The last two times this happened, the coin’s price soared by five times on the first run and by three times on the second. And folks got rich. If you’ve been on the fence about buying crypto, this is the signal you’ve been waiting for. It’s essentially the opposite of the “death cross” pattern that sent crypto prices tumbling.

The headlines lit up this week after the formation appeared in the charts.

“BTC golden cross achieved! A bullish indicator and all-around great news for bulls!” one proclaimed.

“Bitcoin bull run expected as ‘exhausted’ bears sell at a loss,” another read.

But India’s Economic Times summed it up best… “Bitcoin on verge of eighth golden cross, portending run to new high,” it declared.

Crypto’s Golden Cross: Bitcoin to $1,000,000?

With previous crossovers leading to 3X and 5X returns, does this mean the calls for $100,000 Bitcoin by the end of the year are back on the table? Famed crypto bull Cathie Wood sure thinks so. She’s calling for a $500,000 price tag in just five years.

This week’s chart formation suggests that the market backs her math. Because again, this is only the eighth time this has happened in Bitcoin’s history – a short history that has seen the icon go from just a few cents to highs of more than $60,000 per coin.

Each golden cross – which is a chart pattern formed when an asset’s 50-day moving average crosses above its 200-day average – notches another big long-term move for the digital currency. In other words, as pundits celebrate this week’s move, it marks the start of another chapter in this economy-jolting story.

But here’s the thing…

This is not about just Bitcoin. Scanning the markets, we see several other coins that have just went through similar golden crosses. And these are coins with even more explosive potential.

That’s the thing with all of this. Bitcoin may set the direction, but it doesn’t set the speed.

Good, Better… BEST

In the stock market world, we use the simple idea of “beta” to compare an individual stock’s relationship to the overall market.

If a stock has a beta of 2, it tends to move twice as far as the S&P 500 does. So, if the market is up 1% in a day, the stock would likely be up 2%. A beta of 2, by the way, is quite high and means the stock is very volatile.

In the crypto world, we tend to use Bitcoin – for obvious reasons – as the base metric. Like the S&P 500, it serves as a general barometer… the benchmark to beat.

Unlike beating the S&P 500, though, beating Bitcoin isn’t all that hard any more. And it doesn’t require additional volatility in the form of a higher beta.

Looking back through some of the market’s biggest winners, we see many cases where low-beta cryptos have easily beaten the 60-day return of Bitcoin by 2, 3 or even 5 times… especially after a bullish setup like the golden cross we’re seeing now.

Our advice is simple. Now looks like an excellent time to invest.

However, it’s worth mentioning that Bitcoin might set the tone… But it’s the smaller, lesser-known coins that we believe will see the biggest share of the gains.

That’s why we’re looking to next generation cryptocurrencies for the biggest share of the gains. To get more details on the coins we’re looking at check out our latest video here. It’s a magical market. After that, we sit back and watch as this latest golden cross does its work.

And if you’d like to sign up for my free e-letter, Manward Financial Digest, simply enter your email address in the box below.

The post Golden Cross: Why This Is Huge Bullish News for Crypto appeared first on Investment U.

It’s coming… Dow 100,000.

The headlines are filled with proof. Day traders are pouring into the markets. Retail investors are flooding brokerages with calls as they set up new accounts. And our old pals at the Federal Reserve are ringing the dinner bell, calling in the masses, as the bank’s tally of funny money has eclipsed the $7 trillion mark.

The effect of all this can be seen in the options market.

We’ve made our living studying trading volume for the better part of two decades.

Price is important… but we know there’s usually a greater fool willing to pay a higher price. What we want to know is how many fools are out there.

Take the housing bust, for example.

Our spreadsheet shows 1.1 million homes sold in 2003… 1.2 million in 2004… 1.3 million in 2005… and, rut roh, back down to 1.2 million in 2006.

In 2007… just 776,000 homes traded hands.

But do you remember when prices peaked?
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Volume Doesn’t Lie

The textbooks would have you believe that prices should have reached their highs when sales volume was at its highest in 2005.

It’s supply and demand, right?

That’s hardly ever the case… especially when the Fed is lurking nearby.

