by Michael Wilkerson | Aug 21, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence, Banks, Blog Articles, Economy, Energy, Finance, Inflation, Markets, Trade, USA
The current AI-related bubble in financial assets increasingly echoes warning signs from the global financial crisis (GFC), precipitated by excesses in residential housing, and the spectacular collapse of Enron, “the world’s leading energy company,” whose executives...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jun 22, 2026 | Blog Articles, Finance, Markets, Technology, Trade, USA
SpaceX’s initial public offering stands as one of the most significant financial events in recent memory. Priced at $135 per share, the company raised a record sum of $86 billion in cash, channeling fresh capital directly into operations rather than providing...
by Michael Wilkerson | May 1, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence, Blog Articles, Covid-19, Economy, Politics, Technology, Trade, USA
Big Tech is Larger, More Profitable, and Spending More Than Ever Last week, Microsoft and Meta both announced significant reductions-in-force. Big Tech layoffs—sometimes tens of thousands of employees at once—make for attention-grabbing news. They portend imminent...
by Michael Wilkerson | Mar 28, 2026 | Blog Articles, China, Economy, Energy, Finance, Geopolitics, Inflation, Iran, Markets, Oil, Qatar, Russia, Trade, Trump Administration, Ukraine, USA, War
And How the United States and Russia May Benefit The global natural gas market is now in disarray, and this negatively affects everything in the modern economy … from agriculture to transportation to semiconductor manufacturing and beyond. The market did not just...
by Michael Wilkerson | Feb 4, 2026 | Banks, Bitcoin, Blog Articles, Crypto, Economy, Finance, Geopolitics, Gold, Historical, Markets, Monetary System, Trade, Trump Administration, USA, Venezuela
Investors have been rightly impressed by gold’s remarkable run, which in dollar terms has doubled in price over the past year. This performance vastly outpaces the stock markets (which are also sitting at all-time highs) and Bitcoin (trading sideways for months), the...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jan 7, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence, Banks, Bitcoin, Blog Articles, China, Crypto, Economy, Finance, Geopolitics, Gold, Inflation, Iran, Markets, Russia, Tariffs, Technology, Trade, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela
Let me get to the punchline of my view on the financial markets for 2026. The remarkable equity bull run of the past couple of years is unlikely to stall, at least not in the first half of 2026. Corrections are inevitable, and we are indeed likely in an asset bubble....
by Michael Wilkerson | Dec 31, 2025 | Banks, Blog Articles, BRICS, China, Economy, Finance, Geopolitics, Gold, Inflation, Monetary System, Russia, Sanctions, Trade, Ukraine
2025 was an extraordinary year for precious metals. Gold, silver and platinum each outperformed other asset classes, including equities, Bitcoin (2024’s best performer) and even indexes tracking artificial intelligence (“AI”), one of 2025’s favorite investment themes....
by Michael Wilkerson | Oct 27, 2025 | Blog Articles, Economy, Energy, Finance, Inflation, Tariffs, Trade, Trump Administration, USA
This week’s release of September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), a barometer of U.S. inflation, confirmed that inflation persists across the economy. Both CPI and Core CPI (which excludes food and energy prices), advanced by three percent on an annual basis. This was...
by Michael Wilkerson | May 20, 2025 | Blog Articles, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Policy, Politics, Tariffs, Trade, Trump Administration, USA
Tax Cuts are Revenue Cuts The U.S. financial markets and the American consumer are both expressing concern about the state of the economy. The impact of tariffs, downgrades, deficits, tax bills, and inflation are each being weighed. The U.S. has a severe spending...
by Michael Wilkerson | Apr 9, 2025 | Blog Articles, China, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Trade, Trump Administration, USA
Last week was the worst week for the U.S. stock market since the “COVID crash” of March 2020. Indexes such as the S&P500 and the NASDAQ are each down over ten percent since Wednesday. Friday saw the largest volume of shares traded in one day ever. Markets...
by Michael Wilkerson | Mar 5, 2025 | Blog Articles, Crypto, Economy, Finance, Geopolitics, Inflation, Policy, Politics, Tariffs, Trade, Trump Administration, Ukraine, USA
Austerity has a price … worth paying The Trump administration came into office with an ambitious set of promises in tow. During his campaign, and among other things, President Trump committed to end the immigration crisis at the U.S. southern border, stop the war in...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jan 31, 2025 | Artificial Intelligence, Banks, Blog Articles, China, Economy, Finance, Politics, Technology, Trade, Trump Administration, USA
Only time will tell whether the threat is real During the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution was facilitated by a new form of technology: railroads. By 1890, an estimated $10 billion ($347 billion in today’s value) had been raised for the industry in public...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jan 12, 2025 | Africa, Economy, Historical, Politics, Trade, USA, Why America Matters Book
How Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, inadvertently planted the seeds of slavery in the future United States The first permanent English settlement in the New World was founded in 1607 in Jamestown. Set in the Colony of Virginia, Jamestown...
by Michael Wilkerson | Jan 11, 2025 | Biden Administration, Blog Articles, Economy, Finance, Inflation, Trade, USA
2024 was a challenging year for U.S. retailers. Will 2025 be any better? U.S. retailers were happy to put 2024 behind them. With few exceptions, 2024 was one of the worst years on record for many retailers. Several well-known chains filed for bankruptcy and ceased...