Interview with Martin A. Armstrong, founder AE Global Solutions Inc.

As we stand at the beginning of the new year, there’s a lot of hope by investors, business owners, citizens, all of us, that 2021 will be better than its predecessor. We all wish for an end to the pandemic, a return to normalcy, to social interactions and to productive life. However, as we all know, “wishing doesn’t make it so”, and being prepared for the risks and challenges ahead is a far more effective strategy than being willfully blind to them and hoping they’ll just magically go away. 

In my efforts to identify those risks and figure out what a responsible investor can do about them, I asked Martin Armstrong, one of the most famous economic forecasters alive, to share his own views and outlook. It’s hard

“Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.”- Charles Mackay

It is my great pleasure to send you this sit down interview with H.S.H. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. He is the Executive Chairman of Industrie- und Finanzkontor Ets. www.iuf.li as well as the Founder & Chairman of Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG.  www.gisreportsonline.com.

The interview discusses the current situation we all find ourselves in and his views on the state of the world and the relationship we have with the state.

The interview will be part of our upcoming movie “PlanetLockdownFilm.com” (please subscribe to receive the movie) which focuses on the topic of Corona and its impact on our

The latest front of war on cash  

Together with Germans and Greeks, Italians have long been the most stubborn and steadfast of Europeans in their love of cash. For years, they have resisted cards and digital payments and viewed with deep suspicion most campaigns to convert them. To a significant extent, they also saved in physical notes, especially older adults, keeping their “rainy day” funds outside the Italian banking system, which has given them plenty of reasons to question and to mistrust. Just a year ago, there was no reason to think this defiance would waver, at least not anytime soon. But then the pandemic hit, followed by the one of the longest and harshest lockdown policies on the planet. By the time the “second wave hit” and another round of mass closures and

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle

Dear friends of freedom

Some of you already know that I have been busy over the last months making a documentary film about Covid together with my friend James from Washington D.C..

The aim was to look at the Corona crisis from different angles and to interview independent thinking personalities and recognized experts in their fields who go through life consciously and uphold the values of individual freedom.

The result is a large number of valuable interviews, which we use as a basis for the film. We are approaching the film in a novel way, by releasing all the interviews in full over the course of a month up to the release of the final film. We are convinced that

INTERVIEW WITH H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN – Part II of II

Claudio Grass (CG): Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve witnessed extreme efforts to increase top-down control and to centralize power in ways that affect almost all aspects of a citizen’s life. Do you expect that this can all be reversed once the crisis is over, or has the Rubicon been crossed? 

HSH Prince Michael of Liechtenstein (PM): I still hope, but I am not very confident, that the Rubicon has not already been crossed. Power is a drug and a technocracy that receives power will be reluctant to relinquish it. The current situation has shown that, due to fear and uncertainty, measures are being accepted that limit individual freedom. Of course, it must be appreciated that

INTERVIEW WITH H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN – Part I of II
As we’re preparing to leave 2020 behind, a year that will most likely feature prominently in future history books, it is hard to look back on all that has happened without a sense of apprehension and uncertainty over what lies ahead. A lot has changed, economically, socially and politically, and those changes and challenges are unlikely to subside in the year to come. Whether they have paved the way for a darker future or whether they might instead act as powerful catalysts for positive shifts towards more decentralization and more individual freedom, is the greatest question before us now.
To help me answer it, I turned to H.S.H. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein, a man whose intellect,

INTERVIEW WITH H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN – Part II of II

Claudio Grass (CG): Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve witnessed extreme efforts to increase top-down control and to centralize power in ways that affect almost all aspects of a citizen’s life. Do you expect that this can all be reversed once the crisis is over, or has the Rubicon been crossed? 

HSH Prince Michael of Liechtenstein (PM): I still hope, but I am not very confident, that the Rubicon has not already been crossed. Power is a drug and a technocracy that receives power will be reluctant to relinquish it. The current situation has shown that, due to fear and uncertainty, measures are being accepted that limit individual freedom. Of course, it must be appreciated that governments strive to protect

INTERVIEW WITH H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN – Part I of II

As we’re preparing to leave 2020 behind, a year that will most likely feature prominently in future history books, it is hard to look back on all that has happened without a sense of apprehension and uncertainty over what lies ahead. A lot has changed, economically, socially and politically, and those changes and challenges are unlikely to subside in the year to come. Whether they have paved the way for a darker future or whether they might instead act as powerful catalysts for positive shifts towards more decentralization and more individual freedom, is the greatest question before us now. 

