New MacBooks and new challenges

Together with The Dividend Tree

Good morning investors! Luxury and travel-related names fell big time yesterday as analysts continue to look at the changing geo-political situation.

Today we cover:

📊 Economy and News

Following marine insurers' withdrawal of war risk coverage for the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to offer political risk insurance and financial guarantees for all maritime trade—especially energy shipments—through the region.

Trump stated the coverage would be available at a "very reasonable price" to all shipping lines. He added that, if needed, the U.S. Navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, echoing the 1980s Operation Earnest Will during the Tanker Wars.

The move aims to prevent further spikes in global energy prices amid escalating conflict with Iran. Brent crude has risen 14% since the conflict began, with concerns over access to key routes for oil from Saudi Arabia and LNG from Qatar.

Reminder: US housing supply gap widens to 4.03 million homes in 2025. Furthermore, U.S. natural gas exporters are poised to benefit from the big disruption in global supply caused by the escalating war in the Middle East.

👨 Sponsored by The Dividend Tree

I used to overcomplicate income investing.  I’d research things to death… use dozens of spreadsheets... I was constantly monitoring trades.

Then I simplified everything.

In this video, I walk through the exact approach I use for dividend income… the same one behind a seven-figure portfolio.

You’ll see:

If you’re tired of feeling like you should be doing something but aren’t sure what… this will calm that noise.

👉 Watch the video here

This is one of those “wish I saw this earlier” moments.

Oh, and before you ask, yes I own many of these stocks in my own portfolio. 

^{Please review the full risk disclaimer:  https://www.netpicks.com/risk-disclosure}

📈 Stocks

S&P 500 6,816.63(-0.94%)
DJIA 48,501.27 (-0.83%)
NASDAQ 22,516.69 (-1.02%)
BRENT CRUDE 81.83 (+5.42%)
* Prices as of Mar 4th, 12:20 AM UTC

Apple rolled out new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with M5 chips, plus a revamped Studio Display lineup.

The MacBook Air now starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch model (up from $999) and $1,299 for the 15-inch (up from $1,199), with Apple doubling base storage to 512GB.

The MacBook Pro gets more expensive as well, with the 14-inch M5 Pro starting at $2,199 and the 16-inch M5 Max at $3,899, up $400 from its predecessor.

This comes after Apple announced Monday a lower-priced version of the iPhone 17,tThe iPhone 17e, which starts at $599.

Also, today may be another big day as the company is rumored to announced a cheaper MacBook.

Surprising: Amazon said that two of its data centers in the UAE were hit by drone strikes.

💵 Personal Finance

Wars create extreme uncertainty, driving sharp moves in asset prices, inflation, supply disruptions, and shifts in government policy. While no investment is truly “safe” during active conflict, history shows certain asset classes and strategies consistently outperform or at least protect capital better than others.

Below are the most reliable options, ranked roughly by resilience in modern conventional and proxy wars.

1. Commodities – Energy and Precious Metals (Top Performer)

Energy commodities—especially crude oil, natural gas, and refined products—almost always surge during geopolitical conflict involving major producers or transit chokepoints (e.g., Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea, Black Sea). Since March 2026, Brent crude has already climbed 14% amid escalating Middle East tensions.
Gold remains the classic wartime hedge. It rises on fear, currency devaluation, and inflation expectations. Physical gold, gold ETFs (GLD), or gold mining stocks (with leverage) tend to deliver strong absolute and relative returns during prolonged uncertainty. Silver often follows but with higher volatility.

2. Defense Stocks and Aerospace

Companies that manufacture weapons, aircraft, missiles, drones, radar systems, and cyber-defense solutions typically see order books explode. In the current environment, U.S. and allied defense contractors (Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics) have outperformed broad indices during every major conflict since 1990. European names (BAE Systems, Rheinmetall) and Israeli firms have also posted outsized gains when regional wars intensify.
This sector benefits from multi-year government contracts that are largely recession-proof.

3. U.S. Treasuries and High-Quality Government Debt

Paradoxically, long-dated U.S. Treasuries often rally during the early stages of major wars as investors seek the deepest liquidity and perceived safety. Yields fall (prices rise) when flight-to-quality flows dominate. Short-term T-bills provide near-cash safety with minimal duration risk.
In hyper-inflationary war scenarios (less common in developed markets), shorter-duration or inflation-linked Treasuries (TIPS) perform better.

4. Energy Infrastructure and Midstream

Pipelines, LNG terminals, storage facilities, and tanker companies frequently benefit from rerouting, higher freight rates, and scarcity premiums. Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) recently hit record daily rates of $424,000 amid Red Sea avoidance and Gulf risks. Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) in U.S. midstream have delivered stable, high-yield distributions even when equity markets sell off.

5. Agricultural Commodities and Food Producers

Wars disrupt planting, harvesting, exports, and fertilizer supply chains (especially potash, phosphates, and nitrogen tied to natural gas). Wheat, corn, soybeans, and coffee often rally sharply. Large agribusiness firms (ADM, Bunge, Cargill proxies) and fertilizer producers tend to gain pricing power.

Broad equity indices usually drop in the first weeks or months of escalation due to risk-off sentiment. High-growth tech stocks and consumer discretionary names suffer most.

Real estate (especially commercial) can stall as interest rates rise to combat war-induced inflation. Cryptocurrencies remain highly speculative and have shown no consistent safe-haven behavior during geopolitical crises.

💰 Be a Better Investor

👩🏽‍⚖️ Legal Stuff
FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY; NOT ADVICE. Morning Download products and services are offered for educational and informational purposes only and should NOT be construed as a securities-related offer or solicitation or be relied upon as personalized financial advice. We are not financial advisors and cannot give personalized advice.  There is a risk of loss in all trading, and you may lose some or all of your original investment. Results presented are not typical.  This message may contain paid advertisements, or affiliate links.  This content is for educational purposes only.

Please review the full risk disclaimer:  MorningDownload.com/terms-of-use