Kerry Lutz's--Financial Survival Network

Crista Huff is the lead analyst of Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor, where she combines a strict fundamental methodology with technical analysis, to identify growth and value stocks whose charts are turning bullish.She believes that the recent stock market highs are a sign of strength not weakness. She's still finding undervalued stocks using her proprietary screen. She's got a special offer for FSN listeners. Click here...

Karen Kataline - "The Incredible Lightness of Liberalism"

RC Beck - "The Priceline Matters Most"

Eric Hadik - "Latest Forecast" 

Sally Pipes - "Medicare for All, Healthcare for None"

John Rubino - "Hang in There"

Tim Harris - "Tim Harris for President"

Nick Santiago - "December Stock Call Right on the Money"

Ned Schmidt - "Major Pork Shortage on the Way"

It always ends the same. Keep giving stuff away until there's nothing else to give. Sally Pipes does an analysis of the latest crop of democrat presidential nominees and comes away empty handed. We can't afford medicare for all no matter how attractive it may appear. But where there's an off the wall political/economic idea you will no doubt find a democrat running for president. 

We discuss gold, oil, the stock market, interest rates and the dollar with noted forecaster Eric Hadek. He's not seeing much motion in gold markets until later in the year, but not much downside potential either. Look for a peak in oil prices shortly. Listen to the show for the rest. 

RC Peck observes that when Wells Fargo earnings beat expectations, the shares rose. Wells Fargo reported better-than-expected quarterly results on Friday, sending the stock higher in the premarket. The company’s results compared to Wall Street’s expectations: Earnings: $1.20 per share vs $1.09 per share expected by Refinity. Peck has been Chief Investment Officer at "Fearless Wealth Corp" for twenty years. He has challenged traditional investment ideas like the 60/40 split, diversification and rebalancing. What he noticed was an investor only needed to know two things. And making decisions based on those two things was a more accurate approach than having someone look at their age and self described risk tolerance.

His firm has specialized in avoiding the large 50% stock market corrections over the past 20 years, while making sure to be fully allocated to the stock market in the long secular uptrends. He noticed a change in asset pricing, which allowed him to foresee and avoid the 2000 Dot Com Crash and the 2008 Global Financial Crises.

Peck’s professional life is driven by one event when he was 19. In 1989, his parents had their life savings embezzled by their trusted and liked Financial Advisor. His dad was 50 and his mom 47. Scary times. His parent’s investment strategy up to that point could be called, “I trust and like my investment advisor.” Peck's mission has been to help others avoid a similiar fate. 

Karen Kataline believes that a quiet takeover is happening now. Some say the road to socialist hell is paved with good intentions. What it’s really paved with is bloated government, wealth redistribution and central planning. Leftists have taken control of the Democratic Party and some have begun to tell the truth about their socialist ideology. Unfortunately, they’re not just talking about it. With almost identical measures on a variety of issues and national backing, they are implementing their ideas in Democrat-controlled state legislatures around the country. That allows them to bypass Congress on the federal level and ignore the will of the voters on the local level. These tactics drive a truck through any semblance of local control. That’s central planning at its best.

You heard it here first. Six months ago Ned Schmidt predicted that due to swine flu in China, that pork prices were on their way up. And sure enough, they've gone way up and Ned is certain they're going even higher. China has lost significant portion of their pig population and more is on the way. It's so bad that a hog convention in Iowa was recently cancelled due to fears of Asian visitors infecting American stock. It's almost getting to the point of panic. So buy pork futures now at your local supermarket before it's too late. 

Ned also believes that gold and silver are close to inflection points, perhaps as early as this Thursday. Interesting times. 

Nick Santiago nailed another call. When we spoke in December, he was quite confident that the stock market would rise again, and sure enough it did! Now, he's calling for an intermediate peak, the market is about to go through another turbulent spell, but again it's not the start of a new bear market. We discuss gold, oil, interest rates and the dollar. Let's see if he made another major call, yet again. 

Tim Harris is running a lone wolf campaign for the highest office in the land. But can he win? You be the judge. But he's got some good ideas and should be heard, at least a little. 

