Kitco NEWS Interviews

John Eagleton, CEO of Intellabridge, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the next protocol to gain critical mass adoption.

Grant McCarty, Policy Director of Bitcoin Magazine discusses the ramifications of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) on civil liberties with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News.

Last year Northern Graphite (CVE:NGC) leap frogged from a company holding an advanced asset to now being the biggest graphite producer in North America, said Gregory Bowes, CEO and director. Bowes spoke to Kitco on Tuesday. Graphite is enjoying an upswing due to energy transition. Graphite is the anode in a lithium ion battery and its single-largest component. On average, a plug-in EV has around 70 kg of graphite. With at least 125 million EVs expected globally by 2030, that's more than 8 million tonnes of battery-ready graphite needed in the coming decade, according to Kitco commentator Richard Mills. In December 2021 Northern Graphite acquired two graphite mines from Imerys SA: the Lac des Iles producing graphite mine in Quebec and the Okankande/Okorusu graphite producing operation in Namibia. The $55 million financing was a mixture of debt, financing and royalty agreements led by Sprott. "It's a truly transformational acquisition for us," said Bowes. "We're going from having one advanced stage project in Ontario to being a producing company immediately. We're buying the only producing North American graphite mine, and we're buying a second mine from them in Namibia, which is on care and maintenance. We'll have it back online in nine to 12 months." With the deal done the company touts 50,000tpy of graphite production capacity, plus two large development projects with 100,000tpy potential making it the third largest non-Chinese producer. Follow Michael McCrae on Twitter: @michaelmccrae (https://twitter.com/michaelmccrae) Follow Kitco Mining on Twitter: @KitcoMining (https://twitter.com/KitcoMining)

Zero premium acquisitions are a thing of the past, according to Peter Marrone, executive chair of Yamana Gold (NYSE:AUY) who stressed acquirers need to pay fair value. Marrone spoke to Kitco correspondent Paul Harris at BMO's Global Metals & Mining Conference held in Florida last week. Yamana recognizes that it may potentially be a target following the acquisition of Kirkland Lake Mining by Agnico Eagle Mines, given it has a 1 million ounces a year production profile at an all-in sustaining cost of around US$900 per ounce, and a number of development projects.

With a wobbly economy and too much household wealth tied up in equities, the markets have less to fear from a hawkish Fed, said Ronald-Peter Stoeferle, responsible for fund management and research at Incrementum AG. Stoeferle spoke to Kitco on Tuesday. He said there may be a once-a-done rate hike instead of several rate increases some were expecting as the Federal Reserve tries to tamp down inflation. "Inflation numbers are coming down, so we can actually take a little bit more time with our rate hike campaign. I cannot emphasize it enough: I think the market is expecting [too] much hawkishness from the Federal Reserve. It's ridiculous," said Stoeferle.

Jay Martin, CEO of CambridgeHouse and host of The Jay Martin Show, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the outlook for the economy and some of the safest assets to buy in the event of an economic downturn.

Tolga Kumova's Aston Minerals (ASX:ASO) started out as a gold junior when the company hit significant nickel mineralization. Kumova was behind Syrah Resources, an African graphite company, which now has a valuation north of $600 million. The company recently signed up Tesla for an offtake agreement. Aston Minerals Edleston project is located about 60 Km south of Timmins, Ontario. The company announced 163.5m at 0.52% Ni & 0.016% Co from 186.5m at its Boomerang target. Kumova is executive chair of Aston.

The Federal Open Market Committee has announced a doubling in the pace of asset tapering on Wednesday. The Dot Plots indicate that there will be an average of three rate hikes in 2022, three more in 2023, and two in 2024, all in increments of 25 basis points. Gary Wagner, editor of TheGoldForecast.com discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the impact that monetary policy next year will have on financial markets.

E.B. Tucker, director of Metalla Royalty, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News the outlook for stocks, gold, and silver in 2022.

Alex Mashinsky, CEO of Celsius Network, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the major investment themes of 2022, and which assets will perform the best.

2022 will see silver and gold prices diverge once again, with silver falling by 2% while gold climbs in value, said Jeff Christian, managing partner of CPM Group.

