“M.A.Y.A” <<< Trump’s New Slogan?

Sagging… drooping… cracking…

Getting older sure takes a toll.

But when we’re talking about our country’s infrastructure, the consequences of aging can be deadly…

For everyone!

That’s why our team is now hunting for companies that will give U.S. roads, power grids, water systems and more a long-overdue facelift.

I’ll share some of their early research in a second — including a stock to consider.

First, though, let’s look at our Top Stories and the Reader Forum.

Your Top Stories & Analysis of the Week:

• “The Club You Ain’t In” (Rude Awakening, Sean Ring): A leaked email suggests that the Bureau of Labor Statistics is secretly sharing non-public inflation data with Wall Street “super users.” These individuals may know things about the economy that you don’t — and could use their privileged information to manipulate the markets. Sean delves into this burgeoning scandal. And if the government is truly tipping the scales in favor of the financial elite, he says there’s only one way to even the score.

• “Civil War” (Paradigm Pressroom’s 5 Bullets, Dave Gonigam): Over the weekend, the #1 movie in America was Civil War — depicting a modern battle between states and the federal government. The idea seems all too possible in today’s political climate. Some would even welcome the conflict. But as Dave painstakingly explains, a new civil war wouldn’t play out like most people picture. In fact, the reality would be much, much worse.

• “Crypto’s Countdown to Blastoff” (Altucher’s Investment Network, James Altucher): Bitcoin is on the verge of a major catalyst — and James recently told his Altucher’s Investment Network members what to expect. As he explains, this catalyst is a lot different than the ones that came before — which could send the entire cryptocurrency market even higher. It’s easy to see why this was our most-liked story last week. And since you still have time to benefit from James’ insights, I decided to unlock it 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:

Back in November, we told you that gold was poised for a major breakout. Not only was our team right, but our members have been reaping the benefits — with multiple double- and triple-digit wins last week alone!

Diane E. was one of many reporting big profits — telling us in a 5-star Google review:

Made a gain of 180% on [SPDR Gold Trust] GLD ETF. Pretty happy right now!

Wow, that's incredible, Diane! I’m not even sure which of our services delivered that win — because many of our analysts recommended taking profits on GLD positions. 

But all that really matters is that you made out quite nicely. If you’re reading this, thanks for your positive review. I expect many more big wins in your future, too.

I can’t wait to share this with everyone at Paradigm!

Next up, Sam L. wrote Jim Rickards to say:

What I enjoy the most about my Paradigm subscriptions is the quality and presentation of useful information I get each and every time. Looking forward to enjoying your knowledge, experience and perspective for the long haul.

Thank you, Sam, for the wonderful feedback. I see you belong to services from both James Altucher and Jim, so your thoughts about Paradigm mean a lot to me!

As you know, the entire team works extremely hard to deliver world-class research and ideas. And we look forward to having you with us for many years to come.

Speaking of Jim and James, David E. has a question for Jim that I feel we should address here. He writes:

For a long time, you [Jim] have been against or not recommending Bitcoin. Now you have joined with James Altucher. So do you recommend Bitcoin now?

Thanks for writing in, David — and I hope you don’t mind me tackling this one.

Jim and James are both part of Paradigm Press. So they often collaborate. But that doesn’t mean they agree on everything.

We pride ourselves on bringing you a wide variety of viewpoints and perspectives.

As you correctly say, Jim doesn’t believe cryptocurrencies will stand the test of time — though he does concede they could deliver short-term gains.

James, meanwhile, thinks cryptocurrencies are the future of money.

(I should mention, however, that James doesn’t recommend buying Bitcoin, either… even with the major catalyst he sees ahead. )

That puts Jim and James on opposite sides of the gold vs. crypto debate.

Still, whichever side of the spectrum you support, we’ll bring you plenty of opportunities to profit from it — even if your answer is “both”!

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 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

Baltimore’s fallen Francis Scott Key bridge is still blocking vital ports. And while we still don’t know what caused a cargo ship to plow into the bridges’ supports, we do know why it caused catastrophic damage…

The structures designed to protect the bridge haven’t been updated since the 1970s — when cargo ships were much, much smaller.

Similar infrastructure problems plague the rest of the United States. Many of the systems we rely on for transportation… water… waste… power and more are decades old.

And they simply weren’t built to withstand the demands of modern life.

Take the U.S. electric grid. As we talked about last week, demand for electricity is poised to outstrip power companies’ ability to supply it.

But even if generating power keeps pace, there’s still a question about how the electricity will get where it needs to go.

“The majority of the nation’s grid is aging,” writes the American Society of Civil Engineers, “with some components over a century old — far past their 50-year life expectancy — and others, including 70% of [transmission and distribution] lines, are well into the second half of their lifespans.”

In other words, nearly every existing power line wasn’t installed with today’s electricity needs in mind.

Overloaded wires get hot and heavy, then start to sag.

Drooping power cables triggered a widespread blackout in 2003. They can also cause wildfires, like a 2017 blaze in California that killed four people.

The easiest and least expensive solution to this problem is called reconductoring. It simply replaces the current steel-and-aluminum wires with lighter, stronger materials that can handle more electricity.

As Byron King, our resident geologist and resource expert, explains, “you can take the wires off the old pylons and put new wire on it — increasing your capacity by 40-50%.”

And while the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act had a lot of problems, it does mean there’s money available to rewire parts of the grid.

The efforts should also continue no matter who wins the White House. In fact, don’t be surprised if Donald Trump starts saying we need to “make America young again.”

The new power lines use more aluminum than current cables, which could be a boon to companies that mine and process the metal.

Rio Tinto (RIO), for example, mines, smelts and recycles aluminum. So it can not only provide the aluminum for the new wires, but also reuse the aluminum found in the existing ones!

Meanwhile, aluminum prices are rising alongside every other metal — like copper.

And Rio Tinto produces that, too.

So it could be a key player in taking America’s infrastructure into the future!