Discover Garrett Goggin’s analysis of the US-China “Gold War” and his gold royalty picks for retirement income and growth.
While global attention remains fixed on rising tensions in the Middle East and the possibility of wider conflict involving Iran, a deeper, more strategic contest has been playing out largely beneath the surface. China’s methodical construction of what intelligence observers term the “Gold Corridor” represents a long-term challenge to the dominance of the US dollar in global trade and reserves.
This silent “Gold War,” as some analysts describe it, carries significant consequences for currency stability, inflation pressures, and the value of traditional savings. At the center of this shift stands Garrett Goggin, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Market Technician (CMT) with more than two decades of specialized experience in the precious metals sector.
Goggin has built a reputation for in-depth, on-the-ground research into gold mining companies and royalty firms. His work highlights how both China and the United States, despite opposing motivations, are now structurally aligned in ways that could propel gold prices substantially higher in the coming years.
China’s Gold Corridor Strategy
For more than a decade, China has been laying the groundwork for an alternative financial architecture. This includes expanding gold reserves (with domestic production since 2000 already rivaling or exceeding official US holdings at Fort Knox), developing yuan-denominated gold contracts, and establishing physical gold infrastructure across strategic locations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and the Middle East.
Key milestones include the 2014 launch of the Shanghai Gold Exchange International and accelerated efforts following US-China trade tensions in 2018. The 2022 freezing of Russian dollar reserves served as a global cautionary tale, prompting many nations to explore non-dollar settlement options.
In early 2026, Chinese leadership publicly emphasized ambitions for the renminbi to play a larger reserve role. Concurrently, the People’s Bank of China reportedly guided banks to curtail new US Treasury purchases and manage excess holdings more cautiously.
The “Gold Corridor” facilitates bilateral trade deals and commodity transactions — particularly oil — increasingly settled outside the traditional dollar and SWIFT system. Real-world examples include significant portions of China-Brazil trade moving to renminbi, Russia-China commerce largely bypassing dollars, and even Australian iron ore sales to China settled in yuan.
The expansion of BRICS, now including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others, culminated in the 2025 introduction of the BRICS UNIT — a gold-backed settlement mechanism operating independently of Western financial rails. These developments gradually erode the “exorbitant privilege” the dollar has enjoyed for decades.
The Erosion of Dollar Dominance and the Petrodollar Strain
The US dollar’s reserve currency status has long allowed America to finance large deficits and borrow affordably due to constant global demand. However, as more trade shifts away from dollar pricing — especially in energy markets — this structural support weakens.
The ongoing situation in the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for roughly 20% of global oil transit, adds urgency. Reports of certain transactions requiring renminbi payment highlight the fracturing of the longstanding petrodollar arrangement. Saudi Arabia’s growing trade with China in non-dollar terms and its BRICS membership further signal realignment.
With US federal debt exceeding $39 trillion and continuing to rise rapidly, the challenge of rolling over maturing Treasuries amid declining foreign demand becomes more pressing. This backdrop makes gold’s traditional role as a monetary anchor increasingly relevant.
America’s Strategic Response: Reintegrating Gold
Faced with these pressures, the United States possesses a significant but historically under-valued asset: its official gold reserves of approximately 8,133 metric tons. These holdings remain carried on government books at the outdated 1970s statutory price of $42.22 per ounce, despite current market prices trading much higher.
Discussions within policy circles, including comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about monetizing national assets, suggest potential moves toward formal revaluation or the introduction of gold-indexed Treasury instruments. Economic voices such as Judy Shelton have advocated exploring gold-collateralized debt options to restore credibility with international creditors.
The irony is notable: to counter de-dollarization pressures, Washington may need to embrace a higher gold price. This convergence — China seeking gold to legitimize its parallel system and the US leveraging gold to stabilize its debt markets — creates powerful underlying support for the metal.
Additional tailwinds include massive global debt levels, potential shifts in Federal Reserve policy, continued central bank gold purchases, and private sector interest (such as stablecoin issuers accumulating physical gold). Even without the geopolitical layer, the sheer scale of monetary expansion favors hard assets like gold.
Why Mining Stocks and Royalties May Outperform Physical Gold
Although gold bullion has delivered strong returns in recent years, many experienced observers note that the largest potential gains in a sustained bull market often come from carefully selected gold equities rather than the metal itself.
A key dynamic is the so-called “Golden Anomaly” — the gap between a mining company’s Net Asset Value (based on projected lifetime free cash flows at prevailing or higher gold prices) and its current market capitalization. High-quality operators with superior ore grades, de-risked projects, and strong management can trade at meaningful discounts to their intrinsic value during the earlier and middle stages of a gold bull market.
As prices rise further and investor sentiment improves, these valuation gaps tend to narrow, sometimes dramatically. Royalty and streaming companies add another layer of opportunity. These firms provide upfront capital to miners in exchange for a percentage of future production (often paid in gold), allowing them to generate revenue with far lower operational risk, capital intensity, and cost exposure than traditional miners.
Historical examples demonstrate how well-structured royalty positions have compounded powerfully over multi-year periods, offering attractive asymmetry for long-term holders.
Garrett Goggin’s Research Approach
His analysis consistently emphasizes the small subset of miners and royalty companies capable of generating genuine profits and delivering leveraged exposure to rising gold prices. Rather than broad ETFs or large-cap producers (which offer more limited upside at this stage), Goggin’s work targets names where a modest allocation could compound significantly if the broader thesis plays out.
Golden Portfolio IV and Access to Gold Royalty Insights
For investors interested in navigating these developments, Goggin’s Golden Portfolio IV (GPIV) provides accessible, quarterly research focused on a curated selection of high-potential opportunities in the gold space. This includes detailed analysis of companies exhibiting the “Golden Anomaly,” along with a bonus royalty pick designed to complement the core holdings.
