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Investing.com — It has been a chaotic week for markets — one that began with sharp swings across equities and crypto and ended with an unexpected subplot: Bill Ackman’s dating advice.
The billionaire hedge fund manager and Pershing Square founder went viral after offering young men what he described as a polite and effective pickup line: “May I meet you?” The post — intended as commentary on how internet culture has made real-world interactions awkward — instead became instant meme material.
Ackman, a major MAGA donor now worth nearly $10 billion, said the phrase “almost never got a no” in his younger years, crediting “proper grammar and politeness” for its success. He framed the suggestion as wisdom from “an older happily married guy concerned about the next generation’s happiness and population replacement rates.”
Social media reacted quickly. One meme contrasted how the phrase might sound coming from a 6’3” billionaire next to a smiling Sydney Sweeney versus a 5’8” junior banker next to a visibly uncomfortable version of the actress. Others shared screenshots of the line copy-pasted into dating apps — without a single reply.
The viral distraction unfolded amid volatile trading. Common shares of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fell Friday afternoon after Ackman said forced liquidations tied to crypto margin calls were spilling into stocks. Fannie Mae tumbled 3.7%, while Freddie Mac slipped 0.45%.
“I underestimated how much exposure Fannie and Freddie have to crypto — not on balance sheet, but in their shareholder bases,” Ackman posted on X. “We don’t own bitcoin, but clearly in the short term, we own a stock market proxy for bitcoin.”
Bitcoin, meanwhile, was on track for its worst monthly performance since the 2022 crypto meltdown, dipping about 3% Friday afternoon to around $84,000 — its lowest intraday level since late April.
The week had started with a surge in Fannie and Freddie shares after Ackman outlined a plan to re-list the companies on the New York Stock Exchange and restructure the government’s stake — before those gains reversed.
By week’s end, markets were jittery, crypto was sliding, mortgage giants were swinging — and the internet was asking a different question:
Did anyone actually respond to “May I meet you?”