This post Ray Blanco's 2017 Year-End Review appeared first on Daily Reckoning. Phone interview, recorded Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. Interview edited for clarity. Aaron Gentzler, Publisher: Ray, thanks for taking a few minutes this afternoon. First, can you tell me your biggest win of 2017? Ray Blanco, Editor, Technology Profits Confidential, Breakthrough Technology Alert, Penny Pot Profits, FDA Trader: From a pure gain perspective, it was Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). From a ?getting in ahead of the crowd? perspective, it was probably Overstock (NASDAQ: OSTK.) Breakthrough Technology Alert readers could've bought OSTK at $16.75 when I recommended it on Dec. 13, 2016. As of right now, it's a 308% gain. AG: Where are you to date on your recommendation of NVDA? RB: Let me check? 847% right now. AG: Why do you like the OSTK recommendation so much? RB: It's pretty easy. Sure, bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies are making people a ton of money. Not news. Blockchain tech and what it could do ? that's a huge untapped gain source still on the horizon, at least compared to the crypto enthusiasm. You get great access to that trend with OSTK. Overstock, it should go without saying, has tech that's far more important than just as another online retailer. AG: AI, autonomous vehicles, real internet of things (IoT) advances? you recently went on record saying that's a focus for you headed into 2018. Can you explain why? RB: Sure. The artificial intelligence revolution's just getting started. It's all around us right now, in our phones and in our cars. There's incredible upside. So many opportunities we have great gains on right now in the Technology Profits portfolio touch AI one way or another. I'm actively looking for more ways to play the trend in 2018, and I'm convinced this story's just getting started. AG: Cannabis. What do you see for 2018? RB: Tough call. I love the space, still incredibly bullish. Tons of upside in medical, companies that do business internationally, Canadian companies, you name it. AG: But? RB: But I'm a little upset [with] how slow the United States is moving. The cat's totally out of the bag on cannabis. From a law-and-order standpoint ? and yes, I know I've said this so many times ? cannabis should be regulated, taxed and sold no differently than alcohol. Plus, when you add in the medical implications ? which can help real people with real diseases ? it's arcane the way we continue to treat cannabis at a federal level. AG: You see that changing in 2018? RB: I hope so. I really do. The potential is there, the tax dollars, the benefits to consumers and people afflicted with illnesses, you name it. I just wish there was a way to speed the process of legislative acceptance along. But as you know, in politics nothing moves quickly. AG: Biggest miss this year? RB: I thought we'd be up more than we are on cybersecurity plays. We have 25% gains on recommendations like Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW). We're off a few percentage points on CyberArk Software (NASDAQ: CYBR). Plenty of upside in both. But given the hacking scandals, North Korea, China cybersecurity stories, I expected these to be bigger winners already. AG: Your No. 1 trend for 2018? Artificial intelligence? You sticking with that? RB: I am. It's just beginning. There are so many ways to play it ? the story will touch so many industries. I love it as a deep tech play for years to come. No matter which letters a Tomorrow's Trends reader might get from me, it's definitely a story you'll see me write about more in the year ahead. AG: Thanks for your time today, Ray. All in all, you had one heck of a year. Incredible results across the board. RB: Thanks. I hope our readers had a chance to participate in these recommendations we covered. I look forward to another solid year ahead. AG: Happy holidays. Talk soon. RB: Thanks. For Tomorrow's Trends Today, 
Sean McCloskey Editor's note: As Ray explained today, 2018 will be a banner year for the pot industry. We've seen massive spikes making people millionaires in weeks. With new markets opening up everywhere there's no limit to the profit potential in cannabis. Now is the perfect time to get in ahead of the herd and start making fortunes with pot! Click here to see how. The post Ray Blanco's 2017 Year-End Review appeared first on Daily Reckoning.  |
