Dear Friend,
In the 1970s, Chevron, Unocal, and Texaco all drilled for the same energy source.
It worked.
They walked away anyway.
Why? Because tapping it would have threatened the most profitable business model in human history. Oil.
So the verdict stood for fifty years: “We can’t get to it.”
Not because they couldn’t. Because they wouldn’t.
Now one company has spent sixty years quietly proving them wrong.
Google just signed a 15-year contract.
Bill Gates just wrote a $100 million check.
And on July 4th, the government hands this energy source its biggest advantage ever.
The oil companies are scrambling back in. But one company already owns the entire chain.
See the company Big Oil is too late to stop >>
“The Buck Stops Here,”
Kelly Maguire
Behind the Markets
The World Cup Is Coming—These 3 Stocks Could Cash In
Reported by Chris Markoch. Posted: 6/11/2026.
Key Points
- Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch InBev have long-standing FIFA sponsorships that could provide brand exposure and support for their stocks during the 2026 World Cup.
- Both KO and BUD have delivered strong gains in 2026, but their recent rallies may limit near-term upside despite attractive dividend and valuation characteristics.
- Flutter Entertainment may be the most compelling World Cup trade due to FanDuel's market leadership, strong earnings growth forecasts, and the expanding sports betting market in North America.
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Investors have had plenty of headlines to consider over the past month, and the start of the FIFA World Cup may be another. This will be the first World Cup hosted across three nations in history, spanning the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It’s projected to add $41 billion to global gross domestic product (GDP).
That’s enough to pique investor interest. But where should they look?
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Get the full details and the ticker name before access closesAt least over the last 10 years, there’s been no such thing as a World Cup catalyst for the broader market. But the event has been a boost for some sector-specific stocks. Not surprisingly, Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) has been one of those names. The company will have its iconic swoosh prominently displayed again this year.
Nike could use the catalyst. However, there are two other names that have a history of strong outperformance during the World Cup. More on that later.
This will be the first World Cup when sports betting is legal in much of the United States. That could give one gaming stock an asymmetric advantage heading into the heavily bet football season.
Can KO Stock Keep Climbing After Its Strong 2026 Rally?
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) doesn't just sponsor the World Cup—it practically co-owns the brand equity around it. Coca-Cola has been a FIFA partner for nearly 50 years and is back as the official non-alcoholic beverage sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In 2026, Coca-Cola is running three television campaigns, a global Trophy Tour, a Panini sticker partnership with exclusive bottle labels, and fan experiences across all 16 host cities. The company also launched a social content series featuring a José Mourinho AI digital twin. This shows how the company is leaning into both football culture and emerging technology to keep the brand relevant to younger audiences.
The risk is that growth may already be priced in. KO is up about 19% in 2026, with much of that move coming in the last three months. That puts the stock roughly 4% above its consensus price target of $86.87. However, there’s a reason to own KO beyond near-term capital gains. Many investors are looking at dividend stocks as part of a flight to safety from an overheated tech trade. Coca-Cola is a Dividend King that has increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years.
Is There Still Upside Left in BUD Stock?
The beer sponsorship story at this World Cup is really a two-brand narrative under one parent. Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD) owns both Michelob Ultra and Budweiser, the tournament's official beer sponsors, with Michelob Ultra leading the company's World Cup push. The nearly 40-year relationship between AB InBev and FIFA is one of the longest active corporate partnerships in international sports.
Anheuser-Busch has made a strong recovery from a much-publicized marketing controversy involving its Bud Light brand that correlated with a decline in alcohol consumption among millennials and Gen-Z consumers. BUD is up 28% in 2026, which, like Coca-Cola, may raise questions about whether the upside is limited.
The fundamentals offer some support. BUD carries a consensus "Buy" rating with a consensus price target of $93.42, which still provides about 13% upside. Wells Fargo and JPMorgan have both issued "overweight" ratings since the company’s Q1 2026 earnings report.
The risk is that any controversy around alcohol and major sporting events, which has been a recurring narrative at prior World Cups, can reverse investor sentiment. However, after dividend cuts in 2019 and 2020, largely driven by debt concerns, Anheuser-Busch has begun raising its dividend again, which could make the stock attractive to long-term investors.
Flutter: A Contrarian Play With Deep Roots
The World Cup is the single largest global betting event, even bigger than the Super Bowl. It’s a reminder that soccer is truly an international sport. That’s where the case for Flutter Entertainment plc (NYSE: FLUT) begins.
Strictly based on fundamentals, there are reasons to like Flutter. The parent company of FanDuel has a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 23x. That's below the consumer discretionary sector average. Analysts are also forecasting nearly 70% earnings growth over the next 12 months. FLUT is also trading about 68% below its consensus price target of $189.26.
But there’s another reason investors should consider it, and it speaks to the company’s roots.