We talk about a number of common themes on FSN and if we're being repetitious, we apologize. But these themes cannot be stressed enough. Eventually gold is going to take off, the stock market is going to tank and so are fiat currencies as well. We'll keep talking and letting you know as we approach the big day. Between now and then, you'll just have to be patient. 

Lee, a fellow recovering attorney and FSN community member came back on the show. We discussed the Mueller report, the emerging Democrat 2020 presidential field and the current state of politics. We both agree that Attorney General William Barr. He's one intimidating dude. Notice how when he's testifying before Congress, he's treated with kit gloves. A Representative will ask a disrespectful question, Barr will pause for 5 seconds and then give an answer. At that point the Rep is flummoxed and backs off. It's fun to watch. 

As Jordan explained to us last month, we're still not seeing higher highs and higher lows in the gold price. His opinion was again confirmed. Every time gold approaches $1350 per ounce, there's a dramatic pullback. Until gold breaks this key resistance point, with conviction, not much is going to happen. Unfortunately, until further notice, precious metals investors are in a waiting game. 

Brexit chaos spurs record flows to sterling-hedged funds. Investors pour money into pound-proofed ETFs at a rate seven times that of a year ago. According to figures from Lipper, the data provider, net inflows into Europe-based ETFs that are hedged to sterling reached record levels during the first three months of 2019. These funds pulled in close to €1.7bn during the period, as investors looked to protect themselves against currency risks linked to a no-deal Brexit. The inflows represent a sharp increase on the comparable period a year ago, when investors put a net €256m into sterling-hedged funds.

This year’s largest inflows came in February, with almost €1.1bn moving into ETFs hedged to the British pound. Invesco, UBS and Lyxor were among the asset managers that gathered the lion’s share of new money into sterling-hedged ETFs during the quarter.

Detlef Glow, head of research for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Lipper, said increased demand for currency-hedged funds had come during a strong sales period for the ETF industry more generally.

“An additional driver might be Brexit, as investors fear currency losses and are therefore hedging themselves against this risk,” he said.

According to Lipper data, almost €27bn flowed into Europe’s ETF sector during the first three months of 2019. February in particular was a standout month, with net inflows of €13.5bn recorded.

Andrew Walsh, head of passive and ETF specialist sales for the UK and Ireland at UBS Asset Management, said: “We have seen a few of our larger clients, and many other mid-sized clients, going into GBP-hedged in recent months on the basis that sterling is undervalued at current levels, no matter what the eventual outcome on Brexit.”

Paul Syms, head of ETF fixed income product development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Invesco, said the asset manager has seen particularly strong demand for the GBP-hedged version of its US Treasury Bond 7-10 year ETF since its launch in January.

“There are various reasons for investors buying longer-dated US Treasuries, which would include, but are not limited to, concerns about an economic downturn in the US and easing of monetary policy,” said Syms.

“In addition, the UK is obviously facing the numerous risks around Brexit, which may cause sterling to be more volatile than in normal market conditions. For a sterling-based investor, the potential for sterling to rise or fall quite dramatically around the decision on if, when and how Brexit takes place — which has nothing to do with their economic view — may be a reason to hedge foreign-currency denominated assets.”

The UK is now scheduled to leave the EU on April 12, with or without a withdrawal agreement in place. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will work with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to help end the deadlock in parliament.

Any new proposals on the UK’s future relationship with the EU will need to be agreed by MPs ahead of an emergency EU summit on Brexit scheduled for April 10.

The prime minister said she would ask the EU for a further short extension to the Brexit date, with hopes that an agreement can be signed off before May 22 to prevent the UK taking part in European elections.

But EU leaders poured cold water on the short-extension proposal, with The Guardian reporting that Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, has said May will be given a choice between a longer delay, of up to a year, or crashing out with no deal on April 12.

The ETF figures from Lipper come as anxious property fund investors have pulled more than £1bn from UK real estate funds since the start of this year, prompting fears that the sector is on course for a repeat of disruptive and costly fund closures experienced in the wake of the referendum vote in 2016.

