WTFinance

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.

Interview recorded - 13th of October, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Bill Fleckenstein. Bill is a professional money manager with over 30 years of experience. He writes a writes a daily column and is the author of “Greenspan’s bubbles: the age of ignorance at the federal reserve”.During our conversation we spoke about his economic outlook, market volatility, risk of a market crash, Bill's gameplan and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:49 - Outlook4:19 - Indexes are converging5:39 - Market volatility7:29 - Financial nihilism 9:03 - Economy strong?9:49 - Market crash?12:13 - Bill’s gameplan 14:03 - Debasement15:59 - Bond market19:14 - Yield curve control20:09 - Inflation23:04 - AI deflationary impact24:19 - Idiosyncratic investments25:59 - One message to takeaway?Bill Fleckenstein is president of Fleckenstein Capital, a money management firm based in Seattle. He writes a daily Market Rap column for his website, Fleckensteincapital.com, as well as the popular column Contrarian Chronicles for MSN Money.Bill Fleckenstein began writing a daily column on the Internet in 1996. Initially, the Market Rap was a daily recap of market events, with an added "Yes, but..." emphasis. "I quickly learned that the contrarian viewpoint was often misrepresented and under-reported. Since then, my daily column has always called it like I see it. I've tried to write the column in a way that even the novice investor can understand. I believe it's better to teach someone how to fish, rather than just give them an occasional fish."Bill Fleckenstein - Website: https://www.fleckensteincapital.com/Twitter: https://x.com/fleckcap?lang=enWTFinance -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 - 1st of October, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Rick Rule. Rick is the Former President & CEO of Sprott U.S. Holdings with decades of experience in the commodities business.During our conversation we spoke about his current outlook, job revisions, foreign direct investment, why an economic reckoning could be caused by a "dishonest default", gold and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction2:03 - Current outlook4:16 - Job revisions5:28 - Labour vs capital7:22 - Foreign direct investment12:00 - Shifting to investment led economy15:59 - Shift from US to wealth assets17:26 - Precious metals run to continue?19:42 - Copper vs gold22:20 - Oil24:33 - Resolving deficits28:47 - One message to takeaway?Rick began his career 47 years ago in 1974 in the securities business and has been involved in it ever since. He is known for his expertise in many resource sectors, including agriculture, alternative energy, forestry, oil and gas, mining, and water. In 1990, Rick founded the business now known as Sprott US Holdings” merging in into Sprott Inc. ( SII) in 2011. He retired from Sprott Inc., in 2021, and resigned from the board of directors in 2023, but remains Sprott’s largest shareholder. IMr. Rule is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences, and a frequent contributor to numerous media outlets including CNBC, Fox Business News and BNN. Mr. Rule is actively engaged in private placement markets, through originating and participating in hundreds of debt and equity transactions.Rick Rule - Twitter - https://twitter.com/RealRickRuleLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-rule-1058921a/Website - https://ruleinvestmentmedia.com/Seminar - https://opptravel.zohobackstage.com/TheRuleSymposiumonNaturalResourceInvesting2024#/?affl=WTFinanceWTFinance -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 - 29th of September, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Jeff Snider. Jeff is at the forefront of modern money and monetary science, specifically the Euro dollar market and its impact globally. He is also the host of the Eurodollar University.During our conversation we touched on Jeff's economic outlook, recent credit bankruptcies, whether all the economic weakness could be coming through, gold, dollar not at risk, shifting away from the Eurodollar and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction0:51 - Economic outlook4:22 - GDP hot, jobs weak10:47 - Credit bankruptcies15:15 - Data distortions18:30 - Market driving economics28:20 - Gold signal32:58 - Dollar not at risk37:17 - Shifting away from the Eurodollar40:28 - Stablecoins43:59 - One message to takeaway?Jeff Snider is one of the foremost experts on the global monetary system, specifically the eurodollar money system, and all aspects of its misunderstood inner workings and how they impact global markets, commerce, and economy. His podcast - Eurodollar University - aims to educate the public on the evolution and nature, and nuances of the eurodollar system and true monetary principles. He is a regular contributor to Real Clear Markets and a columnist for the Epoch Times, and is active on Twitter as well as He has been a guest on countless programs including MacroVoices, and Real Vision for his insights into the Eurodollar system, LIBOR, and repo/securities lending markets., etc.Jeff Snider - YouTube - @eurodollaruniversity Website - https://www.eurodollar.university/X - https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_AIPWebinar - https://webinar.eurodollar-university.com/homeWTFinance - Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/X - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Interview recorded - 30th of September, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Louis Gave. Louis is the Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer of Gavekal.During our conversation we spoke about Louis' outlook for the economy, liquidity, Chinese 10% deficit, China's shifting economy, demographics, BRICS alliance and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction2:50 - Outlook on the economy?4:54 - Liquidity 7:42 - Foreign direct investment9:57 - Chinese 10% deficit12:46 - China’s shifting economy19:26 - Demographics 20:46 - Shift to Russia, China & India25:41 - One message to takeaway?After receiving his bachelor's degree from Duke University and studying Mandarin at Nanjing University, Louis joined the French Army where he served as a second lieutenant in a mountain infantry battalion. After a couple of years, Louis left the army and joined Paribas where he worked as a financial analyst—first in Paris, then in Hong Kong.Louis left Paribas in 1998 to launch Gavekal with his father Charles and Anatole Kaletsky. The idea at the time was that Asia was set to become an ever more important factor in global growth, and that consequently Gavekal needed to offer its clients more information, and more ideas, relating to Asia.Louis has written seven books, the latest being Avoiding the Punch: Investing in Uncertain Times which reviews how to build a portfolio at a time of rising geostrategic strife, and when very low interest rates and stretched valuations on most assets announce constrained returns on most assets over the next decade.Louis speaks English and French. He spent many hours studying Mandarin and Spanish, which he once spoke decently. He is married with two sons and two daughters.Louis-Vincent Gave:Website - https://research.gavekal.com/Twitter - https://x.com/gave_vincentWTFinance -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://gmk.center/en/news/the-world-bank-expects-chinas-economy-to-slow-down-in-2025/

Interview recorded - 29th of September, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Gilbert Doctorow. Gilbert is a author and geopolitical analyst with decades of experience.During our conversation we spoke about the geopolitical sphere, war parties shifting, trump impact, Ukraine vs Russia conflict, US pivoting to China, return of the Monroe doctrine and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction1:17 - Geopolitical sphere3:51 - War parties shifting?9:48 - Trump impact14:43 - Common enemy16:19 - Ukraine - Russia conflict27:13 - Peace deal?31:24 - US pivoting to China?36:07 - Return to Monroe doctrine37:11 - Multiple spheres39:11 - One message to takeaway?Gilbert Doctorow is a professional Russia watcher and actor in Russian affairs going back to 1965. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1967), a past Fulbright scholar, and holder of a Ph.D. with honors in history from Columbia University (1975).After completing his studies, Mr. Doctorow pursued a business career focused on the USSR and Eastern Europe. For twenty-five years he worked for US and European multinationals in marketing and general management with regional responsibility.From 1998-2002, Doctorow served as the Chairman of the Russian Booker Literary Prize in Moscow. During the 2010-2011 academic year, he was a Visiting scholar of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University.Mr. Doctorow is a long-time resident of Brussels.Gilbert Doctorow:Substack - https://gilbertdoctorow.substack.com/Books - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0048RTGTMWTFinance - 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://crescent.icit-digital.org/articles/will-trump-become-the-gorbachev-of-us-imperialism