MAGA vs. Mag-7

Donald Trump is in Asia, checking in with allies before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

And later this week, five of Wall Street’s “Magnificent 7” stocks will report earnings.

A single headline from any one of these events could cause the markets to plunge… or soar to new heights.

So it’s the kind of week where the right moves could deliver massive profits.

Our team is on high alert… and in a minute, I’ll tell you what they’re watching for.

But first, let’s take a look at our Top Stories and the Reader Forum.

Your Top Stories & Analysis of the Week:

• “AWS Meltdown! (It’s bad.)” (Altucher Confidential, Chris Campbell): Around this time last Monday, thousands of websites went dark — all because of a software bug at Amazon.com. Chris uses plain English to tell you exactly what happened. As you’ll learn, it reveals a major vulnerability to today’s World Wide Web… which creates a massive investment opportunity for you. This was easily our most-liked e-letter for the week, so don’t miss it!

• “Sanctions Or Subsidies?” (Rude Awakening, Sean Ring): Last week, the Trump administration hit Russia with new oil restrictions. But as Sean explains, it’s not the punishment everyone seems to think it is. He walks you through the real winners and losers of this geopolitical gamesmanship… and what it means for your wallet. Discover why this was Sean’s most-liked story last week!

• “The Birthplace of the Next Bull Run” (Money & Power with Buck Sexton, Mason Sexton Jr.): More and more people are starting to believe the run-up in artificial intelligence stocks is just a bubble — destined to pop like the dot-com craze in the early 2000s. Mason sees it differently, though. As he recently told Money & Power members, there’s a key difference this time around… and it’s setting things up for a blockbuster 2026. Mason’s outlook for the rest of the year and into the new one could be critical for your portfolio. So I unlocked his commentary for you.

Remember, we publish tens to HUNDREDS of stories. The write-ups above are our TOP ones for the week — including one that had been roped off from the public. If you want to stay ahead of the pack, make sure you’re caught up now.

And if you’d like to nominate any of our stories for next week’s “Top 3,” just let me know at concierge@paradigmpressgroup.com.

The Reader Forum:

First up today, Fred J. tells us:

I just had a problem and contacted your help desk. The young lady who responded was great and quickly solved my problem. I was unable to take a survey at the end. She gets a 5.

Thanks for taking the time to pass this along, Fred. I believe you spoke to Daniel — but you would have received the exact same treatment from any of my customer care team.

We pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our members. Daniel clearly did that… and I’ve passed along your kudos. If you ever have another problem, we’ll be standing by!

Next up, Doris S. tells Jim Rickards:

Thank you for your guidance. I have never been able to afford playing on the stock market. The company I work for set up in June that we could move some of our 401(k) to a Schwab self investment account. I moved the small percentage they allowed and have been following your guidance and done well.

If you’re reading this, Doris, congratulations on starting your personal investment journey. Taking control of your financial future can be scary — especially if you’re not starting with a lot.

But you’re in the best of hands with Jim… and I expect your nest egg will continue to grow thanks to Jim’s research and analysis.

I wish you much success!

In a related vein, Bettye S. writes:

I only have a few hundred dollars to invest, not thousands. How do I even start an investment account with so little and make money?

As Doris’ letter demonstrates, Bettye, this is getting to be a common question — especially as stock prices keep going higher. Today a single share of a hot company could easily cost you hundreds of dollars.

One potential solution we’re looking into is buying fractional shares. Some brokers now offer the option of buying less than a single share of stock. So instead of buying one share of, say, Apple Inc. for $260, you could buy half a share for $130… or a quarter share for $65.

Of course, your losses and gains will be fractionalized, too. If Apple goes to $300, a half share would be worth $150. If Apple falls to $225, a quarter share would trade for $56.25.

If the company pays dividends, you’ll also get fractional payouts.

There are a few drawbacks to fractional shares, too. If you decide to transfer to a new broker, you may have to sell any partial stock shares you own. And owning less than a share may not give you any voting rights in the company itself.

Still, this could be a great way to buy great stocks that are too expensive on their own.

We’ll look to update our Wealth Desk reports with brokers that allow fractional trading and strategies for doing it wisely!

That wraps up this week’s Reader Forum.

Remember, your feedback is vital to our success… so please email me at concierge@paradigmpressgroup.com.

Questions? I’ll get answers! Comments? Let me hear them! Problems? I’ll try to solve them!

This is YOUR forum!

(And don’t forget, we also have a FREE library of introductory investment guides — covering everything from finding a broker to how to trade stock options — on our Wealth Desk. For customer service issues, please use our contact page.)

Now, here’s what’s happening around the water cooler this week…

The Water Cooler — Upcoming Events and More

“BIG week for earnings,” Enrique Abeyta says to start the day…

Enrique heads up Truth & Trends... Breaking Profits… and The Maverick.

He’s also one of the most prolific contributors to our smartphone app’s “Daily Feed” — an updated stream of market updates, quick insights and behind-the-scenes commentary directly from our team.

“EVERY week of earnings season, the media screams how it is a big week for earnings,” Enrique tells us. “THIS week it’s actually true!”

That’s because we’ll get the latest quarterly numbers from five of the “Magnificent 7” — or the Mag 7, for short. These are the seven tech companies that have driven the major indexes higher.

We’ll hear from Microsoft Inc., Google’s Alphabet Inc., Facebook’s Meta Platforms Inc., Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

All five have been riding the artificial intelligence (AI) wave — spending billions of dollars on the technology.

But Jim Rickards has long argued these companies are trying to achieve the impossible. And his top analyst, Dan Amoss, says the potential profits aren’t enough to justify the massive costs.

At some point, Dan says, corporate leadership is going to recognize this and announce reduced funding for AI.

The news will send shockwaves through Wall Street.

Keep in mind, it won’t be the end of AI… just a new phase in its development.

So our team will be digging through the earnings announcements and paying close attention to forward guidance for any signs that the big names are scaling back their AI dreams.

We’re also watching Donald Trump’s trip to Asia.

His announcement of a “framework” of a trade deal with China is already causing the stock market to go higher and rare earth prices to fall.

Dave Gonigam reports that the Chinese reporting about the talks has been much more reserved — possibly indicating that China’s president isn’t as confident about a resolution as our president.

Wall Street won’t like any signs that the deal is in trouble. Any MAGA missteps with our Asian allies could also make investors squeamish.

Luckily, our team specializes in detecting sentiment shifts long before anyone else.

If there’s even a hint of trouble, they’ll tell you how to avoid it — if not profit from it.

And if it turns out that Wall Street is overlooking an opportunity, you’ll learn how to take maximum advantage of it.

So stay tuned!