The Incredible Shrinking Dollar

In the forex market, most moves are measured in pips – a mere 1/100th of 1%.

So even a 1% move is big and notable. Currency traders on the right side of a 1% move can make their trading year.

That brings us to the return of the U.S. dollar – which still manages to pass itself off as the world’s reserve currency.

Year to date, the buck is down nearly 9%:

Turn Your Images On

That’s the kind of move that you might see out of an emerging market currency over six months. But not a developed nation. And certainly not one that dominates global trade.

The drop in the dollar reflects several factors. There’s rising uncertainty over trade and taxes. And there are concerns over the unsustainable path of the U.S. government’s budget.

With the dollar in a downtrend, if you’re an American just buying American goods, it’s no biggie. If you’re exporting internationally, a weaker dollar is great. But if you’re buying foreign imports, it means higher prices – with or without tariffs.

The speed of this dollar decline suggests that something is broken in financial markets. And we may know soon enough what that is.

~ Addison

“The Nvidia Killer”

Elon Musk is set to revolutionize the AI industry with his latest invention.

It could make a lot of people rich in the process…

All while triggering a crash of up to 50% in the next 12 months in Nvidia and other popular AI stocks.

Which is why this former hedge-fund manager is calling it “the Nvidia killer”.

Click here to see Elon Musk’s new invention now.

P.S. With the dollar heading down, other currencies should have a tailwind and can trend higher. That includes foreign currencies, as well as non-fiat alternatives such as gold and bitcoin. With the dollar weakening on top of everything else, we see the potential for gold prices to soar far higher over the next 18 months.

That’s part of the conversation we’ll have on Grey Swan Live! tomorrow with Frank Holmes, CEO of USGlobal Funds – whose background is extensive in the hard asset space, from gold to the digital realm with bitcoin mining. We’ll also be looking under the hood of two intriguing ETFs he launched – JETS and WAR. It’ll be worth your time to tune in and hear Frank’s perspective.

As always, your reader feedback is welcome: feedback@greyswanfraternity.com (We read all emails. Thanks in advance for your contribution.)

In the forex market, most moves are measured in pips – a mere 1/100th of 1%.

So even a 1% move is big and notable. Currency traders on the right side of a 1% move can make their trading year.

That brings us to the return of the U.S. dollar – which still manages to pass itself off as the world’s reserve currency.

Year to date, the buck is down nearly 9%:

Turn Your Images On

That’s the kind of move that you might see out of an emerging market currency over six months. But not a developed nation. And certainly not one that dominates global trade.

The drop in the dollar reflects several factors. There’s rising uncertainty over trade and taxes. And there are concerns over the unsustainable path of the U.S. government’s budget.

The speed of this dollar decline suggests that something is broken in financial markets. And we may know soon enough what that is.

~ Addison

“The Nvidia Killer”

Elon Musk is set to revolutionize the AI industry with his latest invention.

It could make a lot of people rich in the process…

All while triggering a crash of up to 50% in the next 12 months in Nvidia and other popular AI stocks.

Which is why this former hedge-fund manager is calling it “the Nvidia killer”.

Click here to see Elon Musk’s new invention now.

As always, your reader feedback is welcome: feedback@greyswanfraternity.com (We read all emails. Thanks in advance for your contribution.)

Sunday night, Powell addressed the probe head-on in a video post — a rarity. He accused the White House of using cost overruns in the Fed’s HQ renovation as a pretext for political interference.

The White House denied involvement. But few in Washington believed it.

What followed was bipartisan condemnation of the investigation. Greenspan, Bernanke, and Yellen co-signed a blistering rebuke, warning the U.S. was starting to resemble “emerging markets with weak institutions.”

Estimates now indicate that the average consumer will default on a minimum payment at about a 15% rate – the highest level since a spike during the pandemic lockdown of the economy.

President Trump’s proposal over the weekend to cap credit card interest at 10% for a year won’t arrive in time to help consumers who are already missing minimum payments.

Not to fret, the other 85% of borrowers continue to spend on borrowed time. Total U.S. household debt, including mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards, reached record highs in late 2025, exceeding $18.5 trillion. This surge was driven partly by rising credit card balances, which neared their own all-time peaks due to inflation and higher interest rates.

There’s an old Wall Street maxim: “Don’t fight the Fed.”

This year, you could add a Trump corollary.

A wise capital allocator doesn’t fight that storm. He doesn’t argue with it. He respects it the way sailors respect the sea: with preparation, with humility, and with a sharp eye for what breaks first.

In 2026, the things that break first are the stories. The narratives. The comfortable assumptions.

Total municipal, state and federal debt service costs soared to nearly $1.5 trillion in the third quarter of 2025. Debt’s easy to accumulate when rates are low. Trouble is, you are obligated to refinance them even after rates go up.

It’s also a key reason why the Trump administration is demanding lower interest rates – even if it means reigniting inflation.