The Deep Woods: Love, Poverty, War, Gratitude

RJ Hamster

The Deep Woods: Love, Poverty, War, Gratitude

Forecasts & Strategies Bullseye Stock Trader TNT Trader About Jim

In This Issue:

• Love, Poverty, War, Gratitude
• ETF Talk: Gather Gains Globally with This Fund
• Pets Rule! My Top MoneyShow Pick for 2026
• Jeffersonian Losses

Love, Poverty, War, Gratitude

by Jim Woods
Editor, Forecasts & Strategies, Bullseye Stock Trader, Tactical Trader, Five Star Trader, and TNT Trader

02/04/2026

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A new computing shift is already underway, but almost no investors recognize it yet.

This short video explains how an early company is building the platform many professionals already use daily, and why some early investors believe it could follow the same path as past tech breakouts.

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Invest Before the Round Closes

*DISCLOSURE: This is a paid advertisement for Immersed Reg A+ offering and involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Please read the offering circular and related risks immersed.comThis week’s issue of The Deep Woods is special to me. The reason why is that this is the first issue where I get to introduce myself directly to Mark Skousen’s Investor CAFÉreaders. If you’ve come to me through the Investor CAFÉ, I am both humbled and honored for your readership. In fact, my gratitude level is such that I feel impelled to share a little bit more about me; my background, my philosophic perspective and what I’m all about. So, today, let me touch on the essentials, and I will do so through the devices of love, poverty and war.

Now, you may have heard the old adage born of the literary world that says a man’s life is incomplete until he has tasted love, poverty and war.

Beginning with the latter, my closest brush came in January 1991. I was just graduating from the U.S. Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, as the bombs began raining down on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. As it turned out, that conflict was so short-lived that I missed out on the war leg of the complete life.

As for poverty, well, although I come from a modest middle-class American family, I would hardly say that qualifies as poverty by global standards. And aside from some lean, post-college days working at the financial newspaper Investor’s Business Daily, I would also have to say that poverty has eluded me.

When it comes to love, however, this is where I’ve more than made up for any deficit in the other two complete life components. Love of family, friends, career, music, literature, philosophy, nature, fitness, sport and perhaps most of all, love of learning and educating, are the animating forces at the core of my being.

That love runs particularly deep when talking about the love I have for helping investors better understand — and better profit from — the financial markets. In fact, you might say that this love is a form of war on poverty itself… the poverty of knowledge that keeps investors paralyzed into subpar performance.

Ironically, my love for this pursuit also encompasses my own desire to be a complete man, engaging in a war to help others overcome their own conception of poverty. Now, as part of my work, I often integrate the knowledge I’ve gained through my various passions in life. One such passion is horsemanship.

Here, I take pride in learning about myself from one of the best teachers on earth — the horse. You see, the horse is a herd animal, and one that has evolved over millions of years to thrive in its group social structure. The horse also is an animal that requires leadership, as the highest-ranking mares of the herd are leaders, directing the movement of the group to different grazing areas or water sources.

In “natural horsemanship” of the kind I practice, the horseman is tasked with taking the “lead mare” role. In doing so, the horseman must provide the leadership to his beloved animals that they require to survive and flourish.

This method works well, provided the horseman has the requisite confidence in his knowledge and skills, and provided he has accepted the responsibility of assuming the lead mare role.

Confidence here is perhaps the most important ingredient, but confidence only comes after you’ve done the hard work to acquire the knowledge and skill necessary to assume that confident lead-mare swagger.

Have you ever noticed that truly confident people walk with their heads up?

Think about that for a moment. Have you ever known a confident person that’s always looking down? The answer is almost certainly no, and the reason why is because confident people don’t look down. They look up, and they take on life with the responsibility of a lead mare.

That lead mare role is one that I assume not only with my horses, but also with my approach to investing, and when it comes to my mission of helping subscribers to my multiple newsletter advisory services achieve market-beating returns.

And after nearly three decades in this industry, I have built up the requisite knowledge and skill needed to be the lead mare when it comes to helping investors grow and protect their money. Of course, the best part here is I’m always learning, because knowledge, and money, never sleep.

One thing you’ll always get from me is that aforementioned sense of confidence gained via knowledge and experience. Whether it’s through my writing, my speaking events or a face-to-face meeting, one thing you’ll quickly notice is that I’m the type of lead mare that never looks down.

