Stansberry Investor Hour

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome their colleague Mike Barrett back to the show. Mike is editor of Select Value Opportunities and senior analyst of Extreme Value. He joins the podcast to talk extensively about valuations, why you should never pay too much for a stock, and the opportunities he sees in the market today.

Mike kicks off the episode by giving updates on his pecan plantation and his weekly Select Value Opportunities newsletter. He explains that this service helps subscribers beat the market while taking on less risk. The portfolio has returned about 14.5% since inception and has outperformed its benchmark for nearly 80 straight weeks. Mike's secret to outperformance is his system... It focuses on valuations and gives daily rankings of 100 well- known stocks. That way, subscribers can enter positions at an ideal moment. Mike emphasizes the importance of valuation and reminds listeners that it's a metric for future performance. (1:34)

Next, Mike analyzes the differences between valuing stocks in public markets and his past experience with valuing real estate in private markets. Plus, he talks more about momentum being another important factor in picking stocks and how valuations have changed in recent times. As Mike explains, the first year he started his service, only 5% of stocks were overvalued. Now, in the past year, 30% are. This is "unprecedented" and a "warning sign" that investors should be aware of. Still, Mike's system can help prevent huge losses. (19:28)

Finally, Mike gives his opinion on the overall market action and the broader economic picture. He brings up market cycles, his belief that unemployment is about to be a big issue, and factors that will lead gold and silver prices higher from here. He points out that there are fewer higher-paying jobs available now and that most growth has been in lower-paying jobs. This is skewing the jobs data. And he also discusses the importance of the housing sector when it comes to inflation. (37:27)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey are joined by investor and award-winning filmmaker David Tice. David is the chief investment officer and senior adviser of a short-selling exchange-traded fund. He also is partner at Moran Tice Capital Management, an investment-advisory firm. 

David kicks off the show by discussing his documentary starring Dennis Quaid, Grid Down, Power Up. The film centers around what would happen if the U.S. power grid went down and the country was left without electricity for a lengthy period of time. David talks about how preventable the catastrophe could be if the government invested in utilities. And he shares that a disaster like this could result in hundreds of millions of Americans dying of starvation or water deprivation. As David emphasizes, this is a very real danger, as America's adversaries are already in the grid from a cyberattack standpoint. (1:36)

Next, David details his short-selling AdvisorShares Ranger Equity Bear Fund (HDGE). He explains that the fund is up year to date since many bad companies are finally starting to do poorly in the market, especially in commercial real estate. And several factors – overvalued stocks, high interest rates, massive national debt – are setting the country up for a huge decline. David urges listeners to prepare for the worst rather than try to eke out a few more percentage points in gains, especially considering today's geopolitical conditions. (17:44)

Finally, David breaks down how he and his team at HDGE discover companies to short. He cautions, however, that bad stocks can soar just as much as good stocks, so timing is the key factor. After, David discusses his precious metals hedge fund and the huge opportunity he sees in mid-cap producers that are selling extraordinarily cheaply. He lists off two particular gold stocks he's a fan of and explains why he has so much hope for this sector. (34:57)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey are joined by their colleague Whitney Tilson. Whitney is the lead editor on Stansberry's Investment Advisory – Stansberry Research's flagship newsletter – as well as Commodity Supercycles and his free e-letter Whitney Tilson's Daily. Once dubbed "The Prophet" by CNBC for his prescient calls, he joins the podcast to share some financial wisdom with listeners. 

Whitney kicks off the show by talking about the value of attending investing conferences and other company meetings. You can gain insights, talk to fellow investors, share ideas, and either discover promising trends or discover which trends are "bombs." Whitney emphasizes that avoiding calamities is just as important as finding the next big investment idea. He shares his experience with short selling and how he actually lost a lot of money by employing the technique. This leads to a conversation about value traps – what they are and how they can lead to ruin. (1:24)

Next, Whitney details his storied history with Netflix and why he went from shorting the company to investing in it. Ultimately, he found a 90-bagger. But he sold the stock early and left money on the table. The "most important lesson" he learned from that experience is to let your winners run. As Whitney explains, that's why index funds outperform almost all active managers over a long period of time – because they never sell their winners. (16:40)

Finally, Whitney hammers home that investors should be selective with stocks and only buy the best-quality businesses. Many of these companies see large drawdowns at some point, which can be perfect buying opportunities... even if you're not able to find the exact bottom. Whitney predicts that Nvidia could see a sizable drop since the company is relatively young and volatile. After, he shares that value stocks, small-cap stocks, and international stocks are all at 20-plus-year lows. This extreme underperformance presents an opportunity for investors wanting to diversify their portfolios. And Whitney also breaks down how to spot a high-quality business that may be struggling in the short term versus a value-trap business that will only head lower. (35:02)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey are joined by E.B. Tucker. E.B. is an author, editor of The Tucker Letter, and investor with decades of experience in the precious metals market.

