came from the redistribution of energy—capital inflows, new innovations, institutional interest, etc.
People who saw the change early and acted were rewarded.
It’s All Energy—and Energy Can Be Directed
Here’s a simple Wealth Matters 3.0 framework I use personally:
A.S.C.E.N.D.
Assess (Observation)
Study (Interpretation)
Commit (Allocation)
Execute (Action)
Notice (Feedback)
Develop (Iteration/Growth)
Assess – What’s the energy doing? Where’s the flow going (capital, attention, behavior)?
Study – Interpret what this shift means in real terms (opportunity or risk).
Commit– Where can I redirect allocations of my capital, time, and attention to ride the wave?
Execute – Take Action. Make the shift. Don’t hesitate.
Notice – Watch feedback loops for confirmation or misalignment and;
Develop - Refine accordingly to unlock new growth.
Every step either leaks energy — or harnesses it. Your job isn’t to be perfect. Your job is to stop swimming upstream and start paddling with the current.
Universal Laws Always Win
When in doubt, return to the foundational laws because just like the Law of Gravity works whether you are aware of it or not, whether you are a good person or a bad person, a rich person or a poor person, so too do these universal laws below.
The Law of Relativity reminds us that value is not absolute. A thing is only valuable in relation to something else. A tech stock is valuable until interest rates change or better tech comes along.
The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy says that energy is always flowing from form, into form, and out of form. So is value. Markets are the switching station, whether regulated exchanges, peer-to-peer, or over-the-counter. Your job is to transmute that energy by transforming losses into lessons and lessons into leverage.
A Final Word: “You’re Not Powerless—You’re a Conductor”
You’re not a victim of value transfer. You’re a conductor of it. You don’t control the energy — but you control your alignment with it.
Ask yourself:
Am I wasting energy trying to be right… or directing energy to be effective?
Am I hoarding outdated ideas… or embracing new flows?
Am I giving my resources away in fear… or investing them wisely in faith?
Remember: Value is always moving, and perception is your reality. The only question is: Are you moving with it or against it because you want to see the world as it was and not as it is?
Stay safe and sane out there!
~Chris J Snook P.S. Two recent posts I encourage you to re-read to understand where the energy is flowing in the system as it gets rebooted by politics, technology, and existing network effects.
Tariffs may make the headlines, and people’s blind love or hate for President Trump makes it hard to see clearly how this plays out, but the real story lies in the monetary operating systems, protocol-level dominance, and how America can remain the global platform steward by shaping the next world order and evolving with Bitcoin, AI, and the Genius Act.