So, if you want to run alongside me with the confidence of a lead mare, then I invite you to read The Deep Woods each Wednesday. I also invite you to check out all of my newsletter advisory services. And the best part is that you can do so right here, right now, by checking out the links below:

Forecasts & Strategies

Bullseye Stock Trader

Tactical Trader

Five Star Trader

TNT Trader

Upcoming Appearances

Today, Feb. 4, 4 p.m. EST, I will be doing an online presentation with the experts at TradeOutLoad and TimingResearch. My presentation is titled, “5 Traits Every Stock Should Have Before You Trade It.” This presentation, and the entire three-day online event, is free, but you must register to participate. See you later this afternoon!

The MoneyShow Las Vegas is just around the corner. Join me, and a plethora of investment experts at Paris Las Vegas for immersive education and market intelligence you can use immediately… not to mention an unforgettable experience! The MoneyShow Las Vegas will be held Feb. 23-25, 2026. This three-day experience brings together more than 1,000 market participants, 100+ exhibitors, renowned keynote speakers and some of the most respected financial minds on Wall Street.

I will be delivering two talks, and I will also be a participating on a panel titled, “The Debasement Trade: How to Hedge (and Profit) in FX, Metals and More.” I’ll also be hanging out at the Eagle Financial Publications booth, so if you will be in Las Vegas, come introduce yourself, shake my hand and let’s connect. This event is also free, and all you have to do to attend is register here.

Tech Wizards 2026 Conference: Indicators, Algorithms, Software, Apps, And More!Get exclusive insight and gain knowledge from 30 trading experts, each sharing their top tools for today’s markets.

Listen while they give their diverse perspectives on a wide range of techniques for using the best indicators, algorithms, software, and apps.

Also, by registering for this event you’ll receive a special report call “9 Hottest Tech Stocks For 2026: Algo-Generated Watchlist of The Current Best Tech Opportunities.”

Reserve Your Spot NowETF Talk: Gather Gains Globally with This Fund

Lou Reed once crooned that we should take a “Walk on the Wild Side,” and for any of my readers who are familiar with that specific song, understand that things are not always better on said “wild side.” So, today, we are taking a walk on the tame side… albeit the international one.

The Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF (LVHI) is an international-investing exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks an all-cap index of developed ex-U.S. stocks, selected and weighted to emphasize profitability, high dividends, low price volatility and low earnings volatility. LVHI explicitly aims for what the issuer calls “stable yield.” The fund’s use of technical and fundamental factors in search of dividend sustainability sets it apart from many competing funds which rely solely on the latter.

LVHI considers the volatility of prices and earnings in addition to yield and positive earnings. The fund culls a relative handful of names from its broad parent index using this approach, and weights them in the same fashion, subject to constraints. Specifically, the fund’s REITs and country exposure is capped at 15%, while geographic exposure will not exceed 50%. Also, issuers are capped at 2.5%, and sectors are capped at 25%.

The fund has assets under management of around $4.07 billion and an expense ratio of 0.40%. It is currently up 4.83% over the last month, 12.72% over the last three months and 6.11% year to date.

Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com.

Top holdings include Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ.TO), 2.67%; Suncor Energy Inc. (SU.TO), 2.64%; Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. (ISP.MI), 2.37%; Shell Plc (NYSE: SHEL), 2.35%; Novartis AG (NOVN.SW), 2.30%; Rio Tinto plc (NYSE: RIO), 2.20%; Roche Holding Ltd Dividend Right Cert. (ROG.SW), 2.16%; Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO), 2.02%; GSK plc (GSK.L), 1.98% and Mitsubishi Corporation (8058.T), 1.96%.

While we’re walking on the tame side today, you may still find this journey too wild for your portfolio. Investors should always do their due diligence before adding any stock or ETF to their portfolios.

Finally, I am happy to answer any of your questions about ETFs, so do not hesitate to send me an email. You just may see your question answered in a future ETF Talk.

The 3-Day Advantage: Why Winning Traders Think Like Chess MastersIn chess, grandmasters don’t react to the last move. They see 3 moves ahead while their opponent is still processing what just happened.

The same principle separates winning traders from everyone else in February 2026.

While most traders scramble to interpret yesterday’s price action, VantagePoint’s A.I. is already forecasting the next 3 days with up to 87.4% proven accuracy.

Right now, volatility is creating 5 explosive setups.

You’re looking at the same charts. But are you seeing 3 moves ahead?

Discover the 3-Day A.I. Advantage – Register FreeIn case you missed it…

Pets Rule! My Top MoneyShow Pick for 2026

It happens every January, and every January, I love it. I am referring here to the report I receive, and am honored to contribute to, that contains the “Top Picks” for the coming year from what is quite possibly the best collection of market mavens in the world today. This publication, aptly named the MoneyShow 2026 Top Picks Report, just dropped, so I wanted to make sure The Deep Woods readers know all about it.

