Dave Collum's 2025 Year In Review: From Precious Metals To Propaganda's Golden Age

Core Insights - The 2024 Year in Review highlights the rise of propaganda, the impact of AI, and the emergence of asset bubbles, particularly in precious metals, while questioning the nature of truth in a rapidly changing technocratic world [3][16]. Group 1: Propaganda and Truth - The current era is characterized as a "Golden Age of Propaganda," where narratives are controlled by elites through mass media and social platforms, leading to a distortion of facts and a loss of shared truths [16][14]. - The author expresses frustration over the erosion of reliable sources of information, suggesting that the overwhelming noise in media makes it difficult to discern fact from fiction [15][20]. Group 2: Precious Metals Market - The report emphasizes a significant interest in precious metals, particularly gold, silver, and platinum, with gold's long-term performance being compared favorably against major stock indices [60][64]. - Gold has shown a remarkable return of over 1309.5% since 2000, outperforming the S&P 500 and NASDAQ over the same period [66]. - The current geopolitical climate, including the actions of the BRIC nations, is pushing countries to reconsider their gold reserves, with the U.S. now holding only 20% of global gold reserves compared to over 50% in the past [70][84]. Group 3: Investment Implications - The report suggests that the demand for gold and silver is being driven by geopolitical tensions and a potential shift in reserve currency dynamics, which could lead to significant price increases [84][89]. - The author notes that the physical gold market is under pressure due to a high paper-to-physical ratio, indicating potential supply shortages that could lead to price spikes [82][100]. - Platinum is highlighted as a rare metal with increasing industrial demand, particularly in the automotive sector, which could lead to supply constraints and rising prices [106][111].