April 20, 2026
What You Need to Know Today:
U.S. destroyer attacks Iranian cargo ship
A U.S. Navy destroyer on Sunday attacked and seized an Iranian cargo ship that defied an American blockade of Iran’s ports. President Donald Trump announced the attack hours after a White House official said the U.S. was dispatching a high-level delegation including Vice President JD Vance to peace talks in Pakistan. Iranian state media is saying that said Tehran has not yet agreed to a meeting.
U.S. destroyer attacks Iranian cargo ship
A U.S. Navy destroyer on Sunday attacked and seized an Iranian cargo ship that defied an American blockade of Iran’s ports. President Donald Trump announced the attack hours after a White House official said the U.S. was dispatching a high-level delegation including Vice President JD Vance to peace talks in Pakistan. Iranian state media is saying that said Tehran has not yet agreed to a meeting.
Saturday Night Quarterback says (on a Sunday), for the week ahead expect…
It’s an in between week for first quarter earnings reports. It comes a week after the big banks kicked of the earnings season and a week before the Big Tech fireworks. That doesn’t mean that a week that includes earnings from Tesla (TSLA) and Intel (INTC) doesn’t have its own drama, but I don’t think the week’s earnings news will be enough to move stocks against the backdrop of the Iran war negotiations.
Investors just won’t give up on the interest-rate cut trade
What intrigues me is the belief that the damage to the U.S. and global economies will be quickly quantifiable once hostilities end and that therefore the Federal Reserve will feel confident enough in the data and the trends to declare there is no danger of a spike in inflation and quickly cut interest rates before the end of 2026.
The stock market is more concentrated than ever
The Magnificent Seven stocks–Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla–now account for about 35% to 40% of the market cap of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index.
The two prices of oil–and why the price of physical oil is more important than the price of futures now
On Friday, when traders focused on hopes that the Strait of Hormuz was about to reopen, the most commonly cited international price of oil, Brent futures, fell 9% to about $90 a barrel, the lowest settlement price since the second week of the war.
But if you needed a barrel of oil now, as opposed to delivery of one in, say June–which is what an oil future means, the price on Friday was higher: almost $99 a barrel, according to Argus Media. That second price, often called the spot price, more closely reflects what companies, such as refiners, pay for commodities–and therefore how much energy will cost the economy as a whole.
Special Report: The Next Big Things and how to invest in them–Part 1 Quantum Computing; Part 2 Nuclear Fusion
A suggested quantum computing portfolio. If you want a piece of this Next Big Thing, but with less risk and less upside than a pure-play quantum stock, I’d suggest Alphabet/Google (GOOG). Among pure plays I’d include D‑Wave Quantum (QBTS), up about 235% year‑to‑date as of late 2025; Rigetti Computing (RGTI), up34% YTD by late December; and IonQ (IONQ), up around 25% year-to-date by late December.
Special Report: 3 Stock Market Bubbles: When will they burst? What to do now? Part 1, the AI bubble, Part 2, the debt market bubble, and Part 3, the cheap money bubble
This is a very difficult stock market. Even as stocks climb to new record highs. On the one hand, even investors who are all in, maybe even overweight to the long side, worry that this rally isn’t sustainable for much longer. By most historical standards valuations are off the charts. I get a steady stream of stories and posts asking whether XYZ stock has climbed to faro fast. Volatility on somedays can be downright scary with relatively minor events leading to big market moves. It’s simply very hard to stay on board this rally. On the other hand, it’s very hard to get off the train. I see lots of Wall Street analysts cutting recommendations from “buy” to “hold” on valuation fears, but I see almost no one saying “sell.” FOMO–fear of missing out–is just too strong. Which is totally understandable. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up 25.02% in 2024 and was up another 18.11% in 2025 to date through October 27. Market leaders have racked up even bigger gains. AI chip icon Nvidia (NVDA) was up 171% in 2024 and has gained another 39% in 2025 through October 27. It’s insanely difficult to walk away from those kinds of gains. So what’d you do?
Special Report: How to invest in our 3 energy crises–First 8 picks JCI, BEPC, LNG, SMNEY, GNRC, CCJ, EQNR and GVE
You don’t need the Department of Energy or the Energy Information Administration to tell you we have an energy crisis. (Good thing since they’re shut down with the rest of the Federal government today.) All you need to do is look at your electricity bill. This summer monthly home electric bills jumped in Trenton, New Jersey, for a typical home by $26. In Philadelphia, it increased about $17. And in Columbus, Ohio, it spiked $27. And your monthly bill doesn’t capture the full damage. In California,residential electric rates are up 62% in five years. In Maryland residential rates are up 54% in five years. Most frustratingly–and most importantly for investors–those bills don’t explain the nature of the crisis.
Or more accurately “crises.” Because we’re the middle of three, overlapping and interlocking energy crises. That are playing out on different timeframes that range from NOW to the next 5 to 10 years. It’s that last point that’s critically important for investors. Because to make money–and let’s be clear: like in all crises there’s money to be made investing in these three crises–you’ve got to understand the nature of each crisis and buy into it at the right time. Not so early that you sell in disappointment because your profits haven’t arrived yet. Not so late that all themes tasty profits are gone. This Special Report is about untangling the 3 energy crises, giving you a timeline for investing in each, and then calling out 10 picks you cause to profit from theses crises. Ya, ready?
Special Report: “10 better dividend stocks for a dangerous market”–Part 1 with 6 sells, Part 2 first buy COLD
You remember what The Rolling Stones sing? “You can’t always get what you want”?
In this historically expensive market with a slowing economy, with a falling dollar and a climbing government deficit, where no one knows what the Trump tariffs regime we lookalike in 60 days, and where stagflation where inflation rises even as the economy’s growth rate slows I know what I want: some safe dividend stocks to take some of the risk out of my portfolio, with tasty 8% dividend yields, with solid financials and low debt, and with relatively low exposure to any downturn in the economic cycle. Is that too much to ask? Well, apparently, Yes. Because I can’t find any stocks that fit the bill. Stocks paying anywhere near that yield, for example, come with more rick than I want to take on in this market and this economy. Especially because the last thing I want to do is add high-risk, go-for-broke dividend stocks to the “safe” side of my portfolio. But the Stones go on to advise “but if you try sometimes, you’ll find/You get what you need.” And that’s what this Special Report “10 better dividend stocks for a dangerous market” is all about.
Special Report: What to do with the Magnificent 7 stocks Now? Part 1
Going forward, I’m not all that interested in investing in the “old” Magnificent Seven. But I am interested in investing in a new “enhanced” Magnificent Seven that builds on and increases the exposure of these stocks to the market’s AI enthusiasm.




