Episode summary
Is It Too Late To Get Into Gold? Jan Van Eck Doesn’t Think So | The Important Part
The Important Part
· · Guests: Jan Van Eck
Summary
Jan Van Eck argues that gold is being re-priced by a profound shift in the global monetary order: the world is less willing to rely on the U.S. dollar, and gold is the main alternative reserve asset. He says that dynamic could keep driving gold higher for as long as 10 years, with prices potentially moving above $5,000 and even toward $10,000 if current trends persist. He frames the move as structural, not just inflation-driven, and points to the dollar’s weaponization after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a catalyst for foreign reserve diversification.
He also draws a sharp distinction between gold bullion and gold miners. Van Eck prefers bullion as the core holding and sees miners as a leveraged, higher-volatility complement that can outperform in upcycles but fall much harder in downturns. He says retail investors are still underweight gold despite its strong run, which he views as a behavioral problem rather than a lack of opportunity.
On Bitcoin, he is bullish long term but less confident near term. He says Bitcoin is behaving more like a risk asset tied to the Nasdaq, calling it “like a teenager” that needs to mature. He thinks the four-year cycle has broken, expects a bottoming process, and sees selective opportunity after the selloff. He also says the AI bubble has popped in weaker names, creating a buying opportunity for investors willing to accept risk.
Key takeaways
- Van Eck thinks gold could keep rising for up to 10 years because countries want alternatives to the dollar, not just because of inflation.
- He sees gold bullion as the core trade and gold miners as a more volatile complement that can rise faster in bull markets but collapse harder in bear markets.
- He says Bitcoin still has long-term upside, but near-term behavior looks like a risk asset tied to the Nasdaq rather than a clean store of value.
- Van Eck believes the AI bubble has popped in weaker names, which could make select AI-related stocks and Bitcoin-mining pivots attractive again.
- He expects a less active Federal Reserve under a new chair and thinks investors should focus on big macro shifts rather than day-to-day headlines.
Notable quotes
“I think it can happen for up to another 10 years or so Liz uh very very bullish”
“the rest of the world doesn't want to sort of have the US be able to control its finances through the US dollar and the only alternative really is the gold”
“I would say first, do I want to own gold? And those are the conversations Van loves to have with investors”
“They're both limited in supply. So I would say that they are both stores of value in my mind”
“Bitcoin is kind of a like I I describe it like a teenager. It goes through these different phases”
How the episode opens
We're seeing a profound change in the world monetary order that is reflecting the change in the world economic order and political order. Namely, you have it used to be the United States was dominant and the rest of the world doesn't want to have the US be able to control its finances through the US dollar and the only alternative really is the gold. Hi there, I'm Liz Thomas, head of investment strategy at SoFi, and this is the important part.
How do you spot an investing trend before anyone else? You can start by asking Yan Vanek. Jan is the CEO of VANC, one of the world's largest providers of ETFs and mutual funds.
So, you can say he's got a little bit of experience at that. His firm pushed for a Bitcoin ETF years before the regulators allowed it. His family launched the first gold fund in the late60s and Yan is here today to share the family recipe for trend spotting and how you can apply it to your own portfolio.
Yan, thank you so much for joining me.
Oh, it's great to be here, Liz. I look forward to our discussion. — Okay, let's start with gold because that's such a hot topic right now. And by the way, nothing in this episode should be treated as a recommendation from SoFi and it is not investment advice. But let's let's set the stage here. VANC has the gold miners ETF, right?
But I want to talk about gold as an asset class right now just by itself. And and I I honestly think it might be an asset class by itself right now. It falls into the precious metals category, but it's had such a good run.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- gold breakout
- dollar devaluation
- portfolio positioning
- ai bubble
- bitcoin outlook
Companies and tickers mentioned
- SOFI
- VanEck
- SoFi
Watch the episode
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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