Your Survival Guy and Gal are what I call part-time empty nesters. The kids are out of the house but come home on weekends or days off. When they’re here, it’s like they never left. Water bottles are everywhere, backpacks are dropped in places to be tripped over, and after the kitchen is cleaned, I’m […]

Your Survival Guy and Gal Part-Time Empty Nesters
E.J. Smith

In the heart of a bull market in March 1997, I was urging investors to ignore the “TV media financial gibberish, most of which is sensationalized to keep you twitching to the max.” I wanted to show readers how to insulate themselves from a bear market. To do so, I gave them my Financial Armadillo […]

The 5 Rules of the Financial Armadillo
Dick Young

Blue Energy and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy have signed an agreement to advance a 2.5 GW gas-plus-nuclear project in Victoria, Texas. The deal moves engineering, licensing, and safety work forward, with a final investment decision expected in 2027. The project would initially provide about 1 GW from natural-gas turbines in 2030, followed by up […]

2.5 GW Texas Project Pairs Gas Turbines With Five Nuclear SMRs
Young Research

  The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that waterborne shipments of crude oil and petroleum products from the Gulf Coast to other U.S. regions surged in April and May after the federal government issued a limited Jones Act waiver. Shipments from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast more than quadrupled from a year earlier, […]

Jones Act Waiver Drives Surge in U.S. Oil Shipments
Young Research

  The August 2026 Empire State Manufacturing Survey shows that New York manufacturers are facing growing challenges despite stronger overall activity. Supply availability deteriorated, delivery times lengthened, and backlogs increased, suggesting that production is struggling to keep pace with demand. Costs are another major concern. Prices paid by manufacturers rose sharply, adding to inflationary pressure, […]

New York Factories Struggle With Higher Costs
Young Research

MIT researchers found that blocking caspase-1, an enzyme linked to lung inflammation, can reduce lung tumor development in mice. Using nanosensors to track enzyme activity, the team found that caspase-1 was especially active in developing tumors and was also elevated in lung-fluid samples from cancer patients. When researchers treated high-risk mice with a caspase-1 inhibitor, […]

MIT Researchers Identify Potential Path to Lung Cancer Prevention
Young Research

Are you getting out there? Going to Portugal or PEI? You know from Your Survival Guy’s experiences this summer that many of you are. Even though inflation numbers are coming down, prices for stuff you want to spend money on, like once-in-a-lifetime trips, are not. That’s why I want you to spend your money somewhat […]

Are You Getting Out There: Portugal or PEI?
E.J. Smith

The article below was written about me way back in 1991. Nearly four decades later, I still advise real investors on compound interest, the Prudent Man Rule, and Ben Graham’s Margin of Safety. I do not speculate or invest on stock stories–never have. I invest on simple mathematics. All you need is time and a […]

65 Years of Compounding: No Changes
Dick Young

Russia’s crude oil production faces growing constraints from sanctions, Ukrainian attacks, and limited export capacity, according to Rystad Energy. The firm now forecasts Russian crude output to average 8.95 million barrels per day in 2026, falling to about 8.6 million bpd in 2027. Rystad says refinery disruptions have created a growing imbalance, while crude inventories […]

Eroding Production: Russia’s Oil Industry Enters a New Era
Young Research

U.S. retail and food services sales totaled $763.6 billion in July 2026, down 0.6% from June but 5.0% higher than a year earlier, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The three-month period from May through July also showed solid growth, with sales up 6.3% from the same period in 2025. The July decline suggests some […]

U.S. Retail Sales Rise 5% From Year Ago Despite July Dip
Young Research

Trump administration is shifting back toward economic pressure on Iran after a U.S. military campaign failed to force Tehran to capitulate, Bloomberg reports. Rather than immediately expanding military operations, Trump is betting that sanctions, financial pressure and restrictions on Iran’s oil revenues can weaken the regime and push it toward concessions. The strategy comes as […]

Trump Looks to Squeeze Iran’s Economy Once Again
Young Research

The U.S. Department of Energy is updating operating directives for its National Laboratories, plants, and sites to reduce outdated and duplicative requirements and streamline day-to-day operations. The goal is to give scientists, engineers, and technicians more time to focus on critical science, energy, and national security missions. The reforms are part of the Trump administration’s […]

National Laboratories Set for Major Operational Reforms
Young Research

OK, Your Survival Guy’s RAGE Gauge is in, so let’s dig into this. From my boat shoes and hiking boots perspective, I can tell you money is being spent. Spent on family vacations and once-in-a-lifetime trips. Young and old are out having fun, from the anchorage outside Fort Adams at the Newport Folk Festival to […]

Your Survival Guy’s RAGE Gauge: The Tables Are Full
E.J. Smith

Blue Moon Metals, based in Toronto, announced the acquisition of 33 tungsten and antimony projects across the western U.S., expanding its position in critical minerals including tungsten, antimony, germanium, and gallium. The projects are located near its existing Springer tungsten complex in Nevada and Apex germanium-gallium-copper project in Utah. The portfolio includes several historically productive […]

Blue Moon Builds Out in Critical Minerals
Young Research

The U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) was largely unchanged in July, following a 0.1% decline in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, producer prices were still 4.7% higher than a year earlier, indicating continued inflationary pressure. Services prices rose 0.2%, while goods prices fell 0.7%, largely because gasoline prices dropped 5.7%. Core […]

Falling Energy Prices Keep U.S. Producer Inflation in Check
Young Research

The U.S. is on track for record natural gas production in 2026, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasting average output of 122.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), surpassing the 2025 record of 118.5 Bcf/d. Production rose 4% in the first half of the year, driven mainly by the Permian Basin and Haynesville region. […]

America’s Natural Gas Boom Hits New Record
Young Research

Mohsen Rezaei, a former IRGC commander and prominent hardliner, has been appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, placing a veteran military figure at the center of Iran’s security decision-making as the U.S.-Iran war continues. The conflict is already disrupting global energy markets, with an estimated 2.6 billion barrels of oil supply disrupted and […]

Iran’s Hardline Shift Raises Stakes for Global Oil Markets
Young Research

Imagine being able to afford not paying your monthly credit card bill, and simply adding the interest to the amount owed, and you can understand what’s happening with private credit PIKs. PIK is short for payment-in-kind and is an option embedded in loans that allows borrowers to pay back cash interest payments along with the […]

CAUGHT IN A VICE: Private Equity Is the Next Big Thing Coming for YOU: Part XXIII
E.J. Smith

Global oil markets remain under severe pressure as the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and elevated fuel prices weigh on demand, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA expects global oil demand to fall by 1.6 million barrels per day in 2026, while supply is projected to decline by 4.3 million […]

IEA Sounds Alarm Over Prolonged Hormuz Disruption
Young Research

According to The Financial Times, Ukraine has halted attacks on oil tankers using Russia’s Novorossiysk port after U.S. Vice President JD Vance asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting vessels linked to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). Washington was concerned the strikes were disrupting global oil supplies and affecting U.S. companies including Chevron and ExxonMobil. […]

US Pushes Ukraine to Protect Key Oil Supply Route
Young Research