To help me answer it, I turned to H.S.H. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein, a man whose intellect, experiences and sharp

These days, most mainstream news reports are being monopolized by the pandemic, the covid vaccine and all the new rules and lockdowns that are being enforced across the Western world, and this near-obsessive focus comes at the expense of a lot other important developments. The last story that managed to “dethrone” covid from the headlines was the US Presidential election, and even that reporting was largely through the prism of the pandemic. And yet, the earth hasn’t actually stopped spinning and hugely important geopolitical and economic shifts are still happening and they’re certainly newsworthy, especially for investors. Chief among them is Brexit now: the long-awaited, much-debated and endlessly negotiated “divorce” between the UK and the EU.

After what seems like an eternity

On the last Sunday of November the Swiss citizens once again rejected efforts staged by left-leaning groups and NGOs to chip away at the nation’s long tradition of free enterprise, respect for private property and financial freedom. Two important proposals were brought before the Swiss people in a set of referendums, both targeting private companies and attempting to place unprecedented burdens, threatening their ability to operate freely and profitably.
The first proposal, that received the most international coverage, was the “Responsible Business Initiative” (RBI). It aimed at changing the law so that Switzerland-based businesses could be held liable for human rights and environmental abuses, even if these took place abroad and even if they were committed not

On the last Sunday of November the Swiss citizens once again rejected efforts staged by left-leaning groups and NGOs to chip away at the nation’s long tradition of free enterprise, respect for private property and financial freedom. Two important proposals were brought before the Swiss people in a set of referendums, both targeting private companies and attempting to place unprecedented burdens, threatening their ability to operate freely and profitably. 

The first proposal, that received the most international coverage, was the “Responsible Business Initiative” (RBI). It aimed at changing the law so that Switzerland-based businesses could be held liable for human rights and environmental abuses, even if these took place abroad and even if they were committed not just directly by

The 2020 election was a roller coaster experience for both sides and for all International observers who understood its massive economic and geopolitical implications for the rest of the West. There was no shortage of drama, sensationalism, half-truths and full untruths at every stage of the process, from the Democratic primaries right to this day, with politicians and partisan journalists painting their own version of reality, fueling divisions and rallying their fanatical followers to express their outrage at every turn.
Given the extraordinarily toxic internal tensions in the country that managed to leak out and spread in Europe too, one of the big questions that has been dominating debates and projections over the last couple of months was over the impact of

The 2020 election was a roller coaster experience for both sides and for all International observers who understood its massive economic and geopolitical implications for the rest of the West. There was no shortage of drama, sensationalism, half-truths and full untruths at every stage of the process, from the Democratic primaries right to this day, with politicians and partisan journalists painting their own version of reality, fueling divisions and rallying their fanatical followers to express their outrage at every turn. 

Given the extraordinarily toxic internal tensions in the country that managed to leak out and spread in Europe too, one of the big questions that has been dominating debates and projections over the last couple of months was over the impact of a Biden presidency

Implications for precious metals investors
As the long-awaited “second wave” of the corona pandemic sweeps through Europe, another round of severe restrictions, travel bans and rules that prevent the proper function of international business and trade threatens to once again disrupt all kinds of sectors, including the gold industry.
Lockdown 2.0
Until only a couple of months ago, multiple heads of state, government officials and all kinds of experts were openly acknowledging the serious risks of another lockdown and tried to reassure citizens, claiming it could be avoided. And yet, here we are today, with most European nations under another near-total economic freeze. There is very little that differentiates this lockdown from the last. In some places, some

Implications for precious metals investors

As the long-awaited “second wave” of the corona pandemic sweeps through Europe, another round of severe restrictions, travel bans and rules that prevent the proper function of international business and trade threatens to once again disrupt all kinds of sectors, including the gold industry. 

