Palisades Gold Radio

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. Trader Ferg highlights the investment opportunity in underappreciated energy equities, favoring high-quality, cash‑generating companies with strong shareholder yields, such as Shell, over direct commodity futures. He extends this thesis to thermal coal, which he sees benefiting from Asia’s energy security pivot and substitution away from expensive LNG, supported by supply disruptions and a lack of new investment. The conversation then shifts to gold and precious metals. Trader Ferg remains a long‑term gold bull given the deteriorating US fiscal position, but he emphasizes the importance of diversifying into platinum and palladium. PGMs offer tighter supply dynamics, concentrated production in South Africa, and resilient demand from hybrid vehicles, making them less vulnerable to government confiscation risks that could threaten gold. Throughout, Trader Ferg stresses aligning investment vehicles with long‑term theses, seeking cheap valuations with double‑digit shareholder yields, and avoiding obvious political targets. He notes the non‑consensus nature of energy trades and the potential for explosive moves in compressed markets like coal and uranium. The episode concludes with a nod to frontier market opportunities and a reminder to position ahead of policy desperation, as governments may increasingly resort to windfall taxes and capital controls. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:30 – Fuel Shortages in Asia 00:02:30 – Rationing and Demand Control 00:03:48 – Strategic Reserves Refill 00:06:36 – Product Shortages Spread West 00:10:34 – Sponsor Message 00:11:22 – Energy Investment Opportunities 00:14:20 – Non-Consensus Long-Term Views 00:16:48 – Playing via Equities Quality 00:21:06 – Shareholder Yield Strategy 00:23:32 – Thermal Coal Asia Thesis 00:28:13 – Gold and US Fiscal Risks 00:44:20 – Platinum PGMs Positioning 00:47:04 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: Substack: https://traderferg.substack.com/ X: https://x.com/trader_ferg Trader Ferg is a Full-time trader for going on 8+ years now. He has a habit of hanging out in hated corners of the market that are considered uninvestable. He enjoys sharing his research and thoughts about possible trades and markets.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes David Hunter to the show. David Hunter is Chief Macro Strategist with Contrarian Macro Advisors. Hunter presents a deeply contrarian outlook, arguing that the extreme bearishness in the bond market signals a major bottom in bonds and a top in interest rates, particularly the 10-year Treasury. He believes the current narrative of an inescapable fiscal trap and higher rates is already priced in, and he expects oil prices to roll over into the $60 range, contributing to a downside surprise in inflation as the economy slows. Despite this, Hunter maintains a near-term bullish stance on equities, forecasting a final, euphoric melt-up that could push the S&P 500 to 10,000 within months. He notes the unusual phenomenon of all-time highs in major indices coinciding with subdued or bearish investor sentiment, which he views as supportive of further gains. However, this rally represents the terminal phase of a 44-year secular bull market. Hunter predicts this will culminate in a historic global bust, a deflationary crash potentially worse than 2008-2009, driven by extreme global leverage and derivatives. He anticipates an 80% decline in equities, with policymakers initially reluctant to deploy massive stimulus, causing a severe air pocket. Following this bust, Hunter outlines a subsequent cycle where massive money printing triggers hyperinflation. This environment will fuel an explosive, multi-year bull market in commodities, with gold potentially reaching $20,000 and silver $1,000 by the early 2030s. He sees the precious metals mining sector as exceptionally undervalued, poised for a tremendous run as institutional investment flows in, supported by disciplined management and strong earnings. Hunter’s long-term thesis concludes with a final systemic collapse in the mid-2030s when hyperinflation renders further money printing impossible. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:59 – Treasury Market and Yields 00:02:20 – Contrarian Bond Market View 00:04:40 – Oil Prices Roll Over 00:10:29 – Inflation Peaking and Softening 00:12:10 – Equity Markets Bullish Outlook 00:17:52 – Impending Global Economic Bust 00:35:39 – Gold and Silver Performance 00:47:29 – Mining Stocks Opportunities 00:52:24 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: X: https://x.com/DaveHcontrarian David is Chief Macro Strategist with Contrarian Macro Advisors. He is an investment professional with 25 years of investment management experience and 21 years as a sell-side strategist with robust macroeconomic analysis and portfolio management expertise. His strong macro capabilities, combined with a contrarian philosophy, have allowed him to forecast economic cycles and spot market trends well ahead of the consensus. Intellectually honest, independent thinker comfortable with charting a course apart from the crowd.