Data from Calastone showed that net outflows from open-ended property funds hit £578m in the first three months of the year — the second-highest level of quarterly net withdrawals since the data provider began collating figures four years ago.

Judge Wilson, first time guest, tells us that After almost two years of investigation, the report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller concerning whether the President and his campaign staff colluded with Russian agents during the 2016 election was finally provided to the US Attorney General's Office late in March. The Attorney General, William Barr, immediately released a short summary of the Report. In that letter, the Attorney General made two significant points: 1) " The Special Counsel's investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election," and 2) "the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense."

Since the issuance of the Barr letter, President Trump and his supporters have declared "total and complete exoneration," while some Democrats, like Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) have maintained that "undoubtedly there was collusion" regardless of what the Mueller Report states. Rather than rely upon the letter issued by AG Barr, many in Congress are demanding the release of the entire report issued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.A controversy has now arisen over whether or not the entirety of the Mueller Report can be made public.

As of this writing, the AG's staff is reviewing the Report, and redacting material that is based upon Grand Jury testimony. These redactions are necessary under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(E), which, as AG Barr states, "generally limits disclosure of certain grand jury information in a criminal investigation and prosecution. Employing this logic a few steps further, if we assume that most members of Congress are aware of the law, and of the facts outlined above, then it becomes clear that the calls by Democratic lawmakers for the production of the "entire" Mueller Report, including the Grand Jury materials, is nothing more than political theatre, and nothing less than bad faith

First time guest Jayant Bhandari believes that democracy is a flawed system that has failed to bring people out of poverty in the last century. Rather, authoritarian benevolent regimes, such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc., have been the wealth building leaders. Not that we're unmindful of democracy's flaws, but we tend to subscribe to the Churchillian view that "Democracy is the worst system in the world, except for all the rest!" And perhaps at present our participatory democracy is a chimera, but Donald Trump is president and that says something. Jayant sees continued growth in East Asia and economic leadership. And he believes he's freer in East Asia than elsewhere and that most people don't really care about government and just want to be left alone. Tell that to the thousands of victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. 

In places like Greenwich, CT, New York City, Vancouver and around the world, it looks like there's a high-end housing bust taking place. It's partly a demographic issue, where older people are downsizing want to cash in on their expensive housing. The hoped for resale market is younger generations and they're just not stepping up to the plate. This underscores the danger or easy credit. It's great when you're acquiring luxury properties, but not so much when you go to sell. Expect such declines to increase in the future. 

ACU's Matt Schlapp On Reagan, Trump, and Socialism

It's no surprise the far-left led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren are trying to bring socialism to America. 

But, these liberals ignore the history of socialism's evil and are ignorning the current human catastrophe in Venezuela caused by socialist policies. 

President Trump, much like President Ronald Reagan, has long said "socialism will never come to America." In fact, as noted in the American Conservative Union's newest book, Ronald Reagan at CPAC, President Trump sounds almost exactly like President Reagan. 

In a 1978 speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Reagan warned "Many [Latin American] nations have learned the cost of socialist experimentation...All suffered economic catastrophe." 

 

Can President Trump learn from more CPAC speeches given by Ronald Reagan? How else does Trump echo Reagan's call to action to the base of the conservative movement? What can Reagan's battle against socialism teach us today as we fight the new socialist rise?

Our good friend Captain Capitalism a/k/a Aaron Clarey sold his house and is living in a Millennial enclave. Gone are spacious units. Instead he's enjoying a plethora of amenities that he never wanted. There's two gyms, social programs, a large pool, a movie theatre and a bunch of other things he could do without. Aaron says this type of development is thriving because most Millennials will never own their own home and this is as close as they'll get to the American Dream. How sad.  

Heather Wagenhals says that hackers are on the bleeding edge of technology. Unfortunately, the blood is often yours. The whole situation is so invasive. We're totally immersed in technology that we never really think about it. And that makes you a sitting duck. You always need to be on your guard. Watch out for that phishing email with those tempting links. One click and everything you own could be gone. We need a better way. 

