WTFinance

Interview recorded - 20th of November, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I have the pleasure of welcoming back Doomberg. During our conversation we spoke about the economic outlook, Ukraine & Russia ceasefire, energy outlook, why Europe could be screwed and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 – Introduction0:40 – Economic & Market outlook1:39 – Ukraine Russia ceasefire10:03 – Refining margins11:52 – Gas outlook13:30 – Oil price in 202617:24 – National security focus22:41 – AI demand for gas25:36 – Chinese gas production29:05 – Europe screwed33:24 – One message to takeaway?Doomberg is an independent, widely distributed publication that delivers concise, entertaining, provocative articles centered on energy, finance, and geopolitics. They are a small team of entrepreneurs that started this business after long careers in the industrial sector. With trillions of taxpayer dollars and myriad government mandates thrown at the energy transition, there was a practical voice missing in the traditional media. They started writing in that voice, with the freedom of having no master to serve beyond the foundation of our own principles, experience, and work ethic.This publication is their passion, and the content is supported by our team’s deep experience in heavy industry, private equity, and the hard sciences. They are entirely reader-supported and have grown to be the most widely read finance newsletter on the Substack platform.Doomberg - Substack - https://doomberg.substack.com/Twitter - https://twitter.com/DoombergTEmail - doomberg@doomberg.comWTFinance Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseasThumbnail image from - https://www.offshore-technology.com/features/top-ten-oil-and-gas-companies-in-2020/

Interview recorded - 20th of November, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Alex Krainer. Alex has worked as a market analyst, researcher, trader and hedge fund manager since 1996. He is the founder Krainer Analytics and creator of I-System Trend following. During our conversation we spoke about Alex's outlook on the current geopolitical landscape, potential for a peace agreement between Russia & Ukraine, the forgotten Europe, risk of WW3 and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 – Introduction1:20 – Geopolitics overview9:18 – Peace agreement?15:02 – Europe forgotten?21:00 – Middle East & Asia35:40 – Risk of WW3?39:36 – One message to takeawayAlex is the founder of Krainer Analytics and creator of I-System Trend Following. He has worked as a market analyst, researcher, trader and hedge fund manager since 1996. Alex was born and raised in a socialist regime of former Yugoslavia, under one-party communist rule. As a 17-year old he joined a student exchange program and took up his university studies there, ultimately transferring to Switzerland on a scholarship where he completed a degree in Business and Economics.From Switzerland his path led him to Venezuela where he lived for a year and experienced his first banking crisis in 1994 when 9 of Venezuela’s 16 largest banks failed and brought the country’s economy to a grinding halt. The same year he returned to Croatia and joined the military where he served through 1995 during the last phases of Croatia’s war of independence. In 1996, upon discharge from the military, Alex took employment at an oil trading company in Monaco. In 1998 he became the head of risk and CEO in 2000. Alex had originated the firm’s research and development program in market analysis and application of neural networks and artificial intelligence in trading of financial and commodities markets. By 2007 Alex launched his own investment management business and was among the small minority of managers who generated positive investment returns (+27%) during the 2008 financial crisis. Over the following six years, his fund outperformed the Dow Jones Credit Suisse index of Blue Chip commodity futures trading funds. In 2011 Alex Joined Lee Robinson’s Altana Wealth to manage the firm’s inflation hedging strategy. In 2019 Alex created Altana Wealth’s systematic portfolio allocation strategy designed to bridge the gap between technology and finance. In more recent years, Alex also busied himself as an author. He published his first book “Mastering Uncertainty in Commodities Trading” in 2015. In 2021 this book was selected as #1 on Financial-Expert.co.uk’s list of “The 5 Best Commodities Books for Investors and Traders.” In 2017 he published “The Grand Deception” which is available exclusively from the RedPill Press. In 2021 he published “Alex Krainer’s Trend Following Bible.”Alex Krainer - X - https://x.com/NakedHedgieI-System - https://isystem-tf.com/Substack - https://alexkrainer.substack.com/Trend Compass - https://isystem-tf.com/trendcompass/WTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Interview recorded - 20th of November, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Matthew Piepenburg. Matthew is a Partner of Von Greyerz AG.During our conversation we spoke about his outlook on the economy, disconnect between markets and main street, credit unravelling, increased political risk, growing out of debt, silver and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:18 - Outlook on the economy8:20 - Disconnect between markets and main street23:55 - Credit unravelling27:17 - Political risk35:51 - Grow out of debt?42:24 - Silver50:11 - One message to takeaway?Matt began his finance career as a transactional attorney before launching his first hedge fund during the NASDAQ bubble of 1999-2001Thereafter, he began investing his own and other HNW family funds into alternative investment vehicles while operating as a General Counsel, CIO and later Managing Director of a single and multi-family office. Matthew worked closely as well with Morgan Stanley’s hedge fund platform in building a multi-strat/multi-manager fund to better manage risk in a market backdrop of extreme central bank intervention/support. The conviction that precious metals provides the most reliable and longer-term protection against potential systemic risk led Matt to join VON GREYERZ.The author of the Amazon No#1 Release, Rigged to Fail, Matt is fluent in French, German and English; he is a graduate of Brown (BA), Harvard (MA) and the University of Michigan (JD). Along with Egon von Greyerz, Matthew is the co-author of Gold Matters, which offers an extensive examination of gold as an historically-confirmed wealth-preservation asset.Matthew Piepenburg - LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/matthewpiepenburgWebsite - https://vongreyerz.gold/WTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Wasif Latif, President and CIO of Sarmaya Partners, shares his 25 years of investment wisdom. He discusses the recent shift towards tangible assets post-pandemic and the implications for commodities, especially oil, as demand soars. Latif dives into inflation drivers like tariffs and wage pressures, emphasizing that the current trends are influenced globally, not just in the U.S. He highlights the enduring value of precious metals amid economic uncertainties and urges investors to learn from historical cycles to navigate future markets.

