The 'Mar-a-Lago Man' Reveals All
The real divide in America... Real-world, round-trip experience... Secrets of the ultra-rich... Bitcoin hits $100,000... Where to look for gains next... A troubling sign about jobs... The market doesn't care yet...
This morning, the 'Mar-a-Lago man' told his story...
No, I (Corey McLaughlin) am not talking about President-elect Donald Trump... but somebody who has known Trump well for more than a decade and considers him a close friend...
This man served as an adviser to Trump during his first presidential term, has dined with him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, saw him there as recently as a few months ago, been on his plane, and in general has spent time with Trump on dozens of occasions.
And this morning, in an exclusive live event, this "Mar-a-Lago man" revealed his identity and his story... the secrets he has learned from a network of nearly 30 billionaire and multimillionaire friends like Trump... how they helped him build a fortune – twice... and how anyone can use the insights to build lasting wealth.
I won't spoil things, though. You should hear the full presentation from the man himself. And good news: you can watch a replay for free here.
As part of the presentation, he took viewers on a trip to a private-jet hangar, which one of the five richest people in the world uses... This is worth the watch alone. But you'll find plenty of insights as well.
Here are a few highlights...
On the political front, in the wake of the presidential election, the 'Mar-a-Lago man' explained why the divide in America isn't really between left and right...
Rather, he said...
The real divide in America is between rich and poor.
And he shared exactly what he means by this.
He also talked about a part of the market that excites him the most today... the opportunities he wants to get into as many people's hands as he possibly can... the asset class he has loved for nearly his whole life... and some of the perhaps unexpected places that the ultra-rich keep some of their most prized assets.
And he got deep into his backstory, including how he built an eight-figure fortune only to fall so far that he couldn't even afford to file for bankruptcy. But then he rebuilt his wealth, using what he'd learned the first time – and then some. As he said...
When I lost nearly everything, I knew I never ever wanted to feel that way again. I never wanted anyone to feel that way.
Within a decade, he was meeting regularly with and then advising Trump...
This real-world, round-trip experience guides his investment approach today...
It's a "sleep well at night approach," he says. It's not a traditionally cautious, conservative investing strategy. But he says it has allowed him to "become wealthier and more secure than I ever imagined possible, while limiting my risk."
If you missed the debut of the Mar-a-Lago man's presentation this morning and are interested in watching, you can watch a replay at your convenience. Meet this man and hear the compelling details of his story, for free, here.
Moving on, bitcoin has hit $100,000...
Last evening, bitcoin – the world's most popular cryptocurrency – crossed above $100,000 for the first time. That's history – and it's also a big milestone that our Crypto Capital editor Eric Wade said would happen this year.
He said this to a wide audience way back in April, even after bitcoin then had hit a new all-time high above $70,000. As I wrote in our April 9 edition...
In a brand-new free presentation, Eric shared why he thinks a "Melt Up" is coming in cryptocurrencies... why he expects the price of bitcoin, the world's most popular crypto, to hit $100,000 sometime this year... and why many other smaller, lesser-known cryptos could soar by thousands of percent starting later this month...
As Eric explained this morning, the catalyst is a bitcoin "reboot" that's happening in a matter of days... and it will strengthen the crypto's position as the "ultimate alternative to the U.S. dollar."
Eric went on to explain more about what his "reboot" was – an every-four-years development baked into bitcoin's code... why the crypto is positioned so well to be a dollar alternative... and why he expected a breathtaking bull run for cryptos to unfold this year.
We've certainly seen that... Bitcoin is now up some 130% this year alone. It's up roughly 500% since the start of 2023. And as Eric has been saying more recently, what could end up as the greatest bull run ever for bitcoin and cryptos is still not finished...
Trump's election has served as a catalyst, just as Eric said it would...
The president-elect will, without hyperbole, be the most pro-crypto president in history when he returns to the White House on January 20. He has suggested the creation of a U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve...
Just yesterday, Trump shared his choice to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission – Paul Atkins, the CEO of consulting firm Patomak Global Partners – who is considered a strong backer of cryptocurrency with consulting clients in the industry.
Regardless of who won the election, though, bitcoin's rise is an outcome Eric has been expecting for a long time. As we wrote in our October 31 edition...
[Eric] points out there is growing bipartisan support for cryptocurrencies. For better or worse, much like every other industry, crypto execs have been funding political campaigns at record levels. That includes almost $120 million this year in contributions... all to ensure a positive future for cryptocurrencies with government support.
Now, today, we have this from the president-elect of the United States: a self-congratulating note on his social media platform...
