Using Market Data to Weather Uncertainty

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Alan Gula back to the show. Alan is an editor and member of the Investment Committee for The Total Portfolio and Stansberry's Forever Portfolio, as well as a senior analyst for Stansberry Research's flagship newsletter, Stansberry's Investment Advisory.   Alan kicks things off by sharing three concerns he has for the current market rally. He looks at the market's credit spreads, as he uses that as a sentiment indicator for the broader market. Then he gives an in-depth examination of the high bids of stocks by looking at the high beta (the measure of market risk) relative to the S&P 500 Index. (0:00)   Next, Alan discusses gold's history during secular bull markets, highlighting how the precious metal has had impressive spikes but serious drawdowns along the way. As such, he states that investors should be cautious during the current bull run and trim any risk. He then reflects upon The Total Portfolio outperforming its benchmark and the framework that contributed to its success. And he gives his take on "whether AI is in a bubble or not." (17:39)   Finally, Alan expresses why you shouldn't focus so much on previous earnings over the long term for rapidly growing companies. Instead, he says it's better to examine their free-cash-flow yields. He also warns investors to be mindful of what to invest in to protect themselves during a bear market. Companies that provide opportunities during bull markets might be poor performers during drawdowns, so it's wise to plan accordingly when diversifying your portfolio. He illustrates this with one sector. (39:09)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan welcomes Brad Thomas back to the show. Brad is an editor at our corporate affiliate Wide Moat Research.   Brad kicks things off by stating why he thinks now is a great time to invest in real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). He shares a chart of different asset classes going back to 2010 to show how many times REITs were a leading sector. He then discusses the Federal Reserve, interest rates, and why he isn't worried about their impact on REITs in the long term. Additionally, he talks about how the growing "silver tsunami" is going to create a surge in REITs. (0:00)   Next, Brad details one company primed to meet the silver tsunami demand. It owns its own buildings and rents off the land while possessing a strong balance sheet. Brad then shares his thoughts on data-center REITs and his previous recommendations in that subsector. He also says that more REITs outside of data centers are increasing their investing in AI. But with energy bottlenecks and other factors, the one concern that investors could have is vacant data centers. (15:44)   Finally, Brad mentions a sector that's boring yet is stable and provides predictable dividends. He provides an example with one company that had a slowdown due to COVID-19 but is starting to come back from the rough times. And he emphasizes Wide Moat Research's goal of meeting with management teams to see what they do for investors. (35:49)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Stephen Hester to the show. Stephen is an editor at our corporate affiliate Wide Moat Research.   Stephen kicks things off by breaking down the Federal Reserve, interest rates, bonds, and how all of them are intertwined. He also clears up some misconceptions that folks might have regarding the Fed and the markets. He follows up by explaining his strategy for investing in options. Contrary to what some might believe, Stephen says that it's important to know about a company before its options. (0:00)   Next, Stephen warns about the temptation to sell premiums on trending companies. He says that successful trades might cause folks to focus on potential high gains rather than the fundamentals. Then he discusses the different methods of knowing where the yields for options ought to be. And he mentions the struggles that individual investors might have with finding good opportunities. (19:18)   Finally, Stephen shares one company that he's really interested in. It's a company that he has studied and researched in the past, and it remains a strong business. And Stephen mentions that one of the biggest things he hopes he can do for readers (apart from helping them find worthwhile companies to invest in) is to educate them. He says his goal is to help provide them with the tools to invest in the years to come. (35:54)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Pieter Slegers back to the show. Pieter is the founder of Compounding Quality, an investment newsletter that boasts more than 507,000 subscribers.   