“Porter&Co. promotes, ‘Learn how to position yourself for the upcoming energy revolution spreading rapidly throughout America, poised to generate massive wealth for early movers.'”
Over the last year, Porter Stansberry has returned to the spotlight, once again leading Stansberry Research—now rebranded as MarketWise, the firm he originally founded. He has actively participated in promotional events alongside well-known investors as Marc Chaikin, Whitney Tilson, Navellie, Louis, David Eifrig.
Frequent leadership changes are not uncommon in the financial publishing and investment newsletter industry, where professionals often shift roles or explore new business models. MarketWise (MKTW) itself became publicly traded via a troubled SPAC merger, offering greater transparency into its challenges—something private firms in the sector, which are not required for submission to SEC, do not provide.
Currently, Porter&Co. is taking a different approach by selling individual exclusive report rather than pushing expensive subscription-based services similar to The Big Secret on Wall Street. This strategy aims to attract hesitant customers who may not be ready to commit to a full subscription but could be persuaded to upgrade later.
In his latest presentation, A Second Coming, Stansberry highlights the decline of Appalachian coal towns and underscores the critical role of energy in national growth. This narrative sets the stage for his sales pitch: a one-time payment of $199 payment for a bundle of exclusive reports centered around this theme.
The core idea of his pitch revolves around repurposing aging coal-powered plants by installing compact modular nuclear reactor (SMRs) at these sites. The development of SMRs could offer some relief to struggling towns, as peak construction phases are expected to generate thousands of jobs, with ongoing maintenance roles sustaining employment in the long term. While SMRs won’t fully restore the coal industry’s former employment levels, they could provide a partial economic revival for affected communities.
An increasing number of coal power facility operators are considering the transition to compact modular nuclear reactor (SMRs), a shift bolstered by government-backed initiatives. Among these efforts, the cutting-edge project is led by TerraPower’s project in Wyoming, an initiative backed by Bill Gates. Plans are underway to construct an SMR facility at an existing coal plant site, with preliminary construction already in progress. However, the project still faces regulatory hurdles, as reactor permits have yet to be granted. Even in the best-case scenario, the plant isn’t expected to be operational for at least 5 years, with most SMR developments aiming for completion around 2030.
At its core, Porter’s latest pitch is essentially a revamped version of his earlier “AI Keystone” exclusive report—a concept we’ve analyzed extensively. The report argues that nuclear energy is crucial for powering the next generation of AI-driven data centers due to their immense electricity consumption. His primary stock pick remains unchanged: BWX Tech, a company he has actively promoted since May 2023 under different branding, first as Secret Energy Grid and later as AI Keystone. It’s highly likely that his so-called “new” exclusive report is simply a recycled version of the one he originally released in January.
Nuclear energy remains an appealing prospect, with BWXT actively partnering with compact nuclear reactor (SMR) developers to design and build new reactors. Alongside these efforts, they continue refining microreactors initially developed for military use—technology that could eventually find its way into civilian applications. However, the nuclear sector is notorious for its complexities; innovation and large-scale implementation are slow, expensive, and fraught with regulatory challenges.
BWXT stands to benefit from nuclear power’s revival, especially if government backing remains steady. That said, the company’s financial performance is more sensitive to delays in major defense contracts—such as aircraft carriers or submarines—than to the early stages of SMR rollouts across North America.
While policymakers have promised to streamline permitting and fast-track nuclear projects, progress has been slow. The federal nuclear oversight agency has yet to deliver meaningful reforms, despite years of discussion. Meanwhile, any incident at an SMRs site or a renewed wave of opposition to nuclear energy could further slow progress.
Despite some volatility this year, BWXT has held up well, even managing to edge out the S&P500 since Porter began heavily promoting the stock in May 2023.
Porter’s second key theme takes a backseat throughout this presentation, however, still highlights the growing importance of natural gas. As global electricity demand surges, gas is positioned as a critical bridge—especially if coal is phased out faster than nuclear and renewable alternatives can scale up.
