Bears and Bulls. But what About Wolves and Tigers? Introducing Lobo Tiggre

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to discuss a macro problem in the world of investing, provide some context and introduce you to Mr. Lobo Tiggre (we've been following him on podcasts and Twitter and believe him to be intriguing, intelligent, and credible).

Pickaxe has never charged fees for articles or accepted advertising/advertorials. Thus, Lobo did not pay for this endorsement.

This is just a blog that stumbles on some great stories, and this is one of them.

Simplified view, Some context:

Generally speaking, most people who follow this blog agree on some troubling trends as follows:

- World debt is over 300 trillion.

- US debt is over 32 trillion and rising.

- Unfunded liabilities are over 167 Trillion and rising.

- Cultural Wars are at all-time highs.

- Trust in mainstream media at all-time lows.

- We don't have a democracy (rule by people) or even oligarchy/plutocracy (ruled by an elite few), but a kleptocracy (meaning our politicians, war profiteers, and captains of industry are stealing out in the open/)

- Key stocks like TSLA, Alphabet, Disney, FANG, Wood's Arkk, etc., are down over 35% on average (some much higher, whereas gold and silver have remained about even.) Meaning gold has outperformed TSLA (example) by 66% in 2022.

- The ruling class grinds the villagers between the millstones of inflation and taxation.

- Inflation is the increase in the money supply that leads to currency debasement and allows the political class to fund war and other deficit spending projects. Those in the rooms that make those decisions profit from these schemes. The working class suffers as they work for a $100 note which costs only .17, so the difference (seignorage) goes to the power elite.

- The war in Ukraine has revved de-dollarization into overdrive, and numerous nations are dropping the dollar like a hot potato. Thus, two-thirds of the world is rushing to dump US dollars. (which will come washing back to our shores.)

-The political class steals through schemes such as campaign finance and lobbying gifts. Still, their biggest scam is buying and selling (mainly) energy, war, and tech stocks after the privilege of committee meetings or "classified-intelligence briefings." This is the classic definition of "insider trading," which is illegal for the villagers but permitted by our rulers.

Presenting Problem

What do you do with your money when all asset classes appear risky? (except for physical gold/silver)

Here are some tips from The Intelligent Investor, a book by Benjamin Graham, published in 1949. Graham recommends:

Find undervalued stocks. The best way to find undervalued stocks is to use fundamental analysis. Fundamental analysis involves examining a company's financial statements and other factors to determine its intrinsic value. If a stock trades below its intrinsic value, it is considered undervalued.
Use a margin of safety. When buying stocks, investors should always use a margin of safety. This means buying stocks trading at a significant discount to their intrinsic value. This will help to protect investors from losses if the stock market declines.
Be patient. Investing is a long-term game. Investors should not expect to get rich quick. Instead, they should focus on finding undervalued stocks and holding them long-term. This will help them to achieve their investment goals.

Lobo deploys a similar strategy, but how is he different from the typical financial adviser?

Lobo uses a team for comprehensive due diligence to find speculative opportunities that have the potential to deliver more significant gains over time than mainstream investments.

Imagine having a time machine and traveling back to when the steam engine replaces the horse. (Buy coal.)
Or when homes had interior walls made of lath and plaster, a construction trend changed. Interior homes started using drywall instead of plaster. The drywall was lighter and faster to install. This meant more profits for home builders. Drywall's chief ingredient is gypsum. (Buy gypsum.)
Nations are rushing into a transition to Net Zero emissions by 2050, and like it or not, these are ambitious initiatives. An electric bus or electric 18-wheeler will take 800 pounds of copper per vehicle. (Buy copper.)

Lobo focuses his research and analysis on these areas:

1. Natural resource commodities—depending on which are in durable, investable trends.

2. Metals and mining stocks are his specialties, especially evaluating exploration and development companies before they have metrics like P/E ratios. The Net Zero agenda is a significant tailwind for many of these, but not all.

3. Energy minerals are another specialty, though as we go to press, Lobo is only interested in Uranium in this space due to the likely impact of a deepening global recession on oil, gas, and even lithium.

Today we're seeing so many transitions. And just like when the coal-fired iron horse replaced wood-fired steam or as the internal combustion engine replaced coal, investment opportunities emerged...Some other examples are below:

Nuclear and Uranium plays as politicians fight with energy companies and institute unrealistic ESG initiatives.
EVs and copper plays.
Gold and silver as a possible hedge against geopolitical and systemic risk.
BRICS and de-dollarization.
Silver is crucial for solar, EVs, electronics, weapons, medical equipment, etc.
Sourcing semiconductors.
Crypto's upside for decentralized exchange or exposure with uncertain regulation and cyber attacks.
Problems with fractional reserve banking schemes.
Figuring out best practices for T-bills as The Fed keeps hiking.

More on Lobo Tiggre

Lobo Tiggre is the founder and CEO of Louis James LLC and the principal analyst and editor of IndependentSpeculator.com.

He researched and recommended speculative opportunities in Casey Research publications from 2004 to 2018, writing under the name "Louis James." While with Casey Research, he learned the ins and outs of resource speculation from the legendary speculator Doug Casey.

Although frequently mistaken for one, Lobo is not a professional geologist. However, his long tutelage under world-class geologists, writers, and investors resulted in an exceptional track record.

A fully transparent, documented, and verifiable track record is a central feature of IndependentSpeculator.com services today. As of May 25, 2023, the average gain of all completed trades is 67%.

Another key feature is that Lobo puts his own money into the speculations he writes about. His readers will always know he has "skin in the game" with them.

Lobo is a strong advocate for disciplined speculation. This is very different from gambling on stock exchanges. He helps his clients balance risk and reward in the speculative portions of their portfolios.

He is a frequent speaker on natural resource investment and related topics. He has appeared on Bloomberg, BNN, INN, Kitco News, and other media outlets.

Lobo is a trusted advisor to his clients. He's known for his honesty, integrity, and commitment to providing excellent service. He is dedicated to helping his clients achieve extraordinary gains with manageable levels of risk.

The Pickaxe interviews Lobo Tiggre.

I was fortunate to speak to him over the phone and wanted to share some of the highlights.

We discussed mining in Mexico, and he brought up a great insight.

Many mines employ women because they are "easier" on the expensive gear used in the mining process. Men tend to get too aggressive or careless with the machinery leading to maintenance costs. There are also numerous other job details in the miner's daily routine where women are exceptional workers. With more women employed in the mining sector, some favorable social conditions result.

Culturally, Latin American women are forced into coercive relationships because they depend on the man's income. So this sociological change has improved the social fabric significantly. Not only that, but the mining industry has turned sleepy towns into booming communities with thriving artisan communities, shops, restaurants, tourism, foot traffic from tourism, etc. Most importantly, schools and medical facilities have been able to find funding.

Business Model

Lobo states that most people can't afford his consulting fee, which is $5,000 per hour. His entry-level service, My Take, allows him to "consult" in a group rather than individually for only $50 per month. It's like a syndicate of investors who can make requests and benefit from his experience.

Another way of seeing it is that it's like taking group lessons. Few could afford a private golf lesson from Tiger Woods. But, if a group of golfers gathered on the driving range, a golf pro like Tiger could make his way across the driving range jumping from player to player, working with everyone simultaneously, resulting in "pooled" resources paying for the expert's time and wisdom.

Lobo does not accept any payment from the companies he researches and writes about, going so far as to pay his own expenses when he visits a site to avoid any possible conflict of interest.