It certainly wasn’t this time.

Nope, home values didn’t reach their peak until the first quarter of 2007, nearly two years after volume hit its high.

In other words, tracking the number of folks buying and selling could have saved countless Americans countless dollars… and kept them in their homes.

Too Hot, Already?

As the stock market soars from its March lows, many folks are worried that the market may have gotten too hot, too quickly.

It’s a fair point.

But we caution you to focus not on price… but on volume.

On that front, our Dow 100,000 theory stands firm. Trading volume is surging and showing no signs of letting up.

We like to study option market volume. It gives us a better view of who’s buying what and where they expect prices to head.

Right now, this vital piece of the market is red-hot. In fact, the action last week was the hottest it’s been in 20 years.

In all, traders bought 36.5 million call contracts. That’s 27% higher than the peak in February, when the S&P hit all-time highs.

The action has lots of folks worried about a bubble. But there’s no need to scratch our head and wonder if things are amiss.

They are. Most certainly.

But this is where it pays to focus on the indicators that matter most.

So Long, Fundamentals

Many investors are wondering whether traditional valuations have gotten too rich. After all, much of the recent run is purely speculative. Stock prices have soared, while earnings expectations have remained flat or fallen.

But with so much free money floating around ($7 trillion worth)… prices are distorted. The appropriate mantra here is easy come, easy go.

As long as the Fed is easing, traditional valuation metrics are mere relics of the good ol’ days.

What does it matter, for example, if a company’s return on equity is falling? The Fed will just loan it some more cheap cash.

It’s why we choose to focus on volume.

The Fed can’t print buy and sell orders… at least not yet. And as far as we know, it’s not buying SPDR S&P 500 call contracts.

Some folks are looking at the “speculative fervor” in the markets as a sign of froth – that trouble is brewing.

They said the same thing in 2009… 2010… and 2011… all the way from one high to the other.

We say investors are right to join the action. There’s easy money to be made.

Until volume wanes… the order is simple. Buy like hell.

The post Our Favorite Buy Indicator Is Red-Hot appeared first on Investment U.

These days they are swift and painful. But they don’t need to be.

We’ll let somebody else spew the same old tripe that sell-offs are buying opportunities. You already know that.

It’s been made quite clear in recent years that buying on dips is an easy way to boost your profits.

What few folks will tell you, though, is exactly when to buy.

How in the world do we know when we’ve reached a bottom?

How do we know when the rush of selling has stopped and buyers are back?

We don’t, of course. Nobody knows. But there’s a trick you can use that will help put the odds significantly in your favor.

You’ve probably already heard of it… but we bet you’ve never thought of using this trick quite this way.
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Rebound Confirmed

If you’ve hung around long enough, you’ve heard us mention trailing stops. They’re an ideal – and fairly popular – tool that helps to limit risk while maximizing reward.

But most folks don’t know trailing stops work on the buying side of things too.

If you’re the kind of person who drools over a market crash… you’re going to like this.

It’s pretty simple to understand and even simpler to put to use.

You see, when we look to buy into big market corrections, we don’t look to buy right at the bottom. It’d be nice, but trying to predict such things is dangerous. You’ll be wrong far more times than you’re right.

That’s why we look for some sort of confirmation signal.

You can use a host of technical indicators. We do.

But you can also use, you guessed it, a trailing stop. Again, they’re not just for selling.

Here’s how it works…

Break It Down, Andy

The key to understanding a trailing stop is to lock in on the idea of the “best price.” On the selling side of things, the best price is the stock’s highest price while you owned it.

But when you’re looking to buy, the best price is its lowest price.

For example, let’s say Manward Global Enterprises is selling for $100 per share… then we go and accidently insult some nut who gets offended and wants to “cancel” us.

Suddenly, our share price goes to $90… then $85… then $80.

We’re sweating… but you know our mission is too strong to be stopped. You decide you want to buy more shares while they’re cheap.

But you want to buy only when it’s clear we haven’t insulted anybody else.

You would do it by setting a trailing stop that automatically buys once the stock has rebounded by, let’s say, 5%. (You could use any percentage, but 5% is a strong rebound indicator after a sizable dip.)