Lockdown 2.0

Until only a couple of months ago, multiple heads of state, government officials and all kinds of experts were openly acknowledging the serious risks of another lockdown and tried to reassure citizens, claiming it could be avoided. And yet, here we are today, with most European nations under another near-total economic freeze. There is very little that differentiates this lockdown from the last. In some places, some schools remain

Money – sound and unsound – Click to enlarge
Interview with Rafi Farber: Part II of II
Rafi Farber, pen name Austrolib, is the publisher of The End Game Investor, a daily market commentary written from an Austrian economics perspective focusing on precious metals, the Comex, and monetary analysis. His work is followed by leaders in the precious metals industry including Eric Sprott. He also writes a weekly column on the gaming industry at CalvinAyre. Contact him at [email protected]
Claudio Grass (CG): Throughout this ordeal, politicians in all major economies seem to be competing on who will spend the most and who will provide the greatest fiscal stimulus. Yet nobody’s talking about how they’ll pay for it. The core idea behind Modern Monetary Theory, namely

Interview with Rafi Farber: Part II of II

Rafi Farber, pen name Austrolib, is the publisher of The End Game Investor, a daily market commentary written from an Austrian economics perspective focusing on precious metals, the Comex, and monetary analysis. His work is followed by leaders in the precious metals industry including Eric Sprott. He also writes a weekly column on the gaming industry at CalvinAyre. Contact him at [email protected]

Claudio Grass (CG): Throughout this ordeal, politicians in all major economies seem to be competing on who will spend the most and who will provide the greatest fiscal stimulus. Yet nobody’s talking about how they’ll pay for it. The core idea behind Modern Monetary Theory, namely that “deficits don’t matter”, seems to have entered

Interview with Rafi Farber – Part I of II
By now it is probably obvious, even to the most naive of mainstream narrative followers, that we are well past the point of no return on many fronts. Politics, on a national and global level, are never getting back to “normal”, the economy is already knee-deep in a severe recession, while social frictions and public discontent with governments, institutions and all kinds of rulers and central planners is on a sharp and dangerous trajectory.
In this charged environment and during these uncertain times, it is increasingly difficult for responsible investors and citizens to answer even basic questions, especially as we’re being constantly bombarded with new directives, news stories and “expert” opinions that not only

Interview with Rafi Farber – Part I of II

By now it is probably obvious, even to the most naive of mainstream narrative followers, that we are well past the point of no return on many fronts. Politics, on a national and global level, are never getting back to “normal”, the economy is already knee-deep in a severe recession, while social frictions and public discontent with governments, institutions and all kinds of rulers and central planners is on a sharp and dangerous trajectory. 

In this charged environment and during these uncertain times, it is increasingly difficult for responsible investors and citizens to answer even basic questions, especially as we’re being constantly bombarded with new directives, news stories and “expert” opinions that not only contradict each other,

Interview with Patrick Barron – Part II of II
Claudio Grass (CG): This crisis has shaken a lot of industries and core functions of the global economy and international trade. How do you assess its impact on the most important part of the machine, the banking system? Do you see risks there that investors should be worrying about?
Patrick Barron (PB): Banks are financial intermediaries. They take deposits and make loans. That has been going on for millennia. What we call banking today is really just an arm of government. Government grants banks special privileges to print money via fractional reserve banking and taxes banks to provide deposit insurance. The deposit insurance scam is supposed to reassure depositors that their money is secure. But the deposit

A “Swiss Conversation” with Frank R Suess, Founding Partner and Chairman of BFI Capital Group in Switzerland and Claudio Grass

The world has already changed, arguably irreversibly, but the full effects of the extreme political, fiscal and monetary measures that were enforced during the covid crisis are not yet entirely apparent. What we can say for sure though, is that even though this is a global crisis, its impact is not evenly distributed. Some jurisdictions pose far greater dangers to individuals and their private property than others.

As we do not know how individual governments will proceed in the future and what desperate and aggressive measures they could resort to in their efforts to deal with their record debt levels, it is clear that private property, individual

Interview with Patrick Barron – Part II of II

Claudio Grass (CG): This crisis has shaken a lot of industries and core functions of the global economy and international trade. How do you assess its impact on the most important part of the machine, the banking system? Do you see risks there that investors should be worrying about?

