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Yesterday I had Mark Mitchell of Rasmussen Reports on the podcast for the first time. He’s an independent pollster and a very entertaining follow on Twitter. We talked about his expectations for the midterm elections, geopolitics, and how the generational divide is going to be one of the most important topics for determining the future of the US over the next decade. If you’re not following his work, you should be, and you can also find him on YouTube. Podcast Summary * His thoughts on the midterms, why he thinks it will be ugly for the Republicans. * The Republicans as the party of beautiful losers. * The generational divide and the different perception of the economy, and how that will play a big role in politics over the next decade. * How the US is in a cold civil war right now, and the impact of gerrymandering on the upcoming elections. * America’s view on deportations and immigrations, why the Trump administration hasn’t done enough, and how they could use laws on the books to go after employers * Cultural enshittification, the offshoring and his experience in the tech industry with H-1B visas, and how H-1Bs are a logic trap. * How the feminization of our culture has impacted the US, and what it might take to return to a more concrete hierarchical culture. * The difference between doing things that look good and doing things that are right. * Why he thinks the US and the rest of the world is gearing up for war. * Why he thinks Vance is sitting in a good position for a Presidential run 2028. * Book Recommendation: Stolen Elections by Ralph Pezzullo Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.kontrariankorner.com I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend, and I wanted to do a quick update on all of the stuff going on recently, from the talk about Greenland and Canada to the upcoming World Economic Forum and Trump’s speech set for Wednesday. It has been everything, everywhere, all at once on the geopolitical stage so far in 2026, and it’s worth keeping an eye on as this year develops. I also talked about news updates from several companies that I own, along with some talk on silver and the disconnect for the miners. For anyone that prefers to read instead of watching the video, the transcript should be a quicker way to roll through the updates. I also included a link to the podcast I mentioned in the video below. Whirly Bard Interview on Contrarian Codex (for anyone interested in LibertyStream) The first half is on LibertyStream (LIB.V), and the second half is on Comstock $LODE (no position).

Yesterday I had E.M. Burlingame on the podcast to talk about the fast start to 2026 as far as geopolitics and financial markets. We touched on everything from Venezuela, to the Middle East and China, as well as the current political situation in the US. We also got into some of the changes happening in financial markets, and what we could see long-term as far as a complete change in the financial system. You can find E.M.’s Substack below, but he’s also worth a follow on Twitter. Podcast Summary * Recent events in Venezuela, what comes after Maduro, and how it impacts other parts of the world. * Why he thinks Cuba will change on its own, and the potential for the US to buy Greenland. * How certain factions think that Europe is planning for war against the US through Canada, and how Alberta and a potential secession factor in. * Why he’s keeping an eye on Iran and Israel and the Middle East, and the current state of Iran, and the ongoing regime change efforts. * Recent events in Ukraine, the use of another Oreshnik missile, and why a chain of geopolitical events can happen in bursts before pausing for a bit of a reset. * What to watch for at next week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. * The power struggle going on in China, and why they are likely to be the center of gravity in that region of the world moving forward. * China’s economic system of political capitalism and how the US used to have a similar system before 1971. * What the next year holds for the US, and why deportations are a twenty to thirty year problem. * The setup for the midterms this year, and the multiple dimensions of the current political situation. * Why it’s important to focus on the local level, and the importance of the next generation of young men. * The tremors that are becoming more obvious in the financial system, and why the City of London’s ability to price metals (not just gold and silver) is breaking. * Why all metals will probably continue to increase in price, and why he thinks they will try to prop up the broad equity market. * How stablecoins could be used to link the debt market to the rest of the economy. * Why we could see a return to the gold standard in a tokenized system, but why we are probably going to try a tokenized form of cryptocurrency first. * Book Recommendation: The Financialist Kill Chain by E.M. Burlingame. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

