Forward Guidance
Episode overview

Warsh Must Choose The Dollar Or The Bond Market | Luke Gromen

Forward Guidance · 5 Egleze moments
Warsh Must Choose The Dollar Or The Bond Market | Luke Gromen
Episode summary

On this episode of Forward Guidance, host Felix interviews Luke Groman, founder of Forest for the Trees, one week before incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's first FOMC meeting amid unprecedented geopolitical and financial turmoil. Groman delivers a stark warning that physical commodity constraints from the Iran blockade will trigger severe financial crisis within 60 days, contradicting Wall Street consensus. He reveals China has absorbed a shocking 4-5 million barrel per day oil import collapse without economic damage, undermining assumptions about U.S. leverage, while NBC reports cite Pentagon officials confirming Chinese shoulder-fired missiles downed a U.S. F-15 and that China supplied advanced stealth-detection radar to Iran. Groman accuses Warsh of planning to gaslight the public by shifting Treasury purchases from the Fed to deregulated banks in what amounts to QE by another name, while claiming the administration's Iran war has destroyed Bessent's economic plan by spiking front-end rates just as Treasury shifted issuance there. He argues the Fed faces an impossible choice between sacrificing the dollar or the bond market, predicting foreigners will dump the $9.5 trillion in Treasuries they hold to buy oil and dollars as reserves run dry, triggering a debt spiral given 122% debt-to-GDP and 6% deficits heading to 10%. Groman reveals his adjusted Warren Buffett valuation metric shows U.S. stocks more overvalued than the 2000 dot-com peak or 2021 highs, the highest in 65 years. He discusses how China's 185-country yuan swap line network has ended U.S. monopoly on financial leverage, evidenced by the UAE threatening to price oil in yuan to extract dollar swap lines before leaving OPEC. The conversation covers Japan and Korea trading like emerging markets since the October Busan summit, suggesting either imminent debt crises or a secret U.S. deal to reshore manufacturing there via currency destruction. Groman predicts gold and Bitcoin are telegraphing coming equity market collapse unless massive liquidity injections arrive soon.

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5 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected
01
Geopolitics

China Oil Imports Collapse 4-5 Million Barrels Daily Without Economic Damage

Groman reveals that China has absorbed a massive 4-5 million barrel per day oil import reduction without economic collapse, contradicting three-month-old consensus that China would be most harmed by the Iran blockade. He attributes this resilience to China's electric vehicle infrastructure expansion (charging up 55% year-over-year per Jeff Currie) and strategic petroleum reserves. This data point undermines assumptions about U.S. leverage in the conflict.

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02
Geopolitics

Groman Predicts Oil Crisis and Debt Spiral Within Two Months

Luke Groman forecasts that physical commodity constraints, particularly from the Iran blockade, will trigger severe financial market stress within 60 days. He argues that as nations hit oil reserve bottoms, they will be forced to sell Treasuries to buy oil and dollars, precipitating a U.S. debt spiral given 122% debt-to-GDP ratio and 6% deficits. This contradicts consensus Wall Street expectations of manageable inflation and stable markets.

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03
Money

U.S. Equity Valuations Exceed Dot-Com Bubble Peak by Adjusted Metric

Groman's proprietary valuation metric, which adjusts the Warren Buffett indicator by subtracting federal debt from equity market cap, shows current U.S. stock valuations exceed the 2000 dot-com peak and the 2021 highs. This represents the highest reading in 65 years of data, with the only comparable periods preceding major market crashes. He argues this extreme overvaluation compounds risks from rising bond yields.

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04
Military

Chinese Shoulder-Fired Missiles Reportedly Downed U.S. F-15 Fighter Jet

Groman cites NBC reports of Pentagon officials confirming a U.S. F-15 was downed by Chinese-supplied shoulder-fired missiles and that China provided Iran with advanced radar systems capable of detecting American stealth aircraft. This directly contradicts earlier narratives that Chinese weapons were ineffective and that China was not materially supporting Iran in the conflict.

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05
Money

Fed Chair Warsh Accused of Gaslighting Public on Balance Sheet Reduction

Groman alleges incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's balance sheet reduction plan is fundamentally dishonest, arguing deregulation will simply shift Treasury purchases from the Fed to banks with infinite leverage. He claims this regulatory arbitrage constitutes QE by another name while Warsh presents it as hawkish policy. This represents a scathing critique of the new Fed leadership's credibility before Warsh's first meeting.

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