Your Fed “Pivot” Playbook

The moment Wall Street has been waiting for since March 2022 is almost here.

But our team says it won’t play out the way most investors expect.

They’re on high alert for surprise sell-offs… and looking to take advantage of pockets of extreme profit potential.

I’ll tell you more in a minute.

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

Your Top Stories & Analysis of the Week:

• ”No Accountability, No Shame” (Paradigm Pressroom’s 5 Bullets, Dave Gonigam): The failure of Silicon Valley Bank may feel like ancient history. But as Dave explains, no one was punished and no rules were changed to prevent a similar collapse. In fact, the only person who’s paid the price is YOU. Dave’s take was a staff favorite, with Doug Hill calling it “on point” and Dan Amoss saying it lays out the huge disconnect between “leadership in different spheres.” You’ll also get Dave’s deep dives into other top-of-mind issues and his responses to reader mail.

• “The Fort Knox of Crypto” (Altucher Confidential, Chris Campbell): You’ve heard about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve… but how about a strategic Bitcoin reserve? A U.S. Senator has proposed legislation that would let the federal government buy and hold up to 1 million Bitcoin. And as Chris explains, the idea isn’t as crazy as it sounds. In fact, he tells us there’s a historical precedent. The move could even help reduce some of the country’s biggest financial risks.

• “Trump vs. Kamala: Trump Won” (Matt Insley & Jim Rickards): People are still talking about last week’s presidential debate — and many think Kamala Harris outperformed Donald Trump. But Jim has a different perspective, which he shared in a special rebuttal on our YouTube channel. It’s obviously a very controversial take. In fact, Jim’s article on the subject was both one of our most-liked stories last week… and one of the least-liked since we started keeping track. See what all the fuss is about for yourself!

Remember, we publish tens to HUNDREDS of stories. The write-ups and presentations above are our TOP ones for the week. 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, Steve E. responds to one of last week’s Top stories to tell Bryon King:

Totally agree with your assessment of the Reagan movie. Having experienced the years before and after, I remember the sense of comfort he gave off. A feeling that everything was going to be OK…. Always enjoy your insights.

I’m glad you enjoyed Byron’s review, Steve! Byron has a broad range of knowledge, from military history to geology — making him our go-to source for insights into geopolitics… mining… and more.

Now we might have to add cinema to his list of expertise.

I’ve shared this letter with Byron… and I look forward to featuring more of his stories in the Concierge Letter! 

Next, Matthew W. left us a five-star Google review, adding:

I made $30,500 in two days with Jim’s pick. I missed a $900k profit by not following Jim’s NVDA advice. I won’t make that mistake again.

That’s fantastic, Matthew! I assume you’re talking about the Vistra Corp. (VST) calls recommended in Jim Rickards’ Insider Intel on Sept. 9 — which more than doubled in value by Sept. 11.

And that was on top of the 276% gains Jim and the Insider Intel team took with NextEra Energy Corp. (NEE) calls last week.

As for Jim’s Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) recommendation, you can’t say we didn’t warn you — assuming you’re reading the weekly Concierge Letter.

But there are plenty of other overvalued stocks still trading at unsustainable highs… so it won’t be long before Jim’s team shares a play with just as much profit potential!

And speaking of high-flying stocks, Marianne S. wants Jim to know:

My portfolio contains a large amount of Microsoft stock and some Apple stock. Both have been outstanding investments. With the upcoming stock market crash, should I hold or sell?

I hope you’re reading this, Marianne, because Jim can’t answer questions like these in his weekly “Ask Me Anything” emails.

He and his team don’t cover Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) or Apple Inc. (AAPL). So any reply could be seen as specific recommendations tied to your specific circumstances. In other words, personalized investment advice — which we can’t legally provide.

Jim and his team do occasionally share general opinions about big-name stocks in their issues and updates.

And if you’re worried about selling too soon or too late, you can also consider setting up trailing stop loss orders for your positions. These are standing orders with your broker to sell shares if their price falls a set amount.

You can find more details about trailing stop orders in the FREE stock investing guide on our Wealth Desk.

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, as I mentioned, 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

The Federal Reserve first started hiking interest rates in March 2022. Wall Street has been waiting for the Fed to start reducing rates ever since.

Now, after one of the longest interest rate “pauses” in the institution’s history, the Fed governors are poised to finally give investors what they want.

The long-awaited pivot is almost here.

For most market-watchers, the only question is how big the first cut will be.

According to the CME FedWatch Market Tool — which uses market activity to gauge traders’ interest rate predictions — investors think a half-point cut is more likely.

Our team is more focused on what happens after the Fed makes its move.

In May, Jim Rickards warned, “If the Fed cuts rates, it’ll be for very bad reasons. It’ll be because we’re in a recession that’s undeniable, that’s getting more severe, that’s going to take the stock market down.”

His top analyst, Dan Amoss, recently noted that “Gold and the U.S. Dollar Index are screaming that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is risking a policy mistake.”

In other words, precious metals prices have been rising while the dollar’s value has been falling thanks to traders who don’t believe the “soft landing” narrative.

Everyone else will be surprised when the rate cut doesn’t solve everything.

Expect a lot of volatility as investors move their money around, chasing safety and growth.

Banks, commodity companies, even cryptocurrencies could see lots of ups and downs.

Wall Street may also start paying attention to stocks they’ve ignored up until now — meaning you’re running out of time to buy the best names at rock-bottom prices.

Count on our team to lead you to all the best opportunities!