Pieter kicks things off by discussing how AI and market momentum are doing well. However, he says that "classical" companies are currently struggling. He then talks about the need to have a tangible long-term goal in investing and shares his own investing goal and what it would do for his portfolio. And he explains the benefits of removing yourself from your normal environment to gain perspective and how to use that mindset for investing. (0:00)   Next, Pieter shares how he views AI and its impact on the companies that he analyzes. He also adds how he personally uses AI in stock research. Pieter stresses the importance of doing your own reading, both in investing and in your personal life. He says that this not only ensures that you don't miss any details in financial reports but also helps you find new investment ideas in unexpected places. (20:33)   Finally, Pieter details one company that he's excited about over the next 10 years. He found multiple reasons to love it, but after some skepticism, he drove to Germany to meet the CEO. The discussion solidified his optimism for the company. Pieter expressed how talking with the CEOs of smaller companies can provide some information that most people don't have. (39:43)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome John Sviokla back to the show. John is an author, executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and co-founder of GAI Insights – an industry analyst firm that provides leaders with the strategies for successful AI integration.   John kicks things off by recapping his analysis on AI in the markets since he last spoke with Dan and Corey and sharing the changes that have occurred. He then discusses his focus on DEF 14As to gain insight into what's incentivizing management. He mentions that more CEOs have adopted AI usage – however, there are two main groups: the leaders who are advancing rapidly and the laggards who are making slow progress. And he shares the many variables that impact folks' finances today. (0:00)   Next, John expresses his desire for the funding of a public library for AI so users have a database to train their models. He also states that the U.S. has lost ground and intellectual property to China in the AI field and other areas due to companies wanting market access. And he says that using AI is something that needs to be experienced to see how useful it can be, especially with automation. (25:07)   Finally, John provides advice for parents who want to know what career opportunities are available for their kids. There are four areas that he thinks are most crucial in today's tech-driven world. John discusses robots in the tech industry and gives his praise for Waymo. He then reflects on the sectors that he's most interested in. And he believes that folks are wrong about AI being in a bubble – rather, he thinks that there's overinvestment in that area. (44:06)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome David Trainer back to the show. David is the CEO and founder of New Constructs, a research-technology firm that uses human expertise and machine learning to analyze companies and get superior financial data.   David kicks things off by providing the key to what he believes makes AI as good as it can be. Then he discusses how he and his team use machines to scale analytics. He follows that up with how his data led to a partnership with Google. And he notes how the data his team uses has been shown to be better in studies. (0:00)   Next, David points out that machines can't read through company filings until humans show them how to do it. He then shares the process he has gone through with AI and how it's at the stage where it can teach itself and learn from its mistakes. David notes how now is the time for the private sectors to fix the problems that the government has failed to do so. (23:25)   Finally, David bemoans how Wall Street has shifted from being a "steward of capital markets" to becoming an "exploiter of capital markets." He also gives an example of how his clients can use his system to navigate market complexity. Ultimately, David wants folks to do their own research so they can be on guard against useless and deceptive information. (43:50)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Luke Lango to the show. Luke is the senior investment analyst at our corporate affiliate InvestorPlace. He has built a reputation for spotting tech stocks on the verge of major market breakouts.   Luke kicks things off by sharing his thoughts on what many consider to be the current "AI bubble." He follows that up with how the jobs market is going to transition as AI continues to develop and how the economy will fare during that period. And he provides data for how the AI data-center epicenter has impacted the housing market. (0:00)   Next, Luke discusses the shift from companies using graphics processing units ("GPUs") to tensor processing units ("TPUs") for their data centers and why this is taking place. He then gives his thoughts on whether Intel can become a viable competitor again in this market. And he highlights the risks around the AI companies being interconnected and feeding into each other. (18:53)   Finally, Luke expresses why he's pleased that Alphabet has begun to act as a competitor to Nvidia with its own TPUs. He also covers AI being used in ads and how companies like Meta Platforms have seen success with utilizing it in that area. The three all share how they're all using AI in their personal use cases. And Luke gives his thoughts on what the big investment themes are going to be for 2026. (39:01)

