A few times a year I open up my book Simple Options Trading For Beginners for free.
Right now is one of those times.
It normally sells for $29.97, and most of the year that's exactly what it costs. Then I run a free window, let a batch of new readers grab it, and close it back up. No fixed schedule. When it's open, it's open. When it's not, it's $29.97 again.
It's open today.
And if options have always felt like a wall of jargon you're not smart enough to climb — this is the book that's wrong about that. Plain English. No Greeks, no textbook charts. Just how options actually work, with examples you can follow from zero.
I don't know exactly when I'll close this window. I never do. But "free" and "$29.97" are the only two states this book lives in, and you're catching the cheaper one.
Grab your copy while the free window's still open.
Good Trading,
Bill Poulos
P.S. The next time you hear about this book, it'll probably have a price tag again. Today it doesn't.
Click here to get it.
This Month's Exclusive News
The World Cup Is Coming—These 3 Stocks Could Cash In
Author: Chris Markoch. Publication Date: 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.
- Special Report: Elon Musk: This Could Turn $100 into $100,000
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?
When the railroads launched in the 1860s, Andrew Carnegie didn't profit by riding the trains - he got rich owning the steel rails they ran on. The same dynamic may be playing out today around the anticipated $1.75 trillion SpaceX IPO.
Analyst Michael Robinson has identified a tiny, under-the-radar supplier - just 1/60th the size of SpaceX - that he believes sits at the center of Elon Musk's broader AI infrastructure buildout. Once SpaceX goes public this June, Robinson argues Wall Street will inevitably spotlight this overlooked vendor.
Watch Robinson's presentation and see the details before the IPO window closes
Over the last decade, there’s been no broad-market World Cup catalyst. But the event has boosted 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 also be the first World Cup in which sports betting is legal in much of the United States. That could give one gaming stock an asymmetric advantage and provide a profitable lead-in to 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 JosΓ© Mourinho AI digital twin. That shows how Coca-Cola 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 over 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 at this World Cup is a two-brand story 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 event with 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 suggests 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 cuts to the dividend in 2019 and 2020, largely driven by debt concerns, Anheuser-Busch has started to raise 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 from a fundamental standpoint, 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.
This Month's Exclusive News
Has Temu-Owner PDD's Story Changed After Double Miss?
Author: Leo Miller. Publication Date: 6/9/2026.
Key Points
- PDD is a huge player in Chinese e-commerce while also having a large non-Chinese presence through its Temu brand.
- However, markets have sold PDD precipitously over the past several months as the firm's long-term investment plan weighs on its near-term outlook.
- Now, PDD is trading near its trough valuation level as its push into the first-party e-commerce model materializes.
- Special Report: Elon Musk: This Could Turn $100 into $100,000
Shares of Chinese e-commerce giant and Temu owner PPD (NASDAQ: PDD) came under significant pressure at the end of 2025 and in early 2026. In Q4 2025, shares fell more than 14%, and Q1 2026 saw a decline of nearly 10%.
Rather than staging a rebound after those losses, the pressure has continued to build. In Q2 2026, shares are down more than 15%. Overall, PDD (also known as Pinduoduo) has slumped approximately 40% from its 52-week high.
When the railroads launched in the 1860s, Andrew Carnegie didn't profit by riding the trains - he got rich owning the steel rails they ran on. The same dynamic may be playing out today around the anticipated $1.75 trillion SpaceX IPO.
Analyst Michael Robinson has identified a tiny, under-the-radar supplier - just 1/60th the size of SpaceX - that he believes sits at the center of Elon Musk's broader AI infrastructure buildout. Once SpaceX goes public this June, Robinson argues Wall Street will inevitably spotlight this overlooked vendor.
Watch Robinson's presentation and see the details before the IPO window closes
A major contributor to PDD’s weak performance in Q2 was the company’s latest earnings report. The company posted significant misses on both the top and bottom lines, sending shares down by approximately 14% in two days.
Now, PDD shares have fallen to a level not seen since August 2023.
So, has the long-term bull case for this stock changed, or is there still reason for optimism in this consumer discretionary name?
PDD Posts Huge Misses, But Operating Margin Improves
In its fiscal Q1 2026, PDD posted revenue of $15.4 billion, an increase of 11% year over year (YOY). (Note that PDD reports its quarterly results slightly behind the standard reporting period used by many companies.) Despite posting double-digit sales growth, analysts had projected revenue of around $15.9 billion, resulting in a substantial miss for PDD.
Earnings per share fell by approximately 18% YOY to $1.38, far below the $2.40 analysts had forecast. However, it's important to note that operating profit actually improved, with operating margin rising by 160 basis points to 18.4%.
The main driver of the sharp earnings decline was unfavorable investment income and other income, rather than a major deterioration in the core business. Still, the company’s guidance suggests potential operating margin pressure ahead.
Understanding PDD’s Big First Party Platform Investment
PDD plans to spend 100 billion Chinese renminbi (approximately $14.5 billion) over the next three years to further its first-party business. This is fundamentally different from the third-party e-commerce model on which PDD built its business. In the third-party model, the company simply acts as a marketplace that connects product sellers with buyers and takes a percentage of the sales value.
By contrast, first-party means the firm will own the products itself, taking on inventory risk and receiving the full sales value of each product as revenue. This introduces more risk for PDD if its first-party products do not sell well, but it also creates more upside if they do. While third-party is less complex, that simplicity also makes it more susceptible to competition. It is much easier for consumers to switch to another third-party platform where they can buy essentially the same low-quality goods they can find on PDD’s platforms.
Thus, PDD is making this $14.5 billion investment to build out its product development and manufacturing capabilities. The hope is that, over the long term, PDD’s ability to control product quality will become a differentiator that helps it fend off lower-quality competition. However, because PDD must make these investments before sales begin to offset them, margins are likely to come under pressure in the near term as the company undertakes this shift.
One key advantage PDD has as it makes this transition is the data accumulated from its third-party business about the products customers want. Essentially, the firm is betting that it can translate this knowledge into a product mix that resonates with buyers.
Analyst Price Targets Sink After Report
After PDD’s report, analyst forecasts deteriorated significantly. Among analyst updates for which MarketBeat had previous price target data, the average target fell by approximately 25%. Analysts at Barclays turned the most negative on PDD stock, cutting their price target from $165 to just $89. Still, the average of updated targets remained well above Barclays' forecast, near $116 per share.
This figure implies substantial upside of over 35%. However, it is considerably less optimistic than the MarketBeat consensus price target near $131, which implies upside north of 55%. Clearly, many analysts continue to believe the market is undervaluing PDD stock, but expectations are moving lower in a very meaningful way. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that Barclays’ target is the most bearish PDD target tracked by MarketBeat. Even so, the figure still projects an upside move of about 10%. Notably, PDD now has zero Sell ratings, seven Hold ratings, and seven Buy ratings.
PDD’s Valuation Approaches Historically Low Level as Transformation Gets Underway
PDD is making a significant long-term shift in its business. Given that the payoff is uncertain and earnings are likely to be volatile, markets are punishing the stock. Still, PDD now trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of around 7.5x. This is just 10% higher than its lowest level over the past five years.
As PDD looks to differentiate itself within the highly competitive e-commerce market, there is reason to believe the stock could stage a significant long-term recovery. However, it is entirely possible that markets do not reward the firm for this move for some time and that shares continue to face pressure in the near term.
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