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Justin Huhn to the show. Justin Huhn is Founder & Publisher of Uranium Insider Pro. Justin Huhn presents a firmly bullish outlook for uranium, describing the current phase as the middle of a long-term secular bull market. The most critical forward indicators, he argues, are the terms in the long-term contracting market, where suppliers are now securing agreements with high floors and often no ceilings, signaling a market where security of supply is beginning to outweigh price sensitivity. He notes that supply has failed to respond adequately to demand, with greenfield projects moving slowly, while a combination of reactor restarts, life extensions, and an unprecedented global build-out of around 80 reactors is underpinning a structural deficit that will persist for five to seven years. A major new demand driver is the entry of hyperscalers and big tech, who are not only signing power purchase agreements but also exploring SMRs, with hundreds of units in planning. Although SMR demand is conservatively modelled to materialize only after 2030, Huhn expects actual construction starts much sooner to trigger early fuel procurement, adding further competition for available pounds. On the supply side, he dismisses the notion that new mine supply will pressure prices, emphasizing that developers like NexGen are likely to sell responsibly into term markets on similarly bullish terms, meaning extra production will not dent the price trajectory. The spot market has been quiet, but Huhn views current equity weakness as a significant value opportunity, given the deep disconnect between physical market strength and stock prices. He advocates a dynamic trading approach that uses physical market signals, charting, and sentiment to trade around the core long-term bull thesis, which has allowed his portfolio to outperform in this environment. Ultimately, Huhn forecasts uranium prices well above $200 per pound, supported by inelastic demand and a multi-year supply gap, with the sector poised for a rerating as investors recognise that supply growth is necessary, not bearish, against massive nuclear energy expansion. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:50 – Uranium Market Cycle 00:03:30 – Strong Bull Case 00:06:10 – Term Contract Trends 00:09:15 – Forward Market Indicators 00:10:57 – Nuclear Fuel Costs 00:18:15 – Global Nuclear Buildout 00:24:24 – Geopolitical Energy Security 00:28:42 – Small Modular Reactors 00:35:53 – Uranium Supply Landscape 00:36:07 – Mining Equities Opportunity 00:47:35 – Investment Strategies 00:51:45 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: Website: https://www.uraniuminsider.com Newsletter: https://www.uraniuminsider.com/newsletter X: https://x.com/UraniumInsider Justin is the Founder and Publisher of the Uranium Insider Pro Newsletter. Through the combination of rigorous fundamental analysis and Justin’s thorough understanding of technical analysis, determinations are made for select companies to be included on Uranium Insider Pro’s “Focus List,” as well as the most opportune times for entry or exit. Justin is frequently asked to offer his commentary on various media forums, including Crux Investor, Smith Weekly, Palisades Gold Radio, Mining Stock Education, and Mining Stock Daily. He also regularly participates in the post-earnings commentary that is broadcast immediately after industry majors release quarterly earnings. Justin is devoted to bringing value to those that are taking their first look at the uranium sector. Until July 2020, he distributed a complimentary newsletter as an educational tool to those investors seeking to familiarize themselves with the complexities and opportunities offered by the uranium sector and the uranium shares. Regrettably, the Uranium Insider Pro subscription letter’s subscriber growth and breadth no longer allow him to provide this tool. The success of Uranium Insider has been gratifying, and the emerging bull market in uranium continues to offer an unusually attractive risk:reward proposition for fellow contrarian investors.