Done right, diversification can improve portfolio returns while lowering risk. That’s why Harry Markowitz, creator of the Efficient Frontier, called diversification the only free lunch in investing. Why is it then, in my portfolio reviews of prospective clients, that I often encounter a handful of stocks? Because investors tend to sell the “losers” and keep […]

Diversification
E.J. Smith

The US labor market remained stable in May, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 172,000 jobs and the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3 percent. Employment growth was similar to April’s revised gain of 179,000 jobs, while the number of unemployed people remained largely unchanged at 7.3 million. Job gains were concentrated in leisure and […]

US Job Growth Continues as Unemployment Holds Steady in May
Dick Young

The US Department of Energy announced that Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 advanced reactor successfully reached criticality at Idaho National Laboratory, marking the first privately developed non-light-water reactor to do so in the United States in more than 40 years. The achievement confirms the reactor’s ability to operate safely and supports future commercial deployments that could begin […]

Antares Reactor Reaches Criticality in Major Nuclear Milestone
Young Research

The May 2026 issue of the Oxford Energy Forum (OEF 149) examines the global energy consequences of the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran in February 2026. The publication describes the crisis as one of the most severe energy shocks in modern history, with the near-total halt […]

Energy Security in Focus After Hormuz Disruption Crisis
Young Research

When speaking the word opportunity as a parent or grandparent to a child, let’s say, what is spoken and what is heard can be two different matters. An “opportunity” to you may be heard as a “you should do this” statement to another. Who likes being told what to do? Your Survival Guy walked by […]

When Speaking the Word “Opportunity,” It Means This
E.J. Smith

US labor productivity continued to grow in the first quarter of 2026, though at a slower pace than initially estimated. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfarm business productivity increased 0.3% as output rose 1.0% and hours worked increased 0.7%. Compared with a year earlier, productivity was up 2.8%. Unit labor costs rose 1.8%, […]

Unit Labor Costs Rise as Productivity Growth Slows
Dick Young

India’s electricity demand is rising rapidly due to economic growth, increasing air conditioner ownership, and higher temperatures, with power consumption growing about 5% annually since 2019. While record additions of solar power have helped meet daytime demand, the country is facing a growing challenge in supplying electricity during hot summer nights when cooling needs remain […]

Air Conditioning Drives India’s Power Spike
Dick Young

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Constellation Energy’s request to transfer transmission rights from its Eddystone plant to the Crane nuclear facility (formerly Three Mile Island Unit 1), clearing a key hurdle for its planned restart. The decision allows 760 MW of Capacity Interconnection Rights to be shifted, improving the plant’s ability to […]

FERC Clears Key Step for Constellation’s Crane Nuclear Restart
Dick Young

Gulf oil exporters are discussing new pipeline projects that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, as ongoing conflict and disruptions have severely restricted shipping through the waterway for more than three months. Kuwait is reportedly in talks with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman about infrastructure that would allow crude exports to be routed overland […]

Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia Consider Oil Pipelines Around Hormuz
Dick Young

Your Survival Guy was on an afternoon walk today when I came across a ship I know all too well. The SSV Tabor Boy from Marion, MA, tied up in Newport, RI, at the Newport Shipyard for America’s Jubilee. I know Tabor Boy because in 1988, when Your Survival Guy was a junior in high […]

Your Survival Guy on the <em>SSV Tabor Boy</em>
E.J. Smith

A Bloomberg report says the United States is quietly shifting strategy in the Strait of Hormuz to improve maritime security after abandoning a more public escort plan known as “Project Freedom.” Instead of openly deploying naval escorts, US forces are now coordinating discreetly with commercial shipping companies, helping vessels transit the strait in lower-profile ways. […]

US Shifts to Low-Profile Strategy to Secure Strait of Hormuz Shipping
Dick Young

US underground natural gas storage capacity increased slightly in 2025, according to EIA data, with growth mainly in the South Central and Mountain regions. Both demonstrated peak capacity and design capacity rose modestly, reflecting continued use of existing facilities and limited new expansion. Demonstrated peak capacity in the Lower 48 states increased by 6 Bcf, […]

EIA Data Shows Steady Rise in U.S. Underground Natural Gas Capacity
Dick Young

Nigeria’s Dangote refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is producing a surplus of jet fuel that can be exported globally, according to CEO David Bird. Reuters reports that lower demand in Africa has allowed the refinery to run at full capacity and position itself as a competitive international supplier, especially as global […]

Dangote Refinery Becomes Global Jet Fuel Exporter Amid Surplus Production
Dick Young

Iraq is planning to significantly increase crude oil exports through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline in Turkey as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed due to ongoing regional conflict, according to Bloomberg. With southern export routes through the Persian Gulf heavily disrupted, Iraq is shifting more oil northward via Turkey to keep shipments moving and reduce reliance […]

Iraq Boosts Ceyhan Pipeline Exports as Hormuz Closure Disrupts Oil Flows
Young Research

To be invested or not to be, that is the question. Because the saddest part of seeing prices go down is getting out of the market and staying out of the market while they rebound and set new highs. This is your plight, investor, if you do not know thyself. You believe you know thyself […]

The Question: To Be Invested or Not to Be
E.J. Smith

In the article, “US to Boost Nuclear Fuel Capacity by 50% in Push to Cut Russian Dependence,” the Financial Times reports that the US will significantly expand domestic nuclear fuel production as part of efforts to reduce reliance on Russian uranium enrichment ahead of a planned import ban in 2028. Urenco will build a new […]

US Expands Nuclear Fuel Capacity to Cut Reliance on Russia
Dick Young

President Trump signed an order temporarily adjusting certain metals-related tariffs through December 31, 2027. The changes reduce tariffs on agricultural equipment such as combines and harvesters from 25% to 15%, expand the 15% tariff category to include mobile industrial equipment like bulldozers and forklifts from eligible trade-partner countries, and create a lower 10% tariff rate […]

Trump Eases Some Metals Tariffs to Boost US Industry
Young Research

Greek shipping billionaire George Prokopiou has moved several tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, positioning them for a possible reopening of the vital oil shipping route, according to the Financial Times. His company, Dynacom Tankers, has already been among the first to send vessels through the strait despite ongoing security risks. Shipping traffic through Hormuz […]

Greek Tanker Owner Bets on Hormuz Reopening
Young Research

Dear Survivor, When you live on a fixed income, it’s a terrifying moment when you wonder if you’ll have enough money for the rest of your life. What’s even more frightening is the day you retire and the years leading up to it, when you can’t stop wondering, “Will I have enough?” What should you […]

Survive and Thrive May 2026: Will You Have Enough?
E.J. Smith

Iran’s Tasnim news agency has reported that the country has withdrawn from peace negotiations with the United States in response to Israel’s increasingly aggressive activity in Lebanon. In response to the news, oil prices have jumped in today’s trading. You can see on my chart below the jump in WTI crude oil prices.

Oil Prices Jump on News of Iranian Withdrawal from Peace Talks
Dick Young