Chris Vermeulen, Founder and Chief Market Strategist at The Technical Traders, shares his keen insights on the looming financial landscape. He warns of a potential market crash, highlighting the fragility of the 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks. Vermeulen discusses the importance of precious metals as indicators of market sentiment, likening current trends to the pre-2008 market. He emphasizes the need for a robust game plan, advocating for strategic cash allocations and monitoring market signals as critical steps to safeguard investments during turbulent times.

Interview recorded - 4th of November, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming on Shaun Rein. Shaun is the Founder and Managing Director of the China Market Research Group (CMR), the world’s leading strategic market intelligence firm focused on China. During our conversation we spoke about what is happening on the ground in China, the tariff strategy, consolidation in Chinese manufacturing, secular shift in US excellence, End of the American Empire and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:49 - What is happening in China?5:29 - Second order tariffs9:42 - Tariff strategy13:11 - China trade unfairness18:04 - Consolidation of China21:19 - More upside in China?23:59 - Secular shift?26:22 - Trade war ending?29:59 - End of the American Empire?Shaun Rein is the Founder and Managing Director of the China Market Research Group (CMR), the world's leading strategic market intelligence firm focused on China. He works with Boards, billionaires, Heads of States, CEOs and senior executives of Fortune 500 & leading Chinese companies, private equity firms, SMEs and long/ hedge funds to develop their China growth, political and investment strategies. Rein authored the international best-sellers "The War for China's Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order," "The End of Cheap China"​ & "The End of Copycat China."​ Publishers Weekly named "Cheap"​ a "Top 10 business book for 2012." The Financial Times called "Copycat"​ "Intriguing" and said of Wallet: “Mr. Rein’s insider tales of what it takes to work in contemporary China are insightful...a toolbox for those who want to work with Chinese companies make it a worthwhile read.”Rein is regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. His op-eds have appeared in the New York Times. He frequently appears on CNN, BBC, MarketPlace, CNBC, Bloomberg, PBS and MSNBC. Rein formerly taught executive education classes for London Business School and was a weekly columnist for CNBC and Forbes. He also wrote a column for Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Rein is one of the most sought out keynote speakers focused on innovation, consumer trends and the economy in China.Shaun Rein - Website - http://www.cmrconsulting.com.cn/xsyX - https://x.com/shaunreinYouTube -  @shaunrein4708 WTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4X - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseasThumbnail image from - https://basc.berkeley.edu/the-u-s-china-trade-war-whats-next/

