We’re sweetening our fundraiser: Happy hour is on New Times
The old adage that if you’re not mad, you’re not paying attention needs an update in 2026. This year, if you’ve been paying attention in the least, you could probably use a bar night.
We’re going to toast our members on Tuesday, April 28, starting at 6 p.m. in a space where we expect everyone to feel at home: Gracie’s Tax Bar, a bastion of inclusivity and chopped cheese sandwiches alike.
The first 25 members will get a complimentary drink. (Don’t worry; the happy hour specials are straggler-friendly.) We’ll also be delivering swag to people who give at swag-worthy levels. If you’d rather just arrive at the bar with a credit card and a dream, we’ll hook you up with a custom shirt or tote bag. As usual, we’re employing a talented local artist — the inestimable Ryan Liebe, in this case — for our original, limited-edition designs.
Since 1970, Phoenix wouldn’t be Phoenix without New Times. And New Times wouldn’t be working for the entire Valley without the support of our readers. Can’t wait to hoist a glass and celebrate the next 50-plus years of giving as good as we get.
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Additional Reading from MarketBeat Media
This New ETF Aims to Capitalize on Surging AI Memory Chip Demand
Authored by Jessica Mitacek. Publication Date: 4/13/2026.
Key Points
Specialized memory stocks have eclipsed traditional AI leaders as the market shifts its focus from processing power to data storage.
The “RAMmageddon” shortage is projected to last through 2028, providing manufacturers with massive pricing power due to the years-long lead times required to build new production capacity.
The newly launched Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) offers a targeted way to play this supercycle, bundling market dominators like Micron and Samsung into a single, high-growth portfolio.
The explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) over the past few years has produced a crowded field of semiconductor stocks. And while companies like NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) have grabbed much of the limelight, some lesser-known names have generated gains that dwarf those of the Magnificent Seven mainstays.
Take, for instance, Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK), which designs, develops and manufactures data flash storage solutions.
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While NVIDIA shares have gained more than 70% over the past year, Sandisk’s stock has surged nearly 2,440% over the same period.
Much of that outperformance is driven by AI-fueled demand for memory chips—the semiconductors that store digital data—whose need is rising as the AI build-out accelerates.
In 2026, a severe global shortage, nicknamed RAMmageddon, has emerged as manufacturers shift production to satisfy AI’s voracious appetite for memory. The resulting supply constraints have pushed prices higher for makers of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips.
For investors looking for a straightforward way to gain exposure to this trend, a newly launched exchange-traded fund (ETF) offers an all-in-one portfolio solution.
Roundhill Positions Itself to Capitalize on the Memory Chip Shortage
Industry consultant Grand View Research estimates the global semiconductor memory market was worth more than $111 billion in 2023 and could grow to over $240 billion by 2030 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6%. That expansion is driven by broader adoption across industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, IT and telecommunications.
Zooming in, the U.S. memory chip market—which represents nearly 20% of the global industry—is expected to grow at an even faster pace, with a forecast CAGR of 12.2% through 2030.
Because building new fabrication capacity can take years, the memory chip shortage is expected to persist through 2028, putting the fund in a favorable position to benefit from the trend.
The Roundhill Memory ETF is a thematic, sector-specific vehicle that gives investors concentrated exposure to memory chips, their cyclicality and related innovations in a single fund.
The fund focuses on firms across the memory semiconductor supply chain, including companies involved in DRAM and NAND design and development, wafer fabrication, packaging and testing, and the manufacturing of semiconductor capital equipment and materials.
By targeting the memory segment rather than the broader semiconductor industry, DRAM offers focused exposure to companies whose primary businesses are tied to memory chips and related technologies.
An Actively Managed Basket of Memory-Making Market Dominators
Those five companies alone have a combined market cap exceeding $831 billion and have averaged nearly 930% one-year gains. Past performance is not indicative of future results, but analyst sentiment on these holdings bolsters a bullish case for the year ahead:
Samsung: 3 of 3 analysts assign SSNLF a Buy rating.
Sandisk: 17 of 24 analysts assign SNDK a Buy rating.
Seagate: 19 of 25 analysts assign STX a Buy rating.
Western Digital: 21 of 24 analysts assign WDC a Buy rating.
The fund carries an expense ratio of 0.65%, which is in the typical range for actively managed ETFs. As a recently launched fund, DRAM currently has $244.56 million in assets under management and an average daily trading volume of about 7.14 million shares, which could pose short-term liquidity considerations.
However, given the rapid growth of AI and the global memory chip shortage, both assets and trading volume are likely to rise in the coming months.
DRAM’s Timing Places It at the Forefront of the Memory Chip Supercycle
The launch of Roundhill’s DRAM fund was timely. The ETF — which, according to its fact sheet, offers a pure-play alternative to broader semiconductor funds — arrives amid a memory chip shortage that supports durable pricing power across the industry.
MarketBeat’s Jeffrey Neal Johnson cautions that rapid price gains could eventually trigger oversupply, but he argues this cycle differs from prior ones because of manufacturing constraints. He said, “This physical limitation creates a supply floor,” and added, “the AI Trade has evolved. It is no longer just about the logic chips that do the thinking.”
That thesis aligns with Grand View Research, which calls memory chips “essential electronic device[s]” and notes their specialized nature contributes to a low level of product substitution.
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Today’s Featured News
Frozen Out: Lamb Weston Beats Earnings, but the Stock Still Slides
Author: Chris Markoch. Publication Date: 4/2/2026.
Key Points
Lamb Weston stock appears undervalued after its post-earnings decline, with much of the negative sentiment around margin pressure already priced in.
The company’s Focus to Win initiative, cost-cutting efforts, and declining input costs could help drive margin recovery and improved profitability in fiscal 2027.
With steady demand, a nearly 4% dividend yield, and over 30% implied upside based on analyst targets, LW stock presents an asymmetric opportunity for long-term value investors.
But investors continue to freeze out LW stock, which is down more than 8% year to date in 2026. The chart suggests much of the bad news is already priced in—and that could make LW an asymmetric opportunity.
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The company reported quarterly revenue of $1.56 billion, beating estimates of $1.49 billion and topping the $1.52 billion posted in Q3 FY2025.
Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) also beat expectations: Lamb Weston delivered $0.72 versus the $0.63 analysts expected. However, that was down sharply from adjusted EPS of $1.10 in Q3 FY2025, underscoring a theme investors have watched for several quarters.
Right Strategy, Wrong Timing
Investors’ core concern is that Lamb Weston continues to grow sales amid a challenging macro environment but is seeing declining earnings.
Management attributed the quarter’s margin pressure to factors such as industry supply, factory utilization, and softer demand in certain markets. Many of those elements are outside the company’s control. This pressure surfaced in 2023 with the company’s aggressive international expansion, which has introduced its own set of challenges.
Those challenges have been exacerbated by a slowdown in restaurant traffic in several key international markets, further compressing earnings.
Partly in response to outside pressure from an activist investor, the company launched its Focus to Win initiative at the start of fiscal 2026. It also set a cost-savings goal of $250 million, which management says is on track to be exceeded this fiscal year.