Kurt Wuckert Jr., the "Bitcoin Historian" at CoinGeek, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, evidence that points to the real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Bitcoin has a reputation as being a stable store of value in the cryptocurrency space, but one company proves that the largest coin has utility besides being an investment. Chantelle Borrelli is the co-founder and CEO of CrownBits Rewards, a loyalty platform that offers cash-back rewards in Bitcoin. Borrelli discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, how incentive programs are what's needed for mass adoption in Bitcoin to happen.

Michael So, VP of Business Development of Cook Finance, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the newest developments in decentralized finance (DeFi).

The uptrend for gold is still intact, said Dr. Nicole Adshead-Bell, director at Cupel Advisory Group. Earlier this month Adshead-Bell spoke to Kitco at the Deutsche Goldmesse show in Frankfurt, Germany. "We're no longer at the very beginnings of a bull market," said Adshead-Bell, adding that the easy money has already been made. "Bull markets have varying degrees of gestation and some of them can be exceptionally long in duration," she said noting 2020 was a "euphoric" year. "Whenever you have that kind of parabolic equity performance, there will always be a correction. That's a very natural thing, and that's a healthy thing." Adshead-Bell said inflation and global uncertainty favors gold. "All of these elements that are circling around the globe are very, very good for gold. I think we'll look back on this year and think that this was an opportune time to enter into the sector."

The biggest risk facing investors right now is the unsustainable stock market valuations that will eventually mean revert, said Ted Oakley, founder and partner of Oxbow Advisors.

The crypto protocols and projects that will stand the test of time are those that can scale to allow for massive adoption should over a billion people use blockchain, said Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and founder of FTX. FTX is one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges and had recently acquired the rights to rename the American Airlines Arena in Miami, home to the NBA team Miami Heat, to FTX Arena.

 While 2020 may have seen gold broach peak prices in some currencies, the average cost of the metal in 2021 is a bigger boost for gold miners, according to Ronald-Peter Stoeferle. Stoeferle spoke to Kitco on Friday. He is managing partner at Incrementum AG. "The average gold price is at an all-time high," said Stoeferle commenting on 2021. "Of course we are seeing some cost inflation when it comes to labor and materials, but the margin of the producers is still spectacularly high."

  The strong rally in precious metals was a bit of a surprise for First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG) CEO Keith Neumeyer. Neumeyer spoke to Kitco on Friday at the Deutsche Gold Messe show in Frankfurt, Germany. Two pieces of news last week propelled gold higher: headline inflation rose to 6.2%, and the $1 trillion U.S. infrastructure bill was signed into law. Gold had a solid breakout trading above $1,850 an ounce during the week. Neumeyer commented. "The move surprised me a little bit, because the economy is still doing quite well and interest rates really haven't come down," said Neumeyer. "The metal that surprised me the most is silver. You've got oil at 80-plus dollars. You've got copper at $4-plus. You've got natural gas north of $5--look at all the grains. Everything's been moving except silver," said Neumeyer. "That's the one that I think is going to play catch-up." Spot silver was up about $1 for the week, closing above $25 an ounce. "Gold--in my view--is going to reach all-time-highs but probably not until next year."

The problem with the "inflation is transitory" argument is that it overlooks the growth in money supply, said Willem Middlekoop, founder of Commodity Discovery Fund. Middlekoop spoke to Kitco on Friday at the Deutsche Goldmesse show in Frankfurt, Germany. The Biden administration and Fed officials have stated that inflationary pressures are transitory based on pent-up demand, supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages. "Nobody's mentioning the 800-pound gorilla in the room and that's money growth and currency debasement. Almost 25% of all dollars in M2 circulation--that's deposit and physical money--grew by almost 25% in the last 18 months," said Middlekoop. "It's a normal reaction. Everything the government can't print will go up in value."

On Friday the CEO and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors, Frank Holmes, joined editor Neil Christensen and Kitco correspondent Paul Harris to discuss inflation, crypto and gold. 

