VRIC Media, Released on 7/7/26 (Recorded on 7/3/26)

Michael Pento joins Darrell to explain why he believes Federal Reserve policy has widened the wealth gap, inflated asset prices, and weakened the foundation of the U.S. economy. He argues that artificially suppressed interest rates and repeated money printing have distorted markets, pushed housing and equities far above sustainable levels, and set the stage for a painful credit-driven reset. Pento outlines why he sees gold and select miners as attractive in the near term, while warning that the next recession could trigger a broader liquidity crisis, renewed money printing, and a long period of stagflation.

00:00 – Introduction
00:29 – The Fed, wealth inequality, and Kevin Warsh
04:29 – Why the cost of money should be free
06:02 – The Fed’s new role in preventing recessions
08:26 – Government power, central banking, and distorted markets
10:52 – Why asset prices may need to fall
12:47 – Could a bond market collapse reset the system?
13:37 – Credit markets, private equity, and the next fracture point
15:09 – What happens if the Fed stops printing?
18:14 – Why Pento expects the Fed to print again
20:29 – Gold’s role in the next crisis
21:03 – Why Pento increased his gold exposure
23:23 – Real rates, disinflation, and the gold setup
24:06 – Liquidity risk and a path to $10,000 gold
25:22 – Why gold miners are attracting attention
26:20 – Lower energy costs and higher gold prices
27:12 – The “Four Horsemen” protection strategy
28:44 – Gold miner valuations versus AI and tech
31:55 – Where to follow Michael Pento
32:55 – Why active management matters now

Michael Pento is a specialist in Austrian economics and is the President of Pento Portfolio Strategies. Prior to starting Pento Portfolio Strategies he served as a senior economist and VP of the managed products division of another well known financial firm. Michael has also created ETFs and UITs that were sold throughout Wall Street. Earlier in his career, he worked on the floor of the NYSE. He is the author of The Coming Bond Market Collapse: How to Survive the Demise of the U.S. Debt Market.

  bond market, economy, gold, investing