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Money Tree Investing

URGENT Global Macro Developments

Money Tree Investing

Money Tree Investing Podcast

Business, Investing

4.6733 Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2026

⏱️ 81 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Richard Duncan is here today to discuss global macro developments as he outlines a long-term macro framework, arguing that the modern global economy has shifted from traditional capitalism to a system driven by credit expansion. He explains how, since the 2008 financial crisis, government borrowing and Federal Reserve money creation have replaced the private sector as the primary engine of growth, fueling massive asset inflation and a historic surge in wealth, but also creating an "everything bubble" highly dependent on low interest rates. Duncan warns that rising inflation could push interest rates higher and trigger a collapse in asset prices and a severe recession. Richard emphasizes that the greatest systemic risk is a contraction in credit and argues that sustained investment in innovation may be the only path to outgrow the debt burden before a long-term crisis emerges.

We discuss...

  • Richard Duncan explains his macro framework, arguing the global economy shifted from gold-backed discipline to a credit-driven system after 1968.
  • Credit expansion, rather than productivity, has been the primary driver of economic growth for decades.
  • Globalization and trade deficits helped suppress inflation, enabling lower interest rates and more debt growth.
  • Following the 2008 crisis, government borrowing and Federal Reserve intervention replaced the private sector as the main engine of credit expansion.
  • Massive stimulus and quantitative easing fueled a historic surge in asset prices and household wealth.
  • The U.S. now faces an "everything bubble," with asset valuations stretched relative to income.
  • War in the Middle East could drive higher energy, fertilizer, and food costs, worsening global inflation.
  • Higher rates threaten to pop the credit-fueled bubble and trigger a significant recession.
  • Deglobalization and reshoring manufacturing would likely be highly inflationary and destabilizing to the system.
  • Despite high debt levels, the system can continue functioning as long as credit keeps expanding.
  • Richard suggests a future shift from "creditism" to a new system driven by artificial intelligence and exponential gains in cognition.
  • Gold's rise is attributed both to the broader asset bubble and declining global trust in U.S. financial dominance.
  • Central banks are increasingly accumulating gold as a hedge against geopolitical and monetary risk.
  • The biggest overlooked risk is a contraction in credit, which could collapse the entire economic system.
  • Duncan argues that aggressive investment in innovation and technology is key to outgrowing the debt burden.
  • Without continued credit expansion or productive investment, the system risks a severe long-term depression.

Today's Panelists:

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For more information, visit the full show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/urgent-global-macro-development-richard-duncan-814 

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the Money Tree Investing Podcast.

0:04.0

Stock market, wealth, personal finance, value stocks, invest in your life.

0:10.0

Hello, Smart Money Tree Podcast listeners. Welcome to this week's show. My name is Kirk Chisholm and I'll be your host. So today I'm joined with the returning guest, Richard Duncan. Hey Richard.

0:20.0

Hey, Kirk.

0:21.3

Glad to have you back on the show. Like having you on, you have a really great perspective from a

0:26.4

macro standpoint. And with all that's going on in the world, you were a perfect guest to line up for

0:31.0

this. So for those of the listeners who haven't heard your episodes prior, tell listeners a little

0:36.3

bit about yourself. So I've spent most of my career working in Asia. I started working in Hong Kong in 1986 as a

0:43.4

securities analyst. And I've spent most of my time in Asia working either for stockbroking companies

0:50.7

or fund management companies. I did have a couple of years in Washington at the

0:54.8

World Bank in 98, 99, 2000 working on issues related to the Asia crisis. And at one point, I was the

1:03.0

global head of investment strategy for ABN Amro, asset management based in London, looking at all asset

1:10.5

classes globally.

1:12.5

And for the last 12 years, I have produced a video newsletter called MacroWatch,

1:18.5

and that's my business now. And also along the way, I've written four books.

1:22.9

First one was called The Dollar Crisis, published in 2003. And the most recent one is called the

1:29.5

Money Revolution, How to Finance the Next American Century, which was published in 2023. So that's

1:36.6

me. There's a lot going on in the world. Since you came here last, gold went to the moon and then

1:42.9

came back. We have a war in Iran. We've got

1:46.1

all sorts of stuff going on in the economy, which don't look great. What are you seeing right now?

1:53.2

Let's step back and look at the big picture. Sort of how we got here, that will tell us where we

1:58.1

are and what will happen next, perhaps.

...

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