March 25, 2026
5 Assets You Want to Own Right Now
Dear Subscriber,
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| By Sean Brodrick |
There is a monster under your bed right now.
Wall Street doesn’t want to believe in this monster. But it’s already nibbling at your toes.
I’m talking about stagflation.
That’s the toxic mix where growth slumps, inflation is stubbornly high and the job market starts to crack.
It’s the kind of environment that breaks portfolios, wrecks forecasts and leaves policymakers with no good options.
And your investment adviser can’t even conceive of it!
Why? Because the last time America experienced a sustained period of stagflation was 45 to 55 years ago.
It lasted through the 1970s and into the early 1980s.
I was there. Most market participants were not.
I’ll show you a chart, then discuss it.
You can see that inflation and unemployment are rising, and real GDP growth is falling.
We aren’t there yet. But the stagflation monster appears ready to nibble at our toes.
The Bad Dreams Start When Growth Fades
U.S. real GDP increased at just a 0.7% annualized rate in the fourth quarter of 2025. That’s a steep drop from 4.4% in the third quarter.
To be clear, the economy isn’t contracting. But it’s no longer accelerating, either.
What’s more, Goldman Sachs (GS) says the surge in oil and gas prices has increased the probability of a U.S. recession over the next 12 months to 30%.
Prices Head Higher
The Consumer Price Index has stubbornly ranged between 2.9% and 3.2%.
That’s lower than the post-COVID spike, but it’s still well above the Fed’s comfort zone.
Importantly, it’s hitting where consumers feel it most: food, services and everyday costs.
In other words, prices are rising … and those hikes are sticking.
Buh-Bye, Jobs
Then there’s the labor market — the last pillar that holds everything up.
The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4% in February 2026 from 4.3% the month before.
Pair that with softer payroll data and downward revisions, and you’re looking at a job market that’s no longer tightening.
Instead, it’s starting to loosen.
Put those three together, and that sure looks like we’re headed for stagflation.
What Works in Stagflation
Stagflation breaks the usual playbook.
In a normal slowdown, inflation falls and the Fed can cut aggressively.
In a normal inflation spike, growth stays strong enough to absorb higher rates.
But stagflation traps policymakers in the middle.
Inflation is too high to ease. Growth is too weak to tighten. And markets are suddenly all messed up.
Expensive growth stocks lose their shine.
Margins get squeezed.
Financial conditions stay tighter for longer.
And capital rotates into things that can hold value.
If this trend continues, then you want to be positioned in assets that either benefit from inflation or can withstand a slowdown.
Right now, I see five of those.
1. Energy & Hard Commodities
Oil, natural gas and copper are inputs into the real economy. When inflation sticks, it’s often because these inputs are rising or staying elevated.
Energy plays a dual role. It drives inflation, and you can use it as a hedge.
In a world of geopolitical tension, supply shocks and underinvestment, energy prices can stay higher for longer.
2. Precious Metals — Gold & Silver
Gold is the ultimate monetary hedge.
When real yields are volatile and confidence in fiat wobbles, many investors turn to gold as a store of value.
You can also search for gold stocks, or peruse specific names and tickers, on our Weiss Ratings website.
Or … you can see how investors can make 469x more without buying an ounce of gold.
I show you how right here.
Silver moves with gold but brings industrial demand into the mix. And industry has more uses for silver all the time.
3. Real Estate & REITs
You have to be selective here.
Personally, I’m not rushing to buy real estate. That’s because rate-sensitive, overleveraged names can struggle.
But high-quality real estate in supply-constrained markets can still perform well. After all, rents and replacement costs rise with inflation.
So, too, do labor costs as more people are needed to build more AI data centers, for example.
4. Defensive & Value Equities
Companies that sell essentials, generate steady cash flow and pass along higher costs can do very well.
Utilities, pipelines, consumer staples, insurers and select healthcare names fit the bill.
5. Inflation-Protected Securities
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are unlike traditional bonds because their value is not "fixed."
TIPS’ principal (par value) is linked to CPI.
They adjust with inflation, helping preserve purchasing power when traditional bonds struggle.
Underbed Monster-Beating Investments
We’re not in a full-blown 1970s scenario … yet.
But growth has slowed sharply … inflation is proving sticky … the labor market is starting to soften.
And if stagflation does lie ahead, then investors who stay anchored to the old playbook — chasing growth at any price and ignoring real assets — are going to have a rough time.
Two investments I’ve talked about recently should both do well.
One is the Oil & Gas Exploration & Production SPDR (XOP).
I recommended this last week as an oil play, and it’s still good.
The other is gold.
On Feb. 11, I recommended the iShares Gold Trust (IAU) to play the gold rally.
Since then, gold and the IAU have pulled back quite a bit, as the Iran War hammered gold.
That’s a buying opportunity — the long-term trend is still higher.
Let’s look at a performance chart over the past six months …
You can see that gold and the XOP have both gained over the past six months, though the war knocked gold back temporarily.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is grinding its gears.
Maybe the market can see stagflation coming? We’ll see.
The monster is nibbling on your toes now. You'd better shake a leg before it really bites.
All the best,
Sean
P.S. For more direct exposure to these safety valves, you’ll need individual stocks. But not just any stocks.
This coming Tuesday, March 31 at 2 p.m. Eastern, my colleague Michael A. Robinson is showcasing his never-before seen — until now — money flow indicator.
The very same one that helped him lead his subscribers to 16 triple-digit winners recently!
I know I’ll be watching when he reveals it.
I encourage you to do the same here.
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