A Big Change at Stansberry Research
A big change at Stansberry Research... Are you consuming this high-quality, free content?... We help you connect the dots... Giving you the advice you may not want, but you need... An occasional free stock pick... 'A great blend of knowledge and entertainment'...
We've made a big change here at Stansberry Research...
Not long ago, I (Dan Ferris) took over as host of the Stansberry Investor Hour podcast, from former co-hosts Porter Stansberry and Buck Sexton.
Porter and Buck have many fans, so it took time for some listeners to warm up to me. But the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive since then. We've received dozens of notes from folks like Tim B., who wrote in to tell us...
Just wanted to jump on the "Dan is doing a great job" wagon. I too initially was hesitant when Porter stepped away, but after a few weeks have started looking forward to the weekly time with Dan.
I've been around Stansberry Research longer than anyone but Porter himself, but I've never hosted my own podcast. Frankly, I'm having more fun than I ever expected. The podcast is often the best part of my week.
Now, some of you may be wondering what the Stansberry Investor Hour podcast even is...
It's a weekly, hourlong podcast that goes live each Thursday. We've been doing it since May 2017, and we're hoping to do it for many years to come.
The podcast's mission is to cut through the noise and hype of traditional financial reporting to help listeners become better investors. We aim to fulfill that mission each episode through four segments, each designed to shed valuable light on topics that investors want and need to understand.
Our first segment each week is a brand-new feature called 'The Weekly Rant'...
Each week, I riff on a topic I feel strongly about, based on my decades of experience investing and publishing investment research.
Folks around Stansberry Research have been asking me to do something like The Weekly Rant off and on for years. They know I tend to focus – like any good value investor – on the risks facing investors at any given time. For instance, I told readers throughout 2018 to hold plenty of cash as the stock market rose to new highs (yet cash outperformed more than 90% of global assets in 2018, according to a report by Deutsche Bank).
They also know when I find a risk or opportunity I think is huge, I tend to get a little noisy about it... like when I warned the audience at the 2017 Stansberry Conference about short sellers in the Volatility Index ("VIX") and said, "These guys are going to get killed!" (The short-VIX fund fell 93% in a single trading session in February 2018 and liquidated a few months later.)
I hold nothing back in The Weekly Rant. So far, listeners love it, like Andrew W., who wrote in to say...
I listen to several investing podcasts and I always look forward to listening to you. Your new addition, the Weekly Rant, is great. Keep up the good work.
Listeners might disagree with my rants, but I always address topics they can't afford to ignore. I've ranted about social media goliath Facebook (FB), the futility of predicting the future, why people are more important than performance, and why saving is the master skill for investors.
I choose topics that'll help investors identify risks and opportunities... ways to avoid losing money... and ways to make money in stocks and other investments. I call it a rant because it's always a topic that makes my blood rush.
After The Weekly Rant, we move on to our 'What's New' segment...
This is where we talk about some of the bigger news items of the previous week. We don't simply report on the news, though... We shed a new, often unexpected light on news you might never have thought about before...
For example, in episode 91, I told listeners how an investor might think about the Academy Awards ceremony (and other awards shows). I bet most listeners have never heard that particular viewpoint before and would find it valuable and entertaining.
Anybody can just regurgitate the news... But we tell you what it means and help you connect the dots.
In episode 89, I told listeners about how all of upper management at embattled electric-car maker Tesla (TSLA) who had quit their jobs (the longtime CFO, the chief accounting officer – after just one month on the job – and the head of human resources). I called it "rats leaving the sinking ship."
Then I told listeners that after top execs leave, big shareholders leave, too. Sure enough, mutual-fund giant T. Rowe Price (TROW) cut its 17 million shares to less than 9 million shares in the fourth quarter.
Now, be honest... Did you know about the rats leaving the ship at Tesla? Did you know a huge shareholder had cut its position almost in half in the fourth quarter alone? The value we're providing listeners prompted folks like Peter V. to write in and say...
I just wanted to let you know how much I look forward to your podcast each week. I wonder if the other listeners realize just how lucky they are to be able to listen (for free) to one of the smartest value investors of our time. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Peter. Feedback like yours humbles me to the core.
After the What's New segment, we move on to the weekly Investor Hour Interview...
We interview a brand-new guest each week from our deep Rolodex of global contacts in the finance world and beyond. In the past, we've interviewed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange... financial historian and newsletter legend Jim Grant... Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary... Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki... and many, many others.
Our guests often help investors navigate the current investment climate. In early November – with stocks falling and volatility rising – we interviewed volatility expert and Artemis Capital founder Chris Cole during episode 76.
Chris offered several insights you won't hear elsewhere, including this soundbite: "Volatility is not only an asset class, it is the only asset class. Everyone is a form of a volatility trader, but they just don't realize it."
He also explained why he thinks investing legend Warren Buffett is the greatest volatility trader of all time and why venture capitalists betting on Facebook and PayPal (PYPL) were also great volatility traders.
