About Erik Townsend

hedge fund manager Erik Townsend

Erik Townsend is a retired software entrepreneur turned hedge fund manager. Throughout his career, Erik has capitalized on his ability to understand complex systems and anticipate paradigm shifts far in advance of the mainstream. Read More...

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J ChristianErik Townsend welcomes Jeffrey Christian to MacroVoices. Erik and Jeffrey discuss:

  • The advantages held by the US over other economies
  • The reasons for the recent USD strength and where it is headed next
  • The market reaction to the most recent round of hawkishness from the Fed
  • The Gold market internals which have supported its price in 2016, and the possibility of a pullback
  • The relevance of the Commitments of Traders report in the Gold market
  • What institutional positioning in precious metals tells us about liquidity flows
  • Platinum, Palladium, their extraction methods and uses, their relationship to each other and other PMs
  • Where we are currently in the broader commodities cycle
  • The problems facing China, Japan, and Europe
  • Economic, social, and political issues in Russia
  • Possibilities for Gold and non-USD currencies playing a bigger role in central bank reserves, and more...

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PROFESSOR STEVE KEEN headshotErik Townsend welcomes Steve Keen to MacroVoices. Erik and Professor Keen discuss:

  • A comparison of the prevailing schools of economic thought
  • The role of credit in the economy
  • The importance of existing inventory when considering supply and demand calculations
  • What's wrong with neoclassical economics and how central bank policy needs to adapt
  • How Professor Keen was able to foresee the 2008 financial crisis
  • The mistake of mainstream economics in ignoring the importance of private sector debt
  • Low credit growth leading to a stangant economy
  • "Zombie Economies" and which countries are most likely to suffer another crisis
  • How to know if you're living in a Zombie Economy
  • The need to reduce private debt, and the ways to incentivize such a reduction
  • Plus Samir Madani joins us to discuss #OOTT and much more

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RealVision TV red 01A conversation on February 19th, 2016 between Raoul Pal and Grant Williams, co-founders of Real Vision Television.

 

 

 

 

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Das headshotErik Townsend welcomes Satyajit Das to MacroVoices. Erik and Das discuss:

  • The US as the cleanest shirt in a very dirty laundry basket of economies, and what it portends for the USD
  • Emerging market debt and how it should be dealt with if interest rates rise
  • The difference between a cuclical downturn and a structural shift, and how policy should respond
  • The problem with "emergency measures" becoming permanent policy
  • A global population obsessed with perpetual incremental improvements to living standards
  • Negative interest rates as a form of taxation
  • Malinvestment in China, and how it exacerbates the global debt problem
  • How China might deal with this round of over-indebtedness, and what's different this time
  • How the global economy will be impacted by a slowdown and shift in focus in China
  • Gold as a currency, as a hedge, and as a "matter of faith"
  • The potential for the entire global economy to "turn Japanese" 

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Duncan headshotErik Townsend welcomes Richard Duncan to MacroVoices. Erik and Richard discuss:

  • The events in world world history which have led to increased government spending and record debt
  • The catalysts that made everything "pop" in 2008
  • How QE works, who benefits from it, and how likely it is to persist
  • The results of having a government directed economic system for over 76 years
  • Unique conditions which allowed extraordinary policy from the Fed, and how the US could capitalize on them
  • The looming threat of war increasing due to a "need" for increased government spending
  • The alternative forms of government spending we could see in lieu of war
  • The possibility, and likely futility of "helicopter money"
  • Why we won't see the end of the USD's role as world reserve currency anytime soon
  • And fistfuls of more good stuff...

 

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RealVision TV red 01Kyle Bass interviews John Burbank on March 6th, 2015

 

 

 

 

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Rick Rule eErik Townsend welcomes Rick Rule to MacroVoices. Erik and Rick discuss:

  • Rick’s general thesis on precious metals and how they differ from other natural resources

  • The relative predictability of commodities due to their cyclicality

  • The spectacular returns available to investors who can be brave when others are fearful

  • The value of contrarian information when markets are out of favor

  • The value of private placement and P.I.P.E. investments

  • Rick’s personal investment strategies at the current time

  • The dangers and importance of identifying conflicts of interest in investing

  • The resources available to investors to help them protect themselves against frauds

  • Erik and Art Berman bring us up to speed on the US crude oil inventory situation, and what fundamental factors may have changed moving the market still higher

  • Art warns that this rally may have been about the market pricing in looming supply risks, and more...

  • Register for free at the top of this page to have Art's powerpoint presentation sent to you by email

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Rickards Ani Standing cropped ColorErik Townsend welcomes Jim Rickards to MacroVoices. Erik and Jim discuss:

  • Gold as a currency, rather than an investment, because "earning yield requires taking risk"

  • The USD rally and the Fed’s influence on its ability to continue

  • The difference between a central bank’s ability to cure inflation, vs. curing deflation

  • The possibilities of confiscation, taxation, and NIRP and their effects on the relative attractiveness of Gold

  • The Fed first tightening into weakness, and now turning more dovish after a market correction in early 2016

  • The reasons why governments can’t tolerate inflation

  • Gold as a potential hedge against deflation, as well as inflation

  • How QE actually functions, and why we’ve seen so little effect on the real economy

  • What the next form of stimulus may look like, and how it may affect the outlook on Gold

  • The necessity for structural solutions, not monetary solutions, to structural problems

  • What an increase in institutional holdings of Gold would mean for price, and plenty more...

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Raoul PalErik Townsend welcomes Raoul Pal to MacroVoices. Erik and Raoul discuss:

  • The US Dollar backstory and how central bank policy divergence got us here
  • US government bonds and the potential for interest rates to move much lower
  • Weak growth in the US and a business cycle that is appearing to roll over
  • The risks of loaning money to insolvent governments in the form of sovereign bonds
  • Changing our operating framework to better understand a changing global macro picture
  • Gold and real estate becoming hedges to the currency risk involved with negative interest rates
  • Gold's ability to rally in the face of potential further Dollar strength
  • The European banking system and "CoCo Bonds"
  • The ban on cash and the real reasons the powers that be are moving in this direction
  • "The Big Uglies" and what could trigger an economic recession
  • Which forms further monetary or fiscal stimulus could take, and more...

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MACRO VOICES is presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. The information presented in MACRO VOICES should NOT be construed as investment advice. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making important investment decisions. The opinions expressed on MACRO VOICES are those of the participants. MACRO VOICES, its producers, and hosts Erik Townsend and Patrick Ceresna shall NOT be liable for losses resulting from investment decisions based on information or viewpoints presented on MACRO VOICES.

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