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De-Globalization Is Forcing Nations Worldwide To Choose A Side | Michael Every

Adam Taggart | Thoughtful Money® Aug 27, 2026

Summary

De-globalization is reshaping US policy into economic statecraft, the guest argues, forcing nations to choose between US-aligned finance and rivals like Iran.

The guest argues stablecoins could become a multi-trillion-dollar structural buyer of T-bills, funding deficits without the inflation hit of traditional QE.

A neo-mercantilist world favors physical commodities tied to real industrial use, the guest contends, like copper for grid rebuilds, rather than pure financial speculation.

Bifurcation of the global economy is likely coming faster than markets expect, with currency and pipeline flows becoming geopolitical leverage tools.

Commodities tied to industrial demand and long-duration Treasuries are the secular themes most likely to benefit from this de-globalizing world order, the guest argues.

Adam Taggart's takeaways

  • Top takeaway Frames the discussion around three intertwined headlines — Treasury Secretary Bessent "Operation Twist" buyback program, the Genius/Clarity Acts enabling stablecoins, and the US economic war on Iran as a forced binary choice for other nations (work with US markets/tech/finance/stablecoins or work with Iran)
  • Closes with life-planning guidance for the channel largely DIY, over-50 audience: build a succession plan with a trusted advisor before you need one, prioritize health as a daily ritual, and recognize "true wealth" as quality relationships and purpose rather than the next round-number asset target

Mike Preston's takeaways

  • Top takeaway Is bullish on long-duration US Treasuries (TLT at ~7.5% of New Harbor model) — expects yields to fall over the next ~2 years as stablecoin-driven T-bill demand and curve-control pressures outweigh secular inflation fears, even though 20-year inflation risk remains real
  • Sees commodities in a 10+ year secular bull market, driven by de-globalization, growing energy/carbon/LNG trade, and the strategic contest over what currency that trade settles in — agrees with Every that USD-stablecoin settlement would extend US reserve-currency dominance
  • Argues stablecoin-led T-bill demand is materially different from Fed QE — non-inflationary because the Treasury collateral stays inside US entities while creating a new, large foreign buyer of dollar-denominated assets
  • Risk-management philosophy: ride trends but abandon positions when key technical levels break; uses covered calls to harvest income and downside protection and occasionally buys S&P index puts as crash insurance — frames option selling as a "get-rich-slow" tool retail investors can learn (with professional guidance)
  • Wealth-planning guidance from ~30 years in the business: own productive assets, avoid compounding debt (a mortgage can be the productive-debt exception), and most clients (he estimates 80%+) are already "fine" once their actual lifestyle math is walked through — health and relationships matter more than the next round-number asset target

Michael Every's takeaways

  • Top takeaway Frames the current US policy mix as a coordinated "special military Operation Twist" — Treasury buybacks, the Genius/Clarity Acts enabling stablecoins, and the Iran economic war are tools to bifurcate the world into US-aligned vs. adversary camps; calls the framework "economic statecraft" heading toward neo-mercantilism (not classic mercantilism, since the US still runs a large trade deficit)
  • Argues stablecoin-driven demand for T-bills is non-inflationary because the Treasury collateral stays within US entities — claims stablecoins could let the US pay for imports without expanding its on-balance-sheet liability, creating a "third dimension" to the current-account math
  • Believes commodities are a multi-year secular beneficiary in a more zero-sum, re-arming world where supply chains are deliberately disrupted and physical supply (copper for grid rebuild, refined diesel) becomes the binding constraint over financial engineering
  • Expects US military escalation against Iran after the November 2026 midterms; says Iran is already severely squeezed (oil revenue cut, inflation above 80-100%, soldiers/militia unpaid) and warns Iran could escalate sooner if it senses a NATO credibility test
  • Flags additional escalation risks: a possible Russian mobilization after the September 19-21, 2026 Duma election, a potential NATO Article 5 test (foot over the line into a Baltic state), and coordinated multi-theater escalation; sees space-launch cadence (Trump targeting 1,000/year) as part of the same strategic picture