Jerome Corsi became a target of the Mueller Investigation. He says he did nothing illegal, never had any contacts with Russians or Wikileaks, but Mueller wanted him to perjure himself in order for them to get at the President. Coris refused and instead filed a $350 million lawsuit against the Special Counsel's Office, alleging numerous misdeeds and crimes. Let's see where it goes. However, him gambit seems to have bought him relief from prosecution and is the subject of a new book, Silent No More. Corsi has done us all a service by refusing to back down. Hopefully Roger Stone will be exonerated as well. 

John Rubino says that all the gloom and doom stuff can be depressing, but it needs to be looked at as an investment thesis and a tremendous opportunity. Craig Hemke believes that interest cuts could happen much faster than believed if the stock markets start tanking. One thing is for certain, interest rates aren't going up anytime soon. It's the only weapon left in their arsenal. But will it work? John and Craig both agree that while it might seem effective in the short run, in the long run there's a collapse coming. So be prepared.  

White House advisor Larry Kudlow says Fed should 'immediately' cut rates
Larry Kudlow, Director of the United States National Economic Council.
Top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow wants the Federal Reserve to "immediately" cut interest rates by 50 basis points.

"I am echoing the president's view – he's not been bashful about that view – he would also like the Fed to cease shrinking its balance sheet. And I concur with that view," Kudlow told CNBC Friday.

"Looking at some of the indicators — I mean the economy looks fundamentally quite healthy, we just don't want that threat," he added. "There's no inflation out there, so I think the Fed's actions were probably overdone."

The comments from President Donald Trump's Director of the National Economic Council follow the central bank's decision to hold off on raising rates last week. The Fed also suggested at its most recent meeting that a hike in borrowing costs may not be needed for the rest of the year.

Though Fed Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted slowdowns in overseas economic growth, the Fed did not indicate at its March meeting that rate cuts would be necessary. Trump has criticized the central bank's plans to increase borrowing costs, but the recommendation from Kudlow marks one of the most explicit directives from the White House to date.

Kudlow reiterated that the president has no plans to try to replace Powell as head of the Fed.

"Globally, there's a lot of weakness out there. Europe — euro zone virtually in a recession. China: very, very, very soft as we negotiate on trade," Kudlow continued. "In the absence of inflation, with some of these global threats, our view is at some point ... I wouldn't mind seeing the Fed drop their target rate."

The rhetoric from the White House also signals a shift from historic norms. Prior Fed chiefs — ranging from Alan Greenspan to Janet Yellen — have stressed the importance of the Fed's independence from political agendas when setting monetary policy.

The idea is that the Fed's independence allows it to make sometimes unpopular decisions, such as raising interest rates, without pressure from politicians looking to goose the economy in the short term.

Trump said last year that the central bank has "gone crazy" with rate hikes, blamed Powell fordeclines in the stock market and announced he was "not happy" with Powell's "loco" decision to continue hiking throughout 2018.

In response to the president's "loco" comment last October, Kudlow told CNBC that "we all know the Fed is independent. The president is not dictating policy to the Fed. He didn't say anything remotely like that."

Financial experts Gordon T. Long and Charles Hugh Smith join FSN for a discussion on what went/is going wrong with the American Experiment. Obviously among the culprits, corrupt government, corporatization, financialization and inflation to name just a few. The solution is very straight forward and simple. Go back to localization, bring back the institutions that once made America great. The mom and pop stores and merchants who had a connection with their communities. The bankers who lived amongst their borrowers. Effectively, it's a repersonalization of business as we know it. 

Henry Weingarten used to run the Astrologers Fund. His investment philosophy combines a healthy dose of fundamental and technical analysis along with a look at the stars. He believes we're in for a near term 3-13% correction in US Stock Markets, but they'll finish 2019 higher. He's also calling for gold to finish higher in 2019 and 2020. Oil will come down to the $52-58 per barrel range from its current mid 60's perch. USD is looking good but gold is looking better. Interesting times ahead.