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Florian Grummes to the show. Florian is the Founder and Managing Director of Midas Touch Consulting. The discussion opens with concerns about equity markets at all-time highs, rising Treasury yields, and Middle East energy disruptions. Grummes argues the financial system is walking on a tightrope, but central banks will continue printing money to sustain the “paper Ponzi scheme,” delaying any systemic break. He sees the US midterm elections as a near-term uncertainty, expecting markets to struggle until then, followed by a possible year-end rally. On energy, he believes oil prices are being managed and warns that a proposed US diesel export ban could severely stress Europe, potentially leading to supply chain issues and food shortages, advising listeners to prepare by stocking essentials. Grummes remains bullish on oil producers, citing a strong uptrend, and foresees an inflationary spiral driven by rising bond yields and money supply expansion. He emphasizes that gold’s fundamental drivers are intact: central bank buying, Asian demand, a shift from bonds to precious metals, and ongoing liquidity injections. Technically, gold is in a correction since January, with support around $4,000; a break below could target $3,500, but he views dips as buying opportunities. He highlights the long-term secular bull market in gold and expects miners to benefit from healthy margins and strong balance sheets, though near-term tax-loss selling may create pressure. For mining investments, he stresses the importance of management track record, jurisdictional safety, concentrated portfolios, and having an exit strategy. He favors stocks with declining volume on pullbacks, indicating weak hands are being squeezed out. Grummes concludes by inviting listeners to his website and Substack for daily and weekly analysis. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:40 – Current Market Overview 00:01:49 – Paper Ponzi Scheme Concerns 00:02:43 – Middle East Energy Disruptions 00:03:38 – Midterm Elections Impact 00:06:28 – US Geopolitical Weakness 00:09:12 – Diesel Export Ban Feasibility 00:10:10 – Oil Producers Outlook 00:11:24 – Preparing for Supply Shortages 00:12:50 – Economic Slowdown Implications 00:16:22 – Fiat Currency Debasement 00:20:48 – Gold Market Fundamentals 00:28:10 – China Gold Trade Strategy 00:33:16 – Gold Miners Opportunities 00:37:47 – Investment Pitfalls Advice 00:42:38 – Stock Setup Opportunities 00:43:45 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: Website: https://www.midastouch-consulting.com X: https://twitter.com/FlorianGrummes Substack: https://substack.com/@midastouchconsulting Telegram: https://t.me/MidasTouchConsulting Free Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/d5Euf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/floriangrummes/ Seeking Alpha: https://seekingalpha.com/author/florian-grummes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midastouchconsulting Florian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, mentor, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 30 years of experience in financial markets.  Florian is the founder and managing director of his company Midas Touch Consulting, which is specialized in trading & investments as well as consulting, analysis & research with a focus on precious metals, commodities and digital assets. Via Midas Touch Consulting he is publishing daily and weekly gold, silver, bitcoin & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental/macro and sentiment analysis into one often accurate conclusion about the markets.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Colonel Douglas Macgregor to the show. Mr. Macgregor is a retired U.S. Army Colonel & Decorated Combat Veteran. Macgregor opens with a stark assessment that the global energy structure is being destroyed, warning that the situation will worsen significantly. He dismisses the notion of an imminent diplomatic deal with Iran, stating that trust has evaporated and Iran now holds the strategic initiative, effectively controlling oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. He estimates that only a fraction of normal oil shipments are moving, with tankers forced to pay tolls to Iran, while simultaneous U.S. efforts to punish compliance have made insurance impossible. The disruption extends to the Red Sea, where attacks on infrastructure have halted Saudi oil shipments to Europe, potentially removing 35% of the world’s oil from the market. This energy shock is only beginning to be felt in Europe and has prompted discussions in the U.S. about banning diesel exports, a move Macgregor sees as indicative of the crisis’s severity. The conversation expands to the broader geopolitical and financial implications. Macgregor argues that the petrodollar system is effectively dead, with the U.S. waging war to restore dominance, particularly against Iranian resistance. He criticizes the American tendency to project its own mindset onto nations like China and Russia, leading to strategic miscalculations. He warns that President Trump’s rhetoric suggests a dangerous escalation, potentially including nuclear options, which would finish off the global energy structure. Macgregor sees the markets as grossly underestimating the potential for complete disaster, making gold an essential investment. He notes that central banks continue to stockpile gold and that the BRICS nations are actively building parallel financial structures to