In September platinum group metal giant Sibanye-Stillwater (JSE: SSW) (NYSE: SBSW) announced it would joint venture with ioneer (ASX: INR) to develop ioneer's Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-boron project located in Nevada, USA. Executive chair of ioneer, James Calaway, spoke to Kitco mid-October. A definitive feasibility study has already been completed, and ioneer is working towards its final state permits. “We're ready to build. It's a project that's going to quadruple America's lithium production,” said Calaway.

Joe Foster, co-founder of Reebok, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the founding of the company, Adidas' acquisition, and now sale, of Reebok, and the future of footwear.

Ian Khan, futurist and emerging technology expert, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the technological disruptions that investors should watch for.

The recent bullish momentum for Bitcoin is likely to be sustained because key technical levels have been breached, and the fear from China's tightening regulation has largely dissipated, said Florian Grummes, managing director of Midas Touch Consulting. "We have a good chance to see $100k by the end of the year, maybe even higher. Of course, that would spark an altcoin season again. If Bitcoin really continues to run, I would say that the $60k $65k level is the last resistance of the bears. If there is nothing coming for them, then Bitcoin is off to the races and it could be $100k or even higher, $150k is possible towards January," he said.

Current valuations for the major cryptos, including Bitcoin, are "miraculous" and prices should be much lower, said Clem Chambers of InvestorsHub.com. Chambers told David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, that there are several other tokens to look at, and in particular, the DeFi space overall has more long-term potential.

Chris Voss is the CEO of the Black Swan Group and the author of "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It." He has previously worked as a hostage negotiator for the FBI. Voss reveals to David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, who he considers to be the best negotiator of all-time and why these life lessons are essential to success in business, politics, and one's personal life.

Markets have “short-term memory” and this correction does not account for the innovation that the leaders of the S&P 500 are producing, said David Barse, CEO of XOUT Capital. Barse told David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, that “This is the same issue that has occurred in the first quarter of this year where a slight uptick in Treasury yields seems to cause a deflation of everything that's innovative.”

Hong Fang, CEO of Okcoin, maintains her target of $100k Bitcoin by year-end. Speaking to David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, Fang said that the adoption rate of Bitcoin has steadily increased, and the price is bouncing back from its consolidating period.

Several “sound money” assets are undervalued right now, and are long overdue for a major comeback, said Lawrence Lepard, managing general partner of Equity Management Associates.

Gold peaked in 1981 when it reached $850 an ounce in nominal terms, but adjusted for inflation, that would equal $3,000 in real terms today. $3,000 is this cycle's coming peak, David Garofalo, CEO of Gold Royalty Corp. told David Lin, anchor for Kitco News.

When will the Fed taper? Never, says E.B. Tucker, director of Metalla Royalty and author of "Why Gold, Why Now?" "Now the debate is why will they stop [quantitative easing]? They'll never stop. It's never going to stop," Tucker told David Lin, anchor for Kitco News.

Frank Holmes, CEO, of U.S. Global Investors and executive chairman of HIVE Blockchain discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the sectors capital is flowing towards now, and how the mining industry should attract investments, especially from millennials.

Even if the world enters into another gold standard, silver, which has historically been used as money, may not retain that role in the future.

China is going through its third batch of strategic reserves selling, commencing on September 1. This sale will include 150,000 tons of metal, including 70,000 tons of aluminum, 50,000 tons of zinc, and 30,000 tons of copper. Due to this selling, copper has fallen from its highs in May. Gianni Kovacevic, CEO of CopperBank discussed with David Lin, anchor of Kitco News, China's goals and what the downside target of copper may be, as well as the long-term upside potential.

Former Congressman and host of The Liberty Report, Ron Paul, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the rationale for the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and the consequences of a military withdrawal.

“There is no top price for Bitcoin because there is no bottom for fiat money(currency)” said Max Keiser, Host of The Keiser Report. Fiat money is currency which does not have intrinsic or use value on its own. It only has value because the government maintains its value. Keiser, who is also the Co-Host of The Orange Pill Podcast spoke to David Lin, anchor for Kitco News. “If you are going to price Bitcoin and fiat money, the price is infinity, because fiat money has no bottom, while Bitcoin has no ceiling. If you priced it in ounces of gold, that would be a more valid way to price it,” Keiser continued. “I am not sure exactly what the exchange rate is for an ounce of gold is to Bitcoin. But whatever it is, you can multiply it by a hundred times and that's where we are headed.”

