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

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged. Today I introduce first-time guest, Chief Investment Officer, and Co-Founder of Tematica Research - Chris Versace. Chris is a weekly contributor for Business Insider, Forbes, and The Street.com. He's also the host of his own financial podcast, Cocktail Investing. Simply put, and like myself, the guy’s a stock market junkie. But his “thematic” approach is something totally different. He call’s it “the death of sector investing…” And it might even be ahead of it’s time. Theme by theme, Chris breaks down the market as a whole… discussing recently released economic data, what he calls the "Trump Slump," and how investors should prepare for the upcoming Q2 earnings season. Chris also unveils two “dividend dynamos”... and two small-cap companies listeners MUST add to their watchlist… Good Investing, Frank Curzio P.S. After Chris leaves us, keep listening for this week’s Educational Segment [], where I explain how to avoid “value traps" that even the best inv

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking!

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged!   This week, Jonathan Awde joins me on the show. Jonathan, CEO and President of Gold Standard Ventures (NYSE:GSV), gives us an inside look at what’s exactly taking place in today’s dispirited gold sector.   Whether its inflation, geopolitical risks, or weakness in the dollar... As of recent, investors are having a difficult time finding gold’s next growth catalyst…   Jonathan, nonetheless, sheds lights on a much clearer picture.   In part to recently released economic data, he explains why the sector may finally be reaching the tipping point we’ve all been patiently waiting for.   Jonathan then talks about Gold Standard Ventures.   Despite flatlining prices, the company is in the midst of its “largest drilling project” to date.   Tune in as Jonathan catches listeners up to speed… breaking down the company’s recent acquisitions, drilling results, and how the company is quietly positioning itself for gold’s inevitable bounce-back.   Good Investing,   Fra

Welcome to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged. He's back… Managing Director at Point View Wealth Management and Wall Street Unplugged all-time favorite, John Petrides, joins the show once again. And apart from our quarterly routine, jumping from one sector to another, today we're turning all of our focus on one. Just last week, a surprisingly big acquisition took place in the retail sector; Private equity firm Sycamore bought out Staples for $10.25 per share… in a deal valued close to $7 billion. Shares of Staples, which have been on a steady decline for the past decade, finally found some life - after shares surged more than 8% in late session trading. All of which, has got John thinking... Helped along by today’s low interest rate environment, on top of a severely depressed, cheap, and hated retail sector… John’s prediction is that we’re still in the early innings of these takeover deals. On today’s show, we each give away our best guesses at which retailer is next. Including one big-box that just mig

Welcome back to another episode of Frankly Speaking!

  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