As the stock falls, the trailing stop moves with it.

At $90, for instance, it would trigger a buy only if the stock rose back to $94.50.

If shares kept falling to $85, the trailing stop order would also drop… to $89.25.

If the stock hits $80, the buy price is $84.

But as shares start to rebound and the bulls come back, that low of $80 becomes the “best price.” It’s what controls the stop, which now doesn’t move.

So as the price rises to $81… then $82… then $83, the buy order remains at $84.

When the stock hits $84, it will have risen 5% from its lows and you’ll know it’s likely in the midst of a recovery. You can jump in and ride the stock all the way back to $100 per share… where we’ll likely say something to get ourselves in trouble again.

E.A.S.Y.

These sorts of trades are simple to make.

You can see what the trade would look like right here in an E-Trade account…

Again… nice and simple.

Just select the trailing stop percentage, enter the number you’re comfortable with and then be sure to set the trade’s duration to “good ’til canceled” (GTC) or set an appropriate date a few weeks out. (It’s unlikely you’ll want to keep the order for only a day or two.)

And remember, this is the sort of entry you want to make when the market is in a bit of a panic. It’s not for everyday trades.

It’s an ideal way to push emotion out of your trading and enter good stocks at good prices, when they’re likely on their way back up.

Try it…

It’ll give you a good reason to look forward to a nasty correction.

Do market crashes make you fearful… or greedy? Tell us about it at mailbag@manwardpress.com.

The post Try This Simple Trick in a Market Crash to Boost Your Profits appeared first on Investment U.

We drive by it and wonder about its story. It’s a sad tale. But it wasn’t always that way.

We can’t help but know what hurt that old barn is about to hurt millions of Americans.

You see, that old barn used to be the centerpiece for a healthy, family-run dairy farm. As with so many barns like it, it was built in the late 1970s.

That’s when, you may recall, Jimmy Carter handed dairy farmers a “gift.” He subsidized milk prices… pumping more than $2 billion into the industry.

When he did, barns like the one down the road went up all across the countryside. Times were good. Milk was flowing.

Soon enough, though, too much milk was flowing. Everybody wanted some of that easy milk money.

Cure Worse Than the Disease

With prices falling, the government had to step in and intervene once again.

You’ve certainly heard of its chosen path… government cheese.

It was bad stuff.

But even giving the stuff away couldn’t get rid of the glut fast enough.

Eventually, Uncle Sam was sitting on some 500 million pounds of dairy products. They started to get old and moldy.

Then the worst happened… The foul winds of government intervention changed direction.

The Ag secretary showed up at the White House and hosted a press conference. He held up a spoiled block of cheese and set the fate of that barn down the road.

“We’ve got 60 million of these that the government owns,” he warned. “It’s moldy. It’s deteriorating.”

With that, the government began its long journey to get out of the cheese business.

When it did… it took the dairy business with it.

The little guy, as you’ve surely heard, can’t make it these days. Even with government guarantees and handouts, prices are below his cost.

Coming to a House Near You

That swings us around to a bit more of a modern topic… one that will surely lead to more dereliction dotting our nation’s beautiful countryside.

What’s happening today is more proof that the little guy can’t make it on his own.

But this time we’re not talking just about dairy farmers… We’re looking squarely at the majority of Americans.

Take the nation’s housing situation.

It’s a mess.

You’ve surely heard about the boom in prices.

And you’ve surely heard about the huge eviction crisis that’s just weeks or months away.

But we bet you haven’t heard the facts. When you do, you’ll see that old dairy barn is begging us to take its lesson seriously.

It’s another dire tale of government intervention gone wrong.

Growing the Ranks

We’ll start with the evictions. That side of things is clear. Millions of Americans lost their jobs. About half of those jobs won’t ever come back.

It’s devastating to an entire class of Americans.

Nearly 13 million of them now owe an average of $5,400 in late rent. Added all together, Moody’s tells us the hole could be as big as $70 billion by the end of the year.

For context, the mortgage crisis of 2008 put only 3.8 million folks out of their homes.

This looming crisis is more than three times as large.