On Friday, I had Sara (TripleS Special Situations) and Albert Collette on the podcast to discuss the tin market, why it presents an interesting opportunity, and why First Tin is an attractive way to play that opportunity for investors. Sara has experience in the commodities space as an operator and investor in opportunities that are off the beaten path, and Albert is a former board member of the company. Both of them own a decent sized stake in the company, and they lay out a compelling case for the potential upside over the next couple years for the company. If they can get permitting and financing for the Taronga asset, today’s share price is going to look like a bargain. Podcast Summary * A brief history of the tin market, how it was regulated by the International Tin Council, and how today’s setup was decades in the making. * The supply and demand outlook for tin, and why it points to higher prices for the metal moving forward. * Several of the uses for tin, and how there is a structural tailwind for tin demand moving forward. * A high level overview of First Tin and their assets. * Metals X as a large shareholder of First Tin, along with the video Sara mentioned below. * The Taronga asset, what the open pit will look like, and the potential to expand the resource significantly. * The dilution that has happened over the last couple years, and why they both think that the worst of the dilution is behind us. * The expected timeline for the permitting process (first half of 2026 is their expectation), and how EXIM financing will likely follow after that. * Why Metals X could look to acquire First Tin in that window between permitting and financing. * The European assets of the company, and some background on the tin and other critical minerals at Tellerhäuser in Germany. * How Tellerhäuser was discovered during Soviet occupation, and the historical drill results they have from that era, which would have been hundreds of millions in today’s money. * The resource nationalism when it comes to the supply chains for different commodities. * The potential upside for investors if First Tin can advance the Taronga project through permitting and financing. Disclaimer I own shares of First Tin (1SN on the London Stock Exchange). You should do your own research before making any investment decisions. Different investment strategies have different risk/return profiles which should be considered before making any decisions. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.kontrariankorner.com I wanted to do a video as a follow up to my post yesterday and talk about recent events in Venezuela, how it might impact different energy subsectors, with a focus on $OIH and $SLB for example. I also took a look at some long term ratio charts for different assets and commodities of interest. I have included links below for stuff I talked about in the video, but it’s worth a watch for investors looking at where money might continue to flow in 2026. Silver: A Broken Market Before a “Reset”? by Cyrille Jubert Indonesia to cut mining output quotas to support prices, minister says. -Reuters Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Yesterday I had Vince Lanci back on the podcast to discuss everything going on precious metals and his outlook for the sector in 2026. We talked about the recent move in silver, some of the current events, and why he’s still bullish. We also talked about gold leading the whole commodities complex, platinum flying under the radar, but breaking out to its highest level since 2011, and everything else that he is watching as 2025 draws to a close. You can find Vince’s Substack below, but he’s also worth a follow on Twitter. Podcast Summary * The physical shortage of silver in London, how they are caught in a rolling squeeze, and the backwardated market for physical silver. * Silver as a critical mineral, China restricting silver exports, and other shifts in the supply chain for silver. * Other recent events with silver, including the Black Friday blackout and margin raises. * Why he is sustainably bullish on silver for the next several years, his expectations for triple digit silver in that timeframe, and how silver becomes more precious as gold goes higher in price. * How the physical market for silver is starting to assert dominance over the paper market. * The tug of war between silver as an industrial metal vs. precious metal, and the tug of war between industrial demand for silver and investment demand. * Increased investment demand for gold and silver miners over the next 12 months, and why we could see the miners catch up when gold and silver prices consolidate. * The valuation gap between streamers and royalty plays in precious metals vs. the miners. * Why he wants to look at gold miners that are looking to add copper exposure. * His outlook for gold in 2026, why we could see a 10-20% selloff, and why he expects gold to continue to drag the commodities complex higher. * Platinum and palladium as a pair, why platinum still flying under the radar, and how platinum could be ripe for a short squeeze and/or a sustained rally. * Why silver and other commodities are going to go up relative to gold, and why commodities are going to trade at their fundamental natural ratios relative to gold in coming years. * How he looks at ratio charts of different assets, comparing the S&P to gold, silver, and miners. * Gold vs. silver vs. copper, and other ratios he looks at as a signpost to compare where different assets are, and how they can signal a regime change. * The high level view on copper, and why he sees a potential catalyst for a spike in the copper price. * Why oil is going to be the last part of the commodities complex to wake up, and why he’s paying attention to vertically integrated oil producers looking ahead to 2026. * The Fed becoming an arm of the Treasury. * Other things that he’s paying attention to for 2026, including inflation, rates, yield curve control and QE, as well as other asset classes. * Book Recommendations: Absolute Batman & The Tower Of Basel by Adam LeBor. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

Yesterday, I had PurpleDrinkCapital back on the podcast for an update on what he is seeing in markets. We talked about the recent Fed meeting and broader markets, and we also bounced around the different commodity sectors. He explained what he looks for in the charts and how it impacts his strategy, but it was a great conversation for a broad look at financial markets as we head into 2026. For anyone listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, we were looking at charts a fair bit, so you might want to switch over to Substack or YouTube. You can find his Substack below, but you can also find him on Twitter. Podcast Summary * The recent Fed meeting, and how it sets up the market from here. * Signs of life in the small caps $IWM and the Dow Jones Transportation Index. * Skepticism around AI CAPEX and the tech sector. * Why he focuses on price action, market cycles, and why he thinks the broader market should be fine until inflation rears its ugly head. * The whole periodic table lighting up as we get rate cuts with relatively stubborn inflation. * What he expects for gold and silver in 2026. * Why he thinks copper will really kick into gear when China kicks into gear. * Why he focuses on bellwethers for different sectors, like Newmont $NEM for gold, Freeport $FCX for copper, and Exxon Mobil $XOM for oil and gas. * What his process looks like, and why focuses on charts as a way to distill where buyers and sellers are willing to step in for any security. * Natural gas, his career experience in energy, and why he hates the sector with volatility and its exposure to weather. * Uranium, the Trump Administration involvement in the sector, and why he likes the setup for the next couple years. * How oil and gas is out of favor, why he likes the setup for back half of 2026, and why he pays more attention to Exxon breaking out than the oil price. * Podcast Recommendation: The Athletic Football Show. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