This brings us to the follow-up special report in the $199 package: Gods of Gas. Originally one of Stansberry’s flagship promotions when Porter&Co. launched, the report has seen minor updates but remains a cornerstone of Porter’s investment pitches over the past 2 years.
Since Porter started promoting these stocks in 2022, they’ve experienced significant volatility, largely driven by energy price swings. The gas industry market saw dramatic shifts following Russia’s Ukraine conflict, and EQT has struggled amid an oversupply of U.S. natural gas. The situation worsened earlier in the year when President Biden temporarily halted LNG export permits—a decision later overturned through legal rulings. Sustaining rising natural gas prices in the long run depends on expanding pipeline infrastructure and export terminals, both of which face substantial financial and regulatory hurdles.
Tellurian (TELL) has had an especially turbulent ride. The company has battled financing challenges for its Driftwood LNG project and, this summer, received an acquisition offer from Woodside, an Australian LNG giant. While the deal may disappoint long-time Tellurian investors, it could provide a path forward for Driftwood’s completion. (For those seeking direct exposure to LNG, Woodside itself might be worth considering, though I haven’t analyzed it in depth.)
As for Porter’s current stance, he likely still backs EQT and VNOM, but it’s unclear whether he continues to recommend Tellurian, following the acquisition proposal… what happened these three stocks have fared since Gods of Gas first launched around mid-2022. The initial teaser campaign for Porter&Co. surfaced on August 19th, 2022, with TELL added to promotions by October after a steep decline. VNOM, the best performer of the group, was introduced in December 2022. All three have remained key picks in his marketing ever since.
The third component of the package takes a contrarian angle, arguing that coal is far from obsolete. This idea is the focus of The Return of Coal: The Green Energy Deception, where Porter makes the case for a particular investment in the coal sector.
In the U.S., only a handful of notable coal companies fit Porter’s description. CONSOL Energy is a pure-play on thermal coal, directly tied to electricity production. Peabody Energy, meanwhile, operates multiple mines and produces both coking coal (for steel production) as well as thermal coal. Either of these could be his pick, along with royalty-focused players such as Natural Resource Partners, Alliance Resource LP. Given the emphasis on unrestricted cash flow, recent debt reduction, BTU, CEIX seem the most likely contenders.
For those more interested in metallurgical coal, there are several specialized U.S. players, including Warrior Metallurgical Coal, Ramaco Resources, Arch Resources, and Alpha Met Resources. ARCH appears to fit Porter’s criteria best, although AMR remains a strong candidate, having largely eliminated long term liabilities.
Coal stocks, in general, continue to deliver solid profitability and cash flow while trading at low valuations. Still, I remain cautious about the sector, given the long-term push by utilities, industries, governments to phase out coal in favor of cleaner alternatives like natural gas. The health risks associated with coal and the growing availability of renewables make this trend all but inevitable over the next two decades. Despite the growing adoption of arc-based steel furnaces in steel production, metallurgical coal remains challenging to replace. There’s potential for profit as the industry contracts, and some countries continue to build new coal-fired power plants.
Porter Stansberry isn’t the only one eyeing coal stocks. Prominent value investor Mohnish Pabrai, Buffett disciple, has also taken positions in Alpha Met Resources, CONSOL Energy, Warrior Metallurgical Coal, Arch Resources.
As for Porter’s exact pick, that remains unclear. Based on the available clues, Peabody Energy stands out—especially since it has lagged behind other coal mining firms listed on the stock market. Alliance Resource LP (ARLP), with its diversified operations, could also be a contender. But these are just educated guesses, since the majority of these stocks trade at similar valuations and have exceeded the S&P 500’s performance in the last 3 years, benefiting from surging electricity demand linked to AI.
What do you think? Do you see long-term potential in coal stocks, or are you skeptical? Drop your thoughts in the comments—thanks for reading!