What the Results Don’t Show
The post-earnings reaction appears tied to the company’s outlook for continued operating-margin pressure. That’s a legitimate concern and one the company may have limited control over in the near term.
The combination of low single-digit revenue growth and negative earnings growth isn’t ideal. Still, in a difficult market, revenue growth is meaningful: North American sales continue to grind higher.
That trend runs counter to a narrative that consumers are abandoning processed foods at home or when dining out. It’s also notable that Lamb Weston supplies McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), a company that is also holding up better than some peers.
Lower Input Costs May Help Build Cash
One underappreciated tailwind is what’s happening at the farm level.
Management noted North American potato crop contract prices for 2026 are expected to decline by a low-to-mid single-digit percentage, while European contracted raw potato costs could fall by the mid-teens versus 2025.
Lower input costs flowing through in fiscal 2027 could be a meaningful catalyst for margin recovery, especially if North American volume momentum holds. With $339 million in year-to-date free cash flow and a capital-expenditure budget trimmed by $100 million, the company’s financial-discipline story looks more credible than the stock price currently suggests.
LW Stock Now Looks Like a Deep Value
The LW stock chart isn’t pretty, but it does offer hope for patient, value-oriented investors. The stock sold off sharply after the December 2025 earnings report—an apparent panic-driven event that likely shook out many sellers.
Since then, the stock’s swings have been milder. The post-earnings drop isn’t ideal, but with the stock trading at levels not seen since 2017, a value thesis could be forming.
Analysts aren’t exuberant, but Lamb Weston’s forecasts on MarketBeat show a consensus price target of $51.50, implying roughly 31.5% upside. That sits alongside a dividend that has increased for nine consecutive years and currently yields 3.9%.
It’s also constructive to consider the company’s fundamentals.
By conventional measures (price-to-earnings, price-to-sales, price-to-book), Lamb Weston looks undervalued versus its historical averages and is trading at a discount to the broader consumer staples sector.
This is the kind of setup where a long-term investor might see asymmetric risk/reward: much of the bad news appears priced in; the key question is how long the international drag persists.
That isn’t easy to answer, and investors won’t find the full picture in the chart alone.
But with a dividend that pays investors to hold, Lamb Weston may offer attractive upside in the second half of the year.
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1 Stock To Buy And 1 To Sell If The War In Iran Ends
Author: Sam Quirke. Originally Published: 4/6/2026.
Key Points
American Airlines looks positioned for a rebound if oil prices fall, with some analysts pointing to around 30% in potential upside.
Exxon Mobil has benefited from elevated oil prices, but some recent weakness and neutral analyst ratings suggest its rally may be running out of steam.
The setup is clear, but timing is uncertain, and investors will need to be very reactive.
The sharp move in oil since early February—driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—has created one of the clearest macro-driven divergences in the market. In just a few weeks, Brent crude has surged roughly 60% to about $110 per barrel, while sectors exposed to fuel costs have taken a significant hit.
At the center of that trade sits American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ: AAL), trading just under $11 and down roughly 30% since early February. On the other side is Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM), which was up around 35% year to date as March closed. It’s still holding onto gains, but has pulled back more than 10% in recent sessions as hopes of a resolution have begun to emerge.
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That sets up a simple but potentially powerful scenario. If tensions show meaningful signs of easing and oil falls, the reversal could be just as sharp as the move higher. The question is whether that opportunity is already priced in or still ahead.
American Airlines Looks Like a Recovery Trade Waiting to Happen
Airlines in general, and American Airlines in particular, have been among the most direct casualties of the oil spike. Fuel is one of the industry’s largest costs, and a sustained, surprise rise in oil prices quickly pressures margins.
The recent action is notable. Despite oil trading well above $100 a barrel and remaining volatile, American Airlines has traded largely sideways over the past month. At one point in recent sessions, the stock was trading at roughly the same price it had been one week after the conflict began. That suggests much of the potential downside may already be priced in.
On that basis, the setup becomes asymmetric. Even if oil remains elevated going into Q2, the downside for American Airlines shares is likely limited given how much they’ve already fallen.
But if the price of oil starts to decline, the recovery in American shares could be as sharp—and one-directional—as the fall.
Analysts are beginning to lean into this thesis. Both Citigroup and UBS reiterated their Buy ratings on American Airlines in the past fortnight, with fresh price targets up to $14—implying roughly 30% upside from current levels. That reinforces the idea that the market may be underestimating how quickly airlines can rebound if input costs ease.
Exxon Mobil’s Rally Looks Increasingly Stretched
On the other side, energy stocks like Exxon Mobil have been clear beneficiaries of higher oil prices this year, with Exxon’s stock up about 35% since the first week of January. That move made sense as higher realized oil prices flow directly into higher revenue.
But, as with American Airlines, recent price action in Exxon is telling.
After hitting an all-time high earlier this week, the stock has dropped nearly 10% as hopes grew for a meaningful de-escalation and a potential resolution to the conflict.
At the same time, analyst sentiment toward Exxon has started to cool. Citigroup rated it Neutral on Thursday, echoing moves from Mizuho and HSBC in recent weeks. That suggests much of the upside tied to higher oil prices may already be priced in.
In that scenario, any sign that the Strait of Hormuz is reopening—and oil prices fall back toward pre-conflict levels in the mid-$60s—could spell near-term trouble for Exxon.
Positioning Matters More Than Prediction
The key takeaway is that this trade is less about picking winners and losers and more about understanding positioning. American Airlines has effectively absorbed a worst-case scenario in many respects, while Exxon may already reflect something close to a best-case outcome. That creates a rare setup in which both sides are driven by the same variable but move in opposite directions.
If tensions ease and oil retraces, the unwind could be swift. Airlines would see immediate relief from lower fuel costs and improved margin expectations, while energy stocks would lose the tailwind that propelled their recent surge. That doesn’t make Exxon a bad long-term hold, but it does make the near-term risk-reward less compelling at current levels.
At the same time, the biggest risk isn’t being wrong on direction but on timing. With headlines shifting daily, this remains a highly reactive market, and investors will need to match conviction with discipline.
Featured Content from MarketBeat.com
Why Dave & Buster’s Stock Is Ripping Higher Despite Ugly Earnings
Author: Thomas Hughes. Originally Published: 4/2/2026.
Key Points
Dave & Buster’s is set up for a short-covering rally and potentially a squeeze as turnaround efforts bear fruit.
Store remodels, new games, and new offerings invigorate comp sales; management plans to accelerate change.
Institutions and analysts suggest robust rebound potential, with consensus forecasting triple-digit gains this year.
Dave & Busters (NASDAQ: PLAY) missed top- and bottom-line estimates for fiscal Q4 2026, yet the stock surged before the report and extended gains afterward. The price action suggests short-covering is in play — a meaningful signal for investors.
Dave & Buster’s Back-to-Basics strategy appears to be working: internal metrics and guidance show improvement, traction and an inflection point for the business.
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And the potential is significant. The stock had fallen more than 70% heading into the report, with short-sellers heavily positioned. Short interest, up 10% as of the March report, was running near 30%, creating a notable headwind for price action.