The U.S. Federal Reserve is "trapped", says Michael Gentile, strategic investor. Gentile told David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, that two scenarios could play out: either the Fed raises rates by 25 basis points next year to regain confidence in the markets, or they let inflation run hot and do nothing. Neither of these scenarios will be enough to contain inflation. In order to really "go to war" against inflation, the Fed will need to raise rates to at least 3%, which would cause stocks to crash by the order of 50%. Even a 25 basis point raise would trigger a 10-20% correction, Gentile said.

Greg King, CEO of Osprey Funds, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, why Bitcoin could cap at $100,000 or even $200,000, as well as when a crypto ETF could be launched in the U.S.

The economy is returning to a 1970s era of higher inflation, potentially reaching double digits, said Mark Skousen, editor-in-chief of Forecasts & Strategies. Speaking to David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, Skousen's comments come as CPI data released Tuesday showed 5.4% annual inflation in June.

John Feneck, founder of Feneck Consulting, discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the outlook for the gold sector.

“Ethereum is the backbone to the blockchain network,” said Frank Holmes, CEO of U.S. Global Investors. Speaking with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, Holmes discusses the growth trajectories for both Bitcoin and Etheruem, and how the latter could one day become the most dominant cryptocurrency.

Graphite-focused NextSource is up over 500% in the past year on recent deal making and growing investor interest in the battery material space. CEO Craig Scherba talked to Kitco on Wednesday. Last month NextSource Materials signed a 10-year agreement with thyssenkrupp Materials Trading to deliver approximately 35,000 tonnes per annum of graphite concentrate from the company's Molo mine in Madagascar.

It's only a matter of time before privacy tokens, like Monero, which conceal the provenance of transactions, become illegal in the U.S., said John Sarson, CEO of Sarson Funds.

Is Bitcoin just essentially another form of fiat, with no intrinsic value? Does the endless creation of altcoins negate the scarcity proposition of Bitcoin, which is capped at only 21 million coins? Saifedean Ammous, independent educator at Saifedean.com and author of “The Bitcoin Standard” discusses with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, some of these common

Investment demand for silver has risen sharply this year and will continue to remain strong said Jeff Christian, managing partner of CPM Group, who said that investment demand has historically been one of the biggest drivers of the silver price. However, a common misconception is that market deficits for silver drive the price while the opposite is true; a surplus, which is what the silver market is experiencing now, drives price momentum, Christian told David Lin, anchor for Kitco News.

Gold is faced with a double-edged sword of inflationary pressures, said Gary Wagner, editor of TheGoldForecast.com, who expects near-term downward pressures to prevail. Wagner discussed with David Lin, anchor for Kitco News, the Fed's options after Jerome Powell admitted in a testimony Tuesday that the current economic path is “unsustainable.”

The energy transition will be disinflationary since it ties in with broader trends in digitization and automation which ultimately drives down costs, said Macquarie Capital's Head of Asian Strategy and Global Strategy Co-ordinator Viktor Shvets. Shvets spoke to Kitco on Friday from Hong Kong.

Although the year-on-year inflation data may decline in the next consumer price index (CPI) release given how low the base was last year, the month-on-month increase could spike, triggering gold price rally, said Lobo Tiggre of the Independent Speculator. “Watch the month-on-month change. Ask yourself, has anything really gotten cheaper over the last month? No, well, maybe lumber, but generally speaking nothing's gotten cheaper. The month-on-month CPI numbers, numbers the Fed looks at, I think will tell a very strong story that should really send a few tremors of fear to the powers that be,” Tiggre told David Lin, anchor of Kitco News.

Over the next few weeks, gold is set to outperform Bitcoin, said Florian Grummes, managing director of Midas Touch Consulting. The question is how long this outperformance can last?