Natural Resource Stocks host Steve Yang sits down with Simon Hunt, founder of Simon Hunt Strategic Services, for a sweeping analysis of how geopolitics, war, and monetary realignment are reshaping global markets. Hunt — widely respected for his deep connections in China and decades of experience advising institutional investors on copper, industrial metals, and macroeconomic trends — shares a blunt assessment of where the world economy is heading and how investors should interpret the next stage of de-dollarization.
Hunt begins by addressing the Middle East flashpoint, warning that the apparent pauses in the Gaza conflict could simply serve as staging periods before a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran. He argues that this conflict is not isolated but part of a wider Western strategy to remake regional power structures, with Iran positioned as the single biggest obstacle to the concept of a “Greater Israel.” His outlook implies a period of elevated volatility in oil, energy, and defense-related markets as the geopolitical chessboard shifts.
From there, Hunt moves to Asia, outlining how the China–Japan–Taiwan triangle is emerging as the next arena of global tension. He describes how rare earth controls, semiconductor production, and maritime choke points form the backbone of an economic confrontation that could redefine global manufacturing and trade routes. Hunt details China’s long-term industrial strategy and why the West consistently underestimates its policy coordination and resource security planning.
The conversation then pivots to currency warfare, where Hunt explains how the BRICs nations are laying the foundation for a gold-secured payment system that could function outside the orbit of the U.S. dollar. He outlines how trade settlements between Russia, China, India, and Brazil are already taking place in local currencies, with gold acting as the settlement asset that bridges imbalances. This, he says, represents a direct challenge to the IMF–U.S.-centric global financial system and will accelerate as countries look for stability amid Western sanctions and debt monetization.
Hunt also spotlights Africa—especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—as the next strategic battleground in the resource race. He connects U.S. diplomatic activity in Africa to efforts to re-assert control over cobalt, copper, and other critical minerals essential to the EV and defense industries. Meanwhile, China’s deep financing ties and BRICs-linked infrastructure programs are expanding their influence across the continent, turning Africa into a test case for competing monetary and trade systems.
On Europe and the Russia–Ukraine war, Hunt is blunt: the conflict is not Russia versus Ukraine, but Russia versus NATO. He argues that the war will only end when Washington accepts Moscow’s longstanding security red lines — and that a Russian victory effectively represents a NATO defeat. He believes this geopolitical reality will ripple across commodity pricing, energy policy, and the credibility of Western alliances.
Finally, Hunt turns to the macro cycle, forecasting that markets may first experience a “mini correction” in the near term, followed by a much deeper global crash heading into 2028. He ties this projection to the convergence of excessive sovereign debt, de-globalization pressures, and escalating military expenditures — all of which he sees as unsustainable under the current fiat system. His conclusion: the coming years will test not only markets but the structure of global power itself.
This discussion connects geopolitics, metals, and monetary systems into one of the most comprehensive macro briefings of the year — a must-watch for investors following commodities, currencies, and the shifting world order.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect those of Natural Resource Stocks.