Key takeaways from the earnings report that may have triggered short-covering include clear signs of business traction. Storm-adjusted results beat expectations, and sequential improvements throughout the quarter carried into early 2026. Strength came from store remodels — new games and offerings that increased customer spend and produced significantly better comparable-store sales than legacy locations.
PLAY Analysts Point to Robust Rebound Potential
No analysts issued revised ratings immediately after the release; it may take more than one report to spur broader activity. Still, the eight analysts tracked by MarketBeat rate the stock a Moderate Buy.
The consensus shows a 37.5% Buy-side bias and a projected upside of roughly 90% to the consensus target. The lowest analyst target of $18—about 80% above recent March lows—underscores the depth of the value opportunity. Q2 2026 results could reinforce this range and strengthen the upside case over time.
Institutional trends suggest these investors will be active buyers of PLAY in Q2. Institutions own more than 90% of the company and were net buyers for two consecutive quarters. Selling activity remains high, so volatility is possible given the elevated short interest, but Q1’s net buying points to accumulation. If that buying continues, the short-covering rally could evolve into a squeeze: days-to-cover remain elevated at over eight.
The price-to-earnings multiple looks stretched because the company lost money in 2025 and is expected to be unprofitable again in 2026. The caveat is analysts’ forecasts do not yet reflect Q1 improvements or the free-cash-flow outlook, which is expected to exceed $100 million. In that scenario, Dave & Buster’s would be in a stronger financial position with reliable capital returns. The main risk is a slowdown in share buybacks, but annualized share-count reduction is still expected in the current and subsequent fiscal years. Dave & Buster’s reported its official share count fell by more than 13% in 2025.
Dave & Buster’s Stock Price at an Inflection Point in Q2 2026
The balance sheet reflects the effects of the turnaround, operational headwinds and share-count reductions. Year-end highlights show increased cash and assets and sufficient liquidity to sustain operations through 2026 while the company returns to comp-store growth. Comp-store growth, additional remodels, new store openings and margin improvements are expected in 2026.
The post-release price action is notable. PLAY fell initially, then rebounded quickly as investors and short-sellers digested the results. The market gapped significantly higher the day after the report, a move that confirmed support at recent lows and the potential for an extended rebound.
If short-sellers and institutions continue buying, the pace of the stock’s rise remains the key question. The base case is a steady recovery; the bull case is a short squeeze pushing the shares to $18 or higher. That $18 level aligns with the long-term 150-week exponential moving average and represents a key resistance point for this restaurant stock.
Catalysts include improving cash flow, disciplined capital allocation and an accelerating remodel and game pipeline. Remodels should drive comparable-store sales, potentially producing outperformance as the year progresses. The market response will likely accelerate once an inflection to growth is evident. Execution remains the biggest risk, but management changes made in 2024–25 appear to be paying off now.
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The numbers say everything’s fine… but it doesn’t feel fine, does it?
The cost of living keeps rising. The divide keeps widening. The anger keeps building.
Listen, I’ve spent three decades studying financial systems, and I’ve never seen pressure like this. It’s as if the old order of the economy has cracked and something new is forcing its way through.
Most people can’t see it yet. But they sense it. They feel it in their gut.
I’ve pulled on that thread for the past year, and what I’ve uncovered is bigger than anything I’ve ever reported. And it’s happening much faster than anyone imagines.
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That traction — visible in revenue growth and margin improvement — continued over the ensuing quarters and strengthened further in fiscal Q1 2026, when the turnaround narrative gained momentum.
Q1 results beat expectations, showing strength across both core and growth markets. Stock price action confirmed support at a critical level, indicating the reversal is fully underway and likely to continue through the year. The critical level sits near $153.50, aligning with prior resistance and the baseline of a head-and-shoulders reversal pattern. A head-and-shoulders pattern consists of a low, a lower low, and then a higher low, and it is not confirmed until the baseline is broken.
The baseline is a pivot point; when price moves above it, market dynamics shift from distribution to accumulation. Head-and-shoulders patterns are meaningful to technical traders because they often precede short-term rallies roughly equal to the pattern’s magnitude, and can lead to longer-term uptrends that are supported by fundamentals. In this case, PepsiCo appears positioned to sustain growth over the next several years, meaning its uptrend can continue until the outlook changes.
PepsiCo on Track for New All-Time Highs This Year
PepsiCo’s reversal pattern measures roughly $24, from a low near $129.50 to $153.50. Projecting that dollar move from the baseline implies a target of about $177.50; projecting the percentage move (roughly 18%) implies a target near $181.15. That target range corresponds to 18-month highs for the stock and is achievable given the stock’s valuation as of mid-April 2026.
Trading near $155, PEP is priced at under 18X forward earnings, roughly six points below par. Given that relative undervaluation, the stock could potentially rise by more than $50 to exceed $200 in the near-to-mid term, establishing a fresh all-time high. Over a longer horizon, the stock is trading below 12X its 2035 forecast—which may be conservative—suggesting upside of more than 100% over an extended period, if forecasts and execution improve.
Institutional activity supports the case for a durable bottom. Institutional investors own more than 70% of the shares and have been net accumulators for eight consecutive quarters. Activity accelerated in Q1 2026, hitting a multi-year high, with more than $3 bought for each $1 sold—an important tailwind that could continue into Q2 and the rest of 2026. While the stock may correct if a negative catalyst emerges, institutions are likely to buy shares unless fundamentals deteriorate.
Analysts are likewise supportive of PepsiCo’s price action and could provide an additional catalyst in Q2. The 20 analysts tracked by MarketBeat give the stock a consensus rating of Moderate Buy, with a 40% buy-side bias. At the time of the release, the consensus price target implied about 10% upside, though some recent target reductions have compressed the high end of that range.
A broader market re-rating—driven by upgrades and higher price targets—could accelerate gains. Until then, consensus sentiment and targets have remained relatively stable on a trailing 12-month basis despite active revisions, reflecting steady conviction among analysts.
PepsiCo Grows and Outperforms in Q1: Capital Returns Are Safe and Reliable
PepsiCo reported a solid quarter, with revenue up 8.5%, supported by 2.6% organic growth, 2.5% acquisition-driven growth, and a 3.4% currency tailwind. Top-line and organic growth accelerated sequentially and outpaced last year’s levels, driven by strength across all segments. Europe, the Middle East, and APAC led performance (around 7% growth), with notable gains in the International Beverage Franchise, Latin America, and core U.S. markets.
Growth reflected brand investments and pricing initiatives designed to improve affordability; importantly, pricing dynamics helped drive volume in key categories and contributed to systemwide margin expansion. Operating margin improved by 210 basis points, producing adjusted EPS of $1.61—about a 9% increase, outpacing the 8.5% revenue gain and beating expectations by more than a nickel.
Investors should also note the strength of cash flow and its impact on capital returns. Net income approached $2.3 billion for the quarter—ample to cover the dividend and keep the company in a healthy financial position. Dividends yield roughly 3.65% annually, and share repurchases totaled nearly $2.1 billion, modestly reducing share count year over year. Balance sheet metrics show no immediate red flags: cash, assets, and equity rose during the quarter, with long-term debt around 2X equity.
