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We question whether AI hype has outrun fundamentals while mapping a practical plan to stay invested. We dig into energy limits, data center pushback, circular demand, debt signals, selective stock picking, and tax-smart ways to lock in gains.

• froth signals across AI leaders and suppliers
• circular demand and debt-funded capex risks
• grid and energy constraints shaping data center buildouts
• local approvals, community impact, and siting choices
• selective exposure over single-name concentration
• competition across chips, code, and applications
• practical profit-taking and rebalancing tactics
• donating appreciated shares for tax efficiency
• preparing allocations for the 2025 to 2026 shift

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Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None

Please check out our other podcasts:

https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com

Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

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Markets don’t fear tariffs because they’re ideological. They fear tariffs because they’re unpredictable, blunt, and expensive at the point where businesses actually pay: the border. We dig into 2025’s tariff surge, why the legal footing always looked shaky, and how the market learned to translate political slogans into real cash costs for U.S. importers and consumers.

We start by untangling a common mistake: treating trade deficits like federal budget gaps. Trade balances sit inside the broader balance of payments and are offset by services and capital flows, so using blanket tariffs to “fix” them misses the economic mechanics. From there, we walk through the constitutional and statutory landscape. Congress owns tariff authority, and while it delegates narrow powers for national security and anti‑dumping cases, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was never designed for worldwide levies. That’s why courts, including the Supreme Court, signaled skepticism toward the April rollout.

Then we get practical. Who pays? U.S. importers write the checks, then fight to pass costs along supply chains, with mixed success. That reality explains the sudden April selloff, the blow to business confidence, and the scramble for exemptions. We also trace the diplomatic fallout—frayed goodwill with Canada, Mexico, and the U.K.—and the hollow optics of “agreements” without text or verification. Finally, we map what’s next: a likely legal reversal, a shift back to targeted tools, and a slow drip of tariff relevance rather than a flood. For investors, the edge lies with firms that hold pricing power, diversify suppliers, and invest in regional resilience.

If you value clear thinking over noise, tap play, subscribe for future breakdowns, and leave a review with your take on how trade policy should actually be built.

Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None

Please check out our other podcasts:

https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com

Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

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Headlines promised breakthroughs; markets priced stalemates. We step onto the so‑called international merry-go-round and examine how Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan shaped 2025’s volatility—then we connect the dots to where risk and return may actually meet in 2026. Rather than reheating talking points, we look at what moved capital: elusive ceasefires, frayed Middle East ties, and a supply chain reality where rare earths and energy intensity dictate who has leverage and for how long.

We dig into why China’s grip on critical minerals remains a structural headwind for chips, EVs, and defense—and why the fastest path to resilience may run through Canada’s hydropower-backed smelting, not wishful reshoring. We talk through the European dimension of any Ukraine settlement, outlining a cleaner role for the U.S. that supports capacity without sidelining the countries most exposed. Along the way, we trace how policy style—short attention spans and photo-op diplomacy—filters into premiums for defense contractors, stretched lead times for industrial components, and a higher floor for commodity and freight volatility.

Looking ahead, we map credible 2026 scenarios: Russian hybrid operations testing NATO’s gray zones, tighter pressure on Taiwan and a more forward-leaning Japan, and rhetorical truces with China that stabilize vibes but not supply chains. Our takeaway is practical: position for sustained European rearmament, watch permitting, power, and processing as the real bottlenecks, and keep dry powder for dislocations that panic will misprice. If peace and prosperity still command the best multiples, portfolios need shock absorbers until diplomacy catches up.

If this kind of clear-eyed, market-first analysis helps you navigate uncertainty, follow the show, share it with a friend who invests, and leave a quick review so others can find us. What risk are you most focused on for 2026?

Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None

Please check out our other podcasts:

https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com

Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.