E.B. kicks off the show by discussing the unavoidable loss of privacy in the modern era, how societal pressures influence the lives of people of all ages, and the strength it takes to challenge these conventional systems. As he explains, in both the real world and in the world of finance, you need to learn to let go in order for something better to come along. E.B. also breaks down why voting as a shareholder is so important. (1:42)

Next, E.B. recommends a few nonfinance books – one about the philosophy of happiness and one about Yemeni coffee. He reminds listeners that life is about doing what makes you feel fulfilled and that you should never live according to others' expectations. This leads to a discussion about the role money plays in giving you the freedom to do whatever makes you happy. (23:16)

Lastly, E.B. talks about his new book he's working on and how he hopes it'll make readers reflect on their own life and learn lessons to help them evolve as people. He relates this to financial teachings, where many readers want shortcuts instead of actually learning for themselves and growing their techniques. E.B. emphasizes that understanding your own relationship to an investment is the real secret to success. (40:44)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Marc Chaikin back to the show. Marc is a 50-year Wall Street veteran and the founder of our corporate affiliate, Chaikin Analytics. He also created a popular Wall Street indicator that appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal in the world.

Marc kicks off the show by describing why he's so bullish in this presidential-election year. He explains that we're now entering a "sweet spot" for the market, and if there are any election surprises, that would be even more reason to buy in. Marc also lists off some sectors that he's bullish on today, especially in mid-cap stocks. These areas of the market aren't making headlines, but they're seeing steady gains and present attractive buying opportunities. (1:38)

Next, Marc shares his thoughts on the current AI boom and compares it with the introduction of the Netscape web browser in 1995. He discusses profit margins versus valuations, the potential loss of jobs due to AI, and the usefulness of large language models like ChatGPT. According to Marc, there are companies across a variety of industry groups that are going to benefit from AI. Investors just have to find them. (15:45)

Lastly, Marc shares all the details about his newest, most personal newsletter service that will be launching soon. He explains that it's going to focus on finding "hidden gems" – mid-cap or small-cap stocks that are undiscovered but have great valuations. As Marc says, "The focus is prospecting for gold nuggets." With his custom Power Gauge system by his side, Marc is going to find hidden winners – in a range of sectors – that are set to profit from the AI revolution. (34:32)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome author Alex Epstein to the show. Alex has written several books advocating for the use of fossil fuels, including his most recent work, Fossil Future. The self-described "energy-freedom advocate" joins the podcast to challenge the popular climate-change narrative and provide more context for the crucial role fossil fuels play in society.

Alex kicks things off by weighing in on the debate around climate change and the effects of fossil fuels. He argues that the benefits of using fossil fuels far outweigh the negatives and that, in many cases, energy can be used to overcome any adverse effects. Alex also breaks down the myth of unsustainability, the anti-human bias implicit in environmentalism, and the incorrect belief that more folks die of climate-related catastrophes today than in the past. (2:38)

Next, Alex discusses his impact with politicians and lawmakers. He explains that 200 major political offices use his content to direct policy and become more informed on energy topics. Alex then shares his opinion on climate change, pointing out that we're currently in a climate renaissance and that the Earth has never been more livable for human beings. He brings up geoengineering as a way to cool the climate, asserts that the negative environmental impacts are severely overblown, and emphasizes the crucial role energy plays in the economy. (21:30)

Finally, Alex talks about climate-change rhetoric dominating in elections, the harm that tech companies have done by blatantly lying about being 100% renewable, and why humans should take pride in the fact that we're progressing as a species and learning to use the Earth in new ways. He puts the anti-impact perspective into both a philosophical and historical context, noting that primitive religions believed "sinning" against nature had dire consequences. (34:19)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome their colleague John Engel to the podcast. John is the lead equity analyst on the Stansberry Innovations Report newsletter, where he finds companies that are revolutionizing their respective industries with cutting-edge technology. He also works on Prosperity Investor, a newsletter that focuses on opportunities in the health care sector.

John kicks off the show by detailing the new Biosecure Act that's currently moving through Congress. Its purpose is to limit China's access to U.S. biological information. As he explains, this legislation is going to disrupt the industry, hurt biotech companies, and possibly even bankrupt the smaller players. But, conversely, it's going to allow other contract development and management organizations to replace Chinese ones, creating massive opportunities for investors. John also shares how he got his start in the biotech field at a fermentation lab and as a molecular biologist before shifting to the world of finance. (2:19)

Next, John talks about the pandemic, vaccines, and the current bear market in biotech. He mentions one big story in biotech that he believes isn't getting enough attention – bispecific antibodies. This development allows one drug to hit two targets, so patients no longer have to receive two different drugs for treatment. This leads to a conversation about gene editing, personalized medicine, and rare diseases. (22:01)