But the government and its handouts have made things even worse. Instead of giving out free cheese, the government has handed out free money… trillions of dollars.

And that free money – directly or indirectly – went to every person in the country – whether they needed it or not.

Companies were propped up. Jobs were saved. Businesses were inflated.

It’s created some impressive bubbles.

Many of the folks are taking their free money and getting out of town… literally. They’re moving to the suburbs like never before.

It’s raising home (and therefore rent) prices in a way we’ve never seen before.

Prices are booming despite a historic recession – proof that only something as powerful as an inept government could be behind the move.

With so many folks using all that free money (the Fed has printed $3 trillion so far this year) to push prices higher, it’s creating quite a gap between the folks with jobs and the folks without.

It’s just like the dairy industry… where the little guy can’t survive.

Getting Worse

Proving the point, just yesterday The Wall Street Journal ran a piece about soaring rents.

“Landlords are able to raise rents right now at a rate that is high in normal times,” said an industry researcher. “It’s ridiculously high when you put it in a backdrop of a recession.”

Rates are rising by 5% or more.

Lots of folks can’t pay the bill. And lots more are paying it with debt. The amount of folks using their credit cards to pay their rent has soared by 50% from this time last year.

That’s not good.

They’re trading one devil for another.

Of course, we know what you’re thinking. The government will never allow tens of millions of folks to get evicted. It’ll never toss them all on the street.

We agree.

But what will Washington do?

What it’s always done…

Print more money… launch more subsidies… and create more derelict dairy barns down the street.

America is pumping its fist as the elections come to a close and Pfizer promises some hope maybe next spring. The mood is high… for now.

But a vaccine merely stops the cutting. It doesn’t stop the bleeding… and it certainly doesn’t heal the wound.

This story is far from over.

So pay attention… please.

The only way to survive this mess is to do whatever you can to stay on the positive side of the trend.

Wisely invest free money that comes your way.

Don’t sit on the sidelines as prices soar.

And stay above the devastation.

Have questions on how Andy sees this devastation unfolding and what to do about it? Send them to mailbag@manwardpress.com.

The post Scary New Facts About the Nation’s Housing Mess appeared first on Investment U.

You’re gonna need that money.

We’re on the record calling for Dow 100K. We say it’s inevitable within, at most, a decade.

The way things are going these days, it could come much sooner.

To the untrained – or not yet skeptical – it looks like good news. Soaring stocks bring more wealth.

But what if buying into a soaring stock market were the only way to survive?

Well… it is.
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The Devastation Awaits

Take the devastation in Illinois, for instance. Unless you live there, you may not have heard the news. But voters (rightfully) shot down an amendment to the state’s constitution that would have paved the path for a major tax increase.

Thanks to the COVID-19 crisis, Illinois is in a world of trouble. It’s broke and getting more broke.

For the taxpayer, it’s a perfect example of “shrinkflation.” Folks are paying more and more to their government and getting less and less.

In this case, Illinois’ governor begged for a tweak to the state’s constitution. He wanted to ditch the language that mandated a flat tax… and replace it with a boneheaded oxymoron – what he calls a “fair tax.”

He wants the rich to pay more… and not just on the money they make each year, but on the money they saved for retirement.

And what will the good-hearted governor do with that tax cash? He’ll use it to pad the funds of the state’s own retirement system.

In other words, the bureaucrats couldn’t run their own retirement scheme well enough… so they’ll take the money they need from the folks who could.

Math Hurts

Thanks to the COVID-19 mess, the numbers in Illinois are off the charts.

It has a $6 billion budget deficit this year. On top of that, some $8.1 billion of its bills remains unpaid. And, worst of all, its unfunded pension liability has soared to more than $135 billion.

In all, its pension debt is the equivalent of 25% of the state’s economy.

That’s bad. It’s the very definition of a government gone wild.

If Illinois were a person, no bank would lend to them. But as Illinois is a state with taxing authority, the money kept flowing as the numbers went higher and higher. Lenders convinced themselves that tax rates would simply rise to pay off the debt.

Now that may not be the case.

Junk

The state has already warned its citizens to start expecting less for their tax dollars.

