Wall Street is gonna HATE this

Good morning! 👋

The debt ceiling bill has apparently passed the House but now must “advance” to the Senate with just days to go before the default deadline.

Futures are little changed.

Here’s my playbook.

What happens if…

Game on!

If the debt ceiling passes...

...the markets will settle down, at least until they refocus on the Fed’s follies anyway. The path of least resistance remains higher, which is why you’ll want to remain focused on the winning horses we talk about all the time, not only here but in One Bar Ahead®, my premium research journal for individual investors.

If the debt ceiling does not pass...

...the markets will have a major headache on their hands. As investors, there’s not a lot you can do, except—you guessed it—remain focused on the winning horses we talk about all the time.

People want to believe that this time is different, that somehow, it’ll play out differently.

No, it won’t.

History shows very clearly that market madness comes and goes a lot more regularly than we care to admit. 120 years ago, the ups and downs would take months, so there was a “slowness” to things that doesn’t exist anymore.

Computerization, the rise of passive investing, and indexing have all sped up markets. Now those same trends, pullbacks, and volatility happen in days, if not minutes.

When in doubt, zoom out!

What’s up with CrowdStrike??!!

CrowdStrike reported a double beat, and shares fell in the afterhours.

The networks are reporting that investors are concerned about slowing revenue growth. (Read)

Not.

What you’re seeing is legions of highly leveraged big-money traders taking profits ahead of the opening bell so that they can separate the weak hands from their money. Then, rinse and repeat.

Simple as that.

Situations like this are perfect for savvy investors because you can use the volatility they create to build your position AND lower your basis—both of which can help you achieve higher, more stable, and more consistent returns over time.

There is always a way into the fight.

Wall Street is gonna HATE this

The number of people using apps meant to stop social-media and shopping addiction for personal finance has quintupled between 2021 and 2022. (Watch)

Wall Street won’t be happy.

Why?

Because fintech firms have spent billions of dollars learning how to push your buttons. They’ve gamified finance so that it feeds the very same addictive behaviour drugs and alcohol do, and they’re socializing money to perpetuate the illusion that you must keep up or else.

MyPOV is simple.

The real flex for any investor is being able to walk away from your screens anytime you want. If you’re constantly checking for the next tick, you’re a speculator... not an investor.

Be an investor.

Or...

Make the conscious decision to be a trader, then find some good apps with meaningful information that are designed for traders, not addicts.

Trading, by the way, can be remarkably rewarding, so—like investing—take the time to do it right! Apps don’t count.

Play offense even if you must think defensively to do it

Mike Larson, Editor in Chief of MoneyShow, asked me to join him for a moment to talk about my upcoming appearance at the Money Masters Symposium in August. (Watch)

I’ll be speaking twice while also potentially holding a longer-length Masterclass.

I hope you’ll join me! (Learn more, or better yet, sign up!)

Fusion breakthrough

At the risk of dating myself, Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, the lead character in the campy 1980s hit action TV series The A-Team, used to utter this tagline whenever something great happened: “I love it when a plan comes together.”

That’s how I’m feeling this morning.

Zap Energy reports that the company has received a DOE award for a fusion pilot plant design project. (Read)

This is a big deal because Zap is building a low-cost, compact, and scalable fusion energy platform that confines and compresses plasma without the need for expensive and complex magnetic coils.

What I like about it is that Zap’s sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch technology provides compelling fusion economics yet requires orders of magnitude less capital than conventional approaches.

Put another way, what Zap is doing is potentially far more scalable at far less money than competitors that have made splashy headlines over the past year. Plus, science suggests Zap may be closer to real, viable production.

Zap Energy has over 100 team members in two facilities near Seattle and is backed by leading financial and strategic investors, including yours truly.

Visit Zap online at zapenergy.com.

The company is still private for now, but that’s neither here nor there.

What I want to call to your attention to is that a) fusion energy is coming, and b) every investor should be thinking about energy investing as a continuum, not oil versus EV.

My favourite conventional energy stock choice, for example, is already miles ahead of the game, pun absolutely intended. Plus, it pays a super dividend too.

Bottom Line

Market headlines got you spooked?

You’re not alone.

Keep your emotions out of the equation.

That’ll allow you to see what they’re really worth.

As always, let’s MAKE it a great day.

You got this—I promise!

Keith 😊