As Volatility Flares Up Again, Strengthen Your Portfolio

Markets are reacting to fresh tensions. Diversification still works.

Eric Fry Editor, Smart Money WEEKLY ROUNDUP As Volatility Flares Up Again, Strengthen Your Portfolio VIEW IN BROWSER Hello, Reader. Last month, I posed a challenge… Adjust your investing habit and look beyond U.S. markets. Today, I’d like to check in. Let’s start with a brief tour of the home front. Navigating our frenetic stock market during the several weeks has not been an easy task. On one hand, the market is lavishing gains on select companies, but also swiftly and severely punishing others. It feels a bit like living with a pet lion. Sure, it can be cuddly and docile, but it can also maul you… even when it’s just playing, and especially if you scratch its tummy. Precious metals, base metals, energy, and a select “AI-Applier” companies have remained on the lion’s good side. But the lion extended a paw and took a swipe at software stocks during the recent “SaaSpocolypse,” and the sector is still nursing its wounds.  To be clear, I’m by no means bearish on the United States. I think we’re still the ground zero of innovation and capitalistic dynamism. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other opportunities in other countries… especially when so many foreign stocks are sporting valuations that are substantially below their U.S. counterparts. When I first posed the challenge to look overseas, I mentioned that monitoring other countries’ behaviors and what they’re doing with their capital allows you to expand your opportunistic reach. Right now, global markets are under pressure due to higher geopolitical risk following this weekend’s events between the United States and Iran. That means we might see an increase in volatility for U.S. stocks in the near term, especially in broad market indices. Foreign markets may see the same fate, as global investors move to become more risk averse. However, there is still a case to be made for the benefits of diversification. As I stated in my initial challenge: Over the span of a full market cycle, a dose of international exposure can provide a helpful diversification to your portfolio, while also growing your wealth. Spreading investments internationally reduces reliance on the U.S. alone and can smooth overall returns over time. And some markets outside the U.S. may offer cheaper valuations. Long-term investors – especially those focused on diversification – often benefit from foreign stocks over time, even through geopolitical turbulence. One of the easiest ways to diversify into foreign stocks in uncertain times is by investing in an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) that holds a basket of foreign stocks. ETFs like these sometimes focus narrowly on a specific country, like the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ). Others paint with a broader brush. The iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF (EZU), for example, holds a portfolio of stocks from across Europe. ETFs give you diversified exposure across countries and sectors without betting on one region or stock. It’s instant diversification at a lower cost. At Fry’s Investment Report, I have recommended foreign ETFs like EWZ that are currently capturing double-digit gains and outpacing the S&P 500 by a wide margin. While that benchmark U.S. index is hovering around break-even for the year-to-date, EWZ has soared more than 20%. To learn more about my diversification strategy at Fry’s Investment Report, click here. Now, let’s take a look back at what we covered here at Smart Money. Then, I’ll share what you can expect next. Smart Money Roundup February 25, 2026 Markets Move on Belief – Not Facts In Wednesday’s issue, veteran trader Jonathan Rose argues that markets move on shifting expectations, not just headlines. He explains how prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket reveal real-money probability signals before prices adjust – and how smart traders can use these shifts in beliefs to position their portfolios. To read more about how to get ahead of major moves, click here. SPONSORED While you watched Nvidia, these stocks soared While the world stared at one stock, the specialized infrastructure firms surrounding Big Tech quietly exploded: Vertiv (cooling systems): Up 1,200%, Credo Technology (optical connectivity): Up 500%, Arista Networks (data center switches): Up 129%. These are the “plumbing” companies of the AI revolution. And Louis Navellier — who found Nvidia at $60 — says the pattern is about to repeat. Big Tech is dropping $2.8 trillion on infrastructure through 2029. The first wave proved where the gains happen: Not in the companies SPENDING the money. In the companies RECEIVING it. Click here to learn how to get on the right side of this move. February 26, 2026 How to Invest Smartly When the Market Loses Its Mind Drawing lessons from the April 2025 selloff and other historic volatile market moments, this issue explores why investors must stay calm in order to build a winning portfolio. Additionally, I explain why I recommend shifting toward domestically focused U.S. companies and foreign firms that operate solely on their home turf. Click here for more details. SPONSORED I’m a Futurist: Here are 3 stocks better than Nvidia Nvidia’s own customers could soon become fierce competitors, dethroning the AI Chip King. But there’s a critical component that AI data centers need just as badly as chips. The demand is so massive that a single data center uses enough of it to stretch around the earth eight times. While the media hypes up AI chips, the smart money has found the next big thing. Discover Futurist Eric Fry's “Nvidia-killer” stock ideas. Click here for complete analysis. February 28, 2026 The $110 Billion Bet on Super AI – and the Moves to Make Now Last week, OpenAI secured a record-breaking $110 billion funding round, with Amazon, SoftBank, and Nvidia among the major backers racing to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, rather than chasing well-known AI names, I recommend investors follow a three-pronged portfolio strategy to position ahead of the crowd. Click here to read more about my approach. SPONSORED USAR soars 100% — this stock could be next The White House just announced the next phase of its buying plan, with Project Vault, a $10 billion+ effort to stockpile critical minerals. And recently, Washington took a stake in USAR, driving it up as high as 100% in less than a month, just as I predicted months before. Today I’m here to issue ANOTHER urgent buy call. March 1, 2026 Nvidia’s Earnings Signal a Shift in AI Expectations Last week, Nvidia posted a blowout quarter with 73% revenue growth, yet shares still dipped as sky-high expectations proved to be nearly impossible to satisfy. Wall Street legend Louis Navellier warns that this signals an “AI Dislocation” – a shift in market leadership toward overlooked enablers like power, cooling, and networking companies. To learn about Stage 1 and Stage 2 stocks, and the specific companies Louis is eyeing, click here. Looking Ahead As volatility and uncertainty become the new normal, my InvestorPlace colleague Luke Lango has a new playbook: Flip volatility on its head… and embrace momentum trading. While I will continue to sing the praises of value investing, Luke offers a different insight with valuable information. This strategy can allow you to move quickly in and out of stocks as they gain and lose momentum. And to help folks employ this playbook, Luke is gearing up to launch a brand-new screener that he and members alike can use to detect “breakout socks” in advance. He will be joining us in your next Smart Money to share more about this trading strategy and his new screener tool. So, be sure to keep an eye out in your inbox. Regards, Eric Fry Editor, Smart Money