Subscribers receive a starter guide explaining gold investment mechanics, ongoing model portfolio updates, and real-time fundamental tracking. Priced accessibly, GPIV aims to deliver hedge-fund caliber insights in straightforward language suitable for individual investors.
The specific names and tickers of Goggin’s top gold royalty picks — along with the full “Golden Anomaly” miner recommendations — are reserved exclusively for paying subscribers of Golden Portfolio IV. These royalty ideas are particularly noteworthy for their potential to provide efficient, lower-maintenance exposure to the gold theme.
Broader Suite of Garrett Goggin Services
Goggin offers several complementary research services tailored to different objectives:
Golden Portfolio 10X targets higher-leverage opportunities in gold and silver miners, focusing on mid-tier names positioned in the “sweet spot” of development. It is designed for investors seeking substantial multiple potential as the sector matures, backed by audited performance data showing strong outperformance versus benchmarks in recent years.
Gold Royalty “Retirement Portfolio” emphasizes royalty and streaming companies, making it well-suited for income-oriented or retirement-focused investors. This service highlights the capital-efficient nature of royalties — minimal operational risk, potential for long-term compounding, and exposure to gold production without the headaches of running mines. It includes a model portfolio of carefully selected royalty plays, supported by educational materials and monthly updates.
Together, these services enable investors to build a diversified precious metals allocation: core growth ideas through Golden Portfolio IV, amplified upside via 10X, and steadier, income-friendly exposure through the Royalty Retirement Portfolio.
A Historic Monetary Transition
The combination of geopolitical competition, record sovereign debt, shifting trade patterns, and gold’s enduring monetary attributes suggests the sector may be entering a multi-year revaluation phase. While exact timing and magnitude remain uncertain, the structural incentives for higher gold prices appear compelling.
Quality gold miners with attractive valuations and royalty companies with proven business models offer ways to participate with operating or structural leverage. However, risks remain high. Mining equities and even royalty stocks can experience sharp volatility due to operational issues, jurisdictional factors, gold price corrections, and broader market sentiment.
Investors should approach the sector with appropriate position sizing, diversification, and professional advice. No investment is without risk, and past performance — including strong audited returns referenced in Goggin’s services — does not guarantee future results.
Positioning in an Uncertain Environment
As the “Gold War” dynamics continue to evolve, specialized research can help investors separate high-quality opportunities from the many speculative names in the sector. Golden Portfolio IV offers a practical entry point, providing detailed analysis without requiring institutional resources.
The gold royalty picks highlighted in Goggin’s research are accessible only to subscribers, reflecting the value placed on in-depth, proprietary modeling of net asset values, production profiles, and risk factors.
For those concerned about preserving purchasing power and potentially participating in the upside of a shifting global monetary order, reviewing services such as Golden Portfolio IV, Golden Portfolio 10X, and the Gold Royalty “Retirement Portfolio” may prove worthwhile.
The window for capturing deeper valuation discounts may narrow as awareness spreads and corporate activity (including acquisitions by larger miners) accelerates. Informed positioning, grounded in thorough analysis like that provided by Garrett Goggin, could help investors navigate this complex but potentially rewarding landscape.
FAQ: Garrett Goggin America’s Secret Gold War Gold Royalty Picks
What is Garrett Goggin’s “America’s Secret Gold War” thesis?
Garrett Goggin argues that China has been quietly building a “Gold Corridor” over the past decade to challenge the US dollar’s dominance as the world’s reserve currency. By stockpiling gold, creating yuan-denominated gold contracts, and developing alternative settlement systems like the BRICS UNIT, China is slowly redirecting global trade away from the dollar. According to Goggin, this pressure is forcing the United States to eventually re-integrate gold into the monetary system, which could drive gold prices dramatically higher.
Why does Garrett Goggin believe certain gold royalty companies are attractive right now?
Goggin highlights that gold royalty companies offer investors a unique way to participate in rising gold prices with lower risk than operating miners. These companies provide upfront financing to miners in exchange for a percentage of future gold production, allowing them to generate revenue with minimal operational costs or risks. He believes select royalty plays represent some of the best risk/reward opportunities in the current Gold War environment, especially as both superpowers have reasons to support higher gold prices.
What is the “Golden Anomaly” that Garrett Goggin talks about?
The “Golden Anomaly” refers to the significant discount at which certain high-quality gold mining companies are currently trading relative to their Net Asset Value (NAV). Even though gold prices have risen sharply, many strong miners with high-grade deposits and robust free cash flow potential remain undervalued. Goggin believes this valuation gap will close as the gold bull market matures, potentially delivering substantial returns for early investors.
What services does Garrett Goggin offer and how do they differ?
Garrett Goggin offers three main research services:
Golden Portfolio IV: His flagship service focused on the “Golden Anomaly” miners and includes a bonus gold royalty pick. Ideal for investors seeking clear, actionable ideas in the current gold cycle.
Golden Portfolio 10X: Targets higher-upside, more leveraged opportunities for investors comfortable with greater volatility in pursuit of larger potential multiples.
Gold Royalty “Retirement Portfolio”: Designed for income-focused and retirement investors, emphasizing royalty and streaming companies that offer steadier exposure with lower operational risk.
How can I access Garrett Goggin’s specific gold royalty picks and miner recommendations?
Garrett Goggin’s detailed stock picks — including his top gold royalty recommendations — are available exclusively to paid subscribers of Golden Portfolio IV. The names, tickers, full analysis, valuation models, and live model portfolio are not publicly disclosed. Interested investors can subscribe to Golden Portfolio IV for immediate access to all current recommendations and ongoing updates.
