Skyscraper Curse theory shows 150 years of historical correlation between record-setting skyscraper construction and maximum economic bubbles, with current signals pointing to impending crisis later this year according to Dr. Thornton’s analysis.
Rising gold and silver prices signal fundamental problems with the fiat monetary system and global economic risks including war threats, indicating need for foundational change beyond regulatory tweaks.
Financial industry has doubled in size relative to the overall economy despite technological efficiencies that should have reduced it, demonstrating distortions from unsound money.
Reform requires ending the Fed, implementing 100% reserve banking, allowing gold/silver accounts with zero capital gains tax, and permitting cryptocurrency competition to restore sound money.
Transition to sound money necessitates bankruptcies and losses for shareholders/bondholders, creating short-term pain but enabling rising living standards for general population rather than elite few.
Protectionist tariffs like Trump’s specific arbitrary tariffs harm the economy by driving up input prices, creating foreign enemies, and triggering international intervention as Mises historically demonstrated.
Devaluing the dollar to boost exports backfires by causing price inflation, repricing global goods, and ultimately reducing American competitiveness through beggar-thy-neighbor policies.
Trade deficits are symptomatic of fiat monetary system problems rather than inherently bad, since trade naturally balances in goods and capital under sound money.
Deregulating mining, uranium, nuclear, and coal industries combined with eliminating taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains drives capital accumulation, economic growth, and higher wages through productivity gains.
Top-down government management creates bureaucratic nightmares benefiting few, while free markets driven by entrepreneurs and households serve average people as true benefactors.
Preemptive attacks and regime change prove ineffective and counterproductive, increasing distrust of America; constitutional limits should prohibit presidential first strikes especially against civilians.
Today’s multipolar world with imperial decline and great power rivalry parallels the pre-WWI era more than the Cold War, which was bipolar and divided by sharply opposite ideologies, making the early 20th century a more instructive framework for understanding current geopolitical tensions.
The rise of China from a peripheral state in the 1980s to immense power in the early 21st century structurally parallels Germany’s rise before 1914, with both cases demonstrating how failure to meaningfully integrate rising powers into international frameworks, particularly in Eastern Asia for China, creates conditions for catastrophic conflict.
The end of the Bretton Woods system in the early 1970s enabled unprecedented global expansion of financial capital that was necessary for China’s 1980s market reforms and rapid economic growth, providing the capital and investment needed to fund China’s transformation into a market-driven economy.
The failure of alliances to deter aggression, rather than their existence, was a key factor in World War I in 1914, as the perception that alliances were fragile and could be exploited contributed to catastrophe, offering critical lessons for today’s international relations.
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 as a black swan event that triggered WWI parallels today’s underappreciated threat of terrorism and unpredictable events that could catalyze great power conflict, highlighting the urgent need for stability in the international system.
Fear-driven politics in pre-1914 Europe, where politicians felt boxed in by public opinion and political feasibility, closed off compromises that could have prevented war, with similar internal political dynamics today pushing towards conflict and requiring mitigation strategies.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War in the early 1990s allowed NATO and European Union expansion into Eastern Europe, but the failure to integrate Russia into these institutions and the depth of Russia’s economic collapse profoundly impacted the Russian psyche, leading to Putin’s rise and desire for stability.
China-Russia alignment in opposition to the West is driven by China’s need for a powerful ally and Russia’s acceptance of Chinese influence due to its own weaknesses, representing a significant factor in the current multipolar world with potential for severe conflicts.
Russia’s war in Ukraine and potential future conflicts like Russia testing NATO are symptoms of Russia’s current international position, with high chances of Russia stumbling into catastrophic conflict even after a ceasefire.
Dangerous flashpoints that could push the world from strategic rivalry to outright war include Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, the South China Sea, and the China-India border, requiring urgent attention to prevent escalation.
Deterrence and reassurance are key in managing China’s resurgence in East Asia, requiring involvement of China in regional conflict resolution to ameliorate relationships with neighbors rather than exacerbating conflicts, to avoid disaster like in 1914.
Nuclear proliferation and the taboo against their use remain debated, with some arguing proliferation increases deterrent effect while others point to Russia’s willingness to escalate in the Ukraine war as evidence that the taboo has diminished, raising concerns about nuclear weapons in a multipolar order.
COMEX gold open interest hit 7.5-year lows while silver reached 2.5-year lows, creating scant liquidity and volatile price swings as high trading volume with fewer participants reduces market depth despite gold trading above $5,300 and silver around $90-100 in early 2026.
Monthly and quarterly chart analysis should override intraday noise from computer-driven algorithmic trading on COMEX, as long-term trend patterns provide more reliable signals for investment decisions than daily fluctuations driven by high-frequency trading systems.
Low open interest and minimal participation rates in precious metals futures directly contradict mainstream “bubble” narratives, establishing technical conditions that support further price appreciation rather than indicating market exhaustion.
Major producers like Newmont and Agnico Eagle generated hundreds of millions in free cash flow during Q4 2025, with Q1 2026 earnings reflecting average realized prices of $5,300 gold and $95-100 silver, creating capacity for share buybacks and M&A activity to replenish depleting resources.
Mining companies’ record earnings and massive free cash flow generation at current metal prices suggest the bull market in mining stocks has further to run, with potential for even higher earnings if precious metals prices continue their upward trajectory through 2026.
US actions in Iran created whiplash effects on crude oil prices, generating cascading impacts across the global economy, interest rates, and forex markets that indirectly influence precious metals trading patterns and investor sentiment.
Physical silver demand in major hubs like China and India represents more critical market indicators than COMEX vault rumors or default speculation, with potential buying restrictions in certain funds potentially redirecting investor demand toward mining stocks as alternative exposure.
Physical scarcity in Asian markets combined with low COMEX participation creates a structural disconnect between paper and physical markets, potentially driving investors toward mining equities when physical silver becomes unobtainable in traditional channels.
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