Just as dire, credit agencies are now on the verge of moving the state’s rating to the dreaded (and embarrassing) “junk” status.

“Now, this is where it gets interesting, to see if the rating agencies actually have the chutzpah to pull the trigger on the first-ever U.S. state junk rating,” said Bloomberg’s Eric Kazatsky.

We don’t need chutzpah to see what’s happening.

It’s bad news.

The state’s borrowing costs will rise – costing many millions more each year just to pay the same bills.

Again… taxpayers will pay more and get less.

Safety nets will get lower and lower.

Adding to the pain, though, is that many big investors will be barred from buying the state’s junk bonds. Many pension funds, endowments and other institutional investors are only allowed to own investment-grade bonds. Illinois could soon be pushed out of the ranks.

Costs will rise, and borrowing will get harder.

It’s a sad state of affairs.

The people are getting punished for the deeds of others.

They’re paying more each year and getting less.

It’s a devastating trend.

But it’s not just in Illinois. It’s all across the country.

New Jersey is in trouble. Alaska is on the ropes. Pennsylvania has a lousy credit rating. And even Rhode Island is falling short.

In all, it would take at least half a trillion dollars of somebody else’s money just to balance the books these days. It’s a tough proposition, especially given the fact that COVID-19 has slashed revenues and ballooned expenses.

For now, most folks expect Uncle Sam to swoop in and plug the holes with free money. But he has already printed $3 trillion this year and is having money trouble of his own.

How much more can Washington print before its money falls in value… and trust?

Hmmmm… just ask the stock market.

It tends to rise when the value of money falls.

Dow 30K is just a blowout day away… Dow 100K won’t be far behind.

As the devastation of this fiscal mess unfolds, stocks are the only lifeline that’s left.

It goes against the gut. But the ticker tape doesn’t lie.

We’ve got plenty more to say about this crisis and how to survive it. Stay tuned for more details later this week. And tell us what you’re worried about at mailbag@manwardpress.com.

The post Stocks Are the Only Lifeline Left as Devastation Comes appeared first on Investment U.

It was a place we’d normally be proud to be seen in.

We masked up, waited in the car until a table was ready like we were told to and then were quickly shuffled by the tables full of maskless potential super-spreaders.

Oh my.

We accidentally looked one of them in the eye.

The hostess seated us and quickly took off for the safety of the front desk.

“Wait,” we cried. “What about the menus?”

“No,” she shot back. “We don’t use them anymore. Use your phone.”

It turns out we had to scan a code at the back of the table, enter our information and then swipe up and down to find something appetizing.

“What if I don’t have a smartphone?” Mrs. Manward asked from across the table.

“Well then,” we joked, “you’re just going to starve.”

Welcome to modern America… and a grand lesson in economics.
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Going Broke… the Ugly Way

According to the Federal Reserve, the nation’s inflation rate is a mere 1.2%.

We beg to differ.

That’s because the bean counters tally the prices of things, and we tally what you get for the prices of things.

You see, that meal out over the weekend cost us the same as it would have a year ago. But we got far less.

We had to use our phones to look at the menu… use our phones to pay the bill… and the “waiter” was merely the fella who carried our food from the kitchen.

It was the same price, but far less service.

If you want the same product… you’ll have to pay up.

It’s inflation. It’s rampant. And it’s hacking away at your quality of life.

Less… and Less

Of course, it’s not just at our restaurants.

We thought college was a scam before this mess. But now… oh boy.

Our sister is a professor at a fancy expensive school. Eighteen-year-olds fly from all over the world for her classes. These days, though, she logs in to the class from her kitchen table while the students remote in from very expensive dorm rooms.

The cost is the same… but the service sure isn’t.

It’s the same in our public schools.

Around here, the kids now have a day off each week for “independent” study. There’s no teacher in sight.

We aren’t holding our breath for the refund of our school taxes… or a cure for cancer anytime soon.

But don’t think this is merely an effect of the virus. Oh no… what’s happened over the last seven months is an acceleration of a trend you’ve been paying for for decades.

It’s called “shrinkflation.”

Meh… So What?

The textbooks say it’s no big deal – that the effects are minimal and contained to things like prepackaged food and candy bars.

