Chaos!

Strap in… because it’s going to be a wild week on Wall Street.

The fireworks will start when the government releases the latest inflation numbers tomorrow. 

It doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad. Either way, they’ll set the stage for things to be crazy for the rest of the year — and beyond!

In a minute, I’ll tell you what to expect… as well as how we’ll guide you through it.

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

Your Top Stories & Analysis of the Week:

• “Fact: Not a Single Country Is Ready For AI'' (Altucher Confidential, Chris Campbell): Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is advancing faster than almost anyone thought possible. And Chris walks us through some of the ways it will disrupt lives, businesses, even governments. As he explains, the world will soon be split into two camps — those who have figured out how to harness AI… and those left behind. He also shares some tips for making sure you end up on the right side of history. 

• “Elizabeth Holmes and the Culture of Corruption” (Paradigm Pressroom’s 5 Bullets, Dave Gonigam): Sam Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth Holmes were both convicted of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars. But Dave believes Holmes’ story says much more about the way Wall Street works today. As he explains, an entire generation of businesspeople have been trained to “fake it until you make it.” And while Holmes’ conviction may make it seem like the system works, Dave says it’s actually proof things are completely broken. So he shares a few strategies to help you invest with confidence.

• “Investment Outlook 2024: The Ultimate Portfolio Protection in a Volatile Market” (Lifetime Income Report, Zach Scheidt): In the just-released issue of Lifetime Income Report, Zach shares his prediction for 2024. Given everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s probably no surprise that he’s not optimistic about the New Year. But he has zeroed in on a relatively safe bet in a world of wild cards — a stock set to deliver income and capital gains for years to come. Since I’m sure you’ll agree with what he sees ahead, I decided to unlock an excerpt of the issue for you.

Remember, we publish tens to HUNDREDS of stories. The write-ups and presentations 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 from the mailbag today, Jim D. tells us::

I like the new YouTube channel. I can listen while I am doing other activities and get some really great insight. It is easier for me to process than the long written articles. [Also] I noticed that Sean Ring interviewed James Altucher, and Sean sent out an email with the link to this article. But it does not show on the video listing for your channel. 

Thanks for the positive feedback, Jim! Our goal is to help people get our insights in more digestible ways… so I’m glad to hear that’s exactly what it’s doing for you.

And don’t be surprised if you can’t find some of our videos on our page. While we’re building our channel for the public, we’re also posting bonus interviews that are just for members. 

We may eventually make them available to everyone. But for now, the only way to watch them — like Sean’s talk with James — is watch your emails for links. 

(You can also help us out by subscribing to our channel here.) 

Next up, John C. wants us to know that Zach Scheidt’s Income Alliance:

continues to provide excellent guidance to becoming a good, successful trader. [Zach’s] options plays have been quite successful. Today's sale returned a 100% gain in just two days. I realize this can't happen all the time, but clearly Zach and the Jim Rickards Paradigm Press group provide the education and greater opportunities to succeed financially.

John, I’m delighted to hear about your tremendous success! You’re right — not every win will be a winner. Anyone who promises that is lying. But doubling your money so quickly is sure to make up for any losses you see along the way.

I wish you continued success, and I look forward to sharing this with Zach. 

Finally for today, while we’re encouraged by the compliments we receive, I also welcome feedback about the Concierge Letter itself. Please feel free to challenge anything you read so we can have a back-and-forth discussion.

For example, Steve T. had two separate comments about last week’s Concierge Letter.

So tired of the gold narrative. The prognostications are not worth much if you can’t get the buy/sell timing right!... I’d [also] like to know how Steve’s big win was possible given that Zach’s biggest Income Alliance gain was last week and he made nearly 200% on that one. 

Thanks for writing in, Steve. And I hope you don’t mind that I combined both of your emails into one.

First, it’s true that a few of our analysts are always bullish on gold, no matter what the circumstances.

What’s different this time is that our technical traders say a breakout looks imminent. So the time to buy is right now. We’ll have to see how high gold goes before we start timing a sell…

As for Steve J.’s big win, we took that straight from his Google review. We don’t know the exact circumstances of his trade. 

Zach recommended buying puts on Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) — and the stock fell from $265 a share to $190 a share in just two days. A drop like that can create all sorts of major profit opportunities. 

We know people have profited from Zach’s advice, as today’s email from John C. shows.

And that’s the beauty — and hidden upside — of our services. Since we don’t manage your money or your portfolio, all the “action to take” is yours. 

Over the years we’ve found that a lot of our readers learn to branch out from our editor’s recommendations and form their own plays. (It’s something that our publisher, Matt Insley, preaches and practices.)

Maybe you want to be more aggressive? Maybe you want to be less aggressive? The great part about doing it yourself is that you can choose. Sometimes, those choices lead to even bigger and faster gains.

And 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 remember, for customer service issues, use our contact page.)

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

The Water Cooler — Upcoming Events and More

For months, most Wall Street investors have been telling themselves a comforting story.

They believe the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have been working… that inflation will come down… and then the Fed will pivot to lower interest rates.

Tomorrow could blow a hole in that entire narrative.

At 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release October’s consumer price index (CPI) data — the Fed’s preferred inflation measure.

Mainstream analysts expect to see a drop in overall inflation… but little change in so-called core inflation, which doesn’t include food or fuel prices.

Last week, a few Fed higher-ups made a point of saying they don’t think they’ve done enough to tame inflation yet — which could be an indication that the numbers will be worse than expected.

If that’s the case, expect the markets to plummet as investors brace for more rate hikes.

And if the numbers meet expectations — or even come in better than expected — we could see a rally as Wall Street’s faith in the pivot is restored. 

Either way, though, that’s when things will get really weird. 

We know higher interest rates are hurting the economy. And even though the official inflation rate is dropping, everyday families are still getting pinched by high costs.

But the Fed won’t give up its inflation crusade until the job is done. It will keep raising rates if it has to… and won’t cut unless it’s forced to.

What could force the pivot? A tanking economy.

If consumer spending craters or unemployment heads higher, the Fed will be under tremendous pressure to reverse direction.

Paradoxically, while it will mean the U.S. economy is in trouble, investors will be happy to see the long-awaited pivot.

So stocks could go higher, despite the weakness.

It’s one of the reasons our Greg Guenthner is bullish about the rest of the year, as he explained in a recent Daily Reckoning. 

And it’s sure to be a big topic of conversation in a new service we’re building around Greg. 

He’ll sit down with publisher Matt Insley for a weekly live video series. It’ll be your best look at the chaos gripping the markets… as well as the best ways to play it. 

Look for details soon…