The gyrations in early 2026 on Wall Street sent some investors seeking ballast to steady the ship, while bets on artificial intelligence undulated by the hour and bitcoin lost 40 percent of its value seemingly overnight.
Indeed, even the broad equity indexes stumbled through early 2026, as whole sectors were considered vulnerable to “AI disruption.” In addition, bond values looked squishy, with even erstwhile safe-haven government IOUs stressed by concerns about over-indebtedness. There were mounting dark murmurs about private equity and private credit blowouts. Add in geopolitical turmoil.
Looking for refuge, more eyeballs are turning to natural resource investing, especially metals, although history suggests a few boom-and-busts in that realm also. Still, diversifying the portfolio is a time-tested strategy, and beyond that the demand for metals will likely be sustained for the foreseeable future by a growing global population, rising incomes and advanced technol
