Wall Street Unplugged - Your Best Source For Finance, Investing & Economics

  Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged. It may look like you can't miss by going short now… Most stocks are at all-time highs… we’re seeing new records almost every week... and at this point, even perma-bulls are stuttering. The inevitable is just around the corner, right? For the past eight months short-sellers have had it increasingly rough. Just take a look at the charts. It’s obvious. Minor market pullbacks have been met with even bigger buying opportunities. And earnings along with valuations today continue to surge. Expectations… well, they’re still bullish. Simply put, if you want to short in today’s game, investors have to be more methodical than ever before. Which leads me to today’s guest - short-selling expert, Michael Alkin. Michael is a former hedge fund analyst, portfolio manager and is currently the Editor & Founder of The Stock Catalyst Report. As Michael points out, even in today’s market, some expectations are far from reality. With all the day-to-day noise we hear su

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking.

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged. This week I bring back CEO and Chief Investment Officer of U.S. Global Investors - Frank Holmes. On the show, Frank introduces listeners to yet another ETF he plans on launching at the end of this month. The timing couldn't of been better... Especially when you consider, as we'll talk about, the recent rebalancing of the GDXJ - a very popular junior mining Exchange Traded Fund that has recently caused a seismic shock through out the mining sector. Just like Frank's first ETF (NYSE: JETS), which was introduced two years ago and covers the airliner industry, this fund is being launched in the middle of an out-of-favor down cycle... Leaving the public a chance to invest in a basket of stocks with very limited down-side risk. Tune in as Frank breaks down US Global's latest venture... and how his smart data, "moneyball" approach can be an industry game-changer. Good Investing, Frank Curzio

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking!

Everyone’s talking about Bitcoin. For good reason too… If you’d bought $1,000 of Bitcoin just 7 years ago, you’d be worth $35 million right now.   I’ve received hundreds of emails on the topic. “How high can it go?… Is this gold’s replacement?… Should I buy Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency?” Bitcoin has been around less than a decade – leaving your average investor, gold-bugs, and even government regulators with the same question… “What’s really moving Bitcoin?” So on today’s show, we’re taking a look under the hood of this intriguing, yet highly speculative digital currency… I introduce Wall Street Unplugged listeners to CNBC contributor and Bitcoin expert, Edward Karr. From the basics of Bitcoin to its complexities, like the blockchain, mathematical law, and the biggest risk for investors going forward – Ed covers everything you need to know. More specifically, he explains why demand is now stronger than ever… and why recent volumes are proving to be a massive hedge against potential macroeconomic events.

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking. If you’re interested in buying some video game stocks but don’t understand the differences between the U.S-based big three; Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Electronic Arts (EA), and Take-Two Interactive (TTWO)... Today’s show is right up your alley. In comparison to movies, TV studios, and other corners of the entertainment industry, no other sector has seen this much success in recent quarters. In fact, video game stocks have been in an all-out frenzy...  Revenues are growing… share prices are reaching new all-time highs almost every week… and the combined market-cap of these companies now reach over $80 billion. Over the last two years alone, shares of Take-Two have nearly tripled, Activision has more than doubled, and EA is up over 80%.  Unlike, let’s say, just five years ago… Video game companies no longer have to wait till Christmas time to make their profits. Those days are over. Today, digital revenues now come from an array of sources like in-game adver

Longtime friend, Andrew Horowitz, and I were talking on the phone the other day…   Apart from catching up as close friends, we dove into some interesting talks about today's economy…   I mean, how could we not?   Oil and financials are rolling over, wage growth & home-sales are weakening, auto sales are down, commercial real-estate… yikes.   And, on the other hand, you have only a select group of stocks (FANG) that’s really pushing this market… all while the “investor fear gauge” known as the VIX is sitting below 10.   Basically, we're seeing correlations we've never seen before... intertwined with market highs that have never been reached.   Andrew is calling today's market "terribly euphoric."   And although I love proving him wrong, with that statement, I couldn't agree more.   So on this week’s episode, as two guys sitting at a bar over some beers would do - we're taking this conversation in every direction.   No agenda..   No bullish or bearish anything…   Instead, we're taking a step back. And looki

    “There’s only about one-hundred thousand of them…” he said. At the time, I was standing in the middle of what’s known as the largest building in the world - Boeing’s airplane-assembly facility in Everett, Washington. I was extremely interested in these planes, to say the least... The demand for Boeing’s new and revolutionary-efficient 737 is off the charts. It’s the company’s fastest selling jetliner in its 100 plus years of existence. The most recent model sells for just north of $119.2 million. And I was standing directly under the wing of one. In my 20 plus year career of investing, visiting different sites and projects all around the world, nothing was more intriguing to me than this one. Dan Schull, the Sales Director at Boeing, and probably one of the most important figures in the $6 trillion aerospace and defense industry, was personally guiding me (along with a small group of investors) on a private tour of the world-class property. Now at this point in the story, most would assume I am about to d