Flutter is based in Ireland, and it started as a merger between Paddy Power and Betfair. These companies were built largely on Premier League and Champions League betting.
Some may dismiss that as anecdotal, but Flutter is the dominant sports betting app in the United States and has the operational playbook from running premier football-betting brands in Europe to capture American and Canadian bettors who are newer to the sport.
As Inflation Hits 3-Year High, These 2 ETFs Are Designed to Hedge Against Rising Costs
Reported by Jessica Mitacek. Posted: 6/23/2026.
Key Points
- Alongside rising inflation, short interest for major inflation-protected funds like the Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF (SCHP) and Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) have dropped significantly, indicating that investors increasingly expect higher consumer costs to remain sticky.
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While the price of a hot dog at Costco (NASDAQ: COST) has remained $1.50 for the past 41 years, it feels like the cost of just about every other good and service has surged.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dining out at a full-service restaurant now costs 3.8% more than it did a year ago. Staying home and stocking the fridge? Non-alcoholic beverages are up 5.8%, while fruits and vegetables are up 6.1%. And if you plan to grill steaks this summer, you will have to cough up an average of $14.27 per pound for sirloin, or nearly 17% more than in 2025.
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Get the full details and the ticker name before access closesIn May, inflation—as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)—hit 4.2%, a three-year high driven chiefly by a 23.5% year-over-year increase in energy prices. And while that energy inflation may be an outlier driven primarily by the Iran war, economists expect prices to remain elevated for the rest of the year despite a ceasefire.
For conservative-minded investors looking to safeguard their portfolios and budgets against sticky inflation, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that hold short-term bonds and U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS)—which have their principal values directly adjusted upward with the CPI—can offer a practical solution.
As Inflation Heats Up, Bond ETFs Look Increasingly Attractive
After inflation reached a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, the Federal Reserve’s responsive monetary policy to pandemic-era price drivers was effectively doing its job. In April 2025, the monthly CPI print had come within a fraction of the central bank’s 2% target, ultimately registering 2.3%.
However, since then prices have been on a steady uptick, punctuated by the fallout from the Iran war. And while energy costs have soared, so too have the supply chains they affect, including petrochemicals, plastics, fertilizers, and transportation.
That has increased the appeal of TIPS, which are issued by the U.S. Treasury and indexed to the CPI to help safeguard purchasing power. They come in five-, 10-, and 30-year terms and pay interest every six months.
In an ETF wrapper, exposure to TIPS and short-term bonds can help investors insulate their portfolios while also benefiting from greater liquidity. That is because bond ETFs do not have maturity dates like fixed-income alternatives. Instead, fund managers continuously buy and sell fixed income securities while maintaining a specific target and providing a steady flow of interest payments in the form of dividends—some of which are paid monthly—while also offering a layer of portfolio stability.
Schwab’s TIPS Alternative With Monthly Dividends
Launched in August 2010, the Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF (NYSEARCA: SCHP) is specifically designed to track TIPS at an extremely low cost.
The fund carries an expense ratio of just 0.03%, and its dividend currently yields about 4%, or $1.06 per share annually.
With more than $16 billion in assets under management (AUM), SCHP invests primarily in investment-grade fixed income by tracking a market-value-weighted index of U.S. TIPS with at least one year remaining to maturity.
The ETF is about flat so far this year and over the past 52 weeks. But the idea behind investing in SCHP is its ability to provide capital preservation alongside income, which it accomplishes through its monthly dividend. However, prospective investors should note that payout amounts can fluctuate because the fund’s accrued interest is adjusted for inflation, reflecting the underlying TIPS.
Adding a layer of safety, current short interest for SCHP stands at just 0.13%. That marks a nearly 88% reduction from the prior month and reflects shifting sentiment around the likelihood of inflation remaining sticky. To put that in dollar figures, $158 million worth of shares were shorted on April 30 compared with just $20 million on May 29. That is the lowest level since Q4 FY2025, when just $15 million worth of shares were shorted.
Vanguard’s TIPS Fund With a Longer Horizon
Launched in October 2012, the Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (NASDAQ: VTIP) mostly invests in investment-grade fixed income by tracking an index of U.S. TIPS with less than five years remaining to maturity.
Because of that broader timeline, the fund has outperformed SCHP this year, with a modest gain of about 1.3%, but it is also about flat over the past 52 weeks.
With about $19 billion in AUM, VTIP also carries an expense ratio of just 0.03% and pays a dividend that currently yields about 3.6%, or $1.80 per share annually.
The fund is also a favorite among the smart money, with institutional inflows of $3.57 billion over the past 12 months more than tripling outflows of $1.14 billion.
Meanwhile, current short interest is just 0.14%, down 1.33% over the previous month, with $24 million worth of shares shorted.
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