It’s been two weeks since the on again/ off again “Liberation Day” tariffs, and in the confusion, we’ve been flooded with smart, skeptical questions from readers.
Today we recorded a special Q&A episode to cut through the chaos and confusion these new trade measures have sparked in the markets.
We dig into:
Why gold initially dropped… Before once again soaring
The bizarre whipsaw in Treasury prices and bond yields
Do foreign countries actually own US debt–or does the US hold all the cards through third-party custodians?
Is chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Stephen Miran right–has US debt become “costly” in a way that hurts long-term?
What about the Triffin Dilemma and America’s obsession with mid-20th century manufacturing metrics?
Did China buy Treasuries high just to sell low… and why would they?
Can China afford to weaponize their dollar reserves–or are they shooting themselves in the foot?
If BRICS switched entirely to yuan trade settlement, who wins? (Hint: probably not the US.)
Where can you actually find reliable info on all this?
And… why I think Jeff Bezos deserves the Nobel Peace Prize…
You can listen here to the following Chapters:
00:00 The Impact of Liberation Day on Gold Prices
02:54 Understanding Safe Haven Assets: Gold vs. Treasuries
06:04 The Future of Gold: Is Its Value Sustainable?
09:08 The Ownership of US Treasuries: Who Really Holds the Debt?
12:00 Sanctions and Economic Warfare: The US’s Financial Leverage
14:52 The Triffin Dilemma: Costs of Being the Global Reserve Currency
18:03 The Debate on Fair Share: Global Economics and Defense Spending
28:09 The Validity of Different Perspectives
30:04 Triffin’s Dilemma and the Cost of Reserve Currency
37:38 Economic Warfare: The US-China Trade Dynamics
42:46 The Future of the Renminbi and Global Currency Trust
51:26 The Importance of Primary Sources in Information Gathering