Once again, we say the textbooks are old and out of touch.

Shrinkflation is everywhere.

We called our doctor the other day. We used to get somebody on the first ring. Now, to save costs, our calls go to a call center. It took us three tries over three hours.

Oh… and we lied.

She’s not a doctor. She’s a physician assistant.

But going to the “physician assistant’s office” doesn’t have the same ring… plus my insurance rate is the same.

Once again, same cost… lower service.

It’s true with our food too.

The fruit at the store today is far less nutritious than the stuff we bought even a decade ago.

And today’s beef is nothing like yesterday’s beef.

Sure… you can still get the good stuff, but it will cost you more.

But, of course, don’t ask the cashier at the front for help. She got replaced by a self-checkout machine.

It’s cheaper that way.

Same price… less service.

It’s all around us. Airplane seats are smaller. Newspapers are thinner. Commercials on the cable channels you pay for are longer.

Same price… less product.

We’d go on. But it’d do you no good.

You need to know the root of the issue so you can do something about it and overcome it.

Not What You Think

If this is where you think we’ll take a swipe at Uncle Sam for his tax rates or blame the Fed for its careless policies, you’ll be disappointed.

Those beasts play into the idea… but not all that much.

There’s something else at play. To spot it, we merely need to look at corporate profits.

They’re high… just below record levels.
This shrinkflation, in other words, isn’t due to a desperate fight for survival. It’s not because surging tax rates or rising interest rates are squeezing out all profits.

It’s just the opposite.

We’re getting less because, sorry to disappoint, we allow companies to get away with it.

The average Joe is willing to accept less (just look at the election lineup).

As far as we could tell, we were the only ones not excited to have to dig out our phones to look at a menu…

Most folks like the convenience of checking themselves out at the grocery store…

And if all those ads on your favorite cable network are a bore, just pay more.

But what if you like the way things were?

Ah… this is where things get controversial.

What if you don’t want to trade your standard of living just to have cheap junk?

Well, then we ask you to go back to that chart above.

Corporate profits are near record highs. If you want to eat at a steak house with menus (a line we thought we’d never write), either you’d need to find a better stream of income (best of luck) or you’d better own a slice of those rising margins.

It’s the only way out.

Remember, the waiter doesn’t get paid more for doing less… the physician assistant doesn’t get paid a doc’s salary for doing a doc’s job… and the layoffs and job cuts that come with efficiency bring salaries down across the economy.

It’s more proof – Manward Letter subscribers, this should sound familiar – that the only way to get ahead is to put your money where it’s treated best.

And right now, that’s in the market.

Inflation comes in many forms.

If you want to maintain a high quality of life… invest accordingly.

Where have you seen “shrinkflation” in action? Tell us about it at mailbag@manwardpress.com.

The post The Pandemic’s Hidden Inflation… and What to Do About It appeared first on Investment U.

How bad are they? We don’t yet know.

But somehow… someway… hundreds of millions of folks have been tricked into letting a single man dictate their happiness, financial well-being… and freedom.

Next Tuesday, they’ll cast their votes and ignorantly think change is on its way.

It’s silly.

But we’ve seen it coming.

A few years ago, we created something to help our Manward Letter readers measure such things. We call it our “Gone to Hell” scale.

It measures five simple things:

• The rule of law
• Our education system
• Social safety nets
• Self-defense
• Our tax structure.

Oh boy… are we in trouble.

In just the last seven months, things have, well, gone to hell.

Our laws are flouted as protestors run cops over with their cars… our schools are closed… and Congress can’t compromise on saving the poor.

Just about the only category that remains above a passing grade is our self-defense… and that may change quickly as governors call up their troops to calm the citizenry next week.

Rich Comparisons

This is where things get interesting… when money gets involved.

Despite all of this, the stock market remains near record highs. Even after Monday’s fright, the Nasdaq is up some 30% on the year.

It makes the United States home of one of the best markets on the planet.

What gives?

We’re going to hell… atop a raging bull.

Some will say the market is surging on expectations of good times ahead. They’ll say the market is forward-looking. And they’ll say, given enough time, stocks always go up.

