The National Investor

This is a video presentation I recorded recently at the request of the New York Section of the SME, where I will be speaking in person later in May on this and other topics.

The main message here is this: Though many who follow, work or invest in American mining companies and ancillary industries are understandably excited over President Trump's Executive Orders looking to streamline/speed up permitting and the like, "victory" is being declared much too soon.

Largely unaddressed are the many other bottlenecks and hurdles to reinvigorating U.S. production of many critical materials: labor shortages, no current technology, supply chains and a LOT more.

Most of all, given the budget constraints that will be placed on this agenda, President Trump's energy, permitting reform and critical materials agenda will be woefully lacking financially, economically and more.

So this is a BRUTAL reality check -- and explains why we desperately need leadership that thinks and acts "outside the box." That includes the enactment of a National Infrastructure Bank as well as similar measures to fund our national needs in a much more serious way than what appears to be the case otherwise.

LOTS on tap for this episode, though I do my best to keep my own remarks limited so that you'll spend time on the below as you can!

LINKS:

-- https://theequityexplorers.com/

Our Investor Boot Camp the week of June 2

-- https://www.smenet.org/

Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration

-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEaj5ddwJKQ

My SME Presentation on what is needed to build a durable framework for U.S. Energy and mining, etc.

-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNEw3qq0Sok

Prof. Glenn Diesen and Alex Krainer discussion

-- https://x.com/onechancefreedm/status/1923343519642501285

Twitter / X user EndGame Macro -- one of several recent missives on bond market troubles (check him out!)

-- https://x.com/wolfofwolfst/status/1924693065060778127

Wolf Richter on the implosion in the Japanese bond market

-- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/citi-ceo-something-deeper-is-going-on-in-financial-markets-right-now-164730586.html

Citigroup's CEO Jane Fraser's recent poignant comments, in part, "We are entering a new phase of globalization — one less defined by cooperation, and more by strategic self-interest...Long-held assumptions are being challenged, not just by tariff announcements but by a deeper confidence shock. The near-term impact is already being felt, and the long-term trajectory is being rewritten in real time."

-- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgans-dimon-sees-extraordinary-amount-of-complacency-as-markets-recover-from-tariff-shock-173513913.html

J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on "the extraordinary amount of complacency" in markets.

Here, Chris gets a fresh update from Victor Cantore, C.E.O. of Amex Exploration (TSXV-AMX; OTCQX-AMXEF) following the substantial increase in the Mineral Resource Estimate at the Perron Project.

HIGHLIGHTS:

-- Significant increase in the size of the resource, especially in the Measured and Indicated gold category (over 1.6 million ounces now there) and at a higher grade still.

-- Victor lays out a methodical but accelerating game plan toward production

-- Additional further increases to the resource are likely coming as expansion and more definition drilling takes place over the rest of 2025 and later.

-- NEW discoveries are also being targeted, especially with the massive overall size of Amex's footprint now following the acquisition recently of Perron West.

Here, and just after an in-depth, at-site visit with this Palm Beach County, Florida-based developer and construction company, Chris visits again remotely with C.E.O. Joe Basile of JFB Construction Holdings. This comes in the wake of the past week's release of the company's Q1 financials, its first such report as a public company (JFB went public back at the beginning of March.)

You'll learn here some of the key reasons JFB shares are HIGHER by about a third since their first trade after going public, while the construction/home building space generally has been weak (indeed, the iShares US Home Construction ETF -- CBOE-ITB -- is LOWER by about a third from its most recent 52-week high.)

A combination of a strong, conservative family culture, a well-deserved stellar reputation, sound management and being in MANY right places at the right times makes JFB a solid bet for your portfolio, as you'll find out!

As most of you know, I have embraced anew the cyber security space for a host of reasons; not the least of which is due to President Trump's D.O.G.E. "repurposing," which--among other things--means LOTS more federal spending for this specifically, and I.T. and related spending generally, as you'll learn...

Plurilock Security, Inc. (TSXV-PLUR; OTCQB-PLCKF) is one of my new recommendations for 2025 given not just what I see coming from government spending but that--more broadly--cyber security is re-emerging as perhaps THE most important sector in technology if not the overall market generally.

Ahead of my deep dive here into Plurilock with C.E.O. Ian Paterson, I spend several minutes setting the table thematically for why today's "Y2Q Menace," as I have recently dubbed it, is FAR more dangerous than was the "Y2K" pseudo-crisis a quarter of a century ago. Unlike that incident--which largely proved itself to have been somewhat exaggerated when all was said and done--today's challenge is much more dire.