In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Gary Mishuris back to the show. Gary is the managing partner and chief investment officer of investment firm Silver Ring Value Partners. He has kindly allowed listeners to download the PDF of how he uses AI to aid in his strategies. You can access it here.   Gary kicks things off by sharing how he uses AI in his investment process. He cautions against the extremes of thinking of AI as being a "genie in a bottle" that solves every problem or that it's completely ineffective and should be disregarded completely. The truth, he says, is in the middle. There are two use cases he argues for using it, with the second one being a "holy grail" method. And while AI can be accessible for most folks, Gary warns that it will not level the playing field. (0:00)   Next, Gary reveals the one AI tool that he thinks is critical in utilizing AI in investing. It's not a popular model that makes the headlines, but Gary shows how effective it can be – and it's FREE. He then acknowledges how AI prevents him from falling into any biases and emphasizes that even though AI provides resources for him, he still does the research needed for investing and makes the final decisions for investing. (21:26)   Finally, Gary explains how AI is a viable tool that is being used in real investment scenarios. He also bemoans YouTube influencers who use AI as a hype gimmick to market their online courses. Then he expresses his opinions on the wider market piling into AI data centers, stating that expectations are too high for what the technology can provide today. (36:07)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan welcomes Rob Spivey back to the show. Rob is the director of research at our corporate affiliate Altimetry. He and his team utilize their proprietary Uniform Accounting strategy to dig through the as-reported numbers in company reports to find their true value. Rob kicks things off by posing a topic of debate with Dan regarding the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates. The two follow up by sharing their thoughts on the long-running AI narrative. Rob expresses how the talk of an AI bubble is producing a "fear of getting in," which keeps people from buying stocks. And he shares his team's thoughts on several market areas where government regulation could provide opportunities. (0:00) Next, Rob reflects on how 22 companies recommended by Altimetry publications were acquired over the past six years. He then lists the catalysts that are key targets for company acquisitions. In the midst of opinions and market fear, Rob stresses the importance of trusting the data. And he says that even though the market is currently weak, it was due for a cooldown based on history. (21:45) Finally, Rob shares three steps to picking a great stock according to some of the greatest investors. He says that these three things can help provide consistent wins in the market. This leads to Dan and Rob discussing the benefit of finding a stock with consistent dividends that an investor would hold on to, whether the price goes up or down. And Rob reiterates the importance of not staying out of the market. (35:36)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Ben Hunt back to the show. Ben founded Epsilon Theory, a newsletter with more than 100,000 readers that examines markets through the lens of narrative. He's also the president and co-founder of Perscient, an AI research firm and software company. Ben kicks things off by discussing the "credit polar vortex" that the U.S. is facing today. He says that all credit to the bottom 40% of the country has essentially been cut off, leaving companies in distress and everyday Americans in crisis. And he notes that financial crises are always born in the financial sector, so this is a problem no matter how well AI and tech stocks are doing. Ben goes in depth on how this looming crisis affects regional banks, and he compares what's happening now with what happened in 2007. Next, Ben talks about the Federal Reserve's role in all this and how it acts as a backstop for commercial banks. He points out that the alternative asset managers that don't have this backstop have been the ones making all the loans in the economy, so that's where the danger lies. This leads to a conversation about gold's usefulness as a safe haven, the potential for rampant inflation, and a few things that give Ben hope for the economic future, including manufacturing and reshoring. And he also covers the topic of energy generation in relation to AI and its possible damage to the economy. Finally, Ben shares how his investing outlook has changed over the years, thanks to fundamentals taking a backseat in importance to storytelling and narratives. He emphasizes that fundamentals still matter, but what's happening with the story is a bigger factor in making money in the market. As he says, it's value versus valuation. Ben then explains how he finds these stories regardless of the sector and how to track them. 0:00 A looming financial crisis; doomed regional banks; similarities with 200717:47 The Fed as a backstop; gold; manufacturing; AI vs. power generation46:38 Ben's investing outlook; how to profit from stories in the market1:08:15 Dan and Corey's final thoughts