They’re right… sort of.

But those old market clichés don’t tell the full story.

To prove it… we turn to the world’s hottest stock markets. Some of them are flat-out raging this year.
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Red-Hot

You may be surprised by who is leading the charge – but you shouldn’t be surprised why their stocks are soaring.

The idea fits perfectly with our Dow 100K theory.

Market gains of 270%, 508%, 544% and 257% so far this year sound great… until you see the full picture.

Take that first big gainer, for instance – 270%. That’s how far Iran’s stock market has climbed this year.

It’s not good news though. It’s not a sign that America’s sacrifice in the region is paying off and economic health is suddenly sprouting from the desert.

Nope… it’s just the opposite.

Inflation is raging. The country’s currency has lost half its value.

The official rate of price hikes is close to 40%. But in reality, it’s a lot higher.

Most experts agree that purchasing power today is about one-fifth of what it was just three years ago.

The only folks who have a chance, in other words, are those folks lucky enough to have some cash in that raging stock market.

Those who don’t are in trouble.

From a piece in Al Jazeera this month:

“Last week, I examined a young woman with a benign lump in her breast at the clinic,” a doctor wrote on Twitter. “I told her, ‘Do another sonography in six months. It’s unlikely it will grow, but if it does you better operate.’ She came back and said I want to operate now. When I asked the reason, she said, ‘Now I can pay for it, in six months I might not be able to.'”

As fast as stock prices are inflating in Iran, they’ve got nothing on the action in Venezuela.

Printer Prosperity

Surely you’ve heard of the misery there. But you may not know that the nation’s stocks are up more than 500% this year.

It’s a bunch… but it’s not enough to overcome an inflation rate that’s more than three times higher.

Perhaps the best investment these days is a stake in Bain Capital (you know… the private equity firm launched by Mitt Romney). It owns the Italian printer charged with making the paper Venezuela prints its money on.

So far this year… Caracas has ordered 71 tons of the stuff.

Of course, by the time inflation soars by more than 1,500%, most folks will be too poor to ride the raging market higher. With an average income of $0.72 per day, 96% of Venezuelans live in poverty, with 70% living in extreme poverty.

It’s hard to invest when you can’t afford to eat.

The World’s No. 1 Stock Market

And then there is the king of kings when it comes to a roaring stock market… Zimbabwe.

It’s up by close to 550% this year.

Then again… so is inflation.

The rate of climb for the nation’s currency sat at 660% in September.

It turns out the country has been secretly printing more money to prop up its high-value gold mines (a theme that should sound familiar as Washington considers a move to now bail out American restaurants).

The move didn’t do a whole lot for the gold industry… but it did manage to slash the value of its currency by 90%.

Once again, it was the poor fellow who suffered most. He had no way to hedge his wallet.

Coming Soon?

Do we expect America to someday soon look like Iran, Venezuela or Zimbabwe?

No… not by any stretch.

But there’s a lot of distance between here and there – a lot of money to be printed.

Washington has printed trillions in 2020 and appears on track to print just as much or more next year.

But what lies beyond? Will it ever stop? Can it stop?

Some folks say the market is looking beyond and seeing economic growth and stability. That’s why stocks are climbing.

But that view uses blinders to black out what’s going on in so much of the world. Everywhere else, we’ve got proof that printing money leads to bad things… without exception.

But here’s the big takeaway… the important part that so many folks overlook.

The folks who survive this trip to hell will use a buoyant stock market as a lifeboat to keep from drowning.

Perhaps that’s why stocks keep rising.

Nobody in Iran or Venezuela is asking whether the economy and the markets are disconnected. They know the truth… that stocks are soaring because their currency is falling.

Dow 100K is coming with or without us.

The reality of the world tells us we’d better tag along.

What will you do to prepare for America’s trip to hell? Share your thoughts at mailbag@manwardpress.com.

The post This Is the Best-Performing Index on the Planet appeared first on Investment U.

We’ve got something else on our mind, and, well, money ain’t everything.

Or is it?

When we woke up this morning, we had happiness on our mind. That’s because we fell asleep reading a book on the subject… a worthy read by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

The book focuses on the pandemic nobody cares about.

