In This Issue: - No, I'm Not in the Epstein Files
- ETF Talk: A Passport to Momentum
- Answer This Revealing Dinner Party Question
- Star Trek Wisdom
| | No, I'm Not in the Epstein Files | | They're Calling It "The Great Reset." Here's How to Opt Out. WEF says "you'll own nothing and be happy." CBDCs are rolling out. FedNow went live. Canadian truckers got their accounts frozen in 2022. Your money sits in a system designed to control you. But BlackRock and institutions aren't worried. They're using a 3-phase framework to build wealth in markets the government can't touch, can't freeze, and can't regulate.
See how to position outside their control before it's too late | | | No, I'm Not in the Epstein Files
"Jim, please tell me you're not in the Epstein files."
That's what a close friend said to me over the weekend, and while her question was a bit of a surprise, the answer is that, to the best of my knowledge… my name does not appear in the Epstein files. I didn't know Jeffrey Epstein, I didn't know his partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell and I've never engaged in the sorts of reprehensible moral and criminal activities that both were convicted of.
And despite the fact that I actually do know some of the people that appear in the Epstein files through my work on Wall Street, and via my various journalistic, scientific and financial relationships, I wasn't in any way close enough to Epstein to have any direct or even tangential contact with the nefarious elements of this sphere.
Remarkably, the Epstein sphere was incredibly diverse, with hundreds of uber-high-profile Epstein associates all over the files, referenced in emails, in photographs, in flight logs, in investigative documents, etc.
Big name attorneys (Alan Dershowitz), tech moguls (Elon Musk, Sergey Brin), captains of industry (Les Wexner, Bill Gates, Richard Branson), princes of finance (Leon Black, Howard Lutnick, Ariane de Rothschild), British royalty (Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson), entertainment elite (Michael Jackson, Woody Allen), scientists (Stephen Hawking, Lawrence Krauss), academics (David Gelernter, Marvin Minsky, Larry Summers), public intellectuals (Sam Harris, Noam Chomsky) and, of course, the former and current Presidents of the United States, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, all are characters mentioned to various degrees in this trove of sordid documents.
Hey, it only took an act of Congress to finally release these heavily redacted files, so that should tell you a lot about how much some people stand to lose from their release.
Now, I am definitely not saying that anyone in the Epstein files is in any way implicated in any wrongdoing simply by the fact that their names appear in the files. For example, author and neuroscientist Sam Harris was briefly mentioned in the files, and the story surrounding it is actually quite humorous.
After having met Epstein at a TED conference luncheon, Harris recalled the incident in a recent episode of his podcast, Making Sense. According to Harris, there were approximately 12 people at this TED conference luncheon; one was Epstein, and another was a young woman in her early 20s sitting on Epstein's knee. Harris characterized it as having a "sugar daddy vibe." He also said Epstein had "colossal douchebag" energy.
After that luncheon, Epstein emailed Harris to invite him to dinner with Noam Chomsky and Woody Allen. Harris already had a well-known and quite caustic public debate via email with Chomsky in 2015 over the morality of U.S. foreign policy.
Harris claims, rightly in my view, that Chomsky sees American actions as morally equivalent to, or worse than, jihadist terrorism. Chomsky argued that he does not view them as equivalent, but rather that the United States should be judged by the same standards it applies to others.
I am firmly in the Harris camp here, as Chomsky has basically argued that body count is the real arbiter of morality in foreign conflicts. This numerical assessment is flawed for many reasons, not to mention it fails to address the morality of a conflict. You can read the full exchange between Harris and Chomsky here.
Back to the Harris appearance in the Epstein files, Harris replied to Epstein that he would only attend the dinner "if we film it," which was basically a polite way to deflect an invitation Harris had no intention of accepting, as he explained in his podcast.
So, here we see that this brief mention of Harris in the Epstein files is not at all condemnatory -- in fact, quite the opposite. For Chomsky, however, his Epstein files mentions are far more problematic. Here we learn that Chomsky was in direct contact with Epstein in 2019 while Epstein was in jail awaiting trial. Chomsky was reportedly giving Epstein advice on how to handle the media during this time.
Perhaps more damning, the files confirm that Epstein facilitated a $270,000 transfer in 2018 involving Chomsky's own funds. Chomsky has stated this was merely a technical transfer of his own money from one account to another to settle his first wife's estate, and perhaps that's true, but the use of Jeffrey Epstein as an intermediary has drawn widespread scrutiny about the nature of their relationship. Even Chomsky's wife, Valéria, has come out publicly and recently acknowledged "serious errors in judgment" regarding their Epstein ties.
The wider takeaways here are that even if you have done nothing untoward, your name can be in the Epstein files. That said, as we've seen in the case of Chomsky and numerous other high-profile figures from multiple walks of life, if it is revealed that you were associated with Epstein closely, even after it became public in 2008 that he was a convicted sex offender, then you likely have some reputational rehabilitation to perform in your near future.
Of course, there is one way to help ensure you avoid ever getting into a situation like so many of the people mentioned in the Epstein files are currently in, and it's a way that can be summed up by one simple idiom that does a whole lot of work here.
In Latin, it reads: qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent. In English, it reads: "He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up with fleas."
Choose your friends wisely.
Upcoming Appearances
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.
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Get the full story here. | | | ETF Talk: A Passport to Momentum
"In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable."
-- Rob Arnott, founder and chairman of the board of Research Affiliates
Comfort in markets often takes the form of familiarity -- domestic exposure, recognizable names, established trends. Yet the biggest long-term returns are often driven not by familiarity, but by identifying and pursuing persistent strength patterns wherever they appear.
Investors willing to step into the unfamiliar may want to look at this week's ETF, the iShares MSCI International Momentum Factor ETF (IMTM). This fund blends momentum factor investing with international investing to present a bold strategy for investors ready to look beyond their home turf.
IMTM seeks to track an index that focuses on large- and mid-cap stocks outside of the United States that exhibit relatively high price momentum. Its holdings are weighted by both market capitalization and momentum score, allowing the strongest-performing stocks to take the lead while maintaining diversified exposure across developed international markets.
Similar to its U.S.-focused counterpart, the iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM), IMTM follows a disciplined, rules-based momentum methodology, but it extends that approach past domestic borders. This global lens allows investors to participate in leadership cycles that may emerge outside the United States, expanding the opportunity set beyond familiar terrains.
This fund has a heavy focus on Financial Services and Industrials within its portfolio. Its top 10 holdings constitute 20.42% of its total assets and include HSBC Holdings plc (HSBA.L), 2.64%; Banco Santander, S.A. (SAN.MC), 2.58%; ASML Holding N.V. (ASML.AS), 2.55%; Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (RR.L), 2.17%; Siemens Energy AG (ENR.DE), 2.06%; Rheinmetall AG (RHM.DE), 1.92%; Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY), 1.80%; Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA.MC), 1.75%; Iberdrola, S.A. (IBE.MC), 1.55% and The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD), 1.40%.
IMTM has net assets of $3.73 billion and a low expense ratio of just 0.30%. It also has delivered strong recent returns, rising 5.84% over the last month, 12.91% in the last three months and 39.00% for the last year.
Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com.
The chart above illustrates the results of seeking momentum beyond familiar borders, which, for the last year, produced a steady upward climb. By focusing on recent winners abroad, the fund has benefited from trends that may not have been captured within U.S.-focused portfolios.
It is important to note, however, that momentum-based strategies can experience sharper swings than broad market index funds. Leadership cycles shift, and when trends reverse, gains can give way to periods of underperformance. International exposure also introduces additional considerations, including currency fluctuations and differing economic conditions across regions.
For those prepared to embrace that variability, the fund may offer meaningful diversification and growth potential. It may be especially appealing to investors looking to expand their sources of return beyond traditional domestic exposures.
As with any investment, decisions should be made with careful consideration and should reflect individual financial objectives and overall portfolio strategy. Investors should always do their due diligence and research any stock, fund or ETF before adding it to their portfolios.
Of course, 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.
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See How It Works - Free Training Inside | | | In case you missed it…
Answer This Revealing Dinner Party Question
"Life is… (fill in the blank)."
This was a most interesting and quite revealing question posed to participants of a dinner party I once attended.
The question was asked by an extremely learned and wise man who my readers likely know; however, I will refrain from mentioning any names other than my own in this story in order to, as they say, "protect the innocent."
I love this question, because it goes to the essence of how one feels about his/her place in the universe. And, based on one's answer, you can tell a lot about that person.
For example, one guest responded to the question "Life is…" with a reference to the classic film, "Forrest Gump." That response was… "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get."
By this answer, I could tell the person was heavily influenced by pop culture. More importantly, I could tell they viewed life as a series of events that happen to them in which they are forced to react. And while it is true that events beyond our control happen to everyone every day, the essence of life is not, in my view, a series of events that we are forced to react to.
In my view, man is a being of self-made soul, and we can choose to react to events and make the world our own -- if we have the mettle to do so.
This attitude was reflected in my own response to the probing "Life is…" query, which I will reveal right now: "Life is a dragon we can tame."
Admittedly, this response came to me via a flash of self-plagiarism, as it bears a close resemblance to a lyric in a song that I wrote titled, "Un-Rearranged," that says, "The world's a dragon we can tame."
But what does this actually mean, and what does it reveal about me?
It means the recognition that life is by nature a struggle and that existence is not a spectator sport. In order to survive, and especially to prevail, one must recognize first that life requires purposeful action directed via the only tool of survival man is equipped with, and that is his reason.
You see, it is only through reason that we can know what the world is made of, how it works, why things happen, how we can affect things and how we can, if you will, tame the dragon.
The dragon is, I think, an apt metaphor for life. Think about what a dragon represents. It represents all of mankind's most primal fears wrapped up in one mythical creature. A giant serpent that flies, and that also breathes deadly fire!
Indeed, humans have long been inculcated with fear of the serpent, and it's no surprise that one makes such a dastardly appearance as the deceptive trickster who promotes what God has forbidden in the Book of Genesis.
Then there's the fire factor, of which humans are deathly afraid, and whose destructive powers must at all times be guarded against. Then, there is the flight element, a factor that humans have long marveled at, but that until very recently in our history, could neither comprehend nor harness.
So, life is indeed a dragon -- but it's one we can tame, and we can tame it because we have a tool, i.e., our rational faculty, that allows us to study our primal fears, unpack the reality of those fears, figure out solutions to the problems creating those fears -- and then to take the kind of human action needed to conquer those fears.
I think what this says about me is that I am a man directed by rational action, and one who sees the world as a place where the achievement of values is possible despite the struggle.
Or, stated more poetically, I'm a man who knows that life is a dragon we can tame.
Ok, now it's time for you to weigh in. So, please send me an email with your answer to the question: "Life is…"
I am very eager to discover what you have to say to this probing question, and you can bet that I will be presenting my favorite answers in a future issue of The Deep Woods, so make your response count!
****************************************************************
Star Trek Wisdom
"Insufficient facts always invite danger."
-- Spock
"Spock" is a veritable fountainhead of wisdom in the "Star Trek" series, as his logical mind cuts through issues with a razor sharper than William of Ockham could ever hone. Yet, what makes Spock's character so wise is that he is part Vulcan and part human. And while his Vulcan logic leads, his human nature provides him with the requisite emotions that make being human the greatest gift the universe can bestow.
Spock knows, and you should too, that insufficient facts can be dangerous. So, always strive to know as much as you can about anything you engage in, because a lack of information, or worse yet, blatant disinformation, is an on-ramp to peril.
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. | | | | | |
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