Show Notes
Stijn Schmitz welcomes Francis Hunt to the show. Francis Hunt is Renegade Trader, Analyst, & Founder of The Market Sniper. Hunt opens by declaring that a major reset is underway, urging listeners to aggressively accumulate gold and silver while nations like South Korea and Norway dump US treasuries and increase gold holdings. He sees this as part of a broader loss of faith in American assets and the dollar, driven by unsustainable debt, eroding rule of law, and diminishing global trust. Hunt believes the US is in the final injury time of its economic dominance, with a major crisis likely within three years, leading to a severe contraction in asset values, credit, and living standards. Technically, Hunt identifies a re-engagement of precious metals, noting that gold and silver have broken out of falling wedge continuation patterns and are resuming their uptrends. He points to silver showing relative strength and expects both metals to trade higher into year-end, though not yet reaching extreme targets. His macro technical structure for silver targets $330 and eventually four-digit prices, while gold is also set for substantial gains. He views the current correction as a healthy pause before the next major leg up. Hunt frames gold as the "king" of anti-fiat assets, with silver and miners following. He warns that the coming economic collapse will be global but centered on the West, triggering a parabolic rise in precious metals as fiat currencies debase. He advises heavy allocation to physical metals, far beyond typical portfolio percentages, as protection against systemic risks including potential capital controls, digital currency mandates, and wealth confiscation through unrealized capital gains taxes. Hunt also sees opportunity in precious metals miners and emphasizes the importance of geographic diversification away from Western epicenters. He concludes that building and preserving wealth through this period is not greed but a necessity for survival and maintaining quality of life.
More from Palisades Gold Radio
Brett Rentmeester, founder of Windrock Wealth Management, argues that we are entering a “Fourth Turning”—a roughly 100-year crisis cycle in American history, following the American Revolution, Civil War, and Great Depression/WWII. He identifies four major tailwinds that powered the last 40 years of conventional investing (falling inflation, falling interest rates, rising equity multiples, and massive debt accumulation) as now reversing into headwinds. With US debt at $40 trillion, interest payments consuming 28% of tax revenue, and the 10-year Treasury at 5.1%, Rentmeester warns of a “death by a thousand cuts” rather than an outright default—characterized by financial repression, higher inflation, and eroding purchasing power.
Rory Johnston, founder of Commodity Context and host of the Oil Ground Up podcast, joins Palisades Gold Radio to dissect the current energy crisis. He argues that while the market has avoided outright shortages in the West, the war has created a “balkanized” global oil market. The primary issue is not just crude supply, but a severe crisis in refining capacity, particularly for middle distillates like diesel and jet fuel. Diesel crack spreads have hit unprecedented levels (near $100-$120 a barrel), driven by a combination of the Iran war, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, and Houthi strikes on Saudi infrastructure. This has led to a million to 1.5 million barrels per day loss in diesel supply, with emerging markets like Indonesia feeling the pain of outright shortages first.
Stijn Schmitz welcomes Bob Moriarty to the show. Bob Moriarty is Author, Founder 321 Gold, & Former Marine Fighter Pilot. The discussion centers on escalating Middle East conflicts, particularly the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the broader geopolitical brinkmanship involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Stijn Schmitz welcomes Trader Ferg to the show. Trader Ferg is a Full-time Trader and is the Author of the Trader Ferg Substack. The discussion opens with a vivid illustration of emerging fuel shortages, as Trader Ferg shares images of long queues at his local petrol station in Bali, a symptom of diesel and product tightness spreading across Asia. He argues that governments avoid admitting scarcity, instead running down strategic reserves, but this dynamic sets the stage for a prolonged “big refill” cycle that will keep crude and refined products tight for years. He cautions that markets are complacently expecting a quick resolution, while the reality points to sustained supply constraints.
Stijn Schmitz welcomes Jeff Phillips to the show. Jeff Phillips is a Private Investor and President of Global Market Development. Jeff Phillips sees the current pullback in precious metals and junior miners as a buying opportunity within a longer-term commodity super cycle driven by underinvestment, supply chain concerns, and inflationary currency debasement. He cautions that short-term timing remains uncertain, so maintaining cash and avoiding overleverage is essential. Phillips focuses on junior exploration and development companies, typically entering at $5 to $40 million market caps, and stresses that management quality and share structure matter more than geology alone. He looks for experienced teams with significant insider ownership and long-term shareholders rather than warrant flippers.