AND IT -- UNLIKE Y2K -- HAS NO EXPIRATION DATE!

Plurilock at its present depressed price, I.M.O., does not begin to reflect its attributes and progress as a business.

WATCH CAREFULLY AND THOUGHTFULLY as Ian discusses Plurilock's business, all the moving parts and an all-star group of management/advisors you seldom find in such a micro-cap company...and then take your position if and as you see fit!

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Promised Links:

Grid down, Power Up!:

My interview with David Tice – https://strategicmpr.com/our-causes/grid-down-power-up

Link to the full Grid Down, Power Up! documentary – https://griddownpowerup.com/

My interview by Dawn Van Zant of Investorideas.com on “The New FAANGS,” focusing on defense and cyber security – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-IbDAFC-qc

Investor Boot Camp beginning the week of June 2 – https://theequityexplorers.com/

Link to Plurilock's May 1 & 2 financial results for 2024 and webcast, respectively, – https://plurilock.com/press-release/plurilock-security-inc-reports-fiscal-2024-financial-results/ and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEEqdqF8hD8

President Trump’s Executive Order setting up D.O.G.E. -- https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/

“Meet the Plurilock Team” -- https://plurilock.com/company/meet-the-team/

Code and Country podcast -- https://plurilock.com/podcast/ or codeandcountry.fm

Here, Chris catches up with Guanajuato Silver's C.E.O. James Anderson to chiefly go over the news release of April 28, announcing uber-strong financial results underpinning the company's third straight quarter of positive Mine Operating Income.

This is one of the most compelling company-building stories in the mining space that we've ever covered; and beyond unpacking the latest specific news, Anderson recaps how he's taken GSVR from a "standing start" with no assets to a compelling -- AND still woefully undervalued -- producer with, now, a total of six producing assets.

He also recaps a lot of the fascinating history of this storied and beautiful mining-oriented city...the company's close relationships with the people...and more.

LINKS MENTIONED:

To Chris' recent precious metals tutorial -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzceo81545o

To Guanajuato Silver's web site -- https://gsilver.com/

To The Bullion Store, where you can buy your own silver (and MAgGA hat!) -- https://store.gsilver.com/

For most of this new episode of your Money Today, I visit with Co-portfolio Manager Brad Lamensdorf of the Advisor Shares Ranger Equity Bear ETF (NYSEArca-HDGE).

HDGE has been shining so far in 2025, UP about 15% for the year against about a 7% decline in the S&P 500 through late this week.

More important, HDGE does not employ the money-burning options and related strategies of the typical inverse ETFs that focus robotically on shorting various indices/sectors; so in relative terms there is less risk with HDGE.

You'll learn why HDGE is our single biggest portfolio weighting in ETFs. Its active strategy focusing on a few key factors is one I expect will continue to perform well for us as this secular bear market unfolds. Further, I suspect you will find as I have over time that the clinical, NON- "religious" approach that Brad and his partner John Del Vecchio take makes GREAT sense!

To learn more, visit https://advisorshares.com/etfs/hdge/

Also, for the link to my discussion on President Trump's energy and minerals-related E.O.'s, the National Infrastructure Bank, etc., visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEaj5ddwJKQ

There are several good, fundamental reasons why the share price of one of my long-time favorites, Avino Silver & Gold Mines, Ltd. (NYSE-ASM; TSE-ASM) has TRIPLED over he last year.

In this video update with C.E.O. David Wolfin you'll learn / re-learn them and get an update on how the record financial performance by the company in 2024 and more may actually see a more robust growth to Intermediate status for Avino in the next few years than planned previously!

MAKE SURE to spend some time at Avino's chock-full web site -- https://avino.com/ -- for the whole story of a solid company that STILL represents one of the best bargains out there even after its gains of the last year!

I'm joined here by CEO Victor Cantore of Amex Exploration (TSXV-AMX; OTCQX-AMXEF) just following the closing of a substantial new acquisition: The Perron West property, which multiplies the company's district-scale potential in Eastern Canada's prolific Abitibi region several-fold.

He discusses the attractiveness and low cost of this acquisition; one with numerous past gold, copper and other showings.

Then we get back to the present-day core of Amex's story: the growing of the existing resource and PEA at Perron, which late in 2024 showed a robust and nicely profitable (and that was at $2,000 gold, folks!) initial mine of, likely, a larger one and others to come.

Amex remains one of my premier exploration stories at The National Investor.