This Month’s Bonus News
Stream if You Want to Go Faster: Netflix’s New $120 Target
Written by Jeffrey Neal Johnson. Originally Published: 4/7/2026.
Key Points
Netflix has successfully shifted its strategy to prioritize strong profitability through pricing power and new revenue streams.
Netflix is expanding beyond streaming into gaming and live events to increase user engagement and solidify its long-term market leadership.
Recent bullish analyst upgrades confirm that Netflix has evolved into a durable media powerhouse worthy of a core position in investment portfolios.
In a market often focused on uncertainty, a decisive signal on April 6, 2026, captured investors’ attention. Prominent financial institution Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) upgraded Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) to a Buy and set an ambitious $120 price target.
Retail investors should view this as an endorsement signaling a fundamental shift in the narrative around the streaming giant.
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For years, Netflix’s story was primarily a land grab for subscribers. That narrative has evolved: Wall Street is moving away from valuing Netflix solely on user growth and focusing instead on a more sustainable engine of earnings, expanding profit margins, and strategic innovation.
This transition—from a high-growth, speculative tech sector stock into a durable, profitable media powerhouse—creates a compelling new outlook for investors and suggests a turning point for Netflix and its shares.
The Profitability Fortress: How Netflix Flipped the Script
At the core of Wall Street’s renewed bullishness is Netflix’s pivot from global expansion at any cost to a disciplined focus on durable profitability. That transition rests on three strategic pillars now delivering measurable financial returns and supporting a higher valuation.
First is Netflix’s demonstrated pricing power. The company has implemented price increases across subscription tiers with minimal churn, signaling that the service is seen as a household staple rather than a discretionary luxury. That brand loyalty gives Netflix the leverage to raise prices, which boosts average revenue per user (ARPU) and overall profitability.
The second pillar is the ad-supported subscription plan. Initially met with skepticism, the ad tier has provided a lower-cost entry point for price-sensitive consumers while unlocking a high-margin advertising business. This dual approach grows the user base and diversifies revenue in a way that benefits the bottom line.
Finally, the monetization of account sharing has turned a long-standing revenue leak into a meaningful growth driver. By converting millions of non-paying viewers into paying members, Netflix has added an immediate lift to revenue and reinforced the perceived value of its content.
The success of these strategies shows up in the numbers. Netflix’s Q4 2025 earnings reportrevealed a 17.6% year-over-year increase in revenue and a trailing-12-month net income of $10.98 billion. A net margin of 24.3% highlights the company’s efficiency in converting sales into profit.
Those results help explain the broad analyst optimism: the market consensus is a Moderate Buy rating with an average price target near $115.10, reflecting confidence in Netflix’s direction.
More Than a Streamer: The Future in Gaming and Live Events
With a profitable foundation in place, Netflix is building its next chapter by expanding its entertainment ecosystem. Moves into gaming and live events are intended to deepen user engagement, widen its competitive moat, and create long-term growth opportunities beyond streaming video.
Netflix’s push into gaming is strategically important. The launch of Netflix Playground, an ad-free gaming app, is part of a broader plan to make the subscription more indispensable—particularly for families—by bundling games based on its own intellectual property with the core video service. That bundling increases user stickiness, reduces churn, and lifts lifetime customer value.
In parallel, Netflix is taking a selective, financially disciplined approach to live sports and events. Rather than entering costly bidding wars, the company is targeting high-impact cultural events that attract large, engaged audiences. These events provide marketing leverage to win new subscribers and generate premium ad inventory without the budget strain that has afflicted traditional media companies.
By diversifying into gaming and selective live programming, Netflix is assembling a multifaceted entertainment hub that will be difficult and expensive for competitors to replicate, strengthening its market leadership for the long term.
Why Netflix Has Earned Its Blue-Chip Status
Netflix has completed a critical strategic evolution and emerged as a mature, profitable media powerhouse. The combination of pricing power, dual revenue streams from subscriptions and advertising, and new growth verticals in gaming and live events creates a resilient business model. Goldman Sachs’s upgrade and the recent wave of analyst bullishness validate that pivot. Increasingly, the evidence suggests Netflix is not only the dominant streamer but also a blue-chip media leader worthy of consideration as a core holding in a modern investment portfolio.
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I grew up listening to all different kinds of music…
My mom had an extensive record collection. My dad could play a little bit of every instrument he picked up. My older brother, Nate, who I share a 10-year age gap with, had many iterations of punk rock bands rehearsing in the garage. My sister had a great music collection that I wanted to build mine just like. And though we didn’t grow up together, my other older brother, Bill, loves music and concerts, as well! I guess it’s in the genes.
I think I was 7 or 8 when I started picking out my own cassettes. I was diverse. I remember having No Doubt, Backstreet Boys, & Dave Matthews, among a few. But I was always stealing my sister’s KRS One tape because I wasn’t allowed to listen. I loved spinning my mom’s records, too. We’d play George Harrison, Elvis Costello, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Karen Carpenter. There was a LOT of music being played around the house growing up.
I was born in 1988, so CDs quickly replaced cassettes, and by the time I was 12, I was big into Mariah, Brandy, Aaliyah, Monica, Mya – you name it. If there was a beautiful voice singing R&B, I was all about it.
Another R&B voice that I always loved was Mr. Anthony Hamilton. I loved “Po’ Folks” when it came out with Nappy Roots. My friends and I all grew up on “Charlene”, “The Point Of It All”, and “Coming From Where I’m From”. Anthony had that authentic, soul sound.
Working with Anthony to create “Best In Me” was a dream come true. And yesterday, the dream exceeded itself when we shot a music video together for the song! We filmed it in Charlotte, NC, which is Anthony’s hometown. It was an incredible experience and I can’t wait to share the final product with you all!
Thank you all for following along this journey. I am truly grateful!
And there is more to come! Please, stay tuned. And in the meantime, come see a live show:
5 Baby Boomer Stock Favorites Now Trading at a Discount
Written by Ryan Hasson. Originally Published: 4/6/2026.
Key Points
Five popular Baby Boomer stocks are trading in discount territory, with MSFT down 23% YTD, RCL 25% off its highs, and VZ and KMB offering yields above 5%.
Microsoft trades at a forward P/E below 20, Verizon offers a 5.58% yield with a forward P/E below 10, and Kimberly-Clark’s yield has climbed to 5.33%.
Despite the pullbacks, analyst sentiment remains broadly bullish across all five names, with Microsoft leading the way at nearly 58% implied upside from current levels.
The current market selloff is creating something that has been hard to find in recent years: genuine discounts on high-quality companies. With the S&P 500 under pressure from Middle East tensions, rising oil prices, and fading rate-cut expectations, several of the market’s most battle-tested names are trading at valuations that are hard to ignore. These are the stocks that have helped build real wealth over the past few decades and have long been favorites among the baby boomer generation. Right now, several are on sale or fast approaching value territory.