Patrick Barron (PB): Banks are financial intermediaries. They take deposits and make loans. That has been going on for millennia. What we call banking today is really just an arm of government. Government grants banks special privileges to print money via fractional reserve banking and taxes banks to provide deposit insurance. The deposit insurance scam is supposed to reassure depositors that their money is secure. But the deposit insurance fund in the

Interview with Patrick Barron – Part I of II
We’re less than two weeks away from the US election, and yet this sense of utter confusion, bitter political conflict, and economic uncertainty that has been ominously hovering over the nation, as well as the rest of the world, doesn’t seem to have subsided. The country still appears to be in a directionless state, with its economy in serious trouble and its society dangerously fragmented.
There seems to be a wide rift in US politics, which is not just pragmatic or ideological, but perceptual too: The two “camps” and their supporters appear to be living in and arguing about two different versions of reality, and neither corresponds to the actual experiences of most ordinary citizens, taxpayers and savers. This

Interview with Patrick Barron – Part I of II

We’re less than two weeks away from the US election, and yet this sense of utter confusion, bitter political conflict, and economic uncertainty that has been ominously hovering over the nation, as well as the rest of the world, doesn’t seem to have subsided. The country still appears to be in a directionless state, with its economy in serious trouble and its society dangerously fragmented. 

There seems to be a wide rift in US politics, which is not just pragmatic or ideological, but perceptual too: The two “camps” and their supporters appear to be living in and arguing about two different versions of reality, and neither corresponds to the actual experiences of most ordinary citizens, taxpayers and savers. This disconcerting

Part II of II
Outlook and wider impact
As showcased during the debates and in the entire campaign rhetoric, politicians in the US but also in Europe, are solely focused on promoting solutions that only serve to paper over the problems and address the symptoms of the disease. From “covid checks” to rent relief, and everything in between, all their proposed “fixes” are only providing some temporary breathing room to those millions of citizens affected by the economic shutdown and ongoing restrictions that they imposed and most of them continue to support. These proposals and measures are all short-sighted and superficial, and do nothing to solve structural problems. In fact, they exacerbate and perpetuate them. For instance, a worker that lost his job because his

Part II of II

Outlook and wider impact

As showcased during the debates and in the entire campaign rhetoric, politicians in the US but also in Europe, are solely focused on promoting solutions that only serve to paper over the problems and address the symptoms of the disease. From “covid checks” to rent relief, and everything in between, all their proposed “fixes” are only providing some temporary breathing room to those millions of citizens affected by the economic shutdown and ongoing restrictions that they imposed and most of them continue to support. These proposals and measures are all short-sighted and superficial, and do nothing to solve structural problems. In fact, they exacerbate and perpetuate them. For instance, a worker that lost his job because his employer was

Part I of II

The implications of the upcoming US election are obviously very important not just for American citizens, investors and ordinary savers, but for the rest of the world too. Economic, fiscal and monetary developments and trends that take place in the US influence the global economy in a major way, and the policies that are adopted there often come to define the rest of the West. After all, central planners in general tend to think alike and seek to confirm their own misbeliefs and biases through the actions of their peers. Any attempt to describe and properly capture the level of political division, social friction and infighting within the American society, especially since the start of this year, will probably result in an understatement. It is clear by now that the

As [D] Mayor de Blasio shuts down schools and restaurants in NYC yet AGAIN, and as cops in Australia arrest women on beaches for traveling outside of 5 KM from their homes, it’s clear that tyrants around the world are openly waging war against their own people. Claudio Grass joins me to discuss.
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You cannot print your way to prosperity – Part II
Looking at the damage inflicted upon supply chains, production facilities and global trade in particular, how quickly could these operations snap back even if all COVID-related restrictions were lifted tomorrow? Do you think we’ll eventually get back to business as usual, or have we now experienced a permanent shift to a “new normal”?

As [D] Mayor de Blasio shuts down schools and restaurants in NYC yet AGAIN, and as cops in Australia arrest women on beaches for traveling outside of 5 KM from their homes, it’s clear that tyrants around the world are openly waging war against their own people. Claudio Grass joins me to discuss.

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Switzerland remains a “special case”

As we now enter fall and the news cycle continues to be dominated by Covid-related stories, the “second wave” and new lockdowns and restrictions being enforced all around the globe, hopes of a swift recovery have by now completely evaporated in all rational investors’ minds. It is clear that this surreal new state of affairs is here to stay, as we all get acquainted with this “new normal” in the way we do business and in our daily lives. What is also most assuredly here to stay is this severe economic downturn, a recession that could very well turn into a depression, as well as the concerted political efforts for more state control, centralization, spending, borrowing and wealth redistribution.

In these unprecedented and unpredictable times,