Finally, John delves into AI, Nvidia, and the "hype cycle" surrounding the technology. He points out that companies are desperate to use AI to their advantage, but for many of them, there's no use for it in their business. Plus, John discusses "advanced general intelligence," which involves systems that can reason like human beings. (42:27)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Dave Collum back to the show. Dave is a professor of chemistry at Cornell University and associate editor of the Journal of Organic Chemistry. He's outspoken about many topics and issues ranging from finance to politics and everything in between. And he brings this same no-holds-barred attitude to today's podcast. Dave starts off by discussing the link between vaccines and autism, why "live" attenuated vaccines are better than "dead" ones, and the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. He specifically mentions how children in the U.S. receive about 72 vaccinations during childhood, while children in Europe receive only three. He also argues that the war in Ukraine is a direct result of NATO interfering and forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin's hand. (5:31)

Next, Dave talks all about the U.S. government. He breaks down why the U.S. has never supported burgeoning democracies abroad and why it's a better move geopolitically for the country to work with a single leader or a select few in power. He compares President Joe Biden with former President Donald Trump and asserts that Biden wouldn't be able to make tough calls in a time of crisis. After, Dave makes his case for why we're headed for a 40-year bear market that will drag down Americans' standard of living. (24:27)

Lastly, Dave contends that AI risks taking the human element out of everything, dampening creativity, and cluttering scientific literature. He then discusses the role of pedophilia in geopolitics and the prevalence of child trafficking. And he leaves younger listeners with some sage financial advice. (45:39)

Dan and Corey close the show by discussing the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge – the core personal consumption expenditures ("PCE") index. The newest core PCE data shows that inflation has stabilized at 2.8% for the past three readings. Even though this is down from much higher levels in 2022, Dan and Corey point out that everyday consumers are still struggling with far higher prices while their paychecks don't keep pace. (1:11:12)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey are joined by Chris DeMuth Jr. Chris is a co-founder and managing partner of hedge fund Rangeley Capital. He invests in mispriced securities with limited downside and corporate events that unlock value for shareholders. Chris kicks things off by explaining what event-driven investing is, how he uses it, and how the concept of "counterparty selection" is involved. He also breaks down what demutualization and remutualization are and how there are numerous opportunities in the banking sector today to deploy these strategies. According to Chris, many small-cap community banks out there are attractive in terms of valuation versus large caps. (3:11)

Next, Chris describes the U.S. Treasury Department's "inept, corrupt, and profligate" Emergency Capital Investment Program ("ECIP"). He gives two in-depth examples of ECIP bank stocks that were trading for far less than they were worth – Bay Community Bancorp and Ponce Financial. And he discusses why investors who got in early enough will profit from them greatly. (16:03)

Lastly, Chris names three stocks that he's excited about right now and details the specifics of each one. The first is a tax-efficient real estate and financial-services conglomerate trading at a discount to its asset value. The second is a Russian-owned mining company operating in Venezuela that should soon benefit from litigation against the Venezuelan government. And the final one is a hospice provider with a lot of potential for a private-equity shake-up and then subsequent acquisition by a larger health care company. Plus, you won't want to miss Chris' answer to the final question, where he explains how you can gain an edge as an investor simply by researching topics you're genuinely interested in. (29:44)

Dan and Corey close the show by discussing Nvidia's recent blowout earnings, including its 262% revenue gain. Since the company provides the "picks and shovels" of AI, it's benefiting massively from the boom in this space. This leads Dan and Corey to compare AI stocks with Internet stocks during the dot-com bubble, speculate on what could happen next, and explore the disconnect between the markets and the economy. (57:56)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome their colleague Bryan Beach back to the show. Bryan is the editor of Stansberry Venture Value and a senior analyst on Stansberry's Investment Advisory. Bryan kicks the show off by discussing the GameStop meme-stock craze and the deep-value market dynamics that were at play during the whole debacle. He argues that the "dumb money" folks (such as Keith Gill) got a bad rep and the self-titled "smart money" folks weren't very smart. (3:13)

Next, Bryan talks about the bubbles in special purpose acquisition companies ("SPACs") and Software as a Service ("SaaS"). He points out that the pendulum can quickly swing from overloved to overhated. Bryan shares that, because of this, he's still finding winners in the SPAC scrap heap and he believes SaaS valuations are far too low today. He also explains how retail investors got clobbered by the smart money on SPACs and why cannabis stocks present such a good opportunity now with the impending reclassification of marijuana. (17:33)

Lastly, Bryan emphasizes the importance of stop losses and "guideposts" since they take the emotion out of investing. This leads to a discussion of Amazon and its many drawdowns over the course of its trading history that would have stopped investors out. After, Bryan brings up small-cap restaurant-software company Par Technology and why he has so much hope for its future performance. (28:02)

Dan and Corey close things out by talking more about the resurgence of meme stocks – GameStop and AMC Entertainment, in particular – and what it means for the market as a whole. Plus, they talk about this new era of inflation we're in, the worst-case scenario of rebounding inflation, and the long-lasting consequences of low interest rates. (55:39)