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This "Dynamic Targets" method has been a true break-through for BigTrends. Because it allows traders to recoup their capital way faster than traditional methods, and we've still seen trades hit multi-hundred percent winners on the remainder of the position. What do the trades look like? Let's start with LRCX. The (LRCX) 230 Calls were entered at $3.10. Two days later, they hit their first and second targets, for +50% and +166.13% winners. That trade made +$845 on 3 contracts! The trade before that: The PG 148 Calls were entered at $1.44. 4 Contracts were closed at $2.16 for +50%, and the remaining 2 Contracts were closed at $6.10 for +323.61%. In total, this trade generated a gain of +$1,220. Before that... 7 contracts of the (CRSP) 54 Calls were entered at $1.40. 5 Contracts were closed at $1.96 for +40%, and the remaining 2 Contracts were closed at $10.28 for +634.29%. In total, this trade generated a gain of +$2,056. ( Based on $1k allocation per trade )   Before that, the META 287.5 Calls were entered at $2.57 and 2/3rds of the position was closed at +50.97% while the remainder ran on to +117.90%. And there's a lot more where that came from... Like the Pepsi (PEP) 167.5 Calls. 5 out of 7 contracts were sold for +40.14% (to recoup the investment capital) and then the remainder of the position was closed for +255.63% within 5 days! The beauty of this strategy is that we can adjust the targets based on our number of contracts. So we're always optimizing our exit criteria. And we send the EXACT instructions to our subscribers, How do we find the trades? Our analyst team looks for stocks that have recently closed at new highs. Then they look for a daily pullback from those highs. The signals are DOUBLE CONFIRMED with a Simple Moving Average. 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To summarize, you'll get all of this... - A Deep-Dive Strategy Session (HD Video Recording) - Access to the Settings and Rules Sheets - PDF File - Access to the Weekly Video Update - Training and Recaps And... 12 Months of Trade Alerts + First trade Promise of $1,000 of Profit or 12 Months Free  A combined $7,128 in retail value, for just $477, when you use the DOT1000 promo code. Go Here to Lock in Your Trades and Gifts Now! (This Package Expires Once The 25 Spots Fill) Trade Well, Price Headley Founder and CEO of BigTrends P.S. These never last long... Tap the button below to claim your new trading strategy. Yes, Give Me Access to Dynamic Options Trades... The information above reflects the track record of each of BigTrends.com's trade alerts for this product during the period of time identified. Stocks and options trading have large potential rewards, but also large potential risk. You must be aware of the risks and be willing to accept them in order to invest in the stocks and options markets. Don't trade with money you can't afford to lose. BigTrends.com does not represent that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those discussed. The past performance of any trading system or methodology is not necessarily indicative of future results. All trades, patterns, charts, systems, etc., discussed are for illustrative purposes only and not to be construed as specific advisory recommendations. Information shown is intended for informational purposes only. BigTrends.com is a publisher and the information provided through its products and services are for informational purposes only. To the extent any such information is deemed to be advice, such information is impersonal and not tailored to the investment needs of any specific person. BigTrends.com is not restricted from owning individual securities or options. In addition, certain BigTrends.com affiliates and employees may, from time to time, have long and short positions in, or buy or sell the securities, or derivatives thereof, of companies mentioned in BigTrends.com's products and may take positions inconsistent with the views expressed by BigTrends.com. Unsubscribe HIA Corp. 201 West Vine Street Lexington, Kentucky 40507 United States