Jen Bawden, founder of Bawden Capital, argues that the current market environment mimics the liquidity shocks of 2008 and 2020. During those periods, precious metals experienced sharp, short-term declines alongside equities before mounting substantial rallies. Bawden suggests that the recent selloff is not a fundamental crisis for the metals, but rather a byproduct of broader cross-asset margin shocks where large funds liquidate their most liquid holdings to cover losses elsewhere.

The pressure on gold and silver stems from a confluence of factors, including the Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance and an energy-driven surge in the U.S. dollar. As crude oil prices climb, nations from Japan to India are forced to dump local currencies to secure the dollars required for energy imports, further strengthening the greenback and weighing on non-yielding assets. Despite these headwinds, Bawden maintains that the structural case for hard assets remains intact. She expects that mounting global sovereign debt will eventually force central banks to pivot, creating a favorable environment for precious metals as investors seek to protect purchasing power in a high-interest-rate economy. Consequently, she is already positioning for further weakness, targeting significant discounts in select mining equities.