Chaos hits Italy, Spain. Europe on the brink. What’s next?

A historic, earth-shattering series of events is beginning to rock the world, and it’s starting in Europe.

Italy’s new government is set to move swiftly to exit the euro. This threatens to make Brexit look like a walk in the park.

Spain’s government, which just collapsed in the wake of a corruption scandal, will be replaced by a caretaker regime that creates even more chaos.

Turkey is splitting from NATO.

Trump and the European Union are jumping into a trade war.

And everywhere on the Continent, investors are dumping European assets.

That’s why the euro is crashing.

That’s why so much money is pouring into the U.S. dollar, despite the dangers.

And it’s also why the Dow is still holding up, despite all the angst.

This has come as a surprise to most people, but not to our readers. Moreover, warning about these kinds of crises ahead of time is nothing new to us. We’ve been doing it ever since I first founded my research and ratings company in 1971.

Months in advance, we warned about the S&L crisis of the 1980s, the giant insurance company failures of the 1990s, plus the great Tech Wreck of the early 2000s.

Then, just before 2008 debt crisis, ours was the only firm in the world to issue low ratings to — and specifically name — nearly every major company that subsequently collapsed.

We gave advance warnings about the failure or near-failure of Bear Stearns, Lehman Bros., General Motors, Fannie Mae, Wachovia, Citigroup, Bank of America and many others.

Indeed, it was precisely because of these kinds of on-target warnings that …

Worth magazine wrote, “Weiss’ record is so good compared with that of his competitors ... consumers need look no further.”

The New York Times wrote “Weiss was the first to see the dangers and say so unambiguously.”

And Chris Ruddy, founder of NEWSMAX, said “Weiss’s prediction of the current economic crisis is uncanny.”

More importantly …

Our ratings and forecasts allowed investors to avoid
big losses — and even make money — as those crises unfolded.

On average, the 15 stocks that got our highest ratings rose 467% despite the worst debt crisis since the 1930s. And we also recommended crisis investments that are designed to make you money because of that crisis.

Now, we’re getting ready to do it again. Because now, another global debt crisis is in the making … one that could make 2008 look small by comparison.

But while the vast majority of people will suffer large financial losses, a select handful will use this crisis to build substantial wealth.

I personally lived through the kind
of disaster the world is facing now.

I went to high school in a large, modern country, one of the largest in the world. And when their leaders made the same kind of mistakes Brussels, Tokyo and Washington are making now, all hell broke loose.

First, the cost of living exploded. Suddenly, everything we needed to buy cost ten times more.

In some cases, the crisis became deadly: Prices rose so quickly that construction companies began using lower-quality concrete. Developers added more floors to buildings in an attempt to recoup rapidly rising costs.

So, when one of the skyscrapers collapsed, a teacher who lived next door to the skyscraper found his home crushed under the rubble … with his wife still inside.

A few months later, in sheer desperation, the government begged the people to donate their gold jewelry and coins to help save the economy.

One woman even pulled the wedding ring off her finger to give it to the government. Local officials shook her hand, but corrupt politicians pocketed the gold.

Later, the government got so desperate, it summarily froze everyone’s bank accounts. It confiscated their money and replaced it with a new, far-less valuable currency. And that was only the beginning of the people’s suffering.

In the end, they were doomed to decades of financial pain, shame and lost personal liberties.

I can assure you these stories are true — because I witnessed them personally.

The teacher who nearly lost his wife when the skyscraper collapsed was my teacher.

The patriotic woman who donated her gold wedding band was my best friend’s mother.

These things happened when I was a young man living in the third-largest country in the capitalist word at that time — Brazil.

But my story is definitely NOT unique ...

This kind of crisis also struck a very powerful European nation.

After its leaders made some of the same mistakes being made by other major nations today, the country’s bonds collapsed in value, and interest rates exploded to over 200%. In just six months, its stock market plunged 75%.

The common people suffered tremendously: A staggering 60% of the workforce was paid only partially — and received their paychecks months after they were due.

As the economy collapsed, millions of average citizens fell victim to crime and corruption. The police demanded bribes for traffic violations — both real and imagined.

Organized crime syndicates divvied up the country into their own private fiefdoms, profiting from protection rackets, prostitution, smuggling, narcotics-peddling and even murder for hire.

The government itself admitted that the criminals owned or controlled about half of the country’s private businesses.

A friend of mine said: “Many banks, including some of the largest in the country, shut down. They closed their doors forever. Our savings were wiped out. All people could do about it was to go to their banks and hammer on locked doors. Other people demonstrated on the streets. They carried their devalued money in miniature coffins and marched past our central bank.”

All this happened in Russia, formerly one of the most powerful nations on the face of the Earth.

Then, years later, we saw this kind of crisis strike elsewhere — in Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain.

And now, here we go again as political turmoil threatens to trash the euro and tear the E.U. apart.

Of course, the U.S. is not Russia; we have far stronger democratic institutions. Our economy is far larger than Brazil’s. And our union is not nearly as fragile as the E.U.’s.

But when a country’s leaders make many of the same mistakes Brazil’s, Russia’s and Europe’s made, the consequences are likely to be similar.

No one can say for sure what the future will bring. But I do know that the people of Brazil and Russia paid dearly for their leaders’ blunders. The American people are also going to pay a very big price.

What can you do to protect yourself and
grow your wealth even in the worst of times?

Starting tomorrow, I will answer that question in a special three-part briefing, “The Ultimate Wealth Building Strategy for Uncertain Times.”

Many of you are extremely fearful about the future, and for good reason: The collapsing euro. Political turmoil. War. Crushing debt. Choppy markets. All are taking a strong psychological toll on investors.

In this briefing, I will lay out my proven strategy to help you protect and grow your wealth in both good times and bad.

This strategy has beat Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway by 4.8-to-1 since 2007 — including the global financial crisis in 2008.

I think it’s imperative you’re on hand, given the perilous conditions facing us right now.

See you tomorrow.

Martin