VRIC Media

Dr. Joanne Hsu, director and chief economist of the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, joins Darrell to examine why Americans remain dissatisfied with the economy despite resilient consumer spending. She discusses how persistent high prices are eroding purchasing power, why wealthy households experience the economy differently, and how gasoline prices, tariffs, interest rates, and housing affordability shape consumer sentiment. Hsu also explains what it would take for confidence to recover and why the survey matters to the Federal Reserve and investors.

Check out Dr. Hsu's work:

https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/

https://public.websites.umich.edu/~jwhsu/

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0:00 Why consumer sentiment matters

1:02 What the University of Michigan survey measures

3:25 Who uses the survey data?

4:24 What consumer sentiment reveals about recession risks

5:57 Why economic recovery takes time to reach households

7:37 Americans are struggling with high prices

8:41 What would restore consumer confidence?

9:51 The growing divide between wealthy and lower-income households

11:39 How asset ownership shapes economic experiences

12:50 Why spending remains strong despite weak sentiment

14:06 How gasoline prices affect inflation expectations

16:10 What the survey reveals about tariffs

17:48 Consumer expectations following the Fed’s rate hike

19:47 Why housing affordability remains under pressure

21:51 Why Dr. Hsu studies household financial well-being

23:21 Where to find the latest consumer sentiment data

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Tavi Costa warns that rising Treasury yields, expensive stock valuations, and persistent inflation are creating a difficult situation for policymakers. He explains why attempts to suppress yields could benefit hard assets, why he sees the AI investment boom driving long-term demand for metals, and why mining stocks may offer a more attractive way to invest in that trend than technology companies. Costa also shares his outlook for oil, copper, gold, and silver.

Tavi's links:

https://x.com/TaviCosta

https://tavicosta.substack.com/

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0:00 The Fed’s dilemma: inflation versus rising yields

1:57 Why higher Treasury yields threaten expensive stocks

6:16 Energy, agriculture, and persistent inflation

8:26 Why policymakers may struggle to fight inflation

11:35 Could yield curve control be the next step?

14:53 The growing divide between corporate earnings and employment

17:28 Why the AI revolution needs metals

21:52 Mining stocks versus technology valuations

23:23 What happens to miners if the AI bubble bursts?

30:17 Tavi’s outlook for oil and copper

32:27 Tungsten and the importance of project economics

35:11 Why silver miners have his attention

37:48 Why Tavi is buying gold miners instead of gold

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Dr. Marc Faber of the Gloom, Boom & Doom Report argues that the world remains in a long-term commodity and interest-rate upcycle, driven in part by persistent money printing, war, and declining purchasing power. He explains why gold should continue to play a role in preserving wealth, why platinum and silver may still be relatively attractive, and why continued monetary intervention could eventually undermine bonds, currencies, and the effectiveness of central bank bailouts.

Marc's Links:

https://x.com/gloomboomdoom

https://www.gloomboomdoom.com/

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0:00 Money printing and the decline in purchasing power

2:54 Why commodities may be in a long-term upcycle

4:51 Why Faber expects interest rates to keep rising

6:35 What money printing is really doing to markets

8:43 When monetary intervention stops working

11:58 Measuring wealth in gold terms

13:11 Marc Faber’s reaction to gold’s surge

15:07 Why gold can keep rising against paper currencies

16:36 Central banks, gold, and declining trust in the U.S.

18:17 Is the U.S. becoming more state-controlled?

20:50 Stablecoins, surveillance, and the future of cash

23:46 Why Faber thinks cash will survive

25:41 Could gold and silver become money again?

28:23 Why Faber still likes platinum

30:40 Commodity shortages and future supply

33:34 When money printing becomes counterproductive

36:33 Why central banks may be trapped

39:02 The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report

41:12 Faber’s recommended economists and reading

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Asset Management argues that rising debt, persistent inflation, and growing demand for capital are setting up a powerful long-term bull market in commodities. He explains why he expects interest rates to remain under pressure, why a future U.S. debt and dollar crisis could be far more damaging than 2008, and why gold, silver, mining stocks, and royalty companies may offer some of the strongest opportunities as investors move toward hard assets.