You'll learn more about volatility by listening to our interview in episode 76 than you will by listening to any other podcast or reading any other newsletter.
In episode 90, we spoke with two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Diana B. Henriques, author of the must-read The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and The Death of Trust, the definitive account of the Madoff scandal. She knows more about the biggest Ponzi scheme in history than anybody, and she shared what she learned from interviewing Madoff in prison and researching every last detail of his incredible $65 billion Ponzi scheme.
We've also had great conversations with my friend and value guru Vitaliy Katsenelson (episode 75) and hedge-fund manager Adam Schwartz (episode 81). Both gentlemen had eye-opening opinions on the state of the bond market.
The final segment of every episode is our Mailbag, when we read and react to listener feedback...
Often, this results in a candid – and sometimes brutally honest – conversation about investing. We've covered all kinds of topics...
In episode 88, a listener challenged my assertion that the stock market hit its most expensive levels of all time in late August and early September of last year. I explained that I'm not talking about the market's price, but its valuation relative to sales and earnings.
The following week, another listener disagreed with my previous comments regarding equipment maker Caterpillar (CAT). He worked for Caterpillar, so I thanked him for his insights and encouraged any listener working for any company I comment on to write in. I also told him and all listeners that I want to know if I'm wrong. That's something you won't hear from the normal financial media.
And in episode 90, a listener asked about companies that use debt to fund stock buybacks. I agreed with his implication that borrowing lots of money to buy back an expensive stock is a terrible idea... an opinion most of corporate America would strongly disagree with.
We get great feedback and questions like these every week. They're the fuel for a stimulating, ongoing conversation that helps real investors put money to work with less risk and for more profit.
I always tell listeners exactly what I think, even if it's not what they want to hear. That's often the case with a topic like investing. You need somebody to point out uncomfortable or unexpected truths to keep you out of trouble and steer you toward better investment practices.
Based on the feedback we've received from dozens of listeners, we're delivering exactly what investors are looking for and can't seem to find elsewhere... Like Brad M., who told us, "Listening to you get fired up is a treat showing that you have passion in what you do and in helping others."
Or Paul E., who wrote in recently and said, "Just wanted to let you know how much I've enjoyed Investor Hour since you took over. The guests have been outstanding and your insightful dialog with them is valuable. I like your new 'rant' segment. Keep up the good work!"
In addition to entertaining and unusual insights, we sometimes offer actionable investment ideas...
For example, in episode 74, I revealed one of my recommendations from Extreme Value – coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX). The stock is up 38% since we recommended it in Extreme Value, and it's up 20% since I discussed it on the podcast.
In episode 75, I said the recent upward move in gold prices "could be a big tipping point." The precious metal is up 8% since then. In episode 85, investor and author Aaron Edelheit delivered a great value stock pick: real estate investment trust Bluerock Residential Growth REIT (BRG). And in episode 91, Jim Grant shared the names of two shipping stocks he wrote about in his terrific newsletter, Grant's Interest Rate Observer.
We want to share the podcast with the whole world, so we don't charge a penny for it...
You can subscribe and listen to episodes on InvestorHour.com or through whatever podcast app you use.
And like everything else at Stansberry Research, you can rest easy knowing we don't accept advertising dollars or any other form of compensation from companies we recommend on the podcast. Our insights are free and unfettered. We're beholden to no one but you, our dear listener.
I hope you'll find that your Investor Hour experience is as good as that of loyal listener Brandon R., who told us recently, "Thanks for your time and great work – such a great blend of knowledge and entertainment."
Thank you, Brandon! And thanks to all of our listeners. They're one of the smartest, most conscientious, most engaged groups of investors I've ever encountered.
Please join us each and every week at InvestorHour.com.
New 52-week highs (as of 3/4/19): Equity Commonwealth (EQC), Essex Property Trust (ESS), and Kinder Morgan (KMI).
A relatively quiet day in the mailbag. One subscriber has a question about Friday's Digest... while another has a suggestion for a fellow reader. What's on your mind? Let us know at feedback@stansberryresearch.com.
"From last Friday's Digest: 'Today, De Beers represents nearly a quarter of Anglo American's revenue. The rest of Anglo American's business has a long track record of success with other natural resources – including platinum group metals, coal, copper, iron ore, and nickel.' Which symbol are you recommending? Up to what buy price?" – Paid-up subscriber J.D.
Justin Brill comment: As our colleague Bill Shaw noted earlier in Friday's essay, Anglo American's ticker symbol is NGLOY. However, the Digest is a free publication, so it wouldn't be fair to his paid Commodity Supercycles subscribers to share all the details – including his maximum buy price – here today. But you can get access to the full recommendation in the February issue of Commodity Supercycles. Click here to learn more about a subscription.
"Re: paid-up subscriber Jim K. and his 3.25 diamond. Ask him to check his birth certificate... I fear his name might actually be Richard." – Paid-up subscriber Mark P.
Regards,
Dan Ferris
Vancouver, Washington
March 5, 2019