Some market observers even pointed to comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at yesterday's New York Times event. The head of America's central bank described bitcoin as a "competitor for gold" rather than the U.S. dollar, which some folks called a legitimizing comment and an unintended catalyst for the crypto hitting a new milestone.
Eric has said this sort of thing – political will to support cryptos... directly by Trump, or perhaps unwittingly in Powell's case – would be a boon for headliners like bitcoin and Ethereum. But he has also determined that many lesser-known coins could deliver even more eye-popping gains that most people simply can't imagine.
So kudos to Eric for his guidance to Digest readers and his paid subscribers. He has delivered prescient advice not just in the beginning of this year, but also long before the current run-up when far fewer people were talking about them.
Eric still sees tremendous moneymaking opportunities... Right now, he has eyes on six "altcoins" in particular with 1,000% upside.
Crypto Capital subscribers and Stansberry Alliance members can find Eric's latest outlook and recommendations in his monthly issues and weekly video updates. And if you don't follow his work, check out Eric's most recent presentation and get started today.
Lastly for today, we have another update on the labor market...
It has been a busy week for news about the jobs market.
Recall that on Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a mixed picture of October's job openings. Companies had more openings than Wall Street had expected, but they hired about 270,000 fewer people than the month before.
Then yesterday, the monthly ADP employment survey showed a slightly smaller-than-expected increase in new jobs, but it revealed that employees' pay is increasing faster than before.
None of the data was good – or bad – enough to have a material impact on the stock markets. All in all, it points to a stable labor market... one that isn't overheated but also shows no major signs of breaking down.
Tomorrow, the Department of Labor releases its monthly nonfarm payroll data. Wall Street analysts expect 200,000 job additions in November, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%. Like the rest of the data this week, it'll take a large deviation from the estimate to bring a swing in stocks.
But that doesn't mean we aren't seeing red flags pop up out there.
Folks are having a hard time finding new jobs...
This morning, we got new weekly data on jobless claims, showing that continuing claims fell slightly to 1.87 million.
These claims represent folks applying for unemployment benefits for multiple weeks in a row. Since bottoming in 2022 at 1.34 million, continuing claims have trended higher – and are now near their highest level in three years.
So while initial claims may not be rising (and are right around their pre-pandemic level of 200,000 claims per week), trouble is brewing with the people who are staying unemployed for weeks on end.
According to Bloomberg, more than 40% of unemployed Americans have been searching for a job for at least 15 weeks. That's the highest level since the post-pandemic recovery. More importantly, this percentage has been in a steady uptrend since bottoming in 2022...
An uptrend in unemployed Americans struggling to find a job has preceded – or happened during – every recession since World War II. And that's what we're experiencing now... with this longer-term joblessness rising from 30% of all unemployed Americans in 2022 to more than 40% today.
At the end of October, about 7 million Americans were unemployed. That means that nearly 3 million folks have been actively looking for work for more than three and a half months and have been unable to find a job.
This is a warning sign. While we haven't seen unemployment and jobless claims skyrocket just yet... this metric shows that even a small increase in unemployment will make it even harder for folks to return to work.
In other words, labor market "strength" might not be all that it seems... and, therefore, the same could be said for the economy.
For now, though, the market churns on.
While the major U.S. stock indexes were down slightly today, all remain above their short-term (50-day) and long-term (200-day) moving averages. And the Nasdaq Composite Index and S&P 500 Index have hit new all-time highs again this week.
To investors, all is well... and always will be. We'll see.
New 52-week highs (as of 12/4/24): Amazon (AMZN), Ciena (CIEN), CME Group (CME), Costco Wholesale (COST), Salesforce (CRM), Cisco Systems (CSCO), CyberArk Software (CYBR), Expedia (EXPE), GEO Group (GEO), iShares Convertible Bond Fund (ICVT), Lumentum (LITE), London Stock Exchange Group (LNSTY), Meta Platforms (META), Neuberger Berman Next Generation Connectivity Fund (NBXG), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), PayPal (PYPL), ProShares Ultra QQQ (QLD), Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology Fund (RSPT), Spotify Technology (SPOT), ProShares Ultra S&P 500 (SSO), Torex Gold Resources (TORXF), The Trade Desk (TTD), Twilio (TWLO), Tyler Technologies (TYL), Veeva Systems (VEEV), Vanguard S&P 500 Fund (VOO), and Zebra Technologies (ZBRA).
In today's mailbag, we received a few comments from folks who wanted to know if there would be a replay of the "Mar-a-Lago man's" presentation. As we shared to start today's edition, yes, there is. You can watch the presentation at your convenience here.
All the best,
Corey McLaughlin with Nick Koziol
Baltimore, Maryland
December 5, 2024