Interview recorded - 4th of November, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Michael Green. Michael is the portfolio manager & chief strategist of Simplify. During our conversation we spoke about his outlook on the economy, the government shutdown, next FED chair, tariffs, geopolitics and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:45 - Outlook on the economy?4:35 - Government shutdown6:03 - Credit spreads increasing?8:39 - FED actions10:17 - Next FED chair?13:15 - Trump communications14:37 -Tariffs18:05 - Capital flight19:12 - Geopolitical play23:15 - Chinese missteps24:55 - Shift of the US Empire27:30 - Political institutions29:28 - Strategic investments31:55 - One message to takeaway from conversation?Michael has been a student of markets and market structure, for nearly 30 years. His proprietary research into the shift from actively managed portfolios and investment funds to systematic passive investment strategies has been presented to the Federal Reserve, the BIS, the IMF and numerous other industry groups and associations.Michael joined Simplify in April 2021 after serving as Chief Strategist and Portfolio Manager for Logica Capital Advisers, LLC. Prior to Logica, Michael managed macro strategies at Thiel Macro, LLC, an investment firm that manages the personal capital of Peter Thiel. Prior to Thiel, Michael founded Ice Farm Capital, a discretionary global macro hedge fund seeded by Soros Fund Management. From 2006-2014, Michael founded and managed the New York office of Canyon Capital Advisors, a $23B multi-strategy hedge fund based in Los Angeles, CA, where he established their global macro strategies, managing in excess of $5B of exposure across equity, credit, FX, commodity and derivative markets.In addition to his work as a market theorist and portfolio manager, Michael has been noted for his work as a public speaker and financial media participant. He is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a CFA holder.Michael Green - Substack - https://www.yesigiveafig.com/Twitter - https://twitter.com/profplum99LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-green-9a15142/Simplify - https://www.simplify.us/WTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseasThumbnail image from - https://finance.yahoo.com/video/3-drivers-behind-mondays-market-133332442.html

Interview recorded - 31st of October, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Michael Pento. Michael is the President & Founder of Pento Portfolio Strategies. During our conversation we spoke about his outlook for the economy and markets, the FED expanding their balance sheet, what this means for the 3 bubbles, Financial repression, whether markets will go higher and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:15 - Outlook on the economy and markets2:52 - FED expanding balance sheet7:42 - Debt bubble9:35 - Increase income15:40 - Financial repression18:15 - Markets going high20:28 - One message to takeaway?Michael Pento serves as the President and Founder of Pento Portfolio Strategies (PPS). PPS is a Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA) that operates like an actively managed fund without all the expenses. The Model Portfolio uses a proprietary macroeconomic model to determine when and how to invest across an inflation/deflation and economic cycle spectrum. The 20-component model is used to determine the two most important factors when it comes to successful investing: the second derivatives of growth and inflation.Michael Pento - Website - https://pentoport.com/Twitter - https://twitter.com/michaelpento?lang=enLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pento-a1882917b/WTFinance Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatsea

Interview recorded - 27th of October, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Bob Elliott. Bob is the Co-Founder & CIO of Unlimited Funds. During our conversation we spoke about his outlook on the economy, the AI boom, why households are struggling, Stagflation, markets and more. I hope you enjoy! 0:00 - Introduction0:45 - Outlook on the economy?3:45 - AI boom6:50 - Employment10:18 - Economic data not making sense11:56 - Government shutdown15:36 - Stagflation17:17 - FED actions19:20 - US the strongest economy?20:30 - What does this mean for markets?24:40 - Bond yields26:00 - Losing control of bond market28:57 - Other assets?30:54 - One message to takeaway?Bob Elliott is the Co-Founder, CEO & CIO of Unlimited, which uses machine learning to create index replication ETFs of 2&20 style alternative investments like hedge funds, venture capital & private equity. Prior to founding Unlimited, Bob was a Senior Investment Executive at Bridgewater Associates where he served on the Investment Committee (G7) and created investment strategies across equities, fixed income, credit, exchange rates, and commodities, including many used in the flagship Pure Alpha Fund. He also built and led Ray Dalio’s personal investment research team for almost a decade. He’s the author of hundreds of Bridgewater’s widely read Daily Observations and directly counselled some of the world’s foremost policy makers and institutional investor on economic and investing issues. Bob has also served as an advisor and executive at several startups including CircleUp, an investment company focused on early-stage consumer brands. There he revamped the investment strategy for the company’s $150mln venture funds leveraging big data approaches to improve decision making. He was also the co-founder of GiveWell, a startup charity evaluator which now directs more than $500mln in annual contributions. Bob holds a BA in History and Science from Harvard. Bob Elliott - Website - https://www.unlimitedfunds.com/X - https://twitter.com/bobeunlimited?s=21&t=bEWfVJjh6KcziPA0zpyEPALinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ttoillebobWTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4X - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Michael Howell, Founder and Managing Director of CrossBorder Capital, offers deep insights into global liquidity cycles. He discusses how current liquidity conditions are approaching a peak, risking asset values. The conversation explores China's aggressive liquidity measures, potential backing of the yuan with gold, and the contrasting tightening in the US. Howell warns about the implications for equities linked to Fed liquidity and highlights the growing refinancing demands that could lead to market vulnerability. His main takeaway? Keep a close eye on liquidity indicators and repo markets.