Ian Everard warns of a looming precious metals supply crunch. He highlights manipulated markets, dwindling silver stocks, and the strategic value of rare metals like rhenium.
In a recent interview with Commodity Culture, Ian Everard, a prominent figure in the precious metals sector, issued a stark warning about the dangerously low inventories of gold and silver, predicting a potential “physical failure to supply” and significant market disruption. Everard, owner of Ark Silver Gold Osmium, painted a picture of a market where paper promises are increasingly divorced from physical realities, highlighting the growing pressure on already strained supply chains.
The interview, hosted by Jesse Day, delved into the intricacies of precious metal ratios, the strategic importance of rare metals like rhenium, and the looming threat of hyperinflation. Everard’s insights, grounded in years of experience and meticulous research, painted a compelling narrative of a market on the brink.
“Now the squeeze comes,” Everard declared, referencing the growing demand for physical precious metals amidst dwindling supplies. “You’ve got retail investors buying gold as well as family offices, so now you’re getting much more of a squeeze.”
Everard highlighted the alarming decline in silver stocks at the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), attributing it to a combination of industrial demand and potential market manipulation. “I think a big part of it is industrial demand,” he stated, showcasing a large 1000oz silver bar. “But it looks pretty certain that a lot of this gold has been counted several times over.”
He elaborated on the practice of leasing gold, where entities sell leased gold for fiat currency, speculating on its future value. “They gamble… that they’ll be able to buy the gold back and return it at the end of the contract,” Everard explained. “So a lot of people could be stuck now. They haven’t got enough currency to buy the amount of gold they need to return.”
The interview also highlighted Everard’s discovery of rhenium, a rare metal crucial for high-heat applications in jet engines and other critical technologies. He emphasized its extreme scarcity and the absence of viable substitutes, noting, “We cannot make a modern jet engine without rhenium.”
“It had no right to find industrial uses because there’s not enough of it,” Everard remarked, highlighting its unique properties and limited supply. “The uses are very high-value uses that are not price sensitive.” He pointed out the significant price volatility of rhenium, which has ranged from $1,000 to $10,800 per kilo. “Rhenium is incredibly undervalued compared to platinum,” he asserted, comparing its annual production of 50 tons to platinum’s 190 tons.
Everard warned of a potential “destruction of perceived wealth” in fiat currencies, predicting a shift towards tangible assets. “I think for most of us stackers it doesn’t really matter too much, because we are going to see a destruction of perceived wealth,” he stated. “There’ll be a mix of destruction of perceived wealth and then there’ll be a transfer of actual wealth to people who hold the commodities.”
He emphasized the importance of diversifying precious metal holdings, recommending both silver and rhenium. “I think everybody should have their silver position because it just covers almost every eventuality financially going forward,” he advised.
Ian Everard’s interview served as a powerful call to action for investors and stackers concerned about the stability of the global financial system. His warnings about dwindling inventories, market manipulation, and the strategic importance of rare metals underscored the need for vigilance and diversification.
