M&A activity in the gold sector has been hot, hot, hot this month.

Since March 10th we’ve seen three major acquisitions of junior mining companies – which is not surprising when you consider that gold stocks have been underperforming of late. Gold producers that are sitting on a lot of cash have been able to capitalize on discounted prices, and with interest rates being so low, there’s also a lot of cheap money available to finance these kinds of M&A transactions.

Despite a shaky chart over the last few months, we remain bullish on gold in the long-term. We think there’ll be a lot more M&A deals happening in the sector in the coming months, especially acquisitions of juniors that are in possession of high quality deposits that are in production or near production.

Let’s take a look at what’s happened this month.

The stock market game is not for everyone and certainly not for the uninformed. However, someone with the right strategies and research skills can create wealth even in chaotic times. Some of the wealthiest investors have made their fortune trading in volatile micro-cap stocks.

But knowing where to invest, how much to invest, and when to sell or trade does not come naturally to most investors. You’ll first need to understand what kind of stocks are out there so you can build your own plan.

Dear Fellow Retail Investor,

Back in my hippie days (I’m old), I remember buying a bag of weed that reeked of mold.

Obviously I couldn’t complain to the Better Business Bureau about it.

Headquartered in Ayers, Michigan, Gage Cannabis Co. is a cultivator, curator, and retailer of high quality medicinal and recreational cannabis products. Gage also brings internationally recognized cannabis brands to market.

Despite its reputation, gold hasn’t really been the safe haven when things have gotten really ugly in the past.

In 2008, before starting a three-year bull run, gold dropped 30% in the panic sell-off.

Dear Fellow Retail Investor,

I once had an online business that sold holistic health information.

And over the 13 years I ran it, monthly income grew from $0 to about $3,000.

Not a fortune… but it was a hobby business I enjoyed (and I didn’t mind the extra money).

All that changed in 2012.

That’s when Google unleashed its Penguin algorithm.

Welcome to The Diary, the newsletter for essential small-cap investing intelligence, presented twice a month by Dear Retail. We hope you enjoyed our last issue – if you missed it, you can find it here.

Have you been thinking about breaking into the small-cap market? You might be wondering “How do I choose a small-cap stock?” Maybe the thought of investing in a notoriously volatile market is daunting. But don’t worry—there are many things you can do to up your chances of investing in a profitable small-cap stock. The key is doing thorough research. Follow these research tips to find the best small-cap stocks.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Diary, your source for essential investing intelligence. In each issue we’ll be bringing you investing ideas from the front lines, plus educational tools, market trends to watch, exclusive interviews, and invaluable insight into everything small-cap.

On July 26, 2018 I bought some shares of a small Canadian biotech company at CAD $1.08 – of course, the price started to fall immediately after I bought it. Not a huge deal, I reassured myself as I watched the share price slide, and my money disappear right along with it. Ugh.