Thomas Midgley Jr. just wanted to make cars more efficient... But some experts later estimated that his discovery led to 1.2 million deaths each year.

A Dangerous Additive Helped Make This Industry Profitable By Marc Chaikin, founder, Chaikin Analytics Thomas Midgley Jr. just wanted to make cars more efficient... But some experts later estimated that his discovery led to 1.2 million deaths each year. Midgley graduated from Cornell University with a mechanical-engineering degree in 1911. About five years later, he took a job with the automaker General Motors (GM). That's around when the world started falling in love with cars... You see, Henry Ford began selling the Model T in 1908. It was the first mass-produced car. That made it more affordable for everyday Americans than any previous model. But there was a problem... Early cars suffered from an issue called "engine knocking." Those included the Model T. Engine knocking is the result of poorly timed combustion. The gasoline at the time was often of low quality. And it didn't burn consistently. So early carmakers needed to find a way to reduce engine knocking and improve the cars' efficiency. To fix the problem, some companies added ethanol into gas. This worked... But it was expensive. So the companies couldn't turn a profit. GM tasked Midgley to find a better way to reduce engine knocking. He tested thousands of different additives for gas. In late 1921, Midgley made his breakthrough... I'm talking about tetraethyllead ("TEL"). It was both effective in eliminating engine knocking and cheap. GM soon got the "use patent" for TEL. And in February 1923, a motorist in Ohio bought the first gallon of TEL-infused gas. That motorist had no clue that TEL would haunt the U.S. for decades to come... Recommended Links: Marc Chaikin: Nvidia's 'Dark Secret' Could Mint Countless New Billionaires Starting TODAY Nvidia rose 32,000% after Marc Chaikin first recommended it in 2015. But the world's top AI stock has a dark secret. Without the proprietary tech from an obscure stock most Americans have never heard of... Nvidia's biggest breakthroughs wouldn't be possible. Now, this relatively tiny company is launching a new technology that could accelerate Nvidia's new product pipeline by 8,000%. The time to buy is right now. For more details from Marc – and to make sure you get his full recommendation – go here before midnight tonight. Until Midnight Tonight: 'No One Is Prepared for This Panic' Corporate bankruptcies are now at their highest level since 2008. The Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund, and the Bank of England have all issued urgent alerts. And behind closed doors, hedge funds are scrambling as a new wave of forced selling threatens to rip through the markets. In other words, the system is starting to crack. In a new emergency briefing, one veteran analyst reveals the exact steps to take before unprepared investors get crushed. Until midnight tonight, see his emergency briefing here. It Took the U.S. About 75 Years to Stop Using Leaded Gas You likely noticed the word "lead" in the additive's name. Well, TEL contains lead. And exposure to this element can cause a wide range of negative side effects in humans... It can cause learning disabilities and antisocial behavior in kids. In adults, it causes problems like high blood pressure, depression, hallucinations, aggression, and even death. Despite the dangers, Americans kept pumping TEL-infused gas for decades. In 1973, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finally ordered a phased reduction of lead content in gas. Leaded gasoline didn't fully go away in the U.S. until 1996. And around the world, people kept buying leaded gasoline up until four years ago. In 2011, a California State University study highlighted the benefits of phasing out TEL... The move helped prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths every year. It also led to an estimated $2.4 trillion in annual cost savings, higher IQs, and lower crime rates. Today, it's much safer to fill up your car with gas. That's great... because about 284 million registered vehicles in the U.S. use gasoline or diesel fuel today. To put that in perspective, the U.S. population was about 112 million in 1923. So there are about 2.5 times as many cars these days as there were people a century ago. It doesn't seem like we'll be giving up our love of cars anytime soon. And right now, the Power Gauge is picking up on a sign of strength in the auto industry...   Our System Currently Sees Upside in the Auto Industry As regular readers know, the Power Gauge can do a "health check" of various industries. Today, our system says the automobile industry group is "strong." In fact, out of 36 stocks in the industry with ratings, 17 of them are "bullish" or better. And only four of them are in "bearish" territory. That's an incredible ratio of "bullish" to "bearish" stocks. Sure, auto stocks might not seem as "flashy" as AI stocks in this market. But the Power Gauge is clear... Auto stocks are a good place to look for opportunities right now. Good investing, Marc Chaikin Editor's note: Marc's colleague Joe Austin just used the Power Gauge to identify a brand-new opportunity in his Breakthrough Investor publication... This company's software powers the design of AI chips. Then, the company uses the same AI breakthroughs to make its design tools exponentially more powerful. Most investors have never heard of this company. And yet, it's supercharging chip design. In fact, it's a type of "secret weapon" for chip titan Nvidia (NVDA). If you aren't already a Breakthrough Investor subscriber, learn how to gain access to Joe's brand-new recommendation by clicking here before midnight tonight. Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 -0.19% 11 10 9 S&P 500 -0.37% 133 242 125 Nasdaq -0.53% 35 46 19 Small Caps -1.07% 485 1077 352 Bonds +0.58% — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks and Large Cap stocks remain somewhat Bullish. Major indexes remain all bullish. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Health Care +3.64% Utilities +3.41% Information Technology +1.36% Energy +0.17% Industrials +0.01% Financial -0.19% Materials -0.22% Consumer Staples -0.24% Real Estate -1.42% Consumer Discretionary -1.64% Communication -1.95% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Health Care Equipment Services 9 31 23 Over the past 6 months, the Health Care Equipment subsector (XHE) has underperformed the S&P 500 by -27.29%. Its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Weak, with more Bearish than Bullish stocks. It is currently ranked #18 of 21 subsectors and has moved down 1 slot over the past week. Indicative Stocks ZBH Zimmer Biomet Holdin BAX Baxter International GKOS Glaukos Corporation *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers PYPL +4.66% EL +4.53% AMD +3.83% DELL +3.51% KVUE +3.38% Losers STX -7.34% CZR -6.56% F -6.14% DHI -6.05% LRCX -5.9% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Reporting Today Rating Before Open After Close Earnings Surprises MKC McCormick & Company, Incorporated Q3 $0.85 Beat by $0.03 *  *  *  * 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 STEVENMAGALLANES520.NIMS@BLOGGER.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. © 2025 Chaikin Analytics, LLC. All rights reserved. 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