circumvent the dollar, a trend forced by U.S. sanctions. He concludes that the West, particularly the U.S., faces a period of extreme internal turmoil, driven by an energy crisis, political corruption, and a public insulated from the consequences of endless wars. Guest Links: Website: https://douglasmacgregor.com X: https://x.com/DougAMacgregor Substack: https://substack.com/@coloneldoug YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@macgregorwarriordiplomacy Articles: https://breakingdefense.com/author/doug-macgregor/ Douglas Macgregor is a decorated combat veteran, an author of five books, a PhD, and a defense and foreign policy consultant. Macgregor was commissioned in the Regular Army in 1976 after 1 year at VMI and 4 years at West Point. In 2004, Macgregor retired with the rank of Colonel. In 2020, the President appointed Macgregor to serve as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense, a post he held until President Trump left office. He holds an MA in comparative politics and a PhD in international relations from the University of Virginia. Macgregor is widely known inside the U.S., Europe, Israel, Russia, China and Korea for both his leadership in the Battle of 73 Easting, the U.S. Army’s largest tank battle since World War II, and for his ground breaking books on military transformation: Breaking the Phalanx (Praeger, 1997) and Transformation under Fire (Praeger, 2003). Macgregor’s recommendations for change in Force Design and “integrated all arms-all effects” operations have profoundly influenced force development in Israel, Russia and China. In 2010, Macgregor traveled to Seoul, Korea to advise the ROK Ministry of Defense on force design. In 2019, Transformation under Fire was selected by Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, Chief of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), as the intellectual basis for IDF transformation. His fifth book, Margin of Victory: Five Battles that Changed the Face of Modern War from Naval Institute Press is available in Chinese, as well as, English and will soon appear in Hebrew. In 28 years of service Macgregor taught in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, commanded the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, and served as the Director of the Joint Operations Center at SHAPE during the 1999 Kosovo Air Campaign for which he was awarded the Defense Superior Service medal. In January 2002, at Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s insistence the USCENTCOM Commander listened to Colonel Macgregor’s concept for the offensive to seize Baghdad. The plan was largely adopted, but assumed no occupation of Iraq by U.S. Forces. Macgregor has also testified as an expert witness before the Senate and House Armed Services Committees and appeared as a defense analyst on Fox News, CNN, BBC, Sky News and public radio. He is fluent in German.

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Dr. Mark Thornton to the show. Dr. Mark Thornton is Economist and Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute. Dr. Thornton paints a dire picture of the global economy, arguing that widespread socialist policies are driving governments to extreme borrowing, money printing, and protectionism. He points to the trade war and real conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as direct consequences, which have disrupted diesel, crude oil, and fertilizer production. This creates a global pinch on agriculture and mining, threatening food supplies and crop yields, while strategic energy reserves are depleted, leaving economies vulnerable. The resulting higher fuel and food prices are squeezing consumers worldwide, whose wages are failing to keep pace with inflation, leading to a systematic harm of the working class while asset bubbles benefit the wealthy. The discussion turns to the unsustainable sovereign debt bubble, with Dr. Thornton noting that when government debt exceeds 100% of GDP, economies become trapped, risking either a deflationary depression or a hyperinflationary collapse. He sees the current fiat money system as steering toward the latter, especially if central banks are forced to monetize debt to suppress rising yields. Unlike the post-World War II era, when the U.S. grew out of its debt through demobilization and global demand, today’s conditions make a similar escape unlikely without drastic government restructuring. On a more constructive note, Dr. Thornton is bullish on gold and silver, citing fundamental support from ongoing central bank purchases and restricted mining supply. He anticipates that once short-term speculators re-enter the market, precious metals and mining stocks could see a significant upswing. He also suggests the possibility of a government-led gold revaluation as a short-term political tactic, though it would not solve long-term structural problems.

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.