Affordability, Meet Reflation

President Trump was in Detroit yesterday, touting the accomplishments of his second term.

Among the “affordability” measures he mentioned: Fannie Mae buying $200 billion in mortgage bonds to thaw out the housing market, a proposed 10% interest cap on individual credit cards for one year and the criminal probe against Jerome Powell, ostensibly because the Fed will not drop rates fast enough to meet Trump’s economic vision.

Similar market interventions were deployed during the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations of the 1970s. The result: a stubborn battle to contain inflation.

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Inflation (gold line) continues to closely track the inflation of the 1970s (blue line). (Source: FX)

Today’s chart of inflation reflects an eerily similar path to the 1970s. The last CPI reading (gold line) ticked back up 2.7%. If prices today continue to track those of the 1970s, the next wave of inflation could see prices rise higher and faster than during the 2021/2022 bout.

Yesterday, gold notched another new record high of $4647. Its slimmer, svelte cousin, silver, set a new historic high of $92. Both monetary metals are reflecting the market fear that once inflation gets started, it’s very difficult to contain.

~ Addison

P.S. Tomorrow in Grey Swan Live! we’ll be joined by Shad Marquitz and take a close look at the precious metals market in 2026.

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In a brief discussion last week, Shad let slip his interest in one particular company that has labeled itself a gold and silver miner because of regulations that have restricted their sale of existing copper and antimony (used in drones and other defense tech).

Those restrictions are being lifted this month, along with other regulations that the Trump administration is trimming.

The details of this one company alone are telling for investors interested in capitalizing on the new retail interest in both precious metals and critical minerals. Shad’s an encyclopedia on the entire resource market. Every conversation yields a wealth of new market insights. Tomorrow’s Grey Swan Live! promises the same. Don’t miss it!

President Trump was in Detroit yesterday, touting the accomplishments of his second term.

Similar market interventions were deployed during the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations of the 1970s. The result: a stubborn battle to contain inflation.

Turn Your Images On

Inflation (gold line) continues to closely track the inflation of the 1970s (blue line). (Source: FX)

~ Addison

P.S. Tomorrow in Grey Swan Live! we’ll be joined by Shad Marquitz and take a close look at the precious metals market in 2026.

Turn Your Images On

Those restrictions are being lifted this month, along with other regulations that the Trump administration is trimming.

Every ten minutes, the bitcoin network completes another block of transaction data. Another bitcoin miner seeks a reward.

The reward is cut in half every four years, thanks to the “halving protocol” which established the coin’s scarcity algorithm. Next month, total bitcoin supply will hit 20 million, leaving just 1 million left to be mined.

The Nasdaq logged its fourth straight down week, pulled lower by the “SaaSpocalypse” in software.

Goldman Sachs’ Software Basket fell 16% for the week. Hedge fund exposure to software shrank sharply, according to Prime Book data.

Lou Miller, Goldman’s global head of Equity Custom Baskets, told clients that buyers remained scarce even as the group entered oversold territory.

In the late 1990s, telecom infrastructure outpaced demand, pricing compressed, and equity valuations adjusted long before usage caught up.

Today’s AI buildout carries healthier balance sheets and real utility, yet capital intensity remains high, and patience wears thin when returns depend on perfect adoption curves.

The week’s trading revealed that a rotation out of high-flying tech into defensive names is well underway. The Dow, which includes broader, non-tech-related stocks, is starting the week above 50,000 for the first time in its history.

The most important moment in finance this week didn’t happen in a committee room or on cable television. It took place over coffee last week in Davos.

Brian Armstrong, the founder and CEO of Coinbase, was mid-conversation with former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair when Jamie Dimon stepped in, pointed a finger, and said, “You are full of s—.”

Dimon wasn’t debating crypto theory. He was defending deposits.

Armstrong had spent the week accusing large banks of leaning on lawmakers to kneecap digital-asset legislation that threatens their core franchise. Dimon, whose firm sits atop the U.S. deposit pile, heard enough. According to people familiar with the exchange, he told Armstrong to stop lying on television.