Stay ahead of Russia’s next move

Good morning!

I laid out three very specific scenarios for a rally yesterday on Fox Business with the fabulous Stuart Varney. One of ‘em was a Russian pullback. (Watch)

It’s too early to let your guard down though.

Here’s my playbook.

1 – Stay ahead of Russia’s next move

Putin may be taking a few chess pieces off the board but Russians do not give up that easily. Something’s afoot behind the scenes. (Read)

Meanwhile, defense stocks are going to get a little breather and that’s a natural opening for anybody who understands the next conflict. Sadly, it’s already brewing on the other side of the planet.

Keep in mind:

1. It’s too early to determine if Putin’s pullback is enough to be meaningful in terms of reducing his ability to invade.
2. Remember your history. British PM Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler on September 29, 1938, in Munich then invaded Czechoslovakia anyway a day later. Putin is meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz under similar circumstances.

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em … or at least use the lull to pick up a few speculative puts or inverse funds.

2 – Wholesale prices continue to wreck wallets

Consumer demand and supply chain woes continue to wreck wallets across the country. The PPI shows wholesale prices up 9.7% in January.

Economists – you know the same ones who missed inflation – expected 0.5%. So much for the poppycock they’ve been spouting about inflation getting better. (Read)

3 – You’ve already lost if you’re rotating away from growth

Chances are you’ve heard about the “value-rotation” in recent weeks as tech’s been shellacked.

Don’t fall for it!

That’s a load of horse-feathers cooked up by legions of Wall Streeters keen to convince you they’re on the case while they separate you from your money.

At the risk of ruffling more than a few feathers, the numbers wouldn’t look like this if I was off base.

Point being … you have already lost if you’re “rotating” away from growth like everybody else. So don’t!

4 – No more migraines?

Pfizer and Biohaven announced positive results for clinical trials. Pfizer already owns 3% of Biohaven but I full expect them to buy the rest shortly. (Read)

Keep in mind this drug – Rimegepant – is already approved for treatment of acute migraines in the UAE, Kuwait and Israel.

Still one of the most undervalued stocks out there!

5 – Hit the box: Analog TV simulator

My boys didn’t believe me but this is how those of us of a certain vintage used to watch TV. And a very good approximation of what we saw, too! (Watch now)

Modern TV wouldn’t be possible without gobs of data, chips and all sorts of other stuff that, incredibly, most investors still don’t recognize.

Digitalization is the single largest and most valuable trend in market history.

Bottom Line

Unhappy with your results?

You’re not alone.

Today’s markets are some of the toughest in modern memory. Computerization, liquidity, geopolitics and more have changed the game.

Fortunately, it’s fixable.

Stop doing the same old sh__t but expecting different results.

Adapt, learn, focus.

I will be with you every step of the way.

You got this – I promise!

Keith