If You Understand Market History, You Are Bound to Profit From It

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Jeffrey Hirsch to the show. Jeffrey is the editor-in-chief of the Stock Trader's Almanac – a book that has been published annually since 1967 and that analyzes stock trends, patterns, and cycles. He is also the editor of the Almanac Investor newsletter, which releases monthly and provides strategic investment advice.  Jeffrey kicks off the show by describing how he got his start interpreting data and how he eventually ended up working on the Almanac. That leads to a discussion about what has changed in the Almanac over the decades versus what has stayed the same – in terms of both human behavior and content. Jeffrey also talks about President Donald Trump shaking things up, what has happened historically in postelection years, and where he believes the market could go from here. (1:39) Next, Jeffrey reviews the basics of risk control that all the best investors follow and which fundamentals his team looks at to evaluate stocks. He also explains what traders usually get wrong about the moving average convergence divergence ("MACD") indicator and the Santa Claus rally. Moving to the topic of seasonality, Jeffrey explores the flaws in the traditional "sell in May and go away" adage, what the "Christmas in July" phenomenon is, and how market patterns changed after 1949. (18:09) Finally, Jeffrey discusses what led his father, Yale Hirsch, to originally publish the Almanac and how a background in music can help investors to recognize historical cycles and patterns. He then finishes with his opinion on 5,700 being an important level for the S&P 500 Index and gives tips on how you can fight against confirmation bias. (35:05)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Charlene Chu to the show. Charlene is the China and India macrofinancial senior analyst at the independent global research firm Autonomous Research. Dubbed the "rock star" of Chinese debt analysis, she joins the podcast to talk all about China and India's current economic happenings.  Charlene kicks off the show by explaining her macroeconomic background and experience studying China's economy. She discusses whether China is still worth investing in, which specific area of the Chinese market looks most promising, and what's going on right now in China's property sector. Charlene also goes in depth on President Donald Trump's tariffs that will impact China and what the administration is potentially hoping to gain in negotiations. (1:41) Next, Charlene explores India's weaknesses versus China in becoming a global manufacturing hub – this includes its bureaucracy, onerous labor laws, and lack of infrastructure. She says that India is currently where China was in the 1990s, and the country will require much more development and investment to catch up. Charlene then talks about the good and bad economic effects of China's communist government, China's looming debt crisis, and how the average Chinese consumer differs from an American one. (19:57) Finally, Charlene examines China's demographics and explains why she believes the country's population will fall 60% to 70% by the year 2100. However, despite birth rates dropping, AI and technology may be able to make up for the declining number of humans in manufacturing roles and fill those gaps for several decades. And Charlene closes the conversation by urging U.S. investors not to worry too much about the Trump tariffs just yet, as there may be a method to the madness. (41:55)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Benoit La Salle to the show. Benoit is the president and CEO of Aya Gold & Silver (AYA.TO). He has more than 25 years of experience developing and operating responsible mining companies in West Africa. Benoit kicks things off by describing Aya's first-mover advantage in Morocco, why the country is destined to become a top mining jurisdiction, and how mining in Saudi Arabia differs from Morocco. He also explains why he's so excited about silver today. While the metal is in high demand as an industrial asset (such as for making solar panels and AI chips), it's not yet fully appreciated as a financial asset. But Benoit believes a shift is inevitable – and already underway – which will cause silver's price to soar. (1:47) Next, Benoit delves into the specifics of Aya's mines in Morocco, including those that aren't yet in production. He shares that Aya is spinning off its Amizmiz Gold Project to a new gold-mining company called Mx2, of which Aya owns 42%. Mx2 is set to go public later this year. Benoit also covers all the advantages of Morocco's low cost of drilling and exploration, the other industry that's booming in Morocco, and why Morocco has such cheap energy. (16:49) Finally, Benoit explains how he first got involved in mining after an encounter with the president of Burkina Faso, why the upside potential in Aya's stock price is still fantastic, and how momentum in silver investing has temporarily slowed since President Donald Trump took office. Further, he breaks down Aya's balance sheet and makes his macroeconomic case for precious metals. (36:10)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Pieter Slegers to the show. Pieter is the founder of Compounding Quality, an investment newsletter that boasts more than 440,000 subscribers.  