Yesterday I had Ross Jennings on the podcast to talk about Millennial Potash. He’s the largest shareholder and owns more than a quarter of the stock, and our conversation got into many of the questions I have received on the company. We talked about everything from the political risk in Gabon, what the company has to do to get into production and how long he expects it to take, to the upside case if the company does get the Banio project online. For anyone interested in the company, this one is definitely worth a watch. You can also find Ross’ writeup on Millennial Potash below. Podcast Summary * A little bit on his background, and how he first got involved with Millennial Potash. * Why he thinks Millennial is as undervalued now as it was a year ago due to the progress the company has made. * Why he thinks port logistics will be resolved in 2026, so the Banio project can produce significantly more than the 800,000 tons/year in the PEA. * How Millennial Potash has a structural logistics advantage shipping into Brazil (which imports 13-14M tons a year of potash), to the tune of at least $20/ton in dry bulk shipping costs. * Why investors should pay attention to the CAPEX and OPEX numbers when Millennial releases their feasibility study. * Comparing Millennial in the future to China’s largest potash producer, QSLI, and the growth in potash imports in China over the last several years. * The nuance of the drill results, why the Banio project offers huge economies of scale, and how it is ideally located as far as export logistics as well as the extraction process. * Why he expects full production in 2028 or 2029. * The political and legislative risk in Gabon, and why he thinks many investors are inflating the risk profile. The government has already been supportive to the company, and they are actively seeking foreign direct investment. * Funding the project with the project financing and a potential offtake agreement, and why he thinks they could begin operations without a massive amount of equity dilution. * The items that could break the bull case, and why a material increase in expected CAPEX and OPEX are at the top of the list. * A discussion on M&A, and the different parties that might be interested in the company. * Why the stock is probably in the process of turning over the shareholder base, and why he thinks it’s valued today at one third of where it should be. * Why he thinks that the Banio project could be producing 5M tons annually in 5 years time. * Book Recommendations: Fooled By Randomness & Antifragility by Nicholas Nassim Taleb & Margin Of Safety by Seth Klarman. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.kontrariankorner.com I wanted to do a video this week and get into some of the things that are looking interesting as we look ahead to 2026. I talked about a lot of the different commodities, sector ETFs (including South America), and other commodities that I have started to look at, including tin and lithium. Also, I am having Ross Jennings on the podcast tomorrow to talk Millennial Potash and hopefully dig even deeper, so if you have questions or topics that you want to hear about, feel free to leave a comment or send a message. I think it’s going to be interesting for anyone on the fence on that one. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Yesterday I had Melody Wright on the podcast to talk about all things real estate. We got into the changing demographic trends, institutional and foreign ownership of real estate, and the different narratives around equities, AI spending, and real estate. We also talked about the privatization of Fannie Mae and homebuilder sector, among other things. For anyone interested in real estate, Melody is a must follow, and you can find her Substack below, or on Twitter. Podcast Summary * The problems with the 50 year mortgage idea. * Demographic trends that could have a huge impact on residential real estate, from generational turnover to immigration and potential remigration. * The crosscurrents between property taxes, insurance costs, and affordability. * Investor ownership and foreign ownership of residential real estate, and the problems with government interfering with the real estate market by subsidizing demand. * The generational divide topic when it comes to real estate, and how it gets amplified by social media. * Why she doesn’t think Fannie Mae will be privatized, and the issues from the real estate market that could have an impact. * The issues with the homebuilders and the seller concessions they have been making to move inventory. * Her view on equities, the AI spending bubble, and how it is connected to real estate. * The narratives changing on real estate, AI, equities, and how markets have started to price in narrative changes faster. * Why she thinks we will return to historical norms for real estate prices relative to median income, and the price declines that have to happen to bring that back inline. * How some of the institutions are net sellers of residential real estate. * Rental prices, the overbuilding of multifamily apartments, and concessions on rent. * Where money could flow over the next couple years. * Her thoughts on crypto, and the issues there. * Book Recommendations: The Price Of Time by Ed Chancellor, Bubble In The Sun by Christopher Knowlton & The Swamp Peddlers by Jason Vuic. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