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged.   This week I’m again joined by the one and only market veteran – Richard Suttmeier.   Rich has been analyzing stocks for over 40 years, is a weekly contributor for Forbes and TheStreet.com, and is the founder and CEO of Global Market Consultants.   As my frequent listeners know, Rich is probably the biggest permabear I invite on the show.   Our opinions almost always contradict...   Yet for this reason, he is an asset for all my investment theses… Why?   Rich has a knack for uncovering data no else seems to mention. He calls it "the balance sheet of the U.S. economy," otherwise known as the FDIC Banking Profile.   And although he uses this overlooked data to contest nearly everything I put on the table...  It always helps to hear the otherside.   If you own a stock, or a have any interest in a certain sector... you don't want to talk to the hundreds of people that love it. Instead, you want to hear from that one guy who hates it.   And Rich is that gu

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking. Today I’m packing my bags and heading to middle state, Nevada. A brand-new mining company is coming together… coming from a management team Wall Street Unplugged listeners are all too familiar with. There’s no IPO yet… Not even a symbol… And fortunately, before word spreads any further, I’ve been invited to check out this developing project. This weekend. Firsthand. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. And from the looks of it right now, this could potentially be one of the best mining companies I’ll ever recommend. Moving on, I then cover a company that is now on the street’s center stage - Best Buy (BBY). Last week, the electronic retailer posted better-than-expected earnings results from top to bottom.  This includes a reported 60 cents Earnings Per Share versus last year’s 44 cents per share. Digital sales grew more than 22%... And more important, comparable same-store sales rose 1.6% overall versus an expected decline. Th

“You see, this is where a lot of investors get confused...” As today’s first-time guest explains… “The goal in trading isn’t to be right” he says. The goal of investing lies far beyond that… Well, not really. It’s actually pretty simple. All us investors are here for one thing and one thing only - Money. And oddly enough, as most successful investors know, you don’t necessarily have to be right in order to make money.  In some instances, betting against your own will, in trades you don’t even believe in, can give you returns beyond belief. Literally. Which leads me to today’s market...  Currently we’re standing in a relentless, but confusing, bull market. Stocks are expensive and continue to push to record highs… Trump’s pro-growth initiatives are flatlining… and potential bubbles are beginning to steer investors south. Is there still money to be made here? Enter today’s guest, Jared Dillian. Jared is the editor of the Daily Dirtnap, and author of the 10th Man newsletter. Before Jared started writing in 2008,

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking. This week's breakdown is starting with Alibaba (BABA). Originally, the Chinese e-commerce company received loads of skepticism in regards to their deliverability and figures. Basically, analysts didn't believe the financials. But that was two years ago... Recently, the stock has been delivering some solid numbers that you can't ignore. The company is seeing its highest growth in revenues since their IPO... mobile use is stretching past 500 million monthly users... and not mention, Chinese e-commerce is skyrocketing. This company is no longer a momentum play. And to start off today's stream of Q&A's, I explain why. Switching gears, I then turn my focus to General Electric (GE). I completely understand the concerns for the short-term investors... The stock has sold off a bit... Deutsche Bank recently placed a sell rating on the stock... and cash concerns continue to push analysts away. But as I explain, there are still plenty of over-looked, long-term cat

Welcome to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged.   Marin is back!   For those unfamiliar, Marin Katusa, the founder of Katusa Research, is probably the most connected guy in the resource industry.   As always, he comes on the show to give listeners his insight and full updates in the gold, uranium, and energy industries.   Coming from a guy who is usually bullish when it comes to junior miners… Today, Marin is taking a completely different stance.   You heard that right.   Marin, who focuses 100% of his time on the resource sector, is giving investors a fair warning.   “A tsunami of selling is coming to the junior mining sector.”   And oddly enough, it has nothing to do with the companies themselves.   The rising issue for junior miners lies behind a major rebalancing of a popular Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) known as the VanEck Junior Gold Miner (symbol GDXJ).   Marin is here to give you all the details of this developing story… and explain why this already weak sector will get even worse.   In a matter of

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking. Whenever I'm up on a stock, there always comes a time and place to take my profits off the table... And unlike how we protect ourselves on the downside by the use of stop-loss orders... there is really no set formula when it comes to booking profits. The answer remains in your initial investment thesis. And to start off today's episode, I explain exactly what I mean. Moving on... I then discuss a stock that is now on my radar, only thanks to you - my readers who question-in. When I first looked at the stock, which is currently sitting at 7 cents, I laughed... But it turns out this company makes a very interesting play. It has all the factors I like: The company has key projects under great jurisdictions... they have great investors and parters... and more important, they have an excellent management team in place. In fact, the company's most recent addition to their board of directors has come from one of the most successful publicly traded agriculture comp