Pieter kicks things off by sharing how he got his start in asset management, why he began investing in U.S. stocks, and the difference between value investing and quality investing. This leads to a discussion about Warren Buffett's impressive track record and one particular software company that Pieter likes today. He breaks down several criteria he uses when looking for investment opportunities – including founder-led businesses, long-tenured CEOs, and wide moats – and how exactly he narrows down his list. (1:40) Next, Pieter talks about the evolution of his successful X account that he began anonymously but eventually put his face on after it gained a lot of attention. As Pieter emphasizes, if you're taking investment advice from someone, that person should be invested alongside you and have skin in the game. For that reason, Pieter is looking to launch an investment fund later this year. Pieter then lists off a few companies he likes today and discusses the importance of investing in growing end markets. (20:30) Finally, Pieter gives his thoughts on the balancing act between paying high valuations for good companies versus missing an opportunity to own a great business. As Pieter details, it's all about an investor's individual risk tolerance and whichever strategy works best for them. Pieter also covers the flaws in discounted cash flow ("DCF") models, two companies that are overpriced today based on reverse DCF, and the three valuation methods he personally uses. (37:47)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Frank Trotter to the show. Frank is the president of Battle Bank, which is looking to revolutionize the digital-banking industry. Frank kicks off the show by sharing how he got his start in banking and how interest rates have changed over the decades due to various crises and bear markets. That leads to a discussion about the U.S.'s 10-year Treasury yield and why it has soared since the Federal Reserve cut rates. Frank also dives into EverBank, the direct-to-consumer online bank he co- founded in 1998 that amassed $28 billion in total assets. (1:40) Next, Frank explains what the current regulatory environment is like and how EverBank survived the dot-com bust. He then goes in depth on Battle Bank, which is focusing on the national direct-to-consumer branchless market. Frank covers Battle Bank's conservative strategy for lending money, whether environmentalism and politics have had any impact on lending to natural resource companies, and the specific advantages Battle Bank has over larger banks. (19:14) Finally, Frank talks about crypto acceptance at Battle Bank, "eCash" being ahead of its time in the 1990s, and the larger limitations of bitcoin that will impede it from becoming a reserve currency. He also gives his thoughts on Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and its lofty goal of cutting $2 trillion in federal spending. And he closes the episode out by urging listeners to think about the future and ask themselves some tough questions. (37:25)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Hendrik Bessembinder to the show. Hendrik is a business professor at Arizona State University. With more than 40 years of teaching experience and 25 years of consulting experience, he joins the show to impart some of what he has discovered over his decades of work. Hendrik kicks things off by introducing himself and sharing how he got involved in teaching. After that, he talks about his breakthrough research studying the performance of stocks versus Treasury bills, why investing over a long time horizon is crucial, and the importance of finding a competitive advantage in the markets. Hendrik then compares stock picking with professional athletics, as both are rare skills that only small portions of the population excel at. (1:47) Next, Hendrik reveals that he's skeptical of any system that alleges it can make you wealthy, because the markets are competitive and constantly evolving. He says it all comes down to probabilities – and trying to gain an advantage that will nudge those probabilities in your favor. Hendrik also explains why he believes now is "the best trading environment ever" for retail investors in terms of cost and reliability. And he gives his thoughts on passive investing, the Magnificent Seven stocks, and diversification. (22:44) Finally, Hendrik discusses which assets he personally has in his portfolio, his concerns about inflation, the benefits of Treasury inflation-protected securities ("TIPS"), and the downfall of meme stocks. Plus, he responds to popular criticism about the value of a Master of Business Administration degree. (40:51)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Jim Osman back to the show. Jim is the founder and chief vision officer of consulting group The Edge – which helps its clients and investors unlock hidden corporate value from "global special situations." Jim kicks off the show by detailing his new book that's coming out next month. It's targeted at individual investors, giving them more tools to succeed against Wall Street. Jim also discusses the importance of being yourself on social media, staying objective when it comes to investing, and how he finds special situations to profit from – mainly, spinoffs and insider buying. He explains how everyday investors can gain both an analytical edge and a behavioral edge over the markets. But as he warns, gaining such an edge involves doing your own hard work. (1:47) Next, Jim covers what's going on in the markets right now. He says there are a lot of spinoffs happening, but he has