Here are five popular stocks with the baby boomer generation that are quickly approaching value territory.
Microsoft: One of The World’s Largest Companies Trading at a Bargain P/E
Because my research has led me to believe we’re risking World War 3 with Iran for a completely different reason.Click here to find out what it is.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) needs little introduction. From the PC era to cloud computing to artificial intelligence, it has reinvented itself multiple times. The 10-year return speaks for itself: the stock is up almost 600%. Zooming out even further, one can see why this has been one of baby boomers’ most cherished stocks. Since the tech giant’s debut in 1986, it has returned a staggering 274,230%, adjusted for inflation and including reinvested dividends.
After a 22% year-to-date decline, the stock now trades at a trailing P/E of just 23 and a forward P/E of 19 — well below its historical averages and significantly lower than the broader technology sector. Earnings are expected to grow 12.39% in the coming year to $14.70 per share. The stock also has an income component: the company has increased its dividend for 23 consecutive years and carries a yield of about 1%.
Analysts remain broadly bullish — 40 of 45 rate the stock a Buy — and the consensus price target of $588.97 implies more than 50% upside. From a technical perspective, MSFT has retraced into a major area of potential support; the lows from 2025 near $350 have so far held. If MSFT can stay above those 2025 lows, the stock could firm up and stage a recovery bounce.
Berkshire Hathaway: Warren Buffett’s Legacy at a Reasonable Valuation
Few stocks carry the same weight with long-term investors as Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B). Warren Buffett’s holding company has delivered an exceptional compound annual return since 1965. Between 1965 and 2024, the stock averaged a 19.9% annual gain, vastly outperforming the S&P 500 and rewarding baby boomer investors over time.
Year-to-date the financial giant is down just 5%, holding up relatively well amid the broader selloff. It trades at a trailing P/E of 15, below the market average, with a forward P/E of 24. CEO Greg Abel recently resumed share buybacks as the leadership transition continues. With more than $300 billion in cash on hand, Berkshire is sitting on enormous firepower to deploy in dislocations like these.
Wall Street is optimistic, with the consensus price target implying double-digit upside — the $537 target suggests roughly 12% potential. On a longer timeframe, the stock is nearing critical support around $450. Holding above that zone would preserve the uptrend, while a sustained break below could signal further downside. Given its relative strength and cash position, current levels could be an attractive entry point for long-term investors.
Verizon: A Telecom Giant With a 5.5% Yield and a Forward P/E Below 10
Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) has been a reliable income staple for decades. The telecom giant offers about a 5.5% dividend yield and has increased its dividend for 20 consecutive years. For investors prioritizing income, that consistency is as important as any price target. Since its debut, the stock has returned close to 9.2% a year, including reinvested dividends, dating back to 1984.
Despite a strong run over the past year — the stock is up more than 20% year-to-date and nearly 11% over the prior 12 months — the valuation remains attractive. Its trailing P/E sits near 12, while the forward P/E has compressed to about 10, placing it squarely in value territory. A $25 billion share buyback program provides additional shareholder support.
The most recent earnings report delivered solid results, including the best postpaid phone subscriber additions in six years. Q4 2025 results (posted Jan. 30) topped EPS estimates and showed quarterly revenue growth. The ongoing 5G buildout continues to drive subscriber momentum, and if rate-cut expectations return later this year, high-yield defensive names like VZ often attract strong buying interest.
Royal Caribbean: A Leisure Favorite With Almost 30% Upside
Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) has been a strong wealth creator since its IPO in April 1993. Since then, the stock has returned over 2,000%, adjusted for inflation. More recently, the stock has delivered impressive gains — more than 300% over the past three years. But geopolitical tensions and rising fuel costs have pressured cruise names, pushing RCL well off its 52-week high and creating a pullback that historically rewards patient buyers. The stock is down more than 25% from its 52-week high and is slightly negative year-to-date, down about 2%.
That selloff may have created an opportunity. The stock trades at a P/E of 17 and a forward P/E of 13 — modest for a company growing earnings at double-digit rates. Booking levels remain strong, new Icon-class ships are expanding capacity, and the private-island destination strategy continues to add high-margin revenue.
Analysts lean bullish, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating based on 22 analyst ratings and a price target of $353.30, implying nearly 30% upside. Technically, RCL is trading near multi-year support around $250. To keep the weekly uptrend intact, the stock would need to hold that support band and reclaim its 200-day simple moving average near $300.
Kimberly-Clark: Consumer Defensive Income With a 5.3% Yield
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) isn’t as flashy as Microsoft or Berkshire Hathaway, but its returns for baby boomers have been notable. It makes household staples such as Huggies, Kleenex, and Depend — brands people buy in bull markets, bear markets, recessions, and wars. Since 1980, the stock has returned a respectable 1,488%, adjusted for inflation and including reinvested dividends. Not as dramatic as Microsoft’s return, but impressive given its defensive positioning.
The stock has faced headwinds in recent years from shifting consumer preferences and volume pressure in North America. Still, the selloff has pushed the dividend yield to about 5.3% and compressed the forward P/E to roughly 12, making it more attractive for income-focused investors.
Analysts are generally neutral, with a consensus Hold rating. However, the consensus price target of $115.85 implies nearly 20% upside. Reclaiming $100 and the 50-day simple moving average in the coming weeks would be an early sign that momentum is shifting and could mark the first step toward a higher-timeframe bottom.
Today’s Exclusive Article
$330M Bitcoin Binge: When Others Pause, Strategy Pounces
Written by Jeffrey Neal Johnson. Originally Published: 4/9/2026.
Key Points
The recent acquisition of digital assets reinforces Strategy’s standing as a leading institutional player in the rapidly evolving crypto ecosystem.
Strategic capital management through innovative preferred stock offerings enables continued treasury expansion without immediate share dilution.
Management continues to position the corporate treasury to anticipate predictable market scarcity events and maximize long-term value for all shareholders.
In a market wrestling with indecision and reacting to every geopolitical headline, Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) has chosen to act with resounding clarity.
Strategy, a pioneer in weaving Bitcoin (BTC) into its corporate identity, has re-entered the market, acquiring an additional 4,871 bitcoins for $329.9 million. The purchase was executed as Bitcoin’s price hovered near the pivotal $69,000 level, closely watched by traders worldwide.
For Strategy, this was not a moment for hesitation but for calculated action. More than a line item on Strategy’s balance sheet, it is a direct reaffirmation of the company’s core mission.
During Tesla’s last earnings call, Elon Musk outlined a new AI-driven approach he says could generate $30,000-$50,000 a year in passive income with minimal effort and modest upfront costs.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz called it ‘a total game-changer,’ and millions of Americans are reportedly eligible to participate. This is a new business model, and early movers could be positioned for significant returns.Watch the free presentation and learn how to get started today
While market volatility has prompted many to adopt a wait-and-see stance, Strategy’s leadership has shown contrarian conviction, viewing the current environment as an opportunity to bolster its already sizable treasury. Investors gauging institutional sentiment could view this decisive return to accumulation as a powerful bull signal and a clear expression of Strategy’s long-term vision.