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged!   Today I’m joined by both Amir Adnani - CEO of Uranium Energy Corp (UEC) & Chairman of GoldMining Inc. (GOLD.V). And also, Steve Koomar - former derivative trader at Goldman Sachs and editor of the Vigilante Investor newsletter.   That’s right, instead of having only one guest join me, today I’ll be picking the minds of two.   And starting with Amir, as he puts it, “It’s time for our quarterly update.”   In recent months, Gold Mining Inc. has quietly made a few significant acquisitions including one as recent as this morning.   Nothing surprising here.   Amir and his team continue to add to the thesis they’ve been focused on all along - buying assets at a fraction of their value. And on today’s show, Amir breaks down each of these new entry points.   He calls it “creating value with certainty.”   As the gold sector is in the midst of another unfavorable market downturn, this exactly what investors want to see.   Poised for a market rebound, GoldMi

The questions are pouring in on IBM and Northern Dynasty (NAK)…   I’ve been bullish on each of these stocks in recent months. But after this week’s news, I have even more reason to add to my case.   On today’s show we start with IBM...   Warren Buffett just announced he sold off one-third of his position in the company, stating he “underestimated how much competition is in the space.” And later on said that he has revalued the stock “somewhat downward.”   It’s one of the very few investment choices Warren Buffett has made that hasn’t gone exactly as planned.   The stock price is down nearly 30% since Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway invested close to $11 Billion back in 2011.   And today, as all eyes are still on Buffett, IBM shares have pulled back even further.   But as I explain on the show, I’m taking a completely different stance… and explain why there’s still plenty of room for IBM to grow at these levels.   Let’s not forget, this is not a momentum stock trading at insane valuations with no dividend…   We’r

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged! Today I’m breaking all the rules… Just last week I talked about the benefits of compounding wealth… how long-term value investing is the safest, and smartest strategy for anyone betting in the markets. Even my new newsletter, Curzio Research Advisory, has stock recommendations based off favorable trends for the next 5, 10 years, and beyond… Today’s guest however is someone that takes a completely different angle… His name is Tim Sykes. Everyone has their own strengths. For example, Chris Mayer is a legend at picking international stocks. My other frequent guest, Marin Katusa, is a resource stock sniper. I personally have a knack for picking junior miners and small-cap biotech stocks. And then there’s Tim... Tim is a financial activist, educator, and is most famously known for his success at day trading penny stocks. He focuses on, no doubt, the most speculative and riskiest investments in the market today… yet has found massive success doing it. He’s t

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking! Today I begin the show by giving away a list of large-cap, well-managed, and durable companies. I'm talking about proven companies that have been around for decades… and the ones that have a history of increasing their dividend annually. More important, some of the stocks I uncover today are at value prices. Although some might be underperforming, buying them at current levels can prove to be monumental in the long-run. Again, these are stocks that investors can hold onto forever. Switching gears, I answer a question on stop-loss orders. This particular question asks what the difference is between "Trailing stop-loss percentages" and "Trailing stop-limit percentages?" My answer: It doesn't matter! Today, I explain the importance of "handing you hand." And my favorite third-party tool that doesn't show the market your every move. Then, to end the episode, I'm taking another stock and looking under the hood. It’s a stock that might seem favorable from a glanc

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged. This week I welcome back Garth Braun, Chairman & CEO of BlackBird Energy (BBI.V). Last time Garth was on the show he introduced listeners to one of the finest oil patches in North America - Canada’s Montney Formation. This liquid-rich shale area is now home to some of largest players in the industry - companies like Encana, Apache, Sinopec, and Shell. It’s Canada’s next big energy bet. And Blackbird Energy, the small-cap exploration and development company, was one of the first to discover it. So to start off the episode, Garth catches listeners up to date. He begins by breaking down Blackbird’s recent major capital raise… and how the company has added even more land into the Montney. Moving on, we then talk about the sector as a whole. As the “oil supply glut” continues to haunt investors across the industry, not to mention the increase of drilling costs overtime… companies like BlackBird Energy have been forced to innovate and adapt to current ma

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking! We're officially in a stock picker's market. The gold and junior mining sectors are not what they were two years ago. You used to be able to just take a dart, throw it, and be up 200% - 300%... But market dynamics have shifted. These are sectors that have recovered significantly since record-level lows. And now that the market has gone up, extra homework on the individual companies is a must. To begin today's show, I explain exactly what investors need to look for in these risky markets... and how to tell if their flagship mining projects are worth betting on. Switching gears... I then talk about the difference between American and Canadian stock exchanges... and why I always push listeners away from the OTC. Many of my stock recommendations fall under Canadian listed exchanges. And as I explain on the show... the more volume, the safer the exchange. Then, to end the episode, I share with listeners one of the biggest market disconnects today. This is a popu