found that in the past year, the parent company has provided the best value. Further, he shares how he identifies the best spinoffs, how the future factors into his investment decisions, and why he believes value investing is dead. Jim then names two companies undergoing a spinoff that he finds attractive today, and one that he's keeping on his radar. (19:54) Finally, Jim discusses a recent Forbes piece he penned about Boeing's current problems. The company is hemorrhaging money and doesn't have a visionary leader to right the ship, but spinoffs could be the solution. Jim says Boeing is "really going to have to do something." After, he circles back to – and goes further in depth on – insider buying. And he shares his thoughts on initial public offerings and special purpose acquisition companies. (36:19)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome their colleague Eric Wade back to the show. Eric is the editor of Crypto Capital and Stansberry Innovations Report here at Stansberry Research. He returns to the podcast to talk all about crypto – from the bitcoin bubble he expects to happen this year to two free crypto recommendations.  Eric kicks off the show by explaining the four-year bitcoin cycle. He breaks down how bitcoin halvings fit into it and its four one-year parts – crash, accumulation, growth, and bubble. He also covers how this cycle has played out in the past, optimism fueled by Donald Trump's presidential win, the possibility of a U.S. Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, tailwinds for further crypto adoption, and several indicators to help you spot the top of the next bitcoin bubble. However, he warns listeners to temper their expectations for gains this year. (1:46) Next, Eric discusses the exciting world of "altcoins," i.e., cryptos other than bitcoin. These altcoins can range from silly (such as meme coins like Fartcoin) to incredibly useful (solving real-world problems). In Crypto Capital, Eric and his team are focused on finding the latter – "projects that are established yet phenomenally undervalued." If you're a bitcoin skeptic, Eric urges you to give altcoins a chance. (24:34) Finally, Eric lists off two altcoins that he likes today. The first one is up more than 700% in the Crypto Capital portfolio, and he believes it will continue doing really well. And the second altcoin has been largely hated ever since it collapsed 90%-plus. But Eric and his team believe it could soar 10 times over the next two years and eventually challenge heavyweights Solana and Ethereum, as its "superior" blockchain technology is different from anything else out there. (40:30)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey welcome Keith Kaplan back to the show. Keith is the CEO of our corporate affiliate TradeSmith. And he's excited to share a breakthrough technology that he and his team have worked tirelessly to develop... Keith kicks off the show by discussing how you can use TradeSmith's new software to leverage stocks and short-term moves in order to generate income. It involves understanding both market seasonality and an individual stock's seasonality. Keith uses Tesla as an example and breaks down how he made 50% short-term gains just from reviewing past data trends. He notes that TradeSmith's data gets updated constantly, so if patterns change, users will know. After running 2.2 quintillion market tests, the TradeSmith team found the most optimal seasonality periods for 5,000 individual stocks and funds. And the numbers speak for themselves, with an 82.8% win rate and median gains of 6% over 15 trading days. (1:51) Next, Keith goes further in depth about how the system works – including sending entry and exit alerts for each position – and how human biases come into play. He emphasizes that this tool is made for investors all across the interaction spectrum... So you can have TradeSmith fish for you and tell you which stocks to buy, or you can do the fishing yourself and use the system to research stocks, or a combination of the two. Keith also explores how TradeSmith's team looks at past cyclical patterns to select the best stocks. (21:16) Finally, Keith shares how the algorithm works for options trading. In testing, it turned $1,000 into $250,000 over 16 years. Keith urges listeners to try the system with conservative position sizing and see for themselves the stellar results they'll get. It's all available in the Trade Cycles newsletter by TradeSmith. And as Keith hammers home, this technology is very advanced. Since no two stocks or funds are the same, no two algorithms end up being the same for them. (37:56)

On this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and Corey share their annual list of Top 10 Potential Surprises for the new year. As Dan clarifies from the outset, these are NOT predictions. They're simply things that would surprise investors in 2025 if they happened. We won't spoil the surprises. But just to give you an idea, you'll hear about everything from bitcoin to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to a possible Stansberry Research mayor. Even if Dan and Corey's surprises don't come about this year, this exercise is a reminder for investors to keep their minds open and to consider a broad range of outcomes.  Surprise No. 1: 1:51Surprise No. 2: 5:43Surprise No. 3: 10:59Surprise No. 4: 17:11Surprise No. 5: 21:25Surprise No. 6: 26:06Surprise No. 7: 29:28Surprise No. 8: 33:04Surprise No. 9: 36:26Surprise No. 10: 41:31