Peter's links:

https://x.com/PeterSchiff

https://europac.com/

https://www.schiffgold.com/

https://www.schiffgold.com/services/start-trading

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0:00 Fed policy versus Treasury intervention

1:58 Why Schiff doubts Kevin Warsh’s hawkish stance

3:03 Why Treasury buyers are demanding higher yields

5:15 Inflation, energy prices, and the midterms

6:53 Why Schiff thinks the Iran war was a major mistake

13:02 Corruption and declining trust in government

15:19 Sanctions, trade threats, and the dollar

17:59 How tariffs raise costs for Americans

21:13 Why commodities could be entering a major bull market

24:04 AI, energy demand, and the need for more raw materials

25:08 Why higher rates could trigger a debt crisis

26:08 What a U.S. debt and dollar crisis could look like

27:03 Why housing could be hit harder than in 2008

29:06 Why QE may not work in the next crisis

30:01 Schiff’s outlook for the U.S. dollar

30:44 How high could gold go?

33:29 Why Schiff expects miners to outperform

36:19 Where he sees the best opportunities in mining stocks

37:58 Royalty and streaming companies

39:38 Schiff’s outlook for silver

41:44 Platinum, palladium, and the broader metals market

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Gareth Soloway of Verified Investing shares his technical outlook across oil, bonds, gold, silver, and copper while warning that extremely low volatility in the markets may be masking growing risks beneath the surface. He explains why he expects the U.S. economy to slow, why gold could ultimately reach much higher levels over the coming years, and what key chart levels he is watching across precious metals, oil, and copper.

Gareth's links:

https://x.com/GarethSoloway

https://verifiedinvesting.com/

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0:00 Why low volatility is making Gareth cautious

2:50 What the VIX is signaling now

4:17 Could volatility stay suppressed through the midterms?

5:23 Gareth’s current oil trade

7:17 Why oil may struggle to reach $150

8:35 The economic slowdown Gareth sees ahead

11:33 What the 10-year Treasury chart is signaling

12:25 Treasury intervention and the Fed

14:31 Gareth’s outlook for gold

15:25 Key support and resistance levels for gold

18:41 Why gold’s long-term trend remains intact

19:45 Silver’s next major breakout level

21:24 How Gareth is positioned in silver

22:18 Why he is preparing to short copper

23:25 Why structural deficits don’t always drive price

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Willem Middelkoop, author of The Big Reset and founder of the Commodity Discovery Fund, argues that the monetary reset he has warned about for years is now beginning to take shape. He explains why central banks are moving toward gold, why general investors may be starting to rotate out of bonds and into hard assets, and why he believes gold mining stocks are only now breaking out of a 13-year bottoming pattern. Middelkoop also discusses looming supply shortages in copper, silver, and uranium.

Willem's links:

https://x.com/wmiddelkoop

https://wmiddelkoop.substack.com/

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0:00 Is the monetary reset finally beginning?

1:10 Why gold is returning to the financial system

3:02 Central banks are moving toward physical gold

5:11 What central bankers really think about gold

8:30 Why European countries are bringing gold home

10:43 Is the U.S. losing control of the gold market?

15:00 Rising Treasury yields and weakening demand for U.S. debt

17:33 Why traditional investors are starting to rethink bonds

20:14 Are gold miners only beginning their bull market?

22:13 Copper breaks out as supply tightens

23:50 The coming shortages in metals

25:49 Why copper may be the biggest supply problem

27:07 Uranium and silver face similar constraints

29:00 Willem’s outlook for gold, silver, copper, and uranium

29:46 What is really happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

33:32 Why oil has remained below $100

35:18 Sanctions, Iran, and the shifting global order

37:29 What the monetary reset could mean for the West

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Clem Chambers argues that investors may be witnessing a new form of market intervention: a “Trump put” driven increasingly through the U.S. Treasury rather than the Federal Reserve. He explains why he expects more liquidity, lower interest rates, a weaker dollar, and an inflationary push to rebuild American industry and fund the AI boom. Chambers also discusses what that environment could mean for stocks, gold, precious metals, and the broader U.S. economy.