Inside Strategy’s Latest Treasury Move
To appreciate the weight of this commitment, the details of the acquisition matter. This was not a speculative, one-off buy but the continuation of a methodical plan to increase holdings at a deliberate pace. The execution underlines the seriousness of its corporate strategy.
The data shows the scope of the buying:
Execution Window: The 4,871 bitcoins were acquired over five days, from April 1 to April 5, 2026.
Average Price: Strategy secured the coins at an average price of $67,718 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses.
A Fortified Treasury: This purchase brings Strategy’s total Bitcoin holdings to 766,970 coins.
This treasury — one of the largest held by any publicly traded company — was built with an aggregate investment of $58.02 billion. That figure underscores that Strategy’s approach is focused on long-term, disciplined accumulation of what it considers a superior store of value. Each purchase is another brick in a digital fortress, founded on conviction that extends well beyond short-term price moves.
Intelligent Leverage: How Strategy Creates Shareholder Value
This premium to Net Asset Value (NAV) — the underlying value of its assets — is not an anomaly; it reflects Strategy’s unique structure and the additional value it provides beyond simply holding coins. Investors are backing a dynamic operating company with a sophisticated financial engine.
That engine is powered by a two-pronged capital strategy. First, an adaptable At-The-Market (ATM) program efficiently issues shares to fund operations and acquisitions. Second, the company’s Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock attracts income-focused investors with an 11.5% annual dividend. Together, these provide a sizable capital pipeline for buying Bitcoin without immediate, large-scale dilution of common stock.
This intelligent use of capital is the core of the Strategy Advantage and the reason for its premium valuation. The market is effectively buying a package that includes:
Leveraged Bitcoin Exposure: By using capital from debt and preferred stock, Strategy amplifies the upside for common stockholders when Bitcoin appreciates.
A Functioning Business: An established enterprise-software business supplies an operational backbone and an additional revenue stream from the tech sector.
A Regulated and Simple On-Ramp: Strategy provides a trusted, liquid, and accessible vehicle for gaining Bitcoin exposure through a standard brokerage account.
With over $49 billion in combined remaining capacity from its stock programs, Strategy has a long runway to continue executing this approach, signaling that its growth phase is far from over.
Positioning for Bitcoin’s Next Big Catalyst
Strategy’s buying spree is a forward-looking move positioned ahead of the next programmed event in the Bitcoin ecosystem: the 2028 halving.
The halving, which occurs roughly every four years, cuts the reward for mining new blocks by 50%, effectively halving the issuance of new bitcoin and creating a supply shock.
With less new supply entering the market, existing supply becomes relatively scarcer. Historically, halvings have preceded significant bullish price cycles as steady demand meets shrinking issuance. By accumulating aggressively now, Strategy is increasing its stake before this predictable scarcity event and positioning its treasury to benefit from any subsequent repricing.
Moreover, Strategy’s actions ripple across the financial world. As a public company, its transparent accumulation strategy serves as a blueprint and confidence signal for other corporate treasurers and institutional investors. Each major purchase helps normalize Bitcoin as a reserve asset, aiding market maturation and broader adoption. In that sense, Strategy isn’t just investing in Bitcoin — it is actively shaping the landscape for its future acceptance.
A Clear Signal in a Complex Market
In the end, Strategy’s decision to invest another $330 million into Bitcoin is an unambiguous vote of confidence from a management team with a long-term view.
The move provides investors a tangible data point that rises above daily market noise and reaffirms Strategy’s commitment to its pioneering approach.
The firm’s ability to raise capital and leverage its corporate structure creates the distinct Strategy Advantage — a vehicle offering more than passive exposure to a digital asset.
It represents an active, leveraged bet on Bitcoin’s future appreciation, managed by a team that has staked its corporate identity on the outcome. For investors who share that bullish conviction and seek a regulated, liquid way to amplify their exposure, Strategy makes a compelling, strategically coherent case for consideration.
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– Ans. On 14-Jun-2006, Finley, the first player to come to bat, started the game against his erstwhile teammates with the 300th of his 304 career HRs. He had stolen the 300th of his career 320 stolen bases 2 years before. Other members of this “Club” include Wille Mays & Andre Dawson & Alex Rodriguez.
– #1 Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling & he were traded to the Houston Astros for Glenn Davis on 10-Jan-1991. Davis’ career WAR from that point on was 0.7. The collective WAR of the 3 players traded for him was 141.3 after the trade. (Seems the “locals” have a case!)
– #2 Finley’s GG in 2004 was the 5th of his career.
Delivering World-Class Financial Research Since 1999
The Strait of Hormuz is ‘completely open’ – sort of… Why the S&P 500 shrugged off $90-plus oil… Two overriding truths in investing… High quality and risk management… My refinery rabbit hole… What the Iran war will teach the market…
The U.S. has been at war with Iran for 48 days…
For about the first 30 days, the market hated it.
From Friday, February 27 – the day before the war started – to March 30, the S&P 500 Index fell about 8%.
Since then, the S&P 500 is up about 12%. Amid signs of the war easing, it hit its first new all-time high since January 27 on Wednesday – Tax Day, April 15.
And today, Iran said it would no longer block shipping through the Strait of Hormuz… the 21-mile-wide choke point for 20% of the world’s crude oil.
I (Dan Ferris) am not saying you should or shouldn’t trade the market based on your ideas about the war. That’s just gambling.
I’m just noticing that the market is a funny beast…
We’re constantly told that it hates uncertainty. So maybe it makes sense that when a war first breaks out, markets sell off on the brand-new, very negative event. After all, war means destruction. And disrupted oil supplies mean higher prices.
Maybe the market likes the certainty of ships once again passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Maybe it believes President Donald Trump when he says he thinks the war is “very close to being over.” Whatever the reason, the market has clearly changed its mind about the war.
And yet, as I’ll explain later in this Digest, the market and I may be closer to agreement than it looks. I’m seeing signs that the market is coming around to one of my highest-conviction ideas.
The strait matters for more commodities than just oil…
More than 40% of the global sulfur supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. So does roughly 14% of global refined petroleum products, 19% of liquefied natural gas, and 25% to 35% of ammonia (used in fertilizer production that feeds about half the planet).
The global economy does not want it closed.
Today, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on the social platform X that all was well… for now. As he wrote:
In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran.
Trump went even further, posting on Truth Social:
Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!
The market is eating up the president’s every word…
The S&P 500 jumped more than 1% this morning, and oil prices fell double digits.
That’s a pretty optimistic response…
First, even with the strait “open,” the U.S. is still blockading Iran’s shipping. If any ship from any country is caught heading to or from an Iranian port, the U.S. Navy will stop it and board the vessel. The vessels are told to turn around and that if they don’t comply, they will be boarded and seized.
That reduces energy shipments – and could provoke Iranian retaliation against anyone else’s ships that try to edge past.
Major shipping companies said today that they’re not eager to try just yet.
What’s more, no promises about the strait are creating refineries or oil wells. No back-and-forth about shipping blockades is rebuilding all the energy infrastructure that was wrecked in the past 48 days.