We won’t shut down our businesses for it… won’t toss apart our schools… and won’t even mention it on the debate stage.

It’s the pandemic of loneliness. It’s a killer.

It’s a huge problem in our society. It’s at the root of addiction… at the root of our political divide… and even playing a role in the current health crisis.

Doc Murthy’s book is a must-read.

But it has a flaw.

A big one.
[mw-adbox]

Buying Happiness

It doesn’t talk about money. After all, lots of folks these days think a fat stack of Benjamins is all the company they need.

Let us use an analogy we think you may find equal parts funny and truth-filled.

It has to do with America’s muscle car… the Corvette.

The new mid-engine convertible with 490 horsepower is magnificent.

You can get one for 70 grand… if you can find it.

They’re selling like crazy.

But here’s the thing. The 2019 version was nice too. Same with the 2018… and the 2017… and on and on.

The company has done a great job of continually changing its styling and performance.

That’s why we always feel bad when we pull up beside the poor sap in a three-year-old Corvette. After just 36 months, he might as well shove his legs through the floorboard and start pushing with his feet.

His once-new ride now rivals something from The Flintstones.

Ouch.

It’s lost its cool factor.

That’s huge. Because nobody needs a 490-horsepower Corvette.

We buy them solely because it feels good.

And the reason we pick on the old guys in the Corvettes is they prove our point that the good feeling doesn’t last.

In this case, it fades away with each new model year.

We work hard all our life to earn the right to buy something we don’t need… and, bam, our smile fades when a car with a few sleeker lines and a lower rumble comes cruising by in the passing lane.

It’s a big trap. It catches suckers every year. And each time we try to buy a bit of happiness, we add to the problems Murthy outlines in his book.

So now what?

Aim for Poverty?

Should we fold up shop, put our pen in the drawer and stop devoting our days to the world of money and what it takes to make it?

According to some folks… yes. But they’re idiots.

They’re the same folks who would say we should ban Chevy from unleashing new ‘Vettes each year… or, worse, give them to the poor.

They see the problem… and where they want to get… but don’t realize the human brain is far too complex for such simple solutions.

No… keep going after money. Make oodles of it.

Keep stoking the fire that has you yearning to have more than your neighbor. Just know that something made in a factory won’t buy happiness.

But these three things will…

Buying Happiness

A study just released in volume 61 of Advances in Experimental Social Psychology set out to prove or disprove the link between our money and our happiness.

What it found should change the way you use your investing spoils.

It found that most folks spend their money in one of four ways.

The majority of spending goes to consumer goods… new Corvettes, boats, clothes, fancy food, beach houses… and all those other things you’ll see sitting on the curb come trash day.

Another way of spending focuses on buying experiences with a friend or loved one.

That’s good. The study showed it leads to real happiness.

We saw this firsthand in Alaska.

We once nearly sank a boat with a professional rugby player from New Zealand. He gave up his career, traveled with his family and humbly trimmed trees for a living.

He claimed to have never been happier… even knee-deep in cold saltwater.

We believed him.

A third way to spend your loot is one we have a really tough time with. But we’re seeing the light. It’s the idea of buying time… paying somebody to do the tasks and work you don’t want to do.

We work nonstop – sunup to sundown. We like life that way.

But the science shows we’d like it even more if we sipped a glass of wine and watched the sunset over the help.

We’ll try it… as soon as we’re done building our new greenhouse.

And finally, the fourth way to buy happiness is one we’re sure you’re familiar with… donating money to charity.

It’s the hardest one. It takes trust, faith and a hearty dose of empathy.

We’ve felt the rewards.

We recently helped a local family adopt a child. Things could have turned the other way for the little tyke. But thanks to a community with a relentless resolve to save and to help, he’s got a family who loves him.

Seeing him getting wheeled down the street in a stroller is a heck of a better sight than a new Corvette in the garage.

Plus… he’ll still be stylish in five years.

Make your money. Make lots of it.

It won’t hurt you.

But how you spend it could.

Happiness is in the details.

The post These Three Things Really Do Buy Happiness appeared first on Investment U.