On Friday I had first time guest Scott Osheroff on the podcast. He runs Yurta Capital and is focused on overlooked opportunities in frontier markets and commodities. We talked about his experience traveling and investing all over the world, and why he thinks we will see a capital rotation to markets outside of the US. We also bounced around different commodities sectors, and which ones he finds appealing today. You can find him on Twitter and on Telegram. Podcast Summary * His experience in Asia, Eastern Europe, and looking at opportunities in overlooked areas of the market. * Why we in the early stages of a multi-year reallocation to the rest of the world, and why it doesn’t take much money to move markets outside of the US. * Getting more conservative and the potential for a market correction where correlations go to one. * The torque available in offshore oil services, and the outlook for the next several years. * Precious metals, and how investors all seem to focus on the same handful of ideas. * Avoiding the herd mentality when it comes to commodities. * Iron ore, coal, natural gas, and why the traditional hydrocarbons companies are near the top of his list right now. * The multi-speed global economy, and how different major economies and markets have different policies. * Chemicals, and why he’s paying attention to Chinese policy for that sector. * Agricultural companies, the importance of cheap natural gas for the sector, and why he thinks the gap between US natural gas prices and European prices will converge. * Why he thinks the dollar is in the early stages of a secular decline, and the potential for capital rotation. * Book Recommendations: Burmese Days by George Orwell, How Asia Works by Joe Studwell & Asian Godfathers by Joe Studwell. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

Yesterday I had Doug Casey on the podcast, and we got into a bunch of different topics across the commodities space and financial markets. We talked about the bubble forming in the tech sector with the AI capex boom, the future of the US, and other things to keep an eye on for the next several years. You can find Doug at The International Man, The Crisis Investing Substack, and the YouTube channel, Doug Casey’s Take. You can also find the new book that he released recently with Matt and Maxim Smith, The Preparation, which provides an alternative experience to college. It’s a book I wish I had when I was in high school. Podcast Summary * The last bull market for gold as it becomes a central part of the financial system again. * Silver and platinum as industrial metals, and why he’s bullish on those metals as well. * The bull case for energy, including uranium and coal. * The future of the US and the breakdown of our political system. * The AI capex boom, how it could change society, and how a lot of the technological developments are net negatives on society. * The different geopolitical brushfires around the world, from the Middle East, to Eastern Europe, Venezuela, and China. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.kontrariankorner.com I led off with a quick rant on Sable and the equity raise last week and the 10-Q, but I got into a couple things that I covered in my thread the other day. After that I got into commodities, money rotating into certain sectors, and a couple trades I’m looking at. Energy, OIH & SLB

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.kontrariankorner.com After the recent talk of 50 year mortgages over the weekend, I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic and rant a little bit. I touched on a couple things there, and why it’s a bad idea that would only make the affordability issue worse in the long run. It sounds like the government shutdown might be coming to an end here soon, and there has also been talk of a so-called tariff dividend of $2,000. We will see if anything comes of it, but that would just be adding fuel to the inflationary fire. I also spent some time looking at several individual names, and where I might be looking at trades on those.

Yesterday Robert from Infranomics joined me on the podcast to talk about interest rates, financial plumbing, issues facing the US, and how to fix them. We got into the financialization of the economy, distortions in financial markets, and how inflation has eaten away at real wages and purchasing power. You can find Robert on Twitter and on YouTube, and for anyone who wants to dig into financial plumbing, he’s a must follow. Podcast Summary * SOFR spreads, liquidity issues, and what is going on in the repo markets. * His view on interest rates, how the US stacks up with Europe, and why he thinks there will be a debt crisis in France and the UK. * Wealth inequality being worse than it was in the Gilded Age, and the hyperfinancialization of the US economy. * Why he expects higher levels of inflation over the next decade, and why the dollar will be weak against gold and other currencies moving forward. * Wages, Social Security and Medicare, and Home Equity as a percent of GDP. * Hourly wages in gold terms, the loss of purchasing power over the last couple decades, and the increase in deaths of despair. * Potential fixes for the situation the US is in, including stricter immigration policy (legal and illegal), coordinating fiscal and monetary policy to compete with China, reindustrializing the economy, and ending the system that has prioritized capital over labor for the last 50 years. * Book Recommendation: Ages of Discord by Peter Turchin. Kontrarian Korner is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.kontrariankorner.com/subscribe