Aftermath was a company with two bulk-grade silver projects in Chile that took on a large silver-copper project in Peru called Berenguela in 2020. That gave me exposure to copper and silver in a bull market. This worked out so well, I doubled my money on the stock before the company delivered any value-adding results on the ground. So, of course, I put an Upside Maximizer (UM) on my position and took profits when it was triggered.

I didn’t know at the time that Peru might go off the deep end—but that’s exactly why UM discipline is so important. If I hadn’t acted until now that Pedro Castillo, the Peruvian presidential candidate who’s spoken of nationalization (or at least much higher taxes on mining) seems likely to win, this stock that was once a double for me would now be a loss. Instead, I get to walk away with a modest, but real gain of 39% ($5,016 invested, $6974 realized).

What if Castillo loses? I could always buy back in again—maybe even at lower prices—but remember that the assets the company has that are not in Peru are in Chile, where things are also taking a decided turn for the worse with talk of higher taxes and constitutional reform that would make mining more difficult. So I’m glad to be out and waiting for the dust to settle from a safe distance.

And if Castillo wins, my sources in Peru say it’s likely to get very bad very quickly for foreign mining companies working there. Better safe than sorry.

I will reconsider as circumstances warrant.