Even before today, the market was looking on the bright side…
Yesterday, Brent crude oil (the international benchmark) was around $98 per barrel, with American West Texas Intermediate costing $93 per barrel. These prices reflect the wartime disruptions to the energy market.
After all, the global economy effectively runs on oil… or to be more accurate, the dizzying array of products we get from crude oil. Think of gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, heating oil, propane, butane, bunker fuel for ships, ethylene and propylene for plastics, synthetic fibers (like polyester, nylon, and acrylics), synthetic rubber, asphalt, tar, motor oil, greases and lubricants, paraffin (wax), and more.
And even for products that don’t have oil as an input, higher fuel prices mean higher transportation costs.
So expensive crude oil means a lot of other stuff gets more expensive.
And lately, this has seemingly become perfectly OK with the S&P 500… after it wasn’t OK for about a month.
You could explain the market’s apparent complacency as we’ve done before…
Maybe it’s not a matter of investors thinking $90-plus oil is OK. Maybe they just don’t care about it because they rarely even remember that they’re constantly buying stocks.
That’s very likely the posture of the average 401(k) account holder. In my own 401(k) account, I’m not overly exposed to the stocks that make the S&P 500 go up and down. I’ve chosen industrial, value, energy, and gold stocks.
But I’m the odd duck.
Most people blissfully pour their savings into the S&P 500 every time they get paid. Roughly $20 trillion of assets are indexed or benchmarked to the S&P 500. And 401(k)s and other retirement accounts are stuffed to the gills with those types of funds.
Maybe America’s 401(k)s aren’t going to lose half their value anytime soon. But their returns from here on out could sorely disappoint if folks don’t think twice about where they allocate future retirement dollars.
I have some ideas about how to fix that…
I recently did two great interviews for upcoming episodes of the Stansberry Investor Hour podcast, both filled with excellent ways to get outside the normal S&P 500 bets most folks have in their retirement accounts.
The first was with Pete Carmasino, chief market strategist at our corporate affiliate Chaikin Analytics. Pete is a trader who relies on a combination of fundamentals and technical indicators to recommend trades for his subscribers.
Pete doesn’t view the overall market as only a buy or a sell. He finds many more trading opportunities by watching to see which sectors investors are rotating into next.
As we talked, he noted that overall, the Magnificent Seven tech giants were recently underperforming the other “S&P 493.” That’s great news for investors interested in choosing their own stocks. A higher number of outperforming stocks means more trading opportunities.
(Since the March 30 bottom, most of the Mag Seven – except for Apple and Tesla – have outpaced the overall S&P 500.)
Two of Pete’s favorite alternatives to a Mag Seven stock are the State Street SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services Fund (XES) and the State Street SPDR S&P Metals and Mining Fund (XME).
To recommend individual stock trades to his subscribers, Pete starts with well-performing index funds like those and uses his analytical skills to pick the best stocks from those sectors. For example, in XME, we both agreed that steelmaker Nucor (NUE) is a well-run, high-quality business.
I’ve known about that company since I covered it nearly 20 years ago. Back then, I read Richard Preston’s riveting tale of the company’s founding, American Steel: Hot Metal Men and the Resurrection of the Rust Belt.
When Nucor built its first electric arc furnace in 1969, using massive amounts of electricity to melt down old Cadillacs into molten steel was a new and risky technology. Today, it’s old hat, and Nucor is the largest steel producer in America. If you’re looking for high-quality bets in the U.S. steel industry, Nucor is your first stop.
Talking about great businesses is one of the two things that happen whenever I interview someone from Stansberry Research or one of its affiliates. The conversation wends its way through the guest’s unique experiences, perspectives, skills, and current viewpoints, and sooner or later ends up identifying two overriding truths…
When you’re buying stocks, focus first on the highest-quality companies in a given industry. Don’t mess with speculative junk unless you understand the situation very well and know what you’re getting into.
Risk management is key. That one topic has come up with virtually every single investor and trader I’ve spoken with on the Investor Hour since I took over as host in 2018. In other words, hundreds of expert investors – from the twitchiest short-term traders to folks looking for stocks they hope never to sell – have all agreed that recognizing, understanding, and managing risk is an investor’s most important job.
The topic of risk management brings me back to the Iran war…
Despite the White House’s suggestions otherwise, the past 48 days have highlighted a source of risk (and opportunity) that shows no signs of ending.
It’s that the world has been stone-cold in love with tech stocks for most of the past two decades.
The advent of AI has taught us that even great software companies can suffer when the technology changes… And the Iran war has shown that raw materials like the ones that pass through the Strait of Hormuz are a lot harder to make than software code.
That’s really important, given that America has been more interested in making software than things like oil refineries for decades now. And it’s really hard – if not outright impossible – to build new ones. As Chevron CEO Mike Wirth told Bloomberg in June 2022…
My personal view is there will never be another new refinery built in the United States. You’re looking at committing capital 10 years out, that will need decades to offer a return for shareholders, in a policy environment where governments around the world are saying, ‘We don’t want these products.’
Think about who’s doing the talking here. Wirth runs a major U.S. oil company that has been operating in Venezuela for more than 100 years. It was the only one to hang on after ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips left in 2007. He has forgotten more about navigating a tough political environment than most folks will ever know. And he says building a refinery in the U.S. is a hopeless nonstarter.
It’s not a great thing for the U.S. But as I’ve pointed out before, it’s an important underlying fundamental issue that can make refinery operators and other energy stocks extremely attractive at times (like now).
That brings me to the other great interview we did recently, with Tracy Shuchart of the Renegade Resources newsletter…
Tracy’s research into the commodity industry is absolutely top-notch. I credit her with inspiring me to go down the diesel/refinery rabbit hole I’ve been living in since December.
Since then, I’ve recommended four energy stocks in The Ferris Report (including two refinery companies) and one refinery-related stock in Extreme Value. I’ll recommend another refinery-related stock in The Ferris Report next week. (If you want to go down the rabbit hole with me and don’t already subscribe to The Ferris Report, check out my new presentation at NextEnergyShock2026.com.)
Tracy likes commodity and hard-asset stocks generally today. And she agreed with me that global markets have become financialized… overflowing with gobs of printed money, stocks, bonds, and cryptos, all sloshing around competing for dollars with essential commodities.
You can print all you want of those financial assets. But you can’t print crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, sulfur, ammonia, cement, steel… and a host of other essential ingredients that make up the basic building blocks of our modern world. And there are no real substitutes for most of those materials.
One of Tracy’s favorite stocks is an obscure company that I instantly recognized… Longtime Stansberry Research subscribers might remember it, too: Argentina-based farming and land company Cresud (CRESY).
In her recent research, she calls Cresud “farmland at a single-digit P/E.” In other words, it’s an essential commodity at an attractive price-to-earnings valuation.
The bottom line on all this is that, just 48 days into the war, the stock market might look like it’s getting back to normal. But as my talks with Pete and Tracy demonstrate, it’s anything but.
America is losing its capacity to produce essential commodities…
The political environment of the last few decades has created this scarcity. And the war in Iran has ratcheted up uncertainty over the supply of those materials.