Clem's links:

https://x.com/ClemChambers

https://anewfn.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@ClemChambersAlpha

https://seekingalpha.com/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/investor/people/clem/

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0:00 Is the Fed put becoming the Trump put?

1:50 Why Clem thinks the Treasury is intervening

5:04 The evidence behind the “Trump put”

6:05 Why reshoring requires enormous amounts of capital

8:02 AI adds another massive demand for money

10:44 Why the dollar could weaken significantly

14:39 Lower rates, more liquidity, and higher inflation

15:08 Why hard assets could benefit

18:14 Is the Fed already quietly loosening?

19:22 Why the financial system needs more liquidity

24:09 Can the Trump put prevent a market crash?

25:27 Why America is rebuilding its industrial base

27:10 The technology race with China

30:34 Why reshoring will be inflationary

31:04 Foreign selling of U.S. Treasuries

36:19 Is the $40 trillion debt really as dangerous as it sounds?

40:20 Why Chambers remains optimistic on markets

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Josh Young of Bison Insights argues that years of underinvestment have left the oil market increasingly vulnerable to future shortages. He explains why current prices are still too low to encourage enough new production, why reserve replacement remains dangerously weak, and how geopolitical disruptions are adding further pressure to global energy markets. Young also discusses the Strait of Hormuz, refining shortages, Venezuela, and why he believes the longer-term setup for oil remains strongly bullish.

Josh's Links:

https://x.com/JoshYoung

https://www.bisoninsights.info/

https://bisoninterests.com/

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0:00 Why oil could be entering a structural bull market

0:44 Josh Young’s approach to oil and gas investing

4:00 Where oil prices could head from here

5:04 Why years of underinvestment matter

7:37 The 10% reserve replacement problem

10:00 How low can the Strategic Petroleum Reserve go?

13:01 Why oil market intervention may be losing effectiveness

18:58 Why diesel margins have exploded

20:14 Russia, China, and the global refining shortage

26:00 Can the Strait of Hormuz really become irrelevant?

29:58 Can Venezuelan oil solve the supply problem?

36:10 How much oil could Venezuela actually produce?

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

John Feneck of Feneck Consulting explains why silver remains one of his largest holdings and where he sees the best opportunities across the sector. He also discusses potential M&A in the silver sector, why mining equities may finally be gaining leverage to higher metals prices, and the growing investment case for tungsten as the U.S. looks to secure critical mineral supply.

John's links:

https://x.com/FeneckConsult

https://www.feneckconsulting.com/

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0:00 Why John Feneck remains bullish on silver

2:37 Physical silver versus mining stocks

4:03 Why silver developers look attractive

6:59 M&A opportunities across the silver sector

7:36 Is the Fed really as hawkish as investors think?

11:59 Where gold and silver could head next

13:49 Why mining stocks may finally outperform

16:14 Big money starts paying attention to gold

17:56 The critical minerals trade

18:51 Why John prefers tungsten over rare earths

20:05 Guardian Metal and Western Star Resources

22:16 Why the U.S. needs domestic tungsten supply

25:06 The defense industry’s tungsten problem

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Doug Casey of International Man argues that the United States is entering a period of economic, political, and geopolitical decline that could culminate in what he calls a “Greater Depression.” Casey also discusses how he is positioning and why the miners may be better than gold in this leg.

Doug's links:

https://www.youtube.com/@DougCaseysTake

https://internationalman.com/

https://x.com/RealDougCasey

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0:00 Is the American empire in decline?

2:13 Why Doug Casey thinks the Iran conflict will continue

3:56 Is Hormuz America’s Suez moment?

9:03 What declining U.S. power means for the global order

13:27 Why institutions like the UN are breaking down

15:46 Doug Casey’s “Greater Depression” thesis

17:16 Why more Fed intervention could make things worse

20:49 Political polarization and the risk of civil unrest

26:00 Why Casey thinks a genuine civil war is possible

27:30 Socialism, fascism, and capitalism defined

31:05 Why political solutions won’t fix the problem

34:06 How individuals should prepare

37:16 Gold, mining stocks, and protecting wealth

40:59 Could governments confiscate gold again?

43:12 Diversifying outside the United States

48:28 Foreign currencies versus precious metals

Copyright © 2026 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.