by Milan Adams, Prepp Group:

Three years ago, the prevailing assumption across Wall Street, the City of London, and most government institutions was remarkably simple: inflation would normalize, supply chains would heal, interest rates would eventually decline, and precious metals would once again retreat into the background as investors chased higher returns elsewhere. Gold, according to that narrative, had already enjoyed its moment. Silver, despite its indispensable role in modern industry, was expected to settle back into a familiar cycle of moderate demand and predictable pricing. Instead, 2026 has produced a far more unsettling reality. Gold has repeatedly demonstrated that even record-breaking prices have not been sufficient to discourage institutional accumulation, while silver continues to face a structural supply deficit for the sixth consecutive year—a situation that is becoming increasingly difficult for manufacturers, traders, and policymakers to dismiss as a temporary imbalance. These are no longer isolated developments confined to commodity exchanges; they are signals of a financial environment in which confidence itself is quietly becoming a contested asset.