That doesn’t go away just because the S&P 500 is making new highs.
As I’ve pointed out before, the war in Iran didn’t create the opportunity. Decades of crimped supply did that. The war has merely pulled the opportunity off the back pages and put it into the headlines.
Now, folks know me as a contrarian. So normally, I’d be skeptical of whatever is in the headlines. But I’ve done enough research on various commodities, especially energy-related ones, to believe that this trade has serious legs under it.
There’s a reason that a technicals-based trader like Pete has arrived where fundamentals-based investors like Tracy and I are now. I believe it’s that the market is starting to figure out what I’ve been telling you in this and other recent Digests…
Whether the war winds down soon or not, there’s ample reason to believe the world’s growing energy needs will keep commodity-related stocks performing well over the next few years ‒ and perhaps even beyond.
And as the market fully grasps this, energy’s nascent bull market will have even more room to run.
There’s one financial mandate you need to know about before April 30… It drives what Wall Street money managers can and can’t do… and every year, it sets in motion a $10 trillion market move… catapulting certain stocks higher. Last year, one analysis shows you could have doubled your money 21 times, tripled it five times, and made more than 300% twice. See how you could profit from this financial mandate this year, too.
The reclusive Oregon forecaster who accurately predicted both the 2008 banking collapse and the post-2020 inflation crisis says a huge event is coming to America this month. He’s warning that very soon, life in America is going to take a strange and dangerous turn… See his warning here – before it’s too late.
New 52-week highs (as of 4/16/26): Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box Fund (BOXX), BP (BP), CBOE Global Markets (CBOE), Deluxe (DLX), FirstCash (FCFS), iShares Convertible Bond Fund (ICVT), Intel (INTC), KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A 50 Connect Index Fund (KBA), and State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor Fund (XSD).
“Corey McLaughlin mentioned high gas prices again today in Stansberry Digest. I’m not understanding the problem.
“I haven’t seen gas priced above $4 a gallon this year. Let’s remember that crude oil was $139.96 per barrel in June 2008. Let’s remember the purchasing power of a dollar in 2008.” – Subscriber J.K.G.
Corey McLaughlin comment: Gas prices may be lower depending on where you live, but the average U.S. gas price was just above $4 per gallon as of yesterday… and diesel has been above $5.50 per gallon, on average.
Granted, prices may go down depending on what happens next with the war in Iran. Today was a good start with the Strait of Hormuz “reopening” again. Oil futures dropped by more than 10% after the news this morning.
“I work for a national residential/commercial building materials distribution center. All of our suppliers/manufacturers have raised prices between 6-12% across the board just in the last three weeks.
They also have all implemented additional fuel surcharges on freight that add further to the cost. My concern is that this is going to ripple through the economy and spike inflation. We all know once prices are raised they are not going to be lowered…” – Subscriber B.W.D.
“Corey, I think back to 2008-2010. Diesel hit $5/ gallon; gas hit $4/gallon. I heard and knew a few folks who moved out of their homes before dropping their keys at mortgage offices. In those days I served industrial customers (paper/pulp; automotive; plastics mfr; etc). I recall that the hourly paid working men and women hurt most. They would tell of having to decide about paying the mortgage, utilities, credit card or pay for fuel. Car dealerships were ghost towns. I remember also being able to count cars traveling through Atlanta on I-85; two or three cars at a time! I still hold that high energy prices started the ‘economic unraveling’ back then.
“Now retired, I am still in contact, daily, with the hourly wage earners. They are once again hurting!
“One final memory: while visiting three different suppliers to a Korean auto maker, I noticed huge inventories of completed parts piling up all over the factories. From the floor of my third plant visit, I instructed my then broker to convert all my accounts to cash. The following week DJIA [began its drop] from about 14,000 to around 7,000. Maybe this time will be different.” – Subscriber Mike B.
Good investing,
Dan Ferris Medford, Oregon April 17, 2026
Stansberry Research Top 10 Open Recommendations
Top 10 highest-returning open stock positions across all Stansberry Research portfolios. Returns represent the total return from the initial recommendation.InvestmentBuy DateReturnPublicationMSFT Microsoft11/11/101,384.4%Retirement MillionaireMSFT Microsoft02/10/121,356.9%Stansberry’s Investment AdvisoryCIEN Ciena10/20/22800.4%Stansberry Innovations ReportADP Automatic Data Processing10/09/08781.4%Extreme ValueBRK.B Berkshire Hathaway04/01/09767.8%Retirement MillionaireGOOGL Alphabet12/15/16728.2%Retirement MillionaireSII Sprott01/11/18680.1%Extreme ValueALS-T Altius Minerals03/26/09676.2%Extreme ValueWRB W.R. Berkley03/15/12615.7%Stansberry’s Investment AdvisoryLITE Lumentum04/15/21570.7%Stansberry Innovations Report
Please note: Securities appearing in the Top 10 are not necessarily recommended buys at current prices. The list reflects the best-performing positions currently in the model portfolio of any Stansberry Research publication. The buy date reflects when the editor recommended the investment in the listed publication, and the return shows its performance since that date. To learn if a security is still a recommended buy today, you must be a subscriber to that publication and refer to the most recent portfolio.
Top 10 Totals3Extreme ValueFerris3Retirement MillionaireDoc2Stansberry Innovations ReportEngel2Stansberry’s Investment AdvisoryPorter
Top 5 Crypto Capital Open Recommendations
Top 5 highest-returning open positions in the Crypto Capital model portfolioInvestmentBuy DateReturnPublicationWSTETH/USD Wrapped Staked Ethereum12/07/181,901.9%Crypto CapitalBTC/USD Bitcoin11/27/181,899.5%Crypto CapitalONE/USD Harmony12/16/191,009.3%Crypto CapitalPOL/USD Polygon02/26/21640.8%Crypto CapitalQRL/USD Quantum Resistant Ledger01/19/21552.6%Crypto Capital
Please note: Securities appearing in the Top 5 are not necessarily recommended buys at current prices. The list reflects the best-performing positions currently in the Crypto Capital model portfolio. The buy date reflects when the recommendation was made, and the return shows its performance since that date. To learn if it’s still a recommended buy today, you must be a subscriber and refer to the most recent portfolio.
^ These gains occurred with a partial position in the respective stocks. * Editor Dave Lashmet closed the first leg of this Nvidia position in November 2016 for a gain of about 108%. Then, he closed the second leg in July 2020 for a 777% return. And finally, in May 2022, he booked a 1,466% return on the final leg. Subscribers who followed his advice on Nvidia could’ve recorded a total weighted average gain of more than 600%.
Stansberry Research Crypto Hall of Fame
Top 5 highest-returning closed positions in the Crypto Capital model portfolioInvestmentDurationGainAnalystBand Protocol (BAND)0.31 years1,169%Crypto CapitalTerra (LUNA)0.41 years1,166%Crypto CapitalPolymesh (POLYX)3.84 years1,157%Crypto CapitalFrontier (FRONT)0.09 years979%Crypto CapitalBinance Coin (BNB)1.78 years963%Crypto Capital
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