This report, compiled by my friend and MoneyShow Editor-in-Chief Mike Larson and the excellent MoneyShow team, is fantastic for generating stock ideas for the coming year.

This year’s publication contains some 68 unique top picks provided by 39 different experts, including analysts, money managers, strategists, newsletter editors and other experts. And as mentioned, I am honored to be one of those experts. This issue of the MoneyShow 2026 Top Picks Report is their 45th, an amazing achievement from an amazing group of professionals that continue to impress through the decades.

To give you a sense of the efficacy of some of the picks in this report, just last year, the top-performing picks delivered tracked gains of 567.7%, 400%, 148.7%, 146.3% and 144.5%. Will there be more of the same this year? Well, time will tell, but you can find out right now what the experts say about what stocks are likely to outperform this year.

I strongly encourage you to download the MoneyShow 2026 Top Picks Report today, as it’s a great read full of great information from some great minds. Oh, and it’s completely free!

Of course, I don’t intend on keeping The Deep Woods readers hanging when it comes to a sample of my contribution to this report, so today, I am going to share with you one of my two picks you can find in the MoneyShow report. I hope it prompts you to download the free report today so you can receive the rest of the wisdom contained throughout its pages.

And so, without further delay, here is one of my MoneyShow 2026 Top Picks, one that I call, “Pets Rule!”

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There’s only one downside to owning pets, and that is their relatively brief lifespan. I’ve experienced the sadness accompanying this reality multiple times over the past several years, as I’ve had to bid farewell to my beloved 12-year-old chow chow, Hemingway, and my 20-year-old Persian cat, Danica. Both pets hung on bravely after their respective health diagnoses, and I am grateful they were able to make me smile even through their illnesses.

As pet owners know, caring for ailing fur babies involves multiple experiences at the veterinarian’s office, visits that often come with multiple batteries of diagnostic tests. Providing those tests is Idexx Laboratories (IDXX).

Idexx stock gapped to an all-time high in November 2025 after the company reported outstanding earnings that easily bested Wall Street estimates, a feat regularly accomplished by the Westbrook, ME-based firm. That quarter’s earnings beat also came complete with a raised outlook for the full year.

Interestingly, the bull case for IDXX and other companies in the vet diagnostics space is the aging needs of animals born during the 2020 pandemic puppy boom. As these cuties mature, they will require more and more veterinary care. And of course, pet lovers are always willing to spend more on their pets and own more and more animals. Why? Well, because life is more beautiful with pets.

Beautiful also are the financial metrics posted by Idexx, metrics that include earnings-per-share (EPS) growth over the past several quarters and several years in the top 10% of all companies per Investor’s Business Daily (as of December 12, 2025). As for share price performance, the stock’s 52-week gain of 60.4% (through December 12, 2025) also vaults it into the top 10% of all stocks on a relative price strength basis.

The combination of robust earnings growth and strong share price performance is the bullish cocktail I like to drink when adding a stock to my portfolio, and IDXX delivers on both ingredients.

In 2026, I say we drink to the love of pets, and the love of profits, with Idexx Laboratories (IDXX).

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Once again, for more picks like this, from 38 other stock picking pros, I strongly recommend you download the free report, MoneyShow 2026 Top Picks Report, today.

Oh, and always remember… Pets Rule!

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Jeffersonian Losses

“The most successful war seldom pays for its losses.”

–Thomas Jefferson

Whether it’s a war waged on another country, or a war waged within our country, and especially when it’s a war waged within American cities, “success” quite often comes at a considerable cost. Our current political leaders would be wise to remember what Jefferson said here, because indeed, war seldom pays for its losses.

Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.In the name of the best within us,

Jim Woods
Editor, Investing Edge, Bullseye Stock Trader, and Crypto & Commodities Trader

About Jim Woods:

Jim Woods has more than 25 years experience in the markets, as a stock broker, hedge fund money manager, author, speaker and independent analyst. Today Jim serves as editor and investment director of the long-running newsletters Forecasts & Strategies, Bullseye Stock Trader, TNT Trader, Five Star Trader, and Tactical Trader, and a Live Coaching service offered exclusively to his readers.

His articles have appeared on many leading financial websites, including StockInvestor.com, InvestorPlace.com, Main Street Investor, MarketWatch, Street Authority, and many others.

About Us:

Eagle Financial Publications is located in Rosslyn, VA. – Blocks from the Capitol. Our products have been helping investors build their wealth for several decades. Whether you’re a long-term investor or short-term trader, you’ll find the right strategy for you, including how to earn more steady income to spend now, preserve and grow your capital to enjoy later, and whatever other investment goals you have.

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CETX Is Gaining Momentum Across Security and Defense!

RJ Hamster