The first week of 2026 has been anything but quiet... Put simply, geopolitical tension has ramped up.

In This World of Uncertainty, You Need Financial Security By Ethan Goldman, junior analyst, Chaikin Analytics The first week of 2026 has been anything but quiet... Put simply, geopolitical tension has ramped up. It started with the capture of now-former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. You'll know that the media has been all over the story... In short, the U.S. military staged an incredible operation to capture Maduro and his wife from Venezuela's capital, Caracas, over the weekend. And now, Maduro faces a host of criminal charges here in the U.S. – including narco-terrorism and cocaine smuggling. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has his eyes on Venezuela's supply of crude oil... The country sits on more than 300 billion barrels worth of proven oil reserves. That's roughly one-fifth of the world's total known reserves. And it's more than any other nation. However, the U.S. operation didn't sway the oil markets too much... Oil futures saw small gains... before reversing and giving those gains back. And the current price of oil sits close to where it was before Maduro's capture. And we've seen geopolitical tension elsewhere, too... To the north, Trump has turned up the rhetoric on Greenland. He considers the island a priority to U.S. national security. And he hasn't ruled out using military force to acquire it. Keep in mind that Greenland is part of Denmark – one of the 12 founding members of the NATO military alliance. And of course, the U.S. is also a NATO member. It's the largest and most powerful member by far.   An actual attack by one NATO member on another one sounds incredible. But the whole situation still puts the alliance in uncharted territory. Denmark's prime minister said an outright attack would spell the end of NATO. To be clear, I hope cooler heads prevail with this situation. An end to NATO would mean massive changes for the world order. Of course, big headlines like the ones we've seen about Venezuela and Greenland make plenty of folks feel downright scared. All this comes at a time when Americans have plenty to worry about at home – including their own financial future. And that's why ensuring your financial stability is critical right now... Recommended Links: TODAY: Critical Update to 2026 Crash Prediction In a viral broadcast seen by at least 2 million people, investing icon Marc Chaikin shared a 2026 crash prediction that was based on 100 years of stock market data. And now that 2026 is here, he's stepping forward from his home to explain what to expect... share his battle plan... along with the top stocks to BUY and SELL immediately. Before 10 a.m. Eastern time today, click here to learn more (includes two free stock recommendations). The $20 Move Giving You Exposure to 2 Ounces of Pure Gold (Worth Around $9,000 Today) An ex-Goldman Sachs vice president reveals a secret of the rich and connected that lets you tap into the upside of a huge amount of real, physical gold for just about $20 at a time. He says the future upside could be 1,000%. Even a relatively small amount of money could go a long way when every $20 or so leverages the upside in 2 ounces of pure gold, as he'll explain. See this $20 "gold hack" right here. Americans Aren't Retiring Like They Used To Of course, for many Americans, retirement is a key pillar of financial security. It's the reward after years of hard work. But data shows this goal may be less feasible than ever before. You see, Americans haven't been retiring as much as they used to... Over the past few decades, every age group of Americans has seen less of its population retiring. The steepest drop has happened with adults between the ages of 60 and 64. According to data from Gallup, from 2016 to 2022, 32% of folks in that age group were retired. This compares with 41% from 2002 to 2007. That's a difference of nine percentage points. So it's no surprise that folks are increasingly concerned about their retirement. In a survey last year, BlackRock found that 47% of respondents ages 45 to 54 worry about their retirement savings every day. Ensuring your financial stability is always important. But in a world that feels more and more uncertain, it's as crucial as ever. So that's why you need a plan... Shaping Your Entire 2026 Amid all this uncertainty, our founder Marc Chaikin is sharing a special broadcast later this morning to set folks up for financial success this year... As he says, a stunningly accurate market signal with 100% market accuracy since 1950 is coming into play in the coming days. In short, when it comes to investing, this "January Trigger" could shape your entire 2026. If you're serious about protecting and potentially growing your wealth during what's shaping up to be a year of big changes, you won't want to miss Marc's broadcast. It all kicks off at 10 a.m. Eastern time this morning. And it's free to attend. Make sure you're set up for financial security in 2026. Save your spot for Marc's big event right here.  Good investing, Ethan Goldman Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 -0.94% 8 13 9 S&P 500 -0.32% 117 229 151 Nasdaq +0.1% 19 52 29 Small Caps -0.23% 597 953 341 Bonds +0.58% — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks remain somewhat more Bullish than Large Cap stocks. Major indexes are all bearish. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Health Care +3.14% Materials +2.93% Industrials +2.48% Information Technology +1.78% Financial +1.53% Consumer Discretionary +1.25% Energy +0.94% Real Estate -0.52% Communication -0.54% Consumer Staples -1.36% Utilities -1.92% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Innovative Technology Services 20 54 19 Over the past 6 months, the Innovative Technology subsector (XITK) has underperformed the S&P 500 by -13.66%. However, its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Strong, with more Bullish than Bearish stocks. It is currently ranked #16 of 21 subsectors and has moved up 1 slot over the past week. Top Stocks ACLS Axcelis Technologies MU Micron Technology, I NRDS NerdWallet, Inc. *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers INTC +6.47% REGN +4.6% SOLS +4.52% CRWD +4.49% PANW +4.33% Losers FSLR -10.29% SWKS -9.73% WDC -8.89% VST -8.81% CSGP -8.24% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Earnings Surprises STZ Constellation Brands, Inc. Q3 $3.06 Beat by $0.43 JEF Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Q4 $0.99 Beat by $0.19 CALM Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Q2 $2.14 Beat by $0.13 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at katzronnie7@gmail.com. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call +1 (877) 697-6783 (U.S.), 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time or e-mail info@chaikinanalytics.com. Please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized financial advice. © 2026 Chaikin Analytics, LLC. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, copying, or redistribution, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from Chaikin Analytics, LLC. 201 King Of Prussia Rd., Suite 650, Radnor, PA 19087. www.chaikinanalytics.com. Any brokers mentioned constitute a partial list of available brokers and is for your information only. Chaikin Analytics, LLC, does not recommend or endorse any brokers, dealers, or investment advisors. Chaikin Analytics forbids its writers from having a financial interest in any security they recommend to our subscribers. All employees of Chaikin Analytics, LLC (and affiliated companies) must wait 24 hours after an investment recommendation is published online – or 72 hours after a direct mail publication is sent – before acting on that recommendation. This work is based on SEC filings, current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and what we've learned as financial journalists. It may contain errors, and you shouldn't make any investment decision based solely on what you read here. It's your money and your responsibility.