A unique inflation hedge you’ve probably never considered

Today’s issue in preview:

• Three stocks for investing in a technology with massive upside

• A unique inflation hedge you’ve probably never considered

• Prepare to read about a booming economy soon. Here’s why

• Our extraordinary track record gets even better: Our thematic trades in Edge Computing, AI infrastructure, and Scandium generate more gains.

• Our Top Themes to buy now

A unique inflation hedge you’ve probably never considered

Credit: isabela66

The Commodity Research Bureau (CRB) Index is a widely followed price benchmark that tracks commodity prices.

First introduced in 1957, the index tracks a basket of raw materials, including crude oil, natural gas, copper, soybeans, sugar, cattle, and wheat.

By tracking a range of commodities, the CRB Index offers investors a comprehensive view of changes in raw material prices. Thus, it’s been called by investment pros the “Dow Jones Average of commodities.”

The CRB Index is also an excellent inflation gauge. It can help you know the rate at which the U.S. dollar is being debased by government borrowing and money printing.

For example, since 2019, the U.S. dollar has declined 51% against the CRB Index. It buys 51% less of a basket of raw materials that become fuel in your car, food on your table, and building materials in cars and homes.

This decline is why being vigilant against inflation is important: governments in most Western nations have promised far too many things to far too many people. They are spending far more on taxpayer benefits and wars than they collect in tax revenues.

The related debts and obligations governments have taken on cannot be paid back with sound money. They can only be paid back with debased, devalued money… much of which is created out of thin air. This is driving inflation and significant currency debasement. Prices are going up because the value of our money is going down.

It’s important to note that the prices of scarce resources are going up. Things that cannot be easily produced or replicated. Things you can’t print. Things that can yield products and services that people value. This is why I’ve highlighted timberland as a unique inflation hedge asset you can buy in the stock market.

This idea was well received by many readers, so today, we’re highlighting one more unique inflation hedge… one more collection of scarce, irreplaceable resources that can preserve your purchasing power: Gravel pits.

When the subject of inflation defense comes up, many people immediately think of gold, the shiny yellow rock we’ve valued as real money for thousands of years. However, owning lots of dull, white rocks can be a great idea as well. Specifically, owning them through America’s two largest construction aggregate firms, Vulcan Materials (VMC) and Martin Marietta Materials (MLM).

Together, Vulcan and Martin Marietta own and operate hundreds of mines across America that produce gravel, sand, and crushed stone – aka “construction aggregates.” These raw materials are literally the foundation of highways, bridges, airports, offices, apartments, homes, and factories. You are virtually guaranteed to have driven on a road made possible by the construction aggregates produced by Vulcan or MM. They are the giants of the industry.

Importantly, many of Vulcan and MM’s mines are in coveted locations near America’s major metropolitan areas. This is key because construction aggregates are very heavy and therefore costly to transport over long distances. Transporting $5 million worth of gold and transporting $5 million worth of gravel are two very different things.

Given how difficult, expensive, and time-consuming it can be to permit and develop a large gravel mine, we can say both VMC and MLM own irreplaceable collections of scarce, in-demand resources. Again, these attributes are key to playing inflation defense. They’ve allowed the market values of VMC and MLM to rise and outpace dollar debasement over the past seven years.

VMC and MLM are also enjoying the U.S. factory and data center building boom we’ve been investing in with great success. As America grows, VMC and MLM grow with it.

Owning a collection of gravel pits and sand mines isn’t as exciting as owning SpaceX or AI stocks. However, if you want to play inflation defense by owning irreplaceable collections of scarce, in-demand assets whose prices can rise along with the rate of money creation, consider VMC and MLM. Plus, when summer construction slows down your car trip, you can tell the family, “Well, at least we’re making some money from all this work.”

Three stocks for investing in a technology with massive upside

Credit: John D

In our June 10 issue, we analyzed the potential upside and current price action of the quantum computing (QC) stock group.

Of the more than 100 investment themes and financial assets we track at Money & Megatrends, few have the potential to change the world more than quantum computing.

For large, complex problems such as drug discovery, nuclear energy, material design, and data encryption, quantum computers are millions of times faster than today’s conventional supercomputers.

This means a world with fully operational quantum computers would be one where technological progress occurs much faster than it does now. The pace of useful new developments in AI, health care, and energy generation could skyrocket… and usher in an era of abundance like we’ve never seen.

Given this promise, QC stocks such IonQ (IONQ), D-Wave (QBTS), Infleqtion (INFQ), and Rigetti Computing (RGTI) are always on our radar. This group is not breaking out to the upside currently, but could soon.

This means it’s not only good to know the “pure play” QC names above, but also to know which companies supply vital equipment and services to this potentially explosive industry.

This focus is often called “selling picks and shovels.” The idea here is that during a 1849-style Gold Rush, you don’t bet all your time and money looking for one big gold strike. Instead, you sell picks and shovels to all the miners. This strategy is usually the safer, surer bet on a growing industry.

Applied to the QC theme, you own established, profitable companies that build the testing equipment, instrumentation, and fabrication tools every quantum hardware developer needs. Your investment can win no matter who ultimately makes the biggest QC breakthrough.

These businesses don’t need quantum computing to succeed – they’re already large, profitable players in the broader semiconductor and test & measurement industries. Quantum computing is simply an additional growth driver layered on top of their core business. That makes them a much lower-risk way to gain exposure to this megatrend.

With this in mind, here are three equipment and service firms that should benefit greatly if there is a QC breakthrough… or simply a surge of investor interest in this theme:

FormFactor (FORM) is a $10 billion leader in semiconductor “probe cards” and test systems that check computer chips for defects before they’re packaged. In quantum computing, FORM builds systems that can test components at temperatures close to absolute zero – colder than outer space. This is a critical service for current QC technology.

Keysight Technologies (KEYS) is also a $59 billion giant in electronic test and measurement. But in quantum, KEYS is building across the entire hardware stack. It builds the “control systems” that act as a quantum computer’s nervous system. It recently delivered the world’s largest commercial system of this kind to a major Japanese research center. Because this is such a large company, quantum is just one of many growth areas, but it’s well positioned for the quantum era.

Oxford Instruments (OXIG.L) is a $1.2 billion UK-based scientific instruments maker. It makes the specialized machines used to fabricate the tiny components inside a quantum computer’s processor. Currently, Rigetti is a customer. Oxford’s tools are essential to the entire process, giving it direct exposure to the wider industry hardware buildout. It’s also a higher risk play at just $1.2 billion market cap.

A big QC breakthrough and commercialization could happen this year. It could happen three years from now. The future of this nascent industry is very much in the air. FORM, KEYS, and OXIG.L offer a way to invest in QC’s upside while benefiting from the safety net of established, profitable businesses backing them.

Prepare to read about a booming economy soon. Here’s why

Credit: Traimak_Ivan

This week makes it official: It’s a bull market in U.S. manufacturing.

As you read this, two of the most important manufacturing ETFs in our coverage universe – the Invesco S&P SmallCap Industrials ETF (PSCI) and the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) – both jumped more than 1% to reach new all-time highs.

These are very bullish economic signals. Avid Money & Megatrends shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve been highlighting these trends for months now.

First, let’s cover PSCI.

PSCI is one of the most important ETFs you’re probably not following. It holds a diversified basket of smaller, lesser-known U.S. manufacturing firms. These companies typically don’t make the front page. There are no “rock star” CEOs like Elon Musk.

These firms operate with little fanfare, providing critical equipment and services the U.S. economy cannot function without. You may not know them, but you most certainly encounter their products when you walk into an office, turn on your car, or flip on the lights. Our factories, vehicles, homes, and cities cannot function without their specialized pumps, motors, filters, fans, valves, gaskets, wiring, bearings, and switches. And their businesses are doing well.

In late 2025 and early 2026, I frequently highlighted how many critical, yet unrecognized U.S. manufacturers were reporting excellent business results and enjoying rising stock prices. At the time, PSCI was regularly registering new all-time highs.

However, PSCI suffered an Epic Fury-induced selloff alongside the broader market. Shares dropped 14% in six weeks. Since then, PSCI has rallied to new all-time highs.

XLI is a fund that holds many well-known, giant manufacturing firms. Major holdings include construction equipment giant Caterpillar (CAT), airplane giant Boeing (BA), agriculture giant Deere & Co. (DE), defense giant RTX (RTX, formerly Raytheon), and energy generation giant GE Vernova (GEV).

Together, XLI and PSCI hold virtually everyone who is anyone in U.S. manufacturing. The fortunes of their components rise and fall with the health of the American economy. And right now, their stocks are soaring.

This exceptional price strength means the economy is doing very well. We are buying and making lots of trucks, tractors, steel, motors, HVAC systems, data centers, power plants, transmission lines, and communication networks.

The stock market is one of the world’s greatest forecasting mechanisms. It tends to look ahead 6-12 months. When an industry is in a recession, its stock prices will rise before the news media says it is recovering. When an industry seems to be doing well, its stock prices will decline before the news covers its downturn. This is often called “discounting the future.”

The new highs in XLI and PSCI tell us to expect to see reports of strong economic activity about six months from now. Please manage your financial affairs accordingly.

Market Notes

• Hotel giants InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB) and RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ) reached new all-time highs today. These are bullish economic signals.

• Our recommendation to ignore the AI bears and stay long AI infrastructurecontinues to pay off. Semiconductor supply chain names Amkor Technology (AMKR), Allegro Microsystems (ALGM), and Cohu (COHU) broke out to new highs today.

• Data storage leaders broke out to new all-time highs today. Sandisk (SNDK), Seagate (STX), and Western Digital (WDC) all hit new highs. These names continue to benefit from the insatiable demand for AI-driven storage infrastructure.

• Our May 5threcommendation to own the “soon-to-be neoclouds” Hut8 (HUT) and Terawulf (WULF) is doing well. HUT is now up 55% since our initial recommendation. WULF reached a new all-time high today.

• Our recommendation to get long the scandium trend is paying off. Scandium mine developer Sunrise Energy Metals (SREMF) jumped 11% this morning to reach a new all-time high. Shares are up 108% since our March recommendation.

• Our recommendation to own “Edge Computing” player One Stop Systems (OSS) is giant winner so far. Shares jumped 18% this morning to reach new all-time highs. The stock is up 118% since our February recommendation.

Regards,

Brian Hunt
Editor, Money & Megatrends

